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 . . .
