Put some water in today. And some liner. And a rug I found in the loft to prevent a puncture (shh!).

We took the depth down to 600mm in the end to give us the option of some fish, pleased we did for the limited additional effort.

All the levels have worked out ok (phew). Need to pick up 2 600×600 tiles for the spillway, then it’s onto the bottom pond (arf) and pump and wotnot.

Photos!

Crikey, here’s a pond project… Note to self… don’t get too attached to the pond. Which is fine at the moment as the liner still hasn’t landed.

Bit of pond pottering today. Managed to drill/smash up the big lump of concrete and get a level for the spillway, mocked up with a 5.5mm sheet of ply we had lying around. Have ordered a sheet of 18mm ply and the right size bit of timber to go between it and the bottom sleeper. This will bring the level up to 25mm under the overhang/lining with leaving room for tiles. Hopefully that’s the fiddly measuring done. Started shifting the soil/rocks to create a deep(er) end, and, having built this primarily to grow some waterlilies, have learned they prefer still water… hmmm. going to have to think carefully about where the inflow goes – hoping that half way down will give us enough still water for the roots at the end furthest from the waterfall.

Photos…

Looking forward to seeing the progress @bearnecessities! I am becoming far too engrossed in this…

ah photos aren’t working. Here’s a link to the iCloud album – seems to be in chronological order. Pond build

Some lovely ponds here – really inspiring. So materials have started arriving with faux sleepers landing within 24hrs.

We are turning this raised bed into a pond, it’s been on the list for a while, but this thread, and wanting to achieve something in lockdown was the nudge I needed:

The wind finished the tulips off and first job was the mammoth task of moving c100 barrows of soil and the bed to the bottom corner of the garden (nothing like the amazing pond/earthworks above though!). The bed is now in a shaded woody bit so thinking that it might become a fernery and tulips relocated to the borders.

Next up 6 inches of stone to level sleepers. There used to be a patio here, and before that a stone shed, so the base is solid even if the labour is unruly and unrealiable.

We’re planning on building a second pond for this one to have a waterfall into, so need to knock a hole in the wall. We’re hoping for an ‘infinity pond’ type thing to draw the eye down into the garden and a waterfall to make a bit of noise to drown out speeding chavs. “Easy” I thought. Nope – there’s more concrete than stone. and removing 4 courses took all afternoon. There’s still one stubborn lump of concrete which is going to take more than a lump hammer.

Mocked up, and started fixing the corners yesterday:

In due course will fill bolt holes with 30mm section and sand flush. Also thinking this might be quite a nice way of fixing the sleepers vertically, but it could also be a bit of an ordeal drilling massive holes and want to be able to remove the top tier should we ever have to replace liner.

Just in from lunch, mocking up the ‘spillway’ I need to find a 1200mm length of 50mm timber to raise the top sleeper enough to allow up to 50mm for liner, the stone for the spillway (thinking slate as it will have a nice sharp edge to create a smooth flow into the lower pond) and adhesive and mortar.

Looking at pumps and based on 100 gallons per hour for a 50″ wide waterfall, we’re going to need a 5000GPH pump. hmmm. Wondering if the ‘infinity’ pond may work better with a smaller pump and trickle down the wall type effect.

liner on order, we’re taking the depth down to 600mm at one end incase we go opt for fish in the future. Looking for some old carpet to line the sides and base before the liner goes down, and obvs will remove all rubble and pointy things.

What have I missed?!! I am dreading making mistakes early on and having to undo the whole lot.

Materials ordered! Thanks all for the kick up the bum. Build to follow…

Following with interest. I’ve always wanted a water lily or two, and some wildlife. Also some running water noise to drown out the occasional speeding hooligan. We’ve a garden split onto two levels with a terracy bit and a gardeny bit. Thinking of a raised, square pond on each level linked with small waterfall. Kids can send their lego off the top to the bottom too. Given the landscaping involved, probably going to save this job until the borders/raised bed die back, but all tips and inspiration in the meantime most welcome!

Here’s who’s in: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ports/106 Looks like the Queen Mary is off out for a few hours.

Go, they will have looked at your case and deemed it necessary and appropriate that you do. Was in a big city centre A&E on Monday for while and as above, very carefully managed environment in terms of both capacity and hygiene. PS. Radiology most likely not near any ‘hot’ wards/areas and probably very quiet.

I think you might be trying the impossible here, particularly with infant’s seat in the equation. Having said that, take the 3 seats along to a car supermarket and try fitting them in a bunch of small cars (no obligation to buy of course). We did that hoping for an estate to work. We’ve just changed our s max for a van.

We have a polo which is great for when there 4 or fewer of us having to go somewhere local, which is quite often so don’t write off the small car because you don’t all fit.

Charity – beneficiary services and fundraising events decimated for the forseeable. Team have put as much as they can online, but engagement and impact will be lower for the group we help. We’re just measuring the size of the hole.

This is worth a listen: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004f5s

There was one bit in particular that jumped out for me, in that bias lies in lack of diversity, and that diversity isn’t just about race and gender, but education, viewpoints, perspectives, life experience and there is a direct conflict between journalistic standards and accommodating all of these (and more) angles. It’s a really interesting programme.

Just remodelled and upgraded one of our poo pipes. Easy, if mucky and I had some luck with the alignment with the back of the bog. It’s an easy, even fun job IF you don’t have to faff around with the drains and gutters or fabricating mounts to mount the U clips things on, or if you’re not 100 stories up. Slowly working through all our cast iron stuff and replacing with plastic (not sure the new stuff will last another 107 years though). And yes, weighs a ton, but easy enough to smash or grind it into bits. The plastic stuff is great to work with.

Timely! Any thoughts on plus sized bikes? I thought it was a good way to improve grip, and soften ride without weight of not very effective forks:

Commencal…

Vitus…

I’m struggling a bit here as it’s a ton of cash to spend on a bike that will only last a year or so before we’re into building quality s/h 26″ wheeled bike, but our soon-to-be 8 year old is really into his riding, something we naturally want to support!

Wonderful, thanks! I can now fill my evening with much more exciting things.

Yep, internal headset.

It’s all about line honours so I’m learning 49er. It’s a blast. Bit of a diary here:
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?/topic/202833-49er-learning-curve/

The faff compared to bikes though is something else.

I’d love to put a 14 together, but geography, cost, time and space are all against me.

Strikes me as a market that’s ripe for consolidation/uber-ification. That aside, I’ve always wondered if a ‘I’ll take your dog out all day for a proper walk on the moors and charge you more’ proposition would stick.

I saw Y4RDIE on the M40. Thought the sum of the parts was quite cool.

BU51 MUM and BU51 DAD round this way. Often in a hurry somewhere being all ‘BU51’

Have just been through similar, though it looked as though the first attempt at getting the driver info went AWOL in the post. On the advice of someone in the trade I simply phoned up and asked for proof of postage and lo and behold a copy of the original letter arrived in 1st class post… so I’m going on a course.

Assuming you’ve just had the form asking for driver info, I’d give them a tinkle and state the scenario. If they aren’t abiding by their own rules they may tear it up and through it in the bin with little resistance.

ETA: exact wording of the advice I received, “If they have proof of postage to the right person at the right address inside 14 days [it’s valid], if they’ve not complied they’ll have to throw it in the bin” But again, scenario was first letter went AWOL. So may be different.

Can’t seem to do links in iOS but check out Thrive. https://www.thrivepartners.co.uk/

Yorkshire Pro Paving did an incredible and not very straightforward job for some close friends of ours in Bramhope. It was a good few sqft though.

Got a close pass from a Tornado on the M6 Southbound a couple of years back, North of the Lakes.

Heard it a split second before it went over at what felt like 6ft. It’s a sight, sound and fright I won’t forget.

Further back, in the early mid 80s I was a 4 year old in Ross on Wye in perpetual fear of the low level fast jets and the noise they made. I wonder if they’d have been Tornados? It was a regular fixture. The ‘tank busters’ (Thunderbolts?) I was less scared off, actually I think I liked them. I remember my Dad getting very excited every time we got a flyby, and rushing out side to see what it was. That and the RAC Rally. On reflection it was quite a playground.

Surely it depends on your what everyone else on your estate is doing? https://www.countrylife.co.uk/out-and-about/theatre-film-music/telling-an-estate-by-its-colours-16759

Our Asgard has paid for itself 3 times now, with adjacent shed having been broken into and bikes left untouched.

Thanks all – good injection of reality! Just for clarity on the commute, we’re talking somewhere near Darley to Bramhope, to arrive at 0745, leave at 5 so potential for wife’s journey home to be a bit longer. I do the drive a fair bit already for various reasons, but outside of peak. I’m city centre, flexible hours, but also all over the country and scope to wfh. It does look like we can maintain existing school and childcare arrangements, but this will add up to more time in the car. Whilst we won’t be short of things to do as a family if we do make the move, I am hearing massive impact on kids’ social activities which could be the rub. We both have enjoyed childhood out of town, but there was also a bus…

Yeah, nightmare, but also my fault for hoping copying a spreadsheet would work (yes there’s a spreadsheet…) Edit and CSV saves the day!

ETA – thanks mods for tidying up my mess 🙂

Great idea! We have available to swap:

1 2 3 9 11 17 19 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 28 29 32 35 36 37 51 56 60 67 71 73 79 81 83 84 87 89 94 103 106 106 110 114 117 120 123 125 128 133 135 136 137

Looking for:

18 18 29 30 34 38 43 48 50 53 57 61 63 68 69 72 80 86 97 100 105 107 111 113 116 122 129 130

We both work full time, but condensed or flexible hours/place of work. Without fail 2x 20 min walks min for our 9 y/o springer cross at 0630 or 0830 and 1830 plus irregular extras c3-4 times a week (half hour’s run, days out with family, or up to 6 or 7 miles on the bike). That’s a lot less than a lot here, she’s fit as a fiddle, but also self regulates with food which I’ve found odd. She’s also in a busy house with lots of interaction. Left 9-5, 2 or 3 days/wk. Mental stimulation like hide and seek needs to be in the mix too. They adapt well just so long as there is routine and hierarchy. I’d say 5 days a week left for 8+ hours is a tall order. Everything I’ve read here about lazy greyhounds is true. But don’t let them near deer/rabbits and barbed wire, that was some bill from the vet for my folks… though for balance there was the time the deer chased the dog…

@trail_rat – nearly did. But imagine the vomit.

3 kids (2,4,6yo), dog, cat, 5 fish, 2 shrimp and wife. We went lowest miles, lowest spec best priced S Max and spent the change on sleeping pills and spirits. Simply didn’t have the time or energy to sniff out an estate/car seat combo that would work. Pleased we did, as I no longer give a shit about the car and spend more time doing other stuff. Like tidying up. Space wise… we rarely use the back back seats (as opposed to the back seats) so enjoy the massive boot. Lack of transmission/exhaust tunnel means dog happily joins kids in back. Kids scooters/bikes all fit in boot. We went camping. Once. 650-700 miles out of a tank @ £80.

Never had a bad time up there in the snow, but not sure what it’ll be like in the snow after the felling.

We have capacity and relevant work for a fixed term work experience (part time) placement. Charity supporting people living with a brain tumour. Email in profile. Office next to the LGI. Work is desk research and support at medical (neurological) conferences.

Ok, 6 y/o has duck to watered the thumb shifters. Vitus came up very similar to the frog so we went with that. It has to do 3 kids, so resale is out the window… it will have had a hammering!

Vitus 20?

Windward boat keep clear

1982 Dualit toaster still going strong. Wouldn’t want to pour water in it though.

Had an incredible couple of weeks in Phuket, avoiding all the magaluffy bits. Based here: http://www.thesurinphuket.com couldn’t recommend it enough.

ETA: A trip out with John Gray Sea Canoe is a must.
http://www.johngray-seacanoe.com

I am always looking for an excuse to share this… https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/12/cancer-common-marriage-wake-up-call-macmillan