Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

moneyistooshorttomention

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, but out of our clan, you seem to be the worst off! *

Better times ahead though! :beer:

*hope choille, itsme, rozee and all others on the west side are OK. :A


(Off to rehearse, if the Village Hall still has a roof!:eek:)

Bit of a lurker...but reporting in safe from the Dark Side.

It was Hell On Wheels wind here:eek::eek::eek:. I hope I never see the like again. As far as can be seen (though I will be having my roof checked out later) its okay. Couldn't lose the fence with the Monster Winds, as had already lost it with previous "little sister" Bad Winds.

The electric kept going off and on and off and on again. Panic enough on that on my part..as I've never experienced that back in Home Area. I kept trying and trying to use computer and washing machine and they both kept conking out and conking out and I gave up in the end.

So only damage is the knock-on effect of my workman of the next few days turned up today to announce yet more "unreliability" on his part (this time dealing with someone else's weather damage) before he comes back here and gets on with the latest job. I would be more understanding, if I hadn't already been on the receiving end of unreliability for less worthy reasons (like sheer forgetfulness).:(

Anyways....at least I don't live in the Somerset Levels...so trying to tell myself to be grateful for that fact anyway.

lostinrates

Money, remember that a lot of the levels maintaining is done by riparian owners. That's farmers, dreamers like us and householders in that part of the world with ditches and some of the water courses.


The maintenance of some of the stuff has ALWAYS been our responsibility.


Problems upstream, building decisions are something different, but rain cannot be helped and the maintenance is a contentious issue.

I really think that the finger cannot be pointed in any one direction. We need houses but cannot cope with the water use more and more people in a higher water use environment demand in a wet part of the country, we build on flood plains (including the levels, even though they are known flood risks there is some new building in them and the Severn areas that I know of plus local to me).


No one, but no one can stop rain. And people bay for houses and to reduce crazy house prices by supply ......but not to defile certain land.....

So what do we do?

What really do we do?

lostinrates

Speaking of that.....I wonder if ditch and stream checks are going to be a bigger part of the spot DEFRA checks? I have no stream and my ditches are ok. I don't personally believe it to be good practice to dig long runs out all in the same year, we did our house bit last year but I think it needs doing a gain, Its clear a Nd deep but struggling like every thing this year. I want to go. Down a bit deeper. Neighbouring farm did there ditches adjoining mine last autumn, and mine have been ok ( down ditch) despite that, but I might see if the digger can do one of my runs one day this year. If I break mine down in to three main routes.


If I one the lottery I would love to drain our winter field. This year does make me wonder how ethical it all is though.


Edit...thinking about it at my DEFRA check my ditches weren't checked at all, I was ticked off about state of hedges...oh so much worse now, but the land is too wet to get machinery on now........was meant to be cut before Christmas but he didn't turn up and now it looks like we're stuck like this so not sure what to do?? Might ask if he can at least do road side......




Edit: would like to point out it was an RPA check not a DEFRA check. Ooops.

moneyistooshorttomention

...and therewith could be the subject of a debate. I know what two basic things I would have to say about it but if the individual people concerned and the Government of the day don't wish to listen, then it falls on wilfully deaf ears.....

You can take a horse to water....and these days I'm past trying to put a rein on that particular horse and save my breath....

Reminds me...I must google around a bit more on the subject of walls.....:cool:...having lost my fence, that has gone onto the Matters Urgent List.

phoebe1989seb

Was wondering if all was well with you Money.....pleased to hear you're ok

Dave - agree that some *medicinal* applications of something strong on the beverage front might be called for to see you through the next week or so......hope you can nip it in the bud and it doesn't develop into anything too nasty First Defence usually does the trick for me

Weather-wise, we've had a bit of everything except strong winds this morning - snow, sleet, showers and sunshine.....mainly blue skies atm Hoping it stays dry as we need to get the bagged-up parquet flooring to the storage unit later today.....as well as an armchair currently listed on the bay which, if it remains here any longer is in danger of being eaten by the puppy

Stay safe and warm Daydreamers - especially Alfie - and keep those hatches battened down

Davesnave

I have no ditches.:A

I'm guilty of clearing the stream, but streams are really not supposed to have bushes, small trees and things like old gates blocking them.

When I was talking to the neighbour, he couldn't understand how someone had managed to dredge the stream at the top end of his field, or why they'd done it. "No one can get in without a key," he grumbled.

He seemed to have forgotten that he'd employed Mr Dog's son to go over the field edges with a digger, prior to putting in the fencing last autumn. That's when it was surreptitiously dredged. Mr Dog's septic tank run-out ends there.

It was a waste of time anyway, because until I removed the old gate and the bushes it looked like a beaver had been at work. There was a wonderful dam with a deep channel behind it.

Anyway, it's clear that these wet winters are giving Mr D headaches with his septic tank. The run out backs up. He is very fortunate that my neighbour, besides having no idea what his sheep are doing, is also ignorant of what's a-happening under his field!

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

I have no ditches.:A

I'm guilty of clearing the stream, but streams are really not supposed to have bushes, small trees and things like old gates blocking them.

When I was talking to the neighbour, he couldn't understand how someone had managed to dredge the stream at the top end of his field, or why they'd done it. "No one can get in without a key," he grumbled.

He seemed to have forgotten that he'd employed Mr Dog's son to go over the field edges with a digger, prior to putting in the fencing last autumn. That's when it was surreptitiously dredged. Mr Dog's septic tank run-out ends there.

It was a waste of time anyway, because until I removed the old gate and the bushes it looked like a beaver had been at work. There was a wonderful dam with a deep channel behind it.

Anyway, it's clear that these wet winters are giving Mr D headaches with his septic tank. The run out backs up. He is very fortunate that my neighbour, besides having no idea what his sheep are doing, is also ignorant of what's a-happening under his field!

You are MEANT to keep your stream maintained and clear flowing, (and ditches and other water ways) iirc. Its our responsibility as landowners. Road side Ditch owners often own only half the ditch but bear the full responsibility because the other half is public owned so clearing becomes responsibility of the landowner I think.

phoebe1989seb

Our stream was in a terrible state when we bought this place - the PO had put in all sorts of *obstacles* - including great wadges of chicken wire - to stop their dog escaping up/down stream and there were various piles of *stuff* obstructing the water flow.

We've spent ages clearing it and allowing the stream to flow freely again, even to the extent of clearing that portion of stream belonging to the adjoining property that has been uninhabited for years

It doesn't help that the neighbour the other side lives in London and only visits for the occasional weekend, sometimes going eighteen months between visits. His garden - and portion of stream - is in an awful state, but there's only so much we can do

The recent weather has impacted on both shape and flow of the stream and despite our efforts a huge amount of silt has been redistributed onto our lawn

RAS

Dave

Thanks for the Bijou - very generous. Will sort out Golden Sweet ASAP.

Hope everyone keeps dry and warm tomorrow. Very windy yesterday but all in one piece at home. Lots of contractors gear strewn all over the roads and a tree down at work but monir stuff. Really feel for those flooded out.

choille

Hope everyone is okay & not flooded out.

We had snow the other day & today it's pretty foul, but par for the course really. Not much to report here as nowts progressed build wise due to various stuff. Just treading water at the moment & keeping warm beside the stove really.

Looks dreadful in the South levels & about the Thames.
I thought there'd be an emergency plan for things like that, but it all seems a bit of a muddle.

Will people ever get dried out & insured? Makes you wonder.

I do hope that things get sorted out soon & lessons are seriously learned as these events will become the norm.

Scotland has the most onerous Planning laws in Europe & don't we know it but there is still occasional flood plain development which is crazy. There's enough brown field sites without the need for that. And people need to stop cementing everwhere.

But that doesn't help these poor people. It's really dreadful.