Vince, Jake, Brockers, Jon, Nick, Tav, and Mike
Got to the farm before the team arrived and made my way across the fields to the cave, taking care to keep one eye on the bull on the way. Safely at the cave tidied the spoil heap, added a few rocks to the wall, and packed the dry bags into bundles (x10) ready for use as the morning progressed. It was not too long to wait for Jake and Brockers to arrive (I could hear them as they walked across the field). A brief chat and they went underground to start digging at the NE extent. About 10 minutes after they had departed, the others arrived. A discussion about who was going where ensued – I was on the surface as I dug last weekend – all sorted, they ventured into the ‘abyss’. Once they got themselves organised it was not long before bags (and, infrequently, rocks) arrived ready to be hauled to the surface. The rate was steady enough to allow time to empty the bags, and add rare rocks to the wall, every now and then Jon appeared on the surface to help empty the bags too.
And that is how the morning progressed. The weather became oppressive – warm, humid and it was not a surprise when it started to rain – quite a lot, making it very slippery on the surface around the entrance and up to the spoil heap. Fortunately, it was not too long before the team arrived on the surface. 68 bags were filled, hauled, and emptied plus some rocks. Time for the Hunter’s and some refreshments.