12.07.2023 Lay those slabs! Again!

 ~o~

 Wednesday 12th 15C/61F Dark grey, heavy overcast and raining. The worst of the weather is supposed to have passed over by now. Cloudburst warning until 10am. Then some rain around lunch time. Up at 5.45 after dredging up more memories from the bottomless pit of despair.

 I shall have an early walk to check on the earthworks. Then head for the museum in the car. 

 7.30 Returned from my walk. Still a very dark overcast. Fortunately the rain stayed away for the duration. 

 The excavator driver is forming a channel in the imported subsoil. Presumably to contain the demolition rubble. To stop it rolling off the raised platform and contaminating the original, marshy field. 

 Thanks to the firmer surface, I was able to walk down the new drive to find the drainage stream. It now disappears into a large, black, corrugated, plastic pipe. Given the recent rain I must assume the pipe has the necessary capacity to safely channel the stream away. 

 Years ago the field used to flood regularly. This was probably due to a lack of maintenance of the banks of the stream. Plant material would block the flow and cover the perforated, domed, drain cover after rain. 

 The place name of the hamlet refers to a pond which no longer exists in any size worth noting. Though the marsh part of the name is still relevant. My wife did her best to add the oaks also referred to in the name. She loved long leafed, fastigiate red oaks. Fastigiate means narrow or columnar growth.

 14.30 21C/71F. Having driven to the museum it rained at times. I started off by wheelbarrowing loads of weeds to the compost heaps. Then bringing sand to an excavation. A short interlude followed making up beds for the original farm workers. As part of a display in a small room within the barn. It was commonplace for farm workers to sleep near the animals they tended.

 Then I moved onto laying more of the large and heavy, concrete slabs. Returning after lunch to lay even more slabs. I shopped on the way home. Then had a well earned nap. My back and shoulders are now reminding me of a hard day at the office! 

 Dinner was a salad with tuna but no potatoes. I am rediscovering flavour. Free of the disguise of salad cream.

~o~