Preparing for Mad Jack's 5

This Sunday Attingham is once again hosting Mad Jack's 5, a five mile race around the grounds (including a dash through the pond near the finish line). On Tuesday we had a group from Stafford College join us to help build a fence/handrail to support the runners as they navigate the slippery pond edge and they did a fantastic job. Getting the posts 3' into the solid clay was no mean feat! The rest of the frame was bolted together so that we can take down the rails and supports and reuse them next year. Tomorrow I will be helping to put out the route markers and check that the cattle are fenced in away from the runners, then it's home to rest up until race time - 11am Sunday. Spectators and more runners are welcome to join in!

Tuesday also turned out to be an incredibly warm day and there were actually damselflies laying eggs around the edges of the pond that we were working on - on November 1st! I tried to get pictures but their darting movements came out blurry - here is the best shot - you can just about make out the mating pair and the ripples are where they drop down to lay the eggs:

Now that we are into November, the rut has come to an end. We have started feeding the deer on roots and hay, just a small amount at first, and will continue to do so through to next April. The adult deer seem to remember the routine and soon came over to investigate our vehicle and chow down on the fodder beet that we spread about:

Finally, this week see's the warden department saying farewell to Richard Newman, who joined the team 10 months ago on a temporary contract. Rich has found a new, permanent job in the western fells in the Lake District, managing his own team, and on top of this will be moving north with his soon-to-be family - wife Becca is expecting their first child in December. Sad news for us, a fantastic new adventure for them - so good luck Richard, from all the team and volunteers at Attingham!