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Posted 21 Jun 2010
The spring water supply has now virtually ground to a halt at the farm. There is the smallest of trickles coming into the holding tank at the back of the farmhouse and for the past two weeks, toilets have been flushed using a bucket filled with water from the well in the farmyard and baths have been prohibited for the last week. The well supply in the yard is now very, very low and we have been scratching our heads as to what we can do. A couple of days ago, Howard remembered a VERY old water supply about three fields away, by out bottom entrance gate. This was the water supply for six cottages which used to be built by our bottom gate over 300 years ago and the occupants carried out hand loom weaving from their homes. Over this weekend, we have cleared it out... it was shoulder-high with nettles , grass , docks and other vegetation. We found the old supply which we knew was still functioning as the field below it has always been slightly damp. Obviously, after all this disturbance, when we actually found the spring source, the water was very cloudy and dirty. However, yesterday we went to check it and there was a beautiful supply of pure spring water!! We had bought ten five gallon containers hoping to fill them somehow from somewhere and these were taken down to our new spring and filled by putting a pipe in the source and using suction. Howard and Ben lifted them into the back of the pickup and brought them home and they are now being used to top-up the back holding tank at the farm. We have filled them again today and the supply has hardly gone down at all. We are delighted that this new source can be " tapped" even though it involves a bit of carting about.... Ben said yesterday that its like many Africans do on a daily basis, going to their watering holes but he did decline to carry a container back to the farm balancing it on his head !!!
Posted by Lynda
Update: Pictures of this process:
Oh, wow, it never occurred to me that you had to use well water! Here in Memphis we have some of the best tasting water in our country. It's artesian water to begin with so even though it is processed before it reaches out taps, its better than bottled water. My grandparents farm in the country used to have well water when I was a kid. It was so cloudy, we always had to let a glass of water sit for a few minutes before we could (or would) drink it! So glad you found the old supply, Hope you won't need to hall water for long.
Sheila on 21 Jun 2010 20:24:31
That's real good news Lynda, I hope the new spring will be adequate during the Summer, which looks like it's going to be a very dry one this year. Best Wishes..
Chas on 21 Jun 2010 22:38:40
Just a thought - would it be too much work or too prohinitive in cost to run a pipe down to the spring and pump it up by hand when you need it? A hand pump might sound like a thing of the past, but they always worked, and anyone who lived rurally used one all the time for all the water supply. I'm so glad Howard remember this spring. It's great news. It also means the water table is probably in good shape.
Helen on 21 Jun 2010 23:34:26
the supply is three fields away and to run a pipe down would mean a very long pipe, a hand pump and a large ditch dug to take the pipe from the supply to the house. It is very pleasant sitting by the new source waiting for it to fill our containers by natural gravity and observe the countryside and wildlife while we are waiting... :)
Lynda on 22 Jun 2010 08:07:37
maybe you should get some camels to haul the buckets back up to the farm ? :)
Dan on 22 Jun 2010 10:52:55
they take more looking after than a pickup....
Lynda on 22 Jun 2010 12:37:06
CamelWatch? Besides I think camels can have an attitude. Lynda, you have a great attitude. Perhaps this is your "leads me beside the still waters" time. Hope you get rain soon to help with your supply.
Stephanie on 22 Jun 2010 16:16:22
OK, Lynda, I just wasn't sure how much work would be entailed in laying pipe, even plastic pipe. Well, drawing water from springs, much like pasturing sheep, is a recurring scriptural theme, as Stephanie suggests, so perhaps this is your time to be biblical, though I expect that, saturated in nature and caring for creation as carefully as you do, you're standing close to the source of all that is beautiful and holy.
Helen on 23 Jun 2010 01:24:01
Hope everything turns out for you Howard and Lynda. We will be praying. :)
Marlaina&Family on 23 Jun 2010 05:29:08
Hi Lynda and Howard. I sure enjoyed meeting you last week. We had a very nice time and I will send you pictures. How is Fabio? I told my husband about him, and he does not think I am crazy for wanting to adopt him! My husband, Dennis, will be visiting England, hoperfully, in about eight or nine weeks. He would really enjoy meeting you. Thank you again for a very wonderful time!
Sunshine on 23 Jun 2010 05:30:54
Hello, Sunshine. I'm glad you had a good time at the farm, but I saw Fabio first! And bottle-fed him, too. Just remember that they grow VERY big.
Helen on 23 Jun 2010 14:36:25
fascinating to watch and listen to the sounds of nature.The lambwatch sign seems to be an attraction to a couple of the sheep,I love it
marion on 23 Jun 2010 21:52:58
When I'm stressed and just need to be soothed and to be back in England for awhile, I switch on to Lambwatch. The Blue Mountains outside Sydney is where I live and the bushland and birdlife around here is lovely - oh my goodness I have just seen a rabbit run across the field on Lambwatch. I note its 04.47 in the morning in UK, its so light there at such an early time Love seeing the birds too. Trying to identify them, altho they move around pretty quickly.
Jean on 27 Jun 2010 04:54:10
The pictures are awesome! Thank you mum and ben for taking them . They illustrate the process really well!
Dan on 30 Jun 2010 10:08:42
fantastic - well done ! glad you're waterplenty again !
Trudi HIGGINS on 30 Jun 2010 10:23:56
What a huge amount of work this is for you all. But thanks for the pictures - they really help show a process which I could only imagine in my head. I hope you get a good spell of rain soon, to resolve this problem altogether.
Helen on 30 Jun 2010 12:58:49
Always interesting stories in your way of life there, ty
jack on 30 Jun 2010 15:50:26
Wow Lynda and Howard glad you's found water source on the land a Blessing in fact. Thing will turn around soon. Was great to see ya's on BBC.news.
Catherine&Family on 10 Jul 2010 04:17:54
Nice to see you on TV
Yaakov on 10 Jul 2010 09:56:30
Thanks for the video clip from the BBC Dan, it's nice to see the farm mentioned on the news again and I hope more folk follow your example on water conservation, now that the dry spell is beginning to make its presence felt.
Chas on 10 Jul 2010 10:48:22
How fortunate that Howard remembered the old water supply and how glad I am that you now have a supply of water. I'm not surprised that Ben declined to carry any back to the farm balancing a water container on his head :) Maria and I were chatting to Dan about the water supply and how lucky we are to have our water via a tap expensive as it is. No doubt your spring water tastes much better than our treated supply. Thank you for telling us just how much hard work you have to put in to keep a supply going when it hasn't rained much for weeks.
Margaret on 21 Jun 2010 18:28:22