Poor pussy has broken another hip bone, so 2 - 3 months enforced indoor rest for him. He will certainly notice a difference in the pond when he eventually ventures outside again.
The well has been built, not pretty pretty, but functional and awaiting it's final treatment. The stream has been linked up to the water supply and now needs to be dressed.
Has anyone got a well like ours? We are thinking of either lights or a small water feature to add interest to the well - any suggestions would be welcome. The four stones jutting out will be where a thick grid will be fitted to stop curious creatures from drowning.
I have a friend with a similar well. She has a spotlight about 1m below the rim pointing downwards. Her's is flush with the paving so has a steel grille over it but it's very dramatic when you look down at night. . Her's is about 14m before you hit the water, How deep is yours?
Great idea. Thanks Hosta. We have a well that needs prettying up as it's made of local stone but someone has rendered it rather than re-point and it's flaking off and looking tatty. Smack in teh middle of the drive so kind of visible.
That's a very impressive looking project GD. Well done. Love the well.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
The well, when full of water is 6 foot from ground level, the water drops to approx 14 foot. It seems to take a few hours to refill, we have usually left it over night to refill, to be on the safe side.
Yes, the stonework is excellent, but I feel that it needs something extra to give it the wow factor, not sure whether to put a light (which of course won't be seen in daylight), or a large pot plant of some sort that won't die down in the winter.
Incidentally we were quoted £175.00 for a tough grid to fit inside to prevent cats and other creatures from falling in and drowning!
Cut your own form builders' mesh. The stuff they use for reinforcing concrete. Comes in 5m x 2 m lengths and with either 6" spacing - which I sue for growing climbers and pumpkins - or a smaller gap which will be safer for pets. One sheet and a pair of metal cutters will be a lot cheaper than £175!
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Yes, I have suggested that, it seems that we may go down that path Obelixx, as you say far cheaper and does the job just as well, with minimum outlay. Thanks for sharing your ideas - always welcome.
I am feeling a bit sick of this project now. A pond, yes perhaps a weekend or two digging and shaping, fit liner, sort levels, fill with water and decorate the edges with stone and plants.
Where did we go wrong - deciding to make a damn pond in the first place. A rockery would have been much easier, quicker and cheaper.
We started this project in October and don't have a lot to show for it, but believe me we have put in 100's of hours. I read books, drew plans but none of them seem to have been followed. As I can't lift heavy stones I have had to rely on the men. So far they have demolished my two lots of pond shelves with the digger and we have had many a day when I have felt so frustrated by the lack of progress and the overall look of the area.
Today they made the water fall, and it is nothing like how I had envisaged it would be, yes the water falls down but not in the steps I had asked them to make.
On a brighter note, we now have a mesh cover over the well (not visible from eye level) to prevent the cat or a daft pigeon from drowning.
Luckily we have plenty of granite to dress the edges of the pond, but that is being left to me to doThe plank of wood in the second picture is where the flat stone bridge is going to be placed (crane needed for this job - is it seriously heavy).
I know you are right Tetley, and yes I am tired, so of course everything feels 10 times worse right now. I am lucky to have this opportunity and two men to do so much of the heavy work...... I will leave it at that for now, thanks for your encouragement.
To help cheer me up I am going on a shopping spree to the GC tomorrow. Wow!
That looks to me like quite an impressive undertaking GD so there are bound to be some delays and setbacks and weary bits. Take a day or two off the pond and let it all settle, both in fact and in your mind.
Then attack the completion with gusto and enjoy your lovely new water feature and, once the water has settled, you can start introducing water plants. Such fun.
Last edited: 19 February 2017 08:04:41
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
Poor pussy has broken another hip bone, so 2 - 3 months enforced indoor rest for him. He will certainly notice a difference in the pond when he eventually ventures outside again.
The well has been built, not pretty pretty, but functional and awaiting it's final treatment. The stream has been linked up to the water supply and now needs to be dressed.
Has anyone got a well like ours? We are thinking of either lights or a small water feature to add interest to the well - any suggestions would be welcome. The four stones jutting out will be where a thick grid will be fitted to stop curious creatures from drowning.
I have a friend with a similar well. She has a spotlight about 1m below the rim pointing downwards. Her's is flush with the paving so has a steel grille over it but it's very dramatic when you look down at night. . Her's is about 14m before you hit the water, How deep is yours?
Great idea. Thanks Hosta. We have a well that needs prettying up as it's made of local stone but someone has rendered it rather than re-point and it's flaking off and looking tatty. Smack in teh middle of the drive so kind of visible.
That's a very impressive looking project GD. Well done. Love the well.
The well, when full of water is 6 foot from ground level, the water drops to approx 14 foot. It seems to take a few hours to refill, we have usually left it over night to refill, to be on the safe side.
Yes, the stonework is excellent, but I feel that it needs something extra to give it the wow factor, not sure whether to put a light (which of course won't be seen in daylight), or a large pot plant of some sort that won't die down in the winter.
Incidentally we were quoted £175.00 for a tough grid to fit inside to prevent cats and other creatures from falling in and drowning!
Cut your own form builders' mesh. The stuff they use for reinforcing concrete. Comes in 5m x 2 m lengths and with either 6" spacing - which I sue for growing climbers and pumpkins - or a smaller gap which will be safer for pets. One sheet and a pair of metal cutters will be a lot cheaper than £175!
Yes, I have suggested that, it seems that we may go down that path Obelixx, as you say far cheaper and does the job just as well, with minimum outlay. Thanks for sharing your ideas - always welcome.
I am feeling a bit sick of this project now. A pond, yes perhaps a weekend or two digging and shaping, fit liner, sort levels, fill with water and decorate the edges with stone and plants.
Where did we go wrong - deciding to make a damn pond in the first place. A rockery would have been much easier, quicker and cheaper.
We started this project in October and don't have a lot to show for it, but believe me we have put in 100's of hours. I read books, drew plans but none of them seem to have been followed. As I can't lift heavy stones I have had to rely on the men. So far they have demolished my two lots of pond shelves with the digger and we have had many a day when I have felt so frustrated by the lack of progress and the overall look of the area.
Today they made the water fall, and it is nothing like how I had envisaged it would be, yes the water falls down but not in the steps I had asked them to make.
On a brighter note, we now have a mesh cover over the well (not visible from eye level) to prevent the cat or a daft pigeon from drowning.
Luckily we have plenty of granite to dress the edges of the pond, but that is being left to me to do
The plank of wood in the second picture is where the flat stone bridge is going to be placed (crane needed for this job - is it seriously heavy).
Last edited: 18 February 2017 20:45:33
I know you are right Tetley, and yes I am tired, so of course everything feels 10 times worse right now. I am lucky to have this opportunity and two men to do so much of the heavy work...... I will leave it at that for now, thanks for your encouragement.
To help cheer me up I am going on a shopping spree to the GC tomorrow. Wow!
If only you were on the mainland , I'd donate some hostas to cheer you up. They always cheer me up.
That looks to me like quite an impressive undertaking GD so there are bound to be some delays and setbacks and weary bits. Take a day or two off the pond and let it all settle, both in fact and in your mind.
Then attack the completion with gusto and enjoy your lovely new water feature and, once the water has settled, you can start introducing water plants. Such fun.
Last edited: 19 February 2017 08:04:41