Waterproofed

This is taken from the window of the site hut, a really good vantage point.

The waterproofing layer with a steel grid, on to which the slab will be poured.


We dropped in to the site en route to collect an anniversary present for ourselves, a framed photograph taken in 1978 by James Ravilious. He spent years taking photos of a dying way of rural life in this bit of North Devon; the villages and their inhabitants: Ashreigny, Dolton, Beaford, Chittlehamholt, Eggesford. His work began in 1972 with the Beaford Archive project and his photographs were one of the reasons why we chose this particular area. If you're interested to see his work, look at www.jamesravilious.com.

Water palaver, c'est fini

Steve checking out well 2

Well 2 is along the indistinct track used for the last 10 years or so only by badgers and foxes, beyond what could be Eeyore's house, in a very damp and boggy place


As we drove into Bideford in early June, to meet the architects, a message came through on my mobile to ring the well specialists, urgently. Surprise! The samples had indeed been mixed up; the water from the second well is fine, soft and slightly acidic (almost exactly the composition of the first well before it was lined) and completely safe to use. It'll mean a longer run of armoured cable but the flow rate (ie re-fill rate) is good and this well will provide us with a plentiful supply of water. Phew. I've promised that I'll leave the rest of the water-supply management to the experts but I'm really glad the quality was re-checked. As a bonus, we can drain the swamp at the bend of the track leading down into the wood, when a trench is dug for the well pipework.
The electrician and the plumber were at the meeting that day; an exhausting but really productive and interesting meeting. So many decisions to be made; such detail to consider. And we agreed a design for the staircase with the architects, after months of discussion. It all seems much more real, now and walking around the site later, in between rain showers, we began to imagine how the rooms will feel. Very exciting.