Pipestock.com

 

For all the new water troughs around the stud we needed to get a lot of new blue water pipes put into the ground.

On Tuesday I ordered them on-line from pipestock.com at lunchtime. They came at ten o'clock the next morning.

This is good service and the sort of thing that the Internet is good at. The prices were keen too.

Cold and Wet

 

The weather has been awful over the last few days and especially on the Bank Holiday.

We've even had to put Vague Shot's winter coat back on.

New Paddocks

 

Two new paddocks have now been commissioned.


They are based on land that we put down to grass fifteen years ago, so they are well bedded in. Note that they slope gently southward so that they are also protected from the worst of the winds from the north and east.

Visible Progress

 

Finally, the offices are starting to emerge from the ground.


In this picture the bricklayers are finishing off the foundation brickwork.


This second picture shows the layout, with the stable for Vague Shot at the far end, then the workshop and nearest to the camera, the offices.

Delivering Bricks

 

This is the third major piece of building that we have commissioned in twenty five years. It is interesting to note that sites are much tidier, safer and I suspect a lot more efficient.


This picture showing the long-awaited bricks being delivered shows how automation cuts out a lot of the dangerous and back breaking work.

Note the glorious weather.

Lizzie Takes Charge

 

Lizzie doing her usual and sitting around checking that the builders are getting everything in line.




The man with his hand up is Russell Davy.

Connecting the Drains

 

This has been a difficult job, as is illustrated by the picture below.


Notice the less than ideal soil full of brick rubble and the pipes with water and electricity crossing where the drains are being run.

Note too the excellent little Hyundai digger called a Rolex.

The Fly Patrol

 

The swallows have now returned and are patrolling the skies looking for flies. Here's one sitting in the roof of the new foaling unit.


Note there is a twenty-four hour war on the flies and midges, with the bats taking over the assault at night.

As an aside to this if you go to Sani Resort in Greece, you will find that they encourage swallows into the resort to reduce the level of flies.

It works.

Fencing

 

These pictures show the machine that bangs in the fence posts.



Interesting, the machine was made by a company called Fairbrother Industries in New Zealand.

It certainly works well and saves all that work with a sledgehammer.


This illustrates how increasingly in agriculture, specialist people are doing the tradition jobs, with machines designed for the task.

Drains

 

The foul outflow from the new offices will be connected to the existing sewage system for the house.



Note how everything is now plastic. It makes things so much easier.