Ditched

If you were reading this blog back in 2007 you may recall our problems with drainage. Over the past couple of years we've learnt, with some rather dramatic examples as in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKYyKWMeIiM), that there's a land drain at the top of the garden that tends to overflow after periods of heavy rain, sending torrents of water straight down the hill to the rear of the house.

We've managed this situation temporarily with a range of impromptu dams and trenches, often causing me to be outside with my wellies and a shovel at unearthly hours thanks to the whims of Mother Nature.

The last few months have been dry thankfully, and we've not seen much in the way of overflowing so have not had to worry about the poor drainage, even if the builder keeps reminding us of how wet the place is! However, at long last the builder has done what we've been asking for him to do for months and has dug a ditch from the land drain, along the hedgerow and down to the road, providing a route for the water that keeps it away from the garden. And thanks to the heavy rain overnight we were able to see that it worked this morning. Result!

So hopefully we can now rest in the knowledge that the Hillside 'stream' is a thing of the past and I'll not be spending any more nights in the garden digging trenches.