X marks the spot

The great transformation of the grounds at Rock HQ continue, in fact so much progress has been made work has had to stop on the fencing and gates front while we catch up with the patio, pond and fish farm. I enthusiastically (which is a technical term to describe a less than straight cut with a saw) cut in half one of the 300 gallon orange juice tanks and set the pump the task of transferring the well water from the subterranean depths to the newly created fish tank. While this was going on Mr and Mrs Digger popped over for a chat, to view his handiwork and watch the GSD's get their first taste of free running. Now there is a fairly huge clear and reasonably secure area we thought it a good idea to see how they were off the leads. They loved it, running back and forth from one end to the other, but lack of muscle through lack of any opportunity to exercise meant that very quickly they were tired out. It was heart warming to see them enjoying themselves so much.
The picture above with the white X is another tale. Mr Digger and my beautiful and oh so patient wife Tracey were having a cuppa and looking towards the old oak, discussing how Mr Digger and I were going to spend a few happy hours fencing across the bank in front of the oak to create a nice big pig pen. Sat looking back in the X marks the spot spot was a fox. It very cheekily turned and loped along the bank and out of sight. Now Mr Digger had been even closer than this gate to the X marks the spot spot not ten minutes earlier. When the fox left it left without lunch, but by end of play today little grey speckled hen is missing presumed lunch.

Sleeping it off

Petal and Trouble having a nap under the Oak after a large lunch, too many windfall apples, so little time!

Modern Art

Concrete blocks carefully arranged by JCB

Work in progress

Heres Poppy using the newly cleared area as a race track. The gateway she is about to run through marks the end of the horse corral. Everywhere seems to be posts, wire, gates and dirt but its all taking shape and by the weekend it should all be finished, apart from the fiddly bits like replanting.

The fish farm is still a construction kit, diggers and plastic pipes don't mix so we are changing 50% of the water twice a day from the well rather than have the pipes crushed. The fish seem to be doing alright but need to be spaced out in the four tanks, again a project to be finished by the weekend.

And as there are only a few jobs on the go we thought an additional task for Mr Digger would be a good idea, this scrape in the earth represents about two days digging with a shovel in the rocky soil of the Bonsai Mountain but thanks to the attention of the JCB a reasonable hole has been created to catch the spring water for the pigs to wallow in. Its an indicator of how little rainfall theres been here that the soils so dry so close to a spring.

Get in line

Poor Mr Digger has a few extra hazards to cope with at Rock HQ. As if its not dangerous enough leveling parts of the Bonsai Mountain today he has been fending off Geisha our confused Anglo Nubian who has come into season, so anything male will do. Seeing as Mr Digger is a new pair of trousers to bother he has had the full treatment which includes provocatively poohing on the floor in front of him For some reason he refrained from rubbing his head in it like a Billy would. She also did the goat equivalent of the dance of the seven veils, rubbed herself enticingly over his Land Rover and when that all failed she tried to headbutt him.

Then their are the ramblers. Two went through the other day holding their noses rather pointedly, indicating the fresh farmyard smell he had found digging in the horse muck heap was not to their liking. Then today as we were hanging the new gates, one the entrance to the corral, the other a gateway to what will be steps up to the reservoir, above the racket of the power tools a distinct "Ahem" from over our shoulders. Two elderly but jovial walkers clutching a map were stood patiently waiting for the noise to subside. Mr Digger turned the volume down on the drill. Is it alright to use the path they enquired. Yes it is, we replied. They waited. Its over there, Mr Digger helpfully pointed with his massive tool towards the hormone laden goat guarding the lane. They ran the gauntlet of goat. We continued with our endeavours. I considered how much a sign would cost directing the future clueless towards the right path, or would it be more entertaining finding starving walkers trapped in the corral having mistaken the small gate, which is the same as many found on the Offas Dyke trail as the true way.

Operation Sealion!

The Germans have invaded! Operation Sealion has been put into operation, resistance was fierce but eventually yielded to the superior tactics of the German Shepherd Dogs who bypassed the fixed defences of the Bernese Mountain Dogs at key strong points like doorways. The GSD's are getting acquainted with life here at HQ, Crystal spearheaded the invasion of the cottage and after being introduced to the vermin cats, two of the Berners, and the strategically important sofas she carefully laid her towel on the sofa closest to the TV and settled for a kip while the Berners made do with the floor.

Feeding frenzy

If I thought pigs were time wasters they are nothing compared to the Rainbow Trout. Even taking into consideration the novelty factor and the worry about getting the water cycle in a rough equilibrium, the pigs are not even in the same league as the fish.

Five times today I have found myself stood around the tank, feeding them, watching them, counting them (like trying to count grains of sand as they pass through an egg timer) feeding them again, recycling the water and photographing them above and below the waterline.

One elderly walker sauntered past and you could see he desperately wanted to know why I was sat on a bucket peering intently into a huge black plastic container, but being British, stiff upper lip and all that he erred on the side of politeness and wished me a good day. Long will he ponder what I was up to. Tracey, my beautiful and oh so patient wife has suggested to aid passers by I should wear a brightly coloured jacket, matching hat, grow a beard and sit with a cane rod on a concrete mushroom.

Its all so interesting!

Here are the two rescue Alsatians having a good sniff of the bracken, having been indoors or on a balcony for the majority of their lives they find everything fascinating. Acer an Crystal as they are named had bones as a treat today, these were particularly interesting and eventually they got the hang of them and are very content chewing while I type.