another 50 metres of stream cleared...

"Before" - Yes there is a stream under there!

I am in pain. I've lost 3 finger nails and the use of my little finger. I've gained 6 splinters, 2 scratches across my nose and aches in places that I never knew had muscles in - but by God was it worth it.... the stream looks incredible - a bit bare just now, but give it a few weeks and it will be stunning - we found so many ferns trying to grow under the tangled mess.
Tracy and I got started (after the obligatory brew of course) around ten and made light work of the Rhodies. Then we moved into the brambles and deeper water and things got a little tricky - but actually nowhere near as bad as we thought it was going to be when we surveyed the job last summer. The larger pools of water in the deepest areas were pretty stagnant and smelly, but we eventually got it all flowing again and with a bit of luck we will get some heavy rain soon to flush it all through. It hasn't rained up at the wood all week by the looks of it and so the stream is fairly low again which made life a little easier.

After!

By the time lunchtime came (and our third brew stop) we had completed as much of the stream as we wanted to and had made it all the way to the Holly bridge. Time enough to give its' namesake a haircut - which opened up the view no end. Whilst doing this we made a cracking discovery in the form of an old bridge we had no idea was there. Hidden by the banks of the ghyll and rampant Rhodies it was inaccessible from all directions bar one. It showed signs of having had steps down to it from both sides at some point in the past as the metal rods holding what would have been log steps in place were still there but the logs had long since rotted away. Being secluded and overgrown with evergreens it has this amazing rain-forest feel to it and the stream makes only a light tinkling noise rather than the loud gushing you can here further downstream.  A peaceful and magical spot.
We set about clearing a path to it and replacing the missing steps with recently chopped birch logs to give us a slightly safer way in and out with the debris and dead wood. I know the Rhodies will have to all go at some point, but we didn't want to remove too many just yet and risk losing the dark jungle feel.
Flee had turned up around noon and, after a spell of Rhodie clearing with Ant, he set to work on the cross bars for the kitchen roof. How on earth he managed to get them bolted up there on the top on his own I will never know, but they are fixed into position and look perfect. Rounded, rustic and still with the bark on they blend in perfectly. Just the roof to go on and we will have a waterproof shelter to dump our bags and drink tea of course.
Didn't take my camera with me today, so apologies for the mobile phone images here - but I am hoping to get some better ones with the Nikon tomorrow - not such hard work tomorrow - just an enormous mound of Rhodies to burn now!