Earthworks

Finally we have movement at the station!

We have an area at the side of our house that has been a nightmare for years. The previous owners built a system of ponds in the area that flowed nicely downhill. Unfortunately by the time we purchased the house the ponds were leaking, the plumbing not working and the ponds themselves were so close to the house they were causing wood rot. It was pretty clear to us that they had to be removed. It was at that point that we decided on the best course of action - do nothing and hope it one day fixes itself.

The area was very overgrown and despite a yearly weeding and pruning it was just out of control and horrible. When it rained the ponds filled with water prompting the frogs (and mosquitos) to move in. That part I loved however the neighbour hated it and complained often about the noise. Thankfully, due to the leak, the ponds also emptied quickly after rain. The most worrying part was the depth of the ponds, they were more than deep enough to drown a child and we think they were probably quite illegal given current council laws.

Here was the area during last year's annual attack of pruning and weeding.

This is how the area looked this morning.

Eight hours later after rock removal, jack hammering and a lot of mini digger action we were left with this:

The next step is topsoil, turf and a few well selected plants. Hooray for progress.