"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Wednesday, 7 August 2013

The Old Man...

... is definitely snoring, because it's raining and pouring...

Not having had much rain this winter, the past 24 hours has certainly made up for it.

This is what our dam looked like yesterday at 17.15pm
The bentonite which RMan added in April / May
this year is definitely working.  We have had
unseasonably hot weather recently and haven't
had much rain since the last downpour in mid-June
and there is still water in the dam...
A positive sign :)
Then, the Old Man started snoring...

... this was the state of it at 14.50p.m. today
It's the first time we've ever had the tanks overflow
A close-up of the overflowing
water from the rainwater tank
Our rain water tanks are all overflowing...


 And, at 15.40p.mm. our dam, which we estimate hold 750 000 ltrs is overflowing...
The dam is officially overflowing.
Uhhhhmmmm, RMan - the jetty is underwater...?
He didn't do such a bad job though, as he
eyeballed the height.  Not too shabby :)
As you can see from the pictures below, it is not just the water which flows down the gully that RMan and the digger loader created to direct the water off the communal sand road...
The gully from the road to the dam - in full flood!
What is it with dogs and water?  Snow is
expected on the moutains tonight so it's
freezing cold outside, the water is wet (duh),
but they have to go in the water...

Water is steered towards the dam from everywhere
 ... but it is also the washoff the land that ends up in the dam.
Only the supports of the lower section of the jetty
are still above water.  Guess we won't be walking on
it at the moment LOL
Happy days - everything is full :)
Posted by Dani at 16:26:00
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14 comments:

  1. Quinn7 August 2013 at 18:15

    Pretty dramatic rise, there! So happy your dam improvement project is paying off :)

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    Replies
    1. Dani8 August 2013 at 09:22

      Quinn - Yeah, it's hectic. And amazing how much water can fall when the heavens open...

      Delete
  2. Harry Flashman7 August 2013 at 18:34

    I guess that's a good thing, right? As long as none of your water system gets damaged, all that rain will just top you off. As long as you can store it you can just about never have too much water.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani8 August 2013 at 09:23

      Harry - It's a very good thing. It didn't fall in torrents and wash away the topsoil - just a constant fall of water which has soaked into the ground beautifully, and the excess has filled our dam :)

      Yeah, no water, no life...

      Delete
  3. African Bliss7 August 2013 at 19:49

    Holy Macaroni Dani..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani8 August 2013 at 09:25

      African Bliss - Couldn't have summed it up better if I tried LOL

      Delete
  4. kymber7 August 2013 at 21:28

    oh Dani - THAT is wonderful! i am so glad that your tanks and dam is full! now you don't have to worry about water - what a relief!

    but i don't think there will be any "sitting on the jetty dangling your toes in the water" for quite some time - bahahahahah! unless you like sitting on the jetty with the water coming up to your underarms...which, hey - could be fun!!!

    your friend,
    kymber

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani8 August 2013 at 09:27

      kymber - Yeah, it will certainly help us through those upcoming l-o-n-g, hot summer days :)

      Nah - don't fancy sitting up to my armpits in water at the moment, but once the water subsides and the days are hot, who knows... :)

      Delete
  5. Tania8 August 2013 at 07:42

    Wow that is some rain! Glad to hear that you have had more than enough to top up everything.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kris10 August 2013 at 13:15

    Oh my! I'm guessing there is no overflow channel or run-off for your dam. Bet you never thought you'd even need one. Or is it lower than all its surroundings? Better tell Rman a floating jetty might be in order. Or scuba gear. ;-D *glub* Congrats on all the water!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani11 August 2013 at 18:20

      Kris - Actually, there is, and it is draining off the excess. Once it has finished draining, the jetty's will be usable again... LOL

      Thanks - we needed the water - big time!

      Delete
  7. Bee Girl11 August 2013 at 05:30

    How amazing to go from close to nothing to overflowing! Happy days, indeed!

    ReplyDelete

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