How to make it rain

The pipeline runs to the (broken) windmill
in the distance.

I feel somewhat responsible for breaking the dry spell in the Bega Valley.  A week after I finished the weir project it rained - the first measurable fall we've had for months.  And just to prove the point, we've had a little bit more every week since.  Not that we're complaining - the rain is wonderful and already the paddocks are getting a green tinge.

Let me tell you about the pump.  It does an impressive job, pushing around 200 litres of water per minute over a distance of 250 metres and an elevation of 20 metres.  If you ever need to move a lot of water you'd be hard pressed to beat this thing - it's a fire fighting unit consisting of a 5.5hp 4 stroke Honda motor attached to a twin impeller Davey pump. Ours is around 15 years old but they still make the same combo.  You can read more about Davey pumps here if you're that way inclined.

I have to admit though, that after all the work the weir looks pretty unspectacular (photo below).  But it has delivered! We pumped around 10,000 litres out on the first day and the water level didn't drop at all. What a gift.  

Kind of unimpressive really.

The Weir

One of the selling points when we purchased Pemberley in 2005 was access to water.  Despite the drought our little creek still flows, albeit underground in some places, and the small weir remains full.  In fact, last century it was the water supply for the farm's dairy and house.  The creek doesn't appear have to a name on the maps, but flows into Wattle Camp Creek just past our boundary.  Maybe we should name it?

In the 1960s the owners laid 250 meters of galvanised pipe from the weir to the house tank. According to a previous resident it was a revolution not to have to carry the water up the hill in buckets. (It is a very steep hill.)

It has always been our plan to reboot the pipeline and the drought has spurred us on to do it before summer.  A couple of weeks ago we optimistically shoved a hose down the pipeline at the top - hoping it would trickle through, unobstructed, to the bottom.  It backed up after a few minutes.  We then dug up the weir end of the system to find meters of clogged and rusted pipe.

So, we had two options.  Dig up and repair the old pipe or lay a new one.  We chose the latter.  After ripping the route with the Fergie (built in 1948) we cleared the trench by hand (approximately 23 cubic meters of dirt).  The plan is to lay a 40mm PVC pipe and get another 60 years out of it.

The last 45 meters

The target is yonder windmill (near the trees)

The potting shed has windows

The transformation of the 5,000 gallon water tank into a potting shed continues. First we moved it (see the post here). 

Then we cut holes in it!

The latest development has been the lead light windows. (Don't all potting sheds have lead light windows?)  It was an interesting exercise making and installing windows into curved walls which varied between 100 mm to 150 mm thick.  But, job done.

The next challenge is to make a door.  I might need to mull that over a bit before I get started though.  

How do you move a 60 year old, 6 tonne concrete tank?

Recently, Gary and his 14 tonne excavator and bobcat turned up. We decided we'd have a try at moving the 6 tonne, 60 year old concrete tank - and after breaking several chains plus a lot of huffing, puffing and praying we managed to shove it 3 metres to the south by basically lifting one side at a time and walking it along. That means that only a third of it will now sit inside the future walled garden.

When Gary left, the place looked the Somme in WW1. So Nette and spent the next week raking, levelling and landscaping. Lots still to do, but the groundwork (!) is mostly done.

We also waterproofed a second old concrete tank (the twin of the one we moved) ready to be connected to the new shed. Our plumber, Phil, reckons we should stop collecting tanks now as we have enough in his humble opinion. He may be right - we have one 110,000 litre (full), and three 22,000 litre tanks (one is full and 2 have only just been connected).



And what a big difference it made getting the front doors on  the shed! Many thanks to local company John Atterbury Doors.   From the outside the shed almost looks finished now. Just gutters and some odd bits of flashing to go.  Inside is a different story.  The ceiling battens are up - which was a job and a half - ready for the ceiling, but that's about it.  Good thing we're not in a hurry eh?

Almost art - ceiling battens