Work party

Church this morning, home for a quick lunch and change of clothes and then down to the ponds to help with a work party. 
The old lades to the ponds have gradually blocked and the low burn level has made the problem worse so a group was organised to dig out one and let some water in. About 25 people came and worked hard in the mud and the success was clear as the water started to flow. Some muddy people went home, one minus a welly which got stuck in the mud!
We also cleared a lot of Himalayan Balsam and removed hard to get rubbish. The other lade needs a digger to clear it but there is now funding to make proper repairs to the wider area.
I watched the last stage of the women's Tour de France, they finished up a mountain with a 24% climb and the section just before nearly as steep and on unsurfaced road - how does anyone cycle up that?