I see we are being exhorted to Save Water - at the risk of a hosepipe ban. Well, for us folk on our own water supply, saving water has always been a priority. At our old home, we were the only person on our water supply, which was from a natural spring on our land (and lovely drinking water). However, the next door farm (whose land surrounded our property - it had once been part of the farm, being the original farmhouse for it) sunk boreholes so he had a water supply for his 250 head milking herd.
Here we again have our own water supply, but it is shared with the little hamlet we live in and all the farms and other properties between us and the spring - a mile and a half or so away. We get very good water pressure as a rule, but a couple of neighbours have told us it's barely trickling in to the holding tank (on a neighbouring farmer's land) - which is full of generations of sediment anyway. (Which is why we're all on individual UV filter systems. One nearby neighbour a few hundred yards above us is going to connect to the mains next week. I am starting to think we should do the same, but would need to get a couple of quotes for the digging work.
However, there are two properties beyond us and as pensioners with a small pot of savings for essentials in future (replacement vehicle - 2nd hand of course - probably a stair lift too, and unexpected bills like connecting to mains water), I don't want us to connect to the mains for XXX amount, and then the other two properties jump on the wagon and only have to pay x for the privilege. One property is for sale anyway, so once it's sold, I think the best thing to do is have a chinwag and hope they we can divvy up to pay for the connection.
In the meantime I don't waste a drop of water - any run off until hot water comes through for washing up goes outside to water plants, (or I wash in cold) and so does the washing up water. Keith and I have frugal showers - not like the last folk whose ancient bath rings testified to up to the armpits bath water! The loo is only flushed When Necessary, if you get my drift. The washing machine is only used when essential - no "worn for an hour or an afternoon" clothes washing in this house, or - like an old housemate of Tam's - no washing machine use just to wash ONE PAIR OF KNICKERS! which could have been done by hand in the sink, for heaven's sake. Talk about high maintenance, this same lass sent out her boyfriend to buy her baby food when she had a sore throat. . .
I can only hope that the folk ahead of us in the water queue are being equally frugal though their livestock are going to be thirsty in this weather.
P.S. Left till last -doing the windows in a fresh coat of white gloss. All that masking up . . .
Beautiful roses as always. My daughter has one of those free standing tub baths which take forever to fill. Luckily it has a decent shower over it. Bit of a worry going to mains water, I suppose it is like bringing electricity to a remote farm, you have to pay for the length of the journey for the pipe.
ReplyDeleteWell, we are perhaps 80 yds from the pipe. The track leading to the house isn't metalled, so easily dug up. Plenty of boyos locally with diggers . . . It would hurt to have to pay for water for the first time in our married lives though!
ReplyDeleteConsidering there is a dam great reservoir it's hard to believed there would be a shortage but then it all toes to Brum. I noticed the streams drying up around Fforest Fields over the last few years and the constant runoff from the hills depleted. Hard to consider Wales having water supply problems like we do in Oxfordshire. Mind you it would not be so much of a problem if they sorted out the leaks
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Dorset, there were several "Winterborne" villages - Kingston, Came, Herringston, Houghton, Stickland etc. A winterborne is a stream which only runs in the winter and quite often crosses a field which would just have a bit of a dip for its course in the summer. I think some of the smaller Welsh streams are a bit like that. That said, it IS much drier round Builth - gosh, when we were in Carms, we used to get terrific floods and rain more often than not.
DeleteBrum doesn't need to worry too much about its water supply just yet as when we were up at the top Reservoir a few weeks ago, it was absolutely full to the brim so they have that in reserve.
We had to have a new water pipe laid - across two fields, under a stream and then up through our orchard. The people we chose to do it used a 'mole' much cheaper and quicker than someone digging a trench and minimal disturbance to the land. Good luck with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you. That's worth knowing. Never heard of it before.
DeleteThe Lady of Shallot is glorious. I always used to think that roses should be … rose coloured but nowadays I love my two apricot R. Ghislaine de Feligonde (currently resting!). I would love more roses but they take a deal of looking after on my sandy soil. At the moment I am giving each rose (I have 11, five inherited, the rest planted by me) a can of comfrey tea once a week and seal in the moisture with a collar of kitchen waste compost. I have been on metered water since 1991 so have grown up as a gardener and homemaker being mindful of water. My compost heap receives a regular watering from you know what and I rarely do more than two full loads of washing a week on the eco programme for the two of us. We have clothes for going out, clothes for indoors and clothes for cycling/gardening/mucky jobs and sometimes these clothes last for weeks if not months without washing. I actually think clothes look and last much better without too much washing - a good shake and an outdoor airing and they are as good as washed. Good for you for highlighting the importance of water, clean drinking water is a precious resource and should not be wasted. Kitchen looks great, especially love the blue tiles. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteJust looked up Ghislaine de Feligonde as I'd not come across her before. What a beautiful rose. This year I have had Comfrey sprouting up on the bank, so will be able to make some comfrey tea this year. The bank is not ideal for growing ANYTHING on really - the roses struggle as it is so dry and we have had a dry year this year. I have got some bags of muck heap from a neighbour with horses and am about to give the roses a boost with that and to help keep the moisture in. The request to a tree surgeon I saw at work locally, for some of his chippings obviously got forgotten by him. I will have to try again as it's so expensive to buy the bark chippings.
DeleteWith washing, it's stuff that has gotten grubby, towels, bedding etc. With t-shirts I often just wash underarms area.
We do take water for granted, but gosh, we'd be stuck without it!
Glad you like the kitchen. The tiles were just what we wanted are are called Wightwick (pronounced Wittick) "ink" colourway. The name reminds us of a wonderful day spent at Wightwick Manor nr. Wolverhampton. The most amazing Arts & Crafts interior and William de Morgan tile display and ceramics, William Morris wallpapers and furnishings. Oh my.
It is our drainage system which needs a close eye. Ultimately our water goes into a ditch at the back of our property. It then runs underground to another ditch on the far side of the neighbour's property and then another, larger, ditch along the road, under the main road, more ditches and finally the sea. A new house is being built very close to where it goes underground, a bit worrisome. On the drug front all the prescribing one drug and then waiting and trying another and on and on is very wearing isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWell, I think the ancient septic tank here wouldn't bear too close inspection, truth be told! There is also a strange system for the water runoff from downstairs sinks - under the gardens of two properties beyond us and then a pipe sticks out of a woodland bank!
DeleteHope your drainage pipes aren't damaged by the newbuild.
Yes, all the trying new drug and waiting for them to - hopefully - work is hard and wearing. Slight signs that the new add-on drug may be doing what it's supposed to . . . We can but hope.
Such a lovely colour. They show up really well against the countertop.
ReplyDeleteOnly flushing when necessary is done here as well, so I get exactly what you mean.
God bless.
I thought I would bring some in as they are a bit lost behind a bush (which may be cut right back this autumn).
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