News from the Riverbank – Bob’s Ramblings

     So, another record - the driest spring in 70 years, they say!  Well, in the Misbourne catchment, while things are obviously very different from early 2024, we only have to look back to 2021 for similar rainfall patterns.  Nevertheless, we are seeing groundwater levels easing, fields drying and significant change in soil moisture deficit from “notably low” in...

       Crazy British weather! Annual rainfall to end March ’25 was about 560mm - just under 90% long term average, among lowest in last 60 years; annual rainfall to end March '24 was 930mm - 150% long term average, among highest in past 60 years !  Despite exceptionally low rainfall in March, groundwater levels are still relatively high...

     Its a little early for Mole (of Wind in the Willows fame) to be on the move but here’s a gentle update to begin the year. Our annual dinner at The Ivy House in December was an excellent “do”, much enjoyed by all.  For 2025, we again have Mel Barnet as Hon Sec, Dave Cooper as Hon Treas....

A steady month. October rainfall was well below average for the month - actually less than 20% of that in October 2023. Nevertheless, following the extremes of last winter, average groundwater levels along the valley...

  So many meetings in the month, so many initiatives in train, so much work in the field, so many new supporters, and so many emails/WhatsApps -  it is tempting to go for “October Optimism” as a title except we’ve used it in the past - 3 times in the last 10 years!   Are we getting somewhere this time,...

       After the events of the last winter and spring it is encouraging to be able to report some positive news.  Hopefully those events will have some effect on the powers that be and the associated publicity will have done some good. In late June we ventured out with a work party clearing a couple of fallen trees...

Dear All Good flow from Mobwell Pond all the way to Denham is usually cause for celebration, but with pumps and tankers still present, sewage pollution still blighting significant lengths, roads closed and much of the floodplain still being, well, a very soggy floodplain, it’s at best a bittersweet situation.   Much has been written and broadcast elsewhere about sewage in our...

      Our little river has been punching well above its weight in the news and social media forums recently with the lead articles being mainly about sewer overflows in Chalfont St Peter and groundwater flooding in Chalfont St Giles - (not forgetting the CStG pond liner!).   It has been fun trying to correct some of the wilder...

Seeing the standing water in the fields along the valley, it seems incredible that it was only 3 weeks ago that the streams finally joined up to give continuous flow all the way from Mobwell Pond to the Colne. Just two weeks earlier Mobwell Pond was full but no flow out, actual flow began at Missenden Abbey and just reached...

You already know that this year, to date, we have had a driest February, a wettest March, a hottest September and all manner of ups and downs in between.  Overall, this has given one of the wettest 12 months in the past 30 years but distinctly average in the past three months.  Some will have memories of ruined plans for...

Lots to report again!  While itself not as wet as July in 1991, 2008, or 2012, the 12 month total to end July this year was only matched in the past 30 years by the year ending July 2001.  That reflected the exceptionally wet season 2000 - 2001: many will remember the associated groundwater flooding.  I guess the difference is...

Dear All Spring is indeed sprung, the grass is riz, and it is becoming more obvious where the Misbourne iz! Springs at the broad waters below Missenden Abbey are the start of strong flow all the way to well past Chalfont St Giles. After a 1/2 mile gap, there are several places where bits of flow show above the surface...

Dear All At just over 4mm in Chalfont St Peter, February’s rainfall was far below average - in fact the driest February since 1993. As a result, the seasonal recharge of the aquifer stalled as did the springtime emergence of our river. As reported last month, work parties in December and January coaxed the flow from Misbourne Farm (Gorilla) to...

Dear All So that will teach me: a month ago commenting that a whole good month’s rain in half a month was good for the recharge, and then hardly a drop since! Nevertheless, groundwater levels continued to rise strongly as the moisture percolated down and all locations were well above average when dipped on 1st Feb. Following the two work...

Dear All Firstly, even if a little belated, very best wishes for 2023 to all. Looking back, I recall everyone thoroughly enjoyed a very good evening at our Annual Dinner in December: to reduce the chance of you missing this year’s, why not make a note in your diaries now for Wednesday 13th December 2023 at 7.30pm? To the present,...

Some seasonal cheer! We were delighted with progress - by the last two work parties, and the clement weather. As a result, flow below Amersham now crosses the ford at Mill Lane and is on its way towards Chalfont St Giles - looking positive for flow back in the village early in the New Year. Our final work party for...

Waking up any morning, you can just about guarantee that the Misbourne will be flowing between Little Missenden and Amersham. More widely, residents of Great Missenden (upstream) and Chalfont St Giles (downstream) express disappointment on the occasions when they have no flow. But flow all the way between Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont Park is definitely cause for celebration. So,...

Most years, well before now, we’ve managed to emulate Moley from Wind in the Willows and poke our noses outside to begin encouraging spring flows. However, there has been a lot going on with other stuff, actually getting to the river is more difficult than it used to be, and the dreaded Covid has knocked out a chunk of March....

We are very much looking forward to our 13th MRA Annual Dinner, postponed from 2020, on Wednesday 15th December at The Greyhound. Probably best if you can arrive from 7.00 pm for a drink and chat and we’ll allow 10 minutes for “The AGM” before letting the team begin service at 7.30. Thanks to those who have already booked their...

It has been another good month on the work front. Four good work parties rescued the watercourse from beneath about a kilometre of dense watercress downstream of Chalfont St Giles, establishing flow well into the sheep fields Meanwhile, several groups have worked on the reach through Chalfont St Peter and, while still work in progress, much is now ready for...

What a great month we just had! A fantastic day in Chalfont St Giles on Wednesday 15th September and continued on Saturday18th re-discovering the river after our lockdown hiatus, and getting it running again all the way from Pheasant Hill to the end of Silsden Meadow. On the Wednesday, our team was mainly new friends from PerkinElmer - a company...

Many thanks to all those who have been in touch seeking info regarding work-parties, and more so to those who have been out clearing off their own bat. Apologies for my lack of energy in recent months. For most of the year, we have had good flow along the Misbourne. The strange gap between Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St...

"Enough is enough!”, you may cry as yet more precipitation precipitates, but please don’t blame the messenger. It will be little surprise that groundwater levels have risen well along the valley and in the Chilterns during the last two months. Indeed, a glance at the rainfall record in our Quickview pix shows that both the three months and six months...

First off, you will be delighted to have confirmation of what you will all have expected - the great comeback has begun! Dave’s dippings for the beginning of December show a healthy rise in groundwater levels and there is now flow right through Amersham and past the bridge on the by-pass (A413). This is great news at this stage of...

A most unexpected email this week advised that we have been awarded £200! If I understand it correctly, the money comes from funds raised in store by TK MAX and Homesense, through an initiative called “Neighbourly", for TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) who have allocated funds to your good selves. So, ladies, we should have more waders to suit you, secateurs...

Hopefully, no regular readers of these notes expected to see a river flowing through the valley below Amersham following the recent showers. However, it is perhaps a little disappointing that the groundwater measurements taken last Wednesday showed a further average drop of over 0.3m during September. Also, there is still a dry bed past the Jaguar garage in Amersham. The...

If you didn’t see Countryfile on BBC this week, I really recommend that you try and find it on “catch-up” and enjoy a very interesting and somewhat encouraging programme all about chalk streams. While concentrating on water quality and pollution issues, the programme does mention lack of rainfall. You may have received notice from your water company regarding the serious...

Many thanks for various enquiries about my health and the Misbourne - typically along the lines of “Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the Misbourne/Bob is”. There was nothing of concern causing the gap since the last note but I try not to fill your inboxes when there is nothing to say. Now there are a...

Understandably, some of you have taken me to task for my earlier prediction that we would see flow back to Chalfont St Giles by May. Well, with tongue in cheek I claim my forecast was correct all along as, throughout the summer, there has been flow as far as, and a bit beyond, Misbourne Farm - well inside St Giles...

Slowly, some results from HS2’s massive ground investigation programme are becoming public. Revisions to the British Geological Society’s maps in 1992 enabled a huge step forward in appreciating the geology of the Chilterns and the Misbourne valley. Understanding of the various chalk strata has evolved subsequently with work by, particularly, Dr Haydon Bailey. Some of the local detail came from...

Oh dear! Here we are, one month into the annual recharge season with groundwater levels still falling and, as gardeners will know, a high "soil moisture deficit" - i.e. the ground is very dry. The Environment Agency report for Hertfordshire and North London states “Groundwater levels continued to fall at all of our groundwater sites across the Area with both...

At the time of the last bulletin the rains at the beginning of August were lashing down and many disappointed holidaymakers have tales of wet days in the month. I was therefore surprised to receive the monthly groundwater levels for 1st September from David Anderson with a note to say that there had been a further fall in the month....

So, August arrived together with copious rain to start the summer holidays; letters from Affinity Water advised of their concerns with regard to aquifer levels; and, of course, the river Misbourne dry from the lake in Chalfont Park to nearly as far as Quarrendon Mill. Rainfall in recent weeks has brought a little recovery and there is currently flow at...

"Nothing has changed; nothing has changed”: We still have a little bit of a stream, though it did dry up twice in Chalfont St Peter for a day or two in the last month. Groundwater levels dipped on 1st June are still very low, though not quite as low as those of 2012 when the river dried up well above...

The day of our first work party of the year found several of us low with the bug. As it was snowing, others understandably decided against a paddle in freezing water, but not everyone and, amazingly, the village centre section of Chalfont St Peter and St Giles were cleared of winter debris. Now that’s dedication to the cause! Hopefully the...

In December, we were surprised and disappointed that the Misbourne, having reached the beginning of November flowing all the way to the Colne, suddenly ceased in Chalfont St Peter. Well, it appears that the problem was most likely not down to the supernatural but a blockage upstream of Quarrendon Mill leading to much of the flow escaping into the fields....

"And so today to the House of Lords", as Samuel Pepys might have said. Yes, indeed, the group “SaveStGiles" presented to the HS2 Select Committee our concerns that HS2 construction may risk the fragile river that we cherish through the Chalfonts. Part of the pitch was an appeal for the tunnel to run deeper, below the heavily fractured chalk, and...

A fantastic effort from your 12 volunteers on the September Work Day. Everyone was shattered but really satisfied to have opened the channel that had all but disappeared all the way from the start of the sheepfield to Cherry Acre. The before and afters below give you an idea. We were also delighted to find more little fish - good...

It was good that we had a reasonable number of volunteers for our work day on 31st July because we found the river had very nearly disappeared under the jungle of the field just upstream of CSG library. After much hard work it was persuaded to reappear and follow the prescribed route. Now, despite this mainly glorious weather, it has...

We hope the more seasonal weather of the past few days has been to your taste. Not much river news this month. Stands of Japanese knotweed in Chalfont St Peter are a bit of a concern. In 2013, reporting them to EA was sufficient to mobilise trained and licensed teams to treat the problem - with considerable success. However, these...

First a reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday, we will be having a quick tidy-up and blockage removal of as many key points as we have people for from 2.00. Let me know if you can join us and we’ll sort out some task groups. Last week, The Save St Giles (SSG) group invited me to join them in presenting their concerns...

Not much news to share this month. We made a small contribution to the SaveStGiles petition to the House of Lords regarding routing and depth of HS2 and hope to have the opportunity later in the month to put concerns regarding a risk of damage to flow to the HS2 team. A copy of a paper on this subject is...

Our mad March day associated with “Clean for the Queen”, and accompanied by flurries of sleet, certainly achieved some attractive results in both CSP and CSG, together with some good publicity and a few new volunteers. Possibly, like me, you wonder why on earth “Clean for the Queen” suddenly came out of nowhere to a date in early March -...

Well informed people such as yourselves are well aware of the special nature of the Chiltern’s chalk streams and that our river Misbourne is one of only 216 in the world - (there are 5 times this number of wild pandas!). More, you know the river through the Chalfonts and up to Amersham provides a vital environmental corridor between the...

See attached flyer for the Chiltern Society River & Wetlands Group Meeting this coming Saturday morning - good and relevant speakers for anyone interested in the well being of the River Misbourne. Numbers are still growing for our Annual Dinner now confirmed at The Greyhound on December 15th but there is still room for plenty more of you to come...

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...

Very sorry for: a) sending last month’s missive from my Parish church e-mail account b) relocating Merlin’s Cave to Chalfont St Peter c) failing so far to update the website with August 1st’s data A good month: a) Played Gerrards Cross golf course for the first time last week and was pleased to note water still in the river crossing...

As we approach the end of July, R. Misbourne is still flowing all the way through the Chalfonts and on to Denham. As noted before, groundwater levels and rainfall in the last 12 & 6 month period has been very similar to 2011, when the river dried up in Chalfont St Peter on 31st July. It will be interesting to...

Jamboree - Not. Our efforts for June last Sunday morning and the previous Saturday afternoon definitely didn't qualify for "Jamboree" status attracting only 4 and 5 workers respectively - still it was raining for one and Father's Day on the other. Nevertheless, good work was done - both sessions at CStPeter: one aimed at The Best Kept Village judges and...

As noted last month, groundwater levels are following a very similar pattern to those of 2011 when flow through the Chalfonts was lost and we went into the "drought" of 2012.  Some sages have already opined that the river will disappear again this year.  Me? - I'm still sitting on the fence (bank?) with fingers crossed thinking it still looks...

Happy Easter!  Birds are singing, flowers are flowering, trees are budding and rivers flowing: I've even seen the sun briefly today.  It's a wonderful world. The groundwater dips taken at the beginning of the month and, indeed, those at the beginning of February and March show a really close correlation with those for the same month in 2011.  3-month rainfall...

First things first: MRA Annual Dinner - Tuesday December 16th at The Greyhound.  Always, a good fun night, lovely mix of people, cost (excluding bar) is £23 per person for 2 courses, £27 for 3.  Please book your places with me by December 1st - earlier if you can.   If you can't attend work parties for one reason or...

It was good to chat with several of you at the St Peter Feast Day - always very reassuring to hear that not all of you have these missives directed to your "junk mail".  As usual, there were some new stories of life with The Misbourne as it used to be, including the one from the sisters who used to...

A reasonable turnout, fair weather, large amounts of overgrowth trimmed and bagged, a tree removed, a field drained and a significant blockage cleared all made for a successful morning last month.  Several of us were very pleased to enjoy the river from the Greyhound garden after! Perhaps not surprisingly, groundwater levels remain exceptionally high with plenty of water still in...

Please see the invitation below from the Environment Agency to FREE Practical River Habitat Workshops.  N.B. River Misbourne focused on 28th April and 2nd May.  If you would like a place, please contact Nancy direct asap before 14 April and, perhaps, let me know that you have used one or more of our reserved places.  If you advised last year...

I hope you had a lovely holiday and are enjoying a good start to 2014. The last few weeks' rain have been reflected by a good rise in the groundwater levels, particularly higher up the valley beyond Amersham and I see that the backstream at CStP has begun to flow again in the last few days.  Last year, it started...

Readers will be sorry to hear of the recent passing of John Norris.  For many years, John, a distinguished retired meteorologist, was a champion of the Misbourne and our chalk streams in general and maintained and analysed  comprehensive weather and other physical measurements in an attempt to further the understanding of its erratic behaviour.  He gave many talks on the...

Following a "butterfingers" moment, I have been without my computer (and thus the MRA distribution list) for a couple of weeks.  Now we are back up and running again, I hope it is not too late to remind you that we have a work party this Sunday, 1st September.    If you can join us, even for an hour or...

Much has already been said and written comparing last year's weather to this.  However, as you see the standing water in the fields between Chalfont St Giles and St Peter, you might be interested to note that the water table this time last year was some 7 metres below ground.  In fact levels throughout the valley are on average 5.5...

Alleluia and Yippee-dee-doo!  As I'm sure most of you will have seen, the river is flowing from top to bottom of the valley as strongly as it has done for many a year.   It is good to see that  it's in good shape and running free almost everywhere from Amersham down, thanks in part to our efforts in the last four...

Belated best wishes for your health and happiness in 2013.  I hope you have enjoyed the break from my relentless flow of e-mails but all good things must come to an end and you will want to be knowing about diary dates for the new year. While you may have noticed that we undoubtedly had quite a lot of rain...

Just by way of a tidy-up for  The Olympics and the RuntheRace event, we will have a quick work-party 10.00 to 11.00 this Saturday, 28th focused on just the old ford and section between The Greyhound and the Vic Wotton bridge in Chalfont St Peter.  If you would like to join us - welcome: no need to let me know...

This topsy-turvy year continues with the river advancing at a time of year when we might expect it to be in retreat.   Aside from the flash-flows during showers,  flow now extends fairly regularly to the top of the leat by Misbourne Farm.  However, trying to guess what may happen in the rest of the year and looking at the...

I hope you've enjoyed the celebrations as much as we have.   If the rain happened to interrupt your street party too at least you will have had that warm glow of knowing it was doing good to the river. I've been without my computer for a little while so have not yet updated the website "Facts & Figures" page...

Well, you no longer need MRA to tell you that it has been unusually dry in recent months!  The media is full of this "news", which you've been reading here for a long time.  Let us, at least rejoice that this burst of publicity is again drawing attention to the state of the nation's rivers and our chalk streams in...

New Year Greetings to you! As we walk beside the dry river bed and contemplate today's "news" regarding HS2, it is cheering to remember back to our very pleasant and jolly annual dinner at The Ivy House in December.  Inevitably, conversation then, and at the "not a meeting" earlier that month, touched from time to time on hopes and expectations for 2012....

The degree of the current near drought in our area was brought home to me on Thursday at an excellent talk by Allen Beechey of The Chiltern Conservation Board to The River Chess Association.  While lamenting our wanton waste of precious water - Bucks has the highest per capita water consumption in Europe! - Allen sympathetically described the real issues...

Most of you will be all too aware that our river is dry, very dry, in a way that we had perhaps unrealistically thought we would not see again.  While dismayed by the lack of flow anywhere between Quarrendon Mill and Chalfont Park, we are not alone: there has been no flow at Great Missenden all year and the River...

Many thanks for contacting me about the proposed work party this Saturday.  Hopefully, there will be a few more by the weekend and I have copied this to a few extras from the regular squad in case you were about to! Well! - what to say?  The Veolia trial of injecting 2 Mld at Amersham ended on Monday 26 September...

We will have to wait for official results of the Veolia augmentation trials but the lack of obvious effect at Chalfont St Peter has been disappointing to the optimists among us.   Writing last month, I noted that "the end" was moving past Water Hall  towards CStP but it never got much further than the wooden bridge and has oscillated...

The trials by Veolia adding 2Mld to the river at Amersham commenced on Tuesday morning.  At that time, the natural seasonal regression of the river had caused it to dry back above Water Hall (i.e. more severely than last year, reflecting the dry weather last winter and hence lower groundwater levels this year).  This evening (Wednesday) a small but steady...

An excellent turn-out in July - over 30 people - enabled us to cover almost the full stretch from Mill Lane to Chalfont St Peter.  For a while, that effort resulted in a brief return of the river to the CStP Council Offices but the seasonal trend has been such that, within just a couple of days, "the end" had...

With thanks to those who have already let me know regarding our work day this coming Sunday, this reminder that we will be out and about again from 09.30 and need as many workers as possible. Given the overall lack of rain in the past three years, it is amazing that we have continuous flow through our section of the...

Particular thanks to Ray Randle, John Norris, Dave Cooper and all who helped at the MRA stand at Feast Day last month.  Many visitors to the stand expressed delight at the continued flow of the river and their appreciation of all our work.   A good number of new recruits joined our ranks.   MRA's efforts were also applauded at...

Our peculiar river continues to flow continuously through the valley but a convincing explanation of how is still elusive!   Certainly, our efforts in May, when the work groups managed to visit almost the whole length from Mill Lane through to Chalfont St Peter centre, will have helped.  The difference between the swampy field N of Chalfont St Giles a...

April showers seem to have passed us by this year. The news is full of bush fire stories.  John Norris' observations for April  in the " Facts & Figures " section of our website show a second consecutive very dry month.  The groundwater levels summarised at  " Quick View " are at 4-year lows for this time of year and the spring fed back stream at...

Quite a few imminent matters to mention so this note comes earlier than usual.  Perhaps I'll then leave you in peace for a leisurely Easter and Royal Wedding season? First, can I draw your attention to a meeting regarding the proposed HS2 at the Chalfont St Peter C of E School, Church Lane this Saturday, 2nd April, at 10.00 a.m....

The river has been flowing right through Chalfont St Peter for nearly a month now (since our Work Party on Feb 12th).  "So what?", you may ask, "Surely, that is what happens towards the end of the winter?"  Well, yes, you would be largely correct but followers of the monthly rainfall and groundwater level dip statistics will be aware that...

There is quite a bit to report this month and its all very encouraging! We are delighted that, after many months (or is it years?) of discussion,  the Environment Agency has decided to support The Chiltern Society's proposals for lining the river bed as a trial in the area of the Council Tip (Recycling Centre) near The Ivy House Pub....

After the chaos of last month's circular which some received fine, some received one or more attachments only and some apparently didn't receive at all, I'll keep this message simple. The Chalfont St Peter work group last month did a fantastic job and we also made a start on the seasonal unclogging of the Mill Leat.  All in all the...

Armed with our trusty rakes, the work party last month achieved a huge amount;  reclaiming a clear channel all the way from Chalfont St Giles centre to the fields, and from the end of the fields near Chalfont St Peter through the jungle and round the corner at the tennis courts, plus some light maintenance through the fields, not forgetting...

We were very pleased with what we achieved last Sunday at both CStG and upstream of the tennis courts at CStP.    At CStG we cleared "tons" of choking weed, dramatically alleviating the boggy patches on the path between the bridges and, at CStP,   flow was re-established to within a few hundred yards of the tennis courts.  At both...

With half an eye towards those who may have a residual interest in World Cup football, and more particularly recognising the number of "regulars" who are on holiday next week, we have moved the next work party date again to Sunday 18th July. While C St Peter readers may find it hard to believe, the river is still flowing so...

So near and yet so far!    With excellent work by the team, including our 3 A-level geography students plus Dave and Ken, working through the woods downstream of Cherry Acre,  we had good flow to Priscilla Cottage by lunchtime on the 28th.  By teatime, we had coaxed the river all the way through Priscilla Cottage and Water Hall grounds.  A few...

It was lovely to see a young family playing in the river in the sunshine this morning - two little boys in their brightly coloured boots: there will be frog spawn before long.   This is a rewarding time of year to be involved with Misbourne matters! We had a very productive day on 21st February with groups scattered over...

This just briefly to say that if you fancy a pint at the Three Pigeons, Austenwood Lane, Chalfont St Peter, on Tuesday 16th February from 19.45 hrs, we will be in the area to the right hand side of the bar.  Apart from hearing Ray and Angela's travelogue and your tall stories about incredibly perilous journeys in the snow, we...

With Christmas, New Year and Global Warming (aka snow) having been and gone, no doubt you are all wondering what is going on with your river. We saw the close of last season with a very enjoyable dinner at the Three Pigeons.  Fun and festivities were somewhat tinged with regret as we were also saying farewell to Naomi Hirst, who...

I held off sending details of this coming Saturday's working party so that I could let you know how we got on at our meeting with the Environment Agency today at Hatfield. On balance and all in all, I think the answer is "pretty well".  There was plenty of energy and apparent goodwill around the table and a shared vision...

Another month gone by and, as usual, some ups and downs in the river's affairs, We were delighted with the achievements of last month's working party.  Having persevered for several years to secure the necessary approvals, Sandy was very happy to witness the removal of the redundant fence by the Ellwood House site.  This has made a significant difference to...

We had a good afternoon on Saturday at the Chalfont St Giles Fair, receiving a general murmur of support and a number of welcome new contacts/potential volunteers. Last Thursday, the few of us who met at The Village Hall agreed that there were plenty of tasks for the working parties this Sunday but that we would leave deciding what to...

Following the crucial meeting with MP Cheryll Gillan and senior officers of the Environment Agency a few weeks ago, Roger has been making good progress with fleshing out the detail of the plans to address "the leaky bits", as one of our friends calls them.  These are the sections singled out for lining trials upstream of Chalfont Mill and near the old...

It was again good to meet with a few friends tonight (6 in total + 7 sent apologies) but, inevitably, part of the discussion revolved around how to engage the silent majority! Amongst other things it was suggested that people might like to have the ability to e-mail and/or phone each other  and we started a base list.  If you are happy to have your name, e-mail and/or phone number on a list which I will distribute as an Excel...

Residents of Chalfont St Peter may be a little disappointed by the lack of any flow at present.  However, I am personally surprised and delighted by how well the river is holding up through Chalfont St Giles in this our first year.  There is flow well into the sheep fields downstream of the village.  A small number of small trout...

We (a few) had a good chat at Village Hall on Thursday and it was good to know there is still plenty of enthusiasm for our efforts and to hear of the general murmur of support from visitors to the stand at Feast of St Peter.  We must make sure we have a presence at the St Giles show on...

1.       The walk the other day with Allen Beachey of the Chiltern Conservation Board was interesting and blessed with good weather.  It was good to meet with people who are working with similar enthusiasm to our own on the Chess and Bulbourne, to name but two. Highlights included a grey wagtail perched in dappled sunlight on a small log in some...

As we swing into 2009, I thought you might be interested in an update of our activities to date and plans for the Year ahead. Last year, as you probably know, working with the Village Environmental Group and BCTV, we participated in the two "de-clutter days", painted the bridge over the river by the Community Centre and opened up the...