Saturday saw the arrival once again of Lovely Hubby's mate with his 'little digger', I have no idea of it's real name (and I can't remember his either) !!
He had come to help Lovely Hubby excavate holes to check for drainage in key places.
We are having a rain water harvesting system put on and around the new garage and workshop which will catch all rain that falls on the roofs and channel it into a huge storage tank. This will be my main supply of water for the polytunnel, which will contain plants that will need watering all year round, and for the net tunnel and raised beds in dry spells.
Obviously here in Wales we have a lot of rain and there will be times when the tank will need to overflow. It is not allowed to overflow and run down the hill onto the road for safety reasons, so it will be diverted to a stone filled soak-away under the roadway next to the polytunnel which leads to the paddock.
So holes were dug ......
... in a couple of places ....
... buckets of water were poured into them.
And two grown men stood and watched while the water slowly drained away timing it exactly. The measurements of these holes will be scaled up and the ability of the roadway to absorb enough water to ensure that none of it ends up on the main road will be decided.
Who'd have thought things would have to be so exact for permission to catch rain water!!
While the man with the digger was here, holes were also dug to check the depth of soft earth before we reach impenetrable ground rock ready for the foundations for the retaining wall and garage.
Lots of holes .....
... all over the bloody place!!
And then he filled them in and went away.
This is Lovely Hubby's idea of a perfect Blog post!!
What do you think?
Sue xx
Men and diggers... not matter how old they get they are still fascinated.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the song" There I was digging a hole, a hole in the ground so big and so round"!
ReplyDeleteI used to love that song :-)
DeleteHaha, what is it with men and machines? But, it is quite interesting as this is the sort of thing we're looking to do in the future so it's good to hear about!
ReplyDeleteDiggers I love em! We have a JCB - I wish I could come over and use it for you but we are too far away ( wonder how long it would take me to get to you, even on a good day?) Lol
ReplyDelete#Good to see progress :)
Men and their toys, but it was interesting and useful.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe he should have his own blog........ Or a weekly post on here?
ReplyDeleteDid you say the road was being diverted or a new by-pass road was being built too? I've got a memory like a sieve!
There is a proposed moving of the main road, it is supposed to be taken along the line of the railway which will mean that our house is left on what will effectively be a private road for us and three of the nearest neighbours on this part of the hill. It is however 'proposed' and I believe has been so for about eight years now, so we're not holding our breath.
DeleteIt's definitely a man thing.........
ReplyDeleteI thought it very interesting. All that drainage info is important to know and the info will be great benefit to water collecting and garage building. You tell lovely hubby thanks for explaining how this works. Wish I had a friend with a little digger. There are some projects around here that are just too big for me and my shovel. Take care....
ReplyDeleteOh yes I could do with not so much a digger but a very very small loader to shift some soil I know I need to get for the back yard...it would have to fit on a narrow path down the side of the house and then up some steps...doable?...I'm dreaming
ReplyDeleteGreat that you are doing a lot of preparation and planning. Tedious but necessary.
You have certainly done a lot of work on your site. It's lovely to see.
Alexa from Sydney, Australia
http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com
Being an advocate of conserving water and other valuable resources, I think the blog is very appropriate! We are looking at rain barrels for our house to water plants in the summer. My kids have a 30,000 gal tank that collects rain water, treats it, and supports their house...drinking water and all!
ReplyDeleteNot too badly at all. It is amazing how much work goes into being able to conserve water in Wales. Thank you so much for giving this Canadian a glimpse into all your hard work.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
As with all your posts, I thought this one was brilliant. Good practical advice, great stuff.
ReplyDeleteJean
x
Needs a manblog, if you ask me! ;-)
ReplyDeleteOoooooooooh! I don't know about it being a man thing to play with diggers. Just give me the chance!
ReplyDeleteI offered to have a go when it needed moving but he barred me from touching it. I'm not brilliant with levers and things, and right and left and up and down etc .... lol ;-)
DeleteOoooh what fun and another step nearer to self sufficiency. When my Bruv hired a mini-digger he was very proud that my SIL wanted a play and did amazingly well with it, with my lack of co-ordination I don't think OH would let me loose on one LOL
ReplyDeleteBoys do like to show off their toys!!! A marathon job you are doing. Good luck with it all, you are certainly making a difference in your forever home. Ann x
ReplyDeleteCould you use a second tank connected to the first for the overflow? Things are sure moving along for you!
ReplyDeleteHubby is so envious x
ReplyDeleteI need to put a poly tunnel up so could do with a digger. But what I would really like is an old small tractor. My hubby and I fight over who's cutting the fields with the sit on lawn mower so god help us if we get a tractor!
ReplyDeleteRosezeeta.
thank the Lord the holes are no more!
ReplyDeleteBoys and their toys eh! Lets hope you don't have you have many more exploratory holes dug for a while.
ReplyDeleteX x