What a super display the invertebrate monitoring team put on for us at the Chalfont St Giles Show! Dorothie’s diptera, Mel’s minnows, Derek’s diagrams and Mike’s microscope had the stand filled with inquisitive people of all ages for almost the whole period. Many thanks to them and others who helped on the day. As usual from CStG, we collected some more names of those interested in what we are about and possibly joining us at the wet end.

This little note now goes to 264 addresses representing more than 350 individuals. Sometimes I wonder quite how many junk-mail boxes it falls into but, encouragingly, I often meet people who confess to reading it and even promise to join a work party one day! Everyone’s support in whatever form, even if that is just spreading the word in the village, or a little litter picking while out and about, or a once in a blue (or orange??) moon appearance at a work session is much appreciated and valued. However, to reach our objective of a healthy river, and to keep me cheerful, we really do need help with our activities.

So, I must note that the scheduled weekday exercise on September 23rd was cancelled as we only had one volunteer and, to date, we only have one for this Sunday 4th October morning. While the river is low and before the winter, we can do a lot in both the leat upstream of Mill Lane and the reach down towards Pheasant Hill. Bottom of Chiltern Hill area in Chalfont St Peter is very overgrown. And it wouldn’t be hard to find other worthwhile targets to help the river through the last weeks of this season and to prepare drainage as far as we can for the winter. In fact Sunday morning isn’t cast in stone so, if you could give us a hand this weekend, please let me know as soon as possible which you could do and any preference from a) Saturday morning, b) Saturday afternoon, c) Sunday morning or d) Sunday afternoon. We will then go with the majority option and I’ll let everyone know what’s happening.

Meanwhile, of course, I might see you for a chat about this and that at our “not-a-meeting” on this Thursday (1st) evening at The Greyhound, Chalfont St Peter from 7.45 p.m. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that I have not managed to prepare a draft for discussion of the constitution our insurers were seeking but it is in the “work in progress” tray.

A healthy number of you have signed up for our Annual Dinner on Thursday 10th December. It will probably be at either The Ivy House or The Greyhound – to be decided on Thursday evening – and will have their usual choices of 2 or 3 course menus. As always, it will be a good fun and festive night out and a chance for those who volunteer alone to bring spouses, partners, friends to meet some of the crazy people they go river clearing with. Please keep the sign-ups coming.

Happily, the river continues to trickle all the way from the Chalfonts, glinting in this welcome sunshine. If not already raided by others, there are great crops of sloes, damsons, hazel nuts and occasional mushrooms (take care!) to be found on a walk beside it and the heron is back on station supervising our adventures.