|
On a day more
suited to ducks and toads, a magnificent seven (cowboys?) from Linklaters came
to Deen City Farm and fought through a wet and windswept Friday to tidy up an
out of control area of the Farm.
Ably led by the
Childerley Clan, the team of George & Alan (our very own Butch Cassidy &
Sundance Kid), Calamity Dawn (this is a joke) and sharp-shooting Sarah & Susan
cleaned up a part of town that everyone had forgotten…
It was almost as
if they’d seen a “Wanted” poster nailed to the only tree in Central London which
just happened to be outside their office in the City. “Wanted – No Reward.
Seven hardy souls needed to rid a wild south west district of overgrown
trouble”.
So, as the
tumbleweed blew across the yard, they rode into town, in their Audis and
Citroens, leapt out and got straight to work under the direction of the local
sheriff. The job was a tough one: clear out some tough residents, dig down and
unearth anything in the way and put in solid foundations for future.
(To you and me,
that’s clear away some greenery, weeds and thorns, dig out some ground, put in
hard core and sand, level it with a vibrating whackerplate and lay paving bricks
on top).
Alan, or “Butch”
as he would have been known if anyone had thought of the western analogy at the
time and Russell (a rancher from near Rainham, Essex) got to work on a stubborn
imposter and soon enough had it lying on the ground, defeated. Okay, it was
only a small hawthorn tree, but everyone knew it was a big step early on in the
gunfight.
Hayley, the
greatest gunslinger in Grays, worked with Susan & Sarah in clearing out the
thorny ones hidden close to the wall. Dawn & George, meanwhile, quietly
shovelled up the dead debris and dumped it where it wouldn’t be in the way.
It was a long
morning and the weather didn’t help, but the whole gang didn’t relent until they
retired to the saloon (Café, obviously) where a bartender (Rosetta) made them
welcome with a traditional feed. The weather had turned from good (on Thursday)
to bad (Friday morning) to pretty damn ugly by lunchtime.
Thankfully -
perhaps it was George’s Sun Dance – the cloud cleared a little later on in the
day and the cowboys were able to return to their task. The hard core may have
been moving around beneath the surface, but our very own magnificent seven,
urged on by the local officials, laid brick after brick to provide a platform
for others to build on.
The group also
found a moment to put in more areas where weary riders could dismount from the
saddle and safely tie up their transport, ie. extra bicycle racks!
Far from being
cowboys, the team from Linklaters were hardworking, loyal and determined and we
were very lucky to have had them with us for the day. |
