They Are Going To Need More Gaffer Tape

I am not sure what it is there for - but it didn't prevent the tree falling.

PD insisted on going down to "the pond" - past the killing field (something has had a good feed - there were 2 piles of pigeon bits within 6').
I had always wondered why the pond was there and why it was the strange shape it is (not that it is easy to see it as it is so overgrown). By pure chance I came across an article about the area yesterday (which included a couple of maps). It turns out that it used to be the fish pond (with fish for eating) for the big house the landowner had at the top of the hill. The shape is because it was part of the limestone seam that ran though the area and was extensively mined to produce fertiliser.
Another thing that the article confirmed was that the whole are was used as a dumping ground for Edinburgh's waste (over a much longer period and larger area than I had realised). A lot of this waste contained heavy metals and contaminants that are now really making their mark on the area. This view used to have trees lining the bank when I started walking PD here about 5 years ago. There are an awful lot of the younger trees failing to meet anything like their prime  …….. see - here is another one. The pools of water that are lying throughout the woods at the moment after all the rain are not brackish - they are black.