"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

Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Our high water table...

I've taken a screen shot from Google Earth 2013 - in it you can see the brackish stream which normally flows erratically, and for 10 months of the year is almost non-existent except for the erosion left by heavy rains.  "X" marks the spot in the stream that RMan and I went to last week.
This is a screen print of the water chart I keep for our records.
Translated visually, this is what it looks like:
View from one of the upstairs bedrooms

The dam is more than overflowing - it is flooding
the surrounding land
The ground is so sodden after the rain in June and July, that is literally glistens with standing water - and it's 5 days since the last 10mm fell.

And this is the state of our little stream in flood after the 272mm (10.7 inches) of rain which has fallen in June and July this year...
I, personally, have never seen our little...
... stream so full and flowing this strongly.
As you can see from the above pics, the stream is overflowing.  Plus our rain water tanks are overflowing, and our dam has overflowed three times in 4 weeks.

Given the amount of standing water visible everywhere, I reckon that the (underground) water table is now at ground level.  We're thrilled that all our water tanks are all well stocked for this coming summer :)
Posted by Dani at 14:37:00
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14 comments:

  1. Mum4 August 2015 at 16:16

    Nature in action. All set now with full tanks.
    xx

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    Replies
    1. Dani4 August 2015 at 16:37

      Mum - Oh, yessiree, full tanks indeed :)

      Delete
  2. kymber5 August 2015 at 01:28

    Dani - that's awesome! i am so glad that the dam is full as well as the tanks! your friend,
    kymber

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    Replies
    1. Dani5 August 2015 at 14:08

      kymber - Yup, us too. A good start to the summer that lies ahead :)

      Delete
  3. 1st Man5 August 2015 at 04:54

    That's is such good news. We had so much here in the Spring at least we know our is high up as well. We don't have tanks (yet!) but I know you are grateful to have yours full.

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    Replies
    1. Dani5 August 2015 at 14:09

      1st Man - Oh yes. There is a certain satisfaction and relief in knowing that the contents of the tanks will help us during the summer that lies ahead :)

      Delete
  4. Dani5 August 2015 at 14:07

    Quinn - My thought exactly lol

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  5. Harry Flashman5 August 2015 at 16:28

    It's good your water situation is so strong. The U.S. is having a bad time with drought, particularly on the West Coast and in The SouthWest.

    I hope the rain doesn't bring snakes up around your place. When we have heavy rains I seem to find more snakes around my buildings.

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    Replies
    1. Dani5 August 2015 at 16:30

      Harry - If the rain had fallen in summer perhaps there might be a snake problem. But, with the cold weather, I reckon they're still hibernating... ;)

      Delete
  6. Diana Studer5 August 2015 at 19:19

    your lemon trees should also be enjoying a deep soaking to prepare them for summer. So much fruit on our tree now!

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    Replies
    1. Dani6 August 2015 at 15:44

      Diana - Oh, I hope so. We haven't had much fruit at all. I hoping this year will finally see the trees take off...

      Delete
  7. tantalising labrat9 August 2015 at 20:19

    Has anyone tried spraying lemons with epsom salts?. The magnesium does wonders with tomatoes and flowing plants.

    ReplyDelete
  8. tantalising labrat9 August 2015 at 20:21

    BTW here is my favourite South African weather site - http://www.weatherphotos.co.za/
    enjoy!!

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    Replies
    1. Dani10 August 2015 at 15:51

      Brat - Yup - have even tried sprinkling epsom salts round the drip line of the trees... :(

      Weather site looks cool - but doesn't give info for Swellendam. CT & Swellies weather is vastly different ;)

      Delete

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