Le French Drain

Anticipate a big post to reflect a big weekend! 

On Thursday we had 11 tons of gravel delivered after a few precariously spinning lorry wheels and the world's nicest lorry driver helping out (thanks Ian). 

11 tons of gravel

Then on Friday evening Jaimin took receipt of a 1.5 ton digger and tracked wheelbarrow. After trying to work out the controls he managed to dig out the farmer's drainage ditch to hopefully prevent so much surface run off on to the access track.

On Saturday Jaimin and Oli set about preparing the site, moving rubble and digging a rural landfill for it (!). After some deliberation on the best approach Oli started by digging out the back corner of the bank and as lunch time approached we moved to the east and south (front) of the house to start on the "non-piped" drain.  While digging the trench, Sasha's sister Sophie arrived with husband James and baby Wilbur, and James got well stuck in with some great farmers advice and strong digging. Then another friend Ali came too and the pace picked up again. It looked like the quintessential family outing with children playing, husband's digging, and wives caring for all. The sun shone and the wind was light, so we were very lucky. We managed to get the front and east trenches dug, membrane laid and gravel filled while Oli kept eating away at the bank at the rear with the digger. We were then treated to a guest visit from Thomas & Bridget which was wonderful!

Happy families?

Man power - Ali & James

Backfilling membrane on the south trench

Digger man ripping up stuff

First drain laid!

Lots of gravel trips with the tracked barrow

More gravel needed east trench half complete

Front drains done!

After ripping up the water pipe to create a fountain, he unearthed another "cable" which caused lots of debate. It happened to be the original lead water pipe! Ali had the honour of chopping it in half with the axe. Some prize comments were made in the "identify the cable" discussion:

"If it's electric, the axe is ok because it has a wooden handle"
"Who insulates electricity with lead?"

On Sunday, after a sleepover with the McMillan's, Jaimin & Oli hit the site early and continue with the digging out.  When Ali arrived again, he and Jaimin spent the morning pick axing and digging the north trenches for the piped drain, as the digger was simply too cumbersome in the restriction.  It was pretty back breaking work but was aided by some tea and Lucy's ginger cake! When the girls arrived at lunchtime we had a welcome hearty soup and bread. 

While the digger dug the soakaway, Ali & Jaimin proceeded to dig out the rest of the north trench, pick axing carefully around the tricky spots next to the existing clay soil pipes. Once digging was complete, we dispatched the digger to the gravel pile, because hand filling the barrow was inefficient and painful. We laid the membrane and did lots of trips to the gravel pile to fill a base, then laid the 100 mm perforated pipe and backfilled. 

North drain complete!

Soakway filling

Oli finally hung up his shovel at 5.30, leaving Ali & Jaimin to do a few more barrow loads of gravel. Ali departed at 6.30 leaving Jaimin with the digger to try and do some very rushed soil mound spreading (we only had 1.2 hrs left on the digger). He also did some more rubble clearing and used some to fill the soakaway, and backfilled the original rural landfill.

8.30 pm departure was 12 hours from kick off but the drain was in and lots of earth had been moved. It had been an incredibly productive, collaborative and fun weekend with outstanding performances by Oli and Ali - thanks guys!