Take me to the river . . .

To our local source actually. We have been filling bottles at the source for about nine years now. A friend told me the other day about the risks of storing water in plastic bottles . . .no surprise really. So, now we are using mostly old glass ones. These come from Parchemin (recycling heaven store) and furnished with new rubber seals (easy to find in our local supermarche).

Bath water irrigation

New exciting development after the bathwater butt was put in.
Huge length of swimming pool hose (found in the garden) and some other hoses that were knocking around, joined with a length of discarded downpipe, which reach around the house and over the terrace. Turn water butt tap on, and then have fun making little channels and damming them appropriately for each line of plants.
I think Mark is getting worried about water recap obsession chez moi!

Resting place

This is my bike that came from the tip about seven years ago, I upgraded it when I bought a fancy newer one from a Vide Grenier a couple of years back. It has no gears and is monstrous heavy—Jane Austin had one just like it—I took it to the bike shop in town to have its pathetic breaks repaired. I know it just sat there for a week, it was exactly in the same place in their workshop when I went back. He charged me five euros for garage space and I took it squeaking and grinching back home, where it sat sadly, propped up against the back of the house—sadder still when I started riding the new one down to get bread.
I steeled myself to take it back to the tip and then thought maybe it could become a post mat feature of the garden. Had to buy a non P.Mat can of spray paint, but it will be only once.
Now it lives on in its new blue incarnation against a quince bush, giving me happy memories of trips to the market, the bread shop and nearly getting squashed under a articulated truck on that awful junction near the fire station.

Make your own . . .earth!

I made a huge pile of weeds in this spot two years ago as I didn't have the energy for another tip run and it was too wet for a bonfire. When I took a more recent layer of weeds away I discovered, not a lost mosaic or the skeleton of a previous gardener, but . . .lovely loamy soil, really GOOD stuff. This my Post mat stone sifter, which I think was a bottle carrier in its previous existence: we have a circular, smaller holed one somewhere, which will no doubt come to light after a garden clear up.

Waste not 2

This uninteresting photo is of my 'Heath Robinson' waste water distribution device.
A plastic 'bidon' cut in half, spout downwards, like a funnel, attached to a length of discarded swimming pool hose. Thus cans of water can be emptied into it and the pipe directed to various parts of the garden. Super, except being me the idea is good but the practical skills lack a bit and it falls apart every now and again. Shall improve however with a tube of hyper glue of some sort.

Waste not

I'm so happy, tra la la. Super Ed has fixed up a pipe from the bath upstairs, through the attic, down the wall and into this sturdy green plastic item. Alan the plumber had already made a system at the end of the bath so that you can choose to run the waste water either to drain or into said new pipe. Fab!
Bio soap only, bien sur, and no lovely bath foam, but the plants should be joyful as this dry season approaches . . .well we're already in it An elderly man came to deliver sheep poo to us the other day: we had a good chat about weather, the garden etc. He asked whether we had water, i.e a well, I described my endeavors to catch any spare water, he thought this admirable and said goodbye, his parting comment was, "water, the battle of the future." How true I think.

Best present

Awww, Ezra, what a star.
Bit late as a post, but I lost the photo.
The boy person made me this wonderful gardening bag out of a sack. It has compartments for trowel, gloves etc and a shoulder strap. He hand stitched it all and added a wooden button. It is a thing of great beauty and I couldn't deside which blog to put it in as it is art, but is made of recycled things, and is also an important birthday marker . . . went for Post Mat, as everyone should be so creative with an old sack.