Restoration Blog

Ham Mill weds March 6th 2019

by: Andy P.

6 people today Bob, Duncan, Richard, Mathew, Julian and Andy.  First job was to empty the water filled trench then to start hand digging.  Sounds easy-it is not.  The evil sucking mud refuses to come out easily.  Lift to wall, then carry to bucket, then carry to wheel barrow, then wheel uphill to canal.  Repeat. Suck more water out.  Repeat.  Disc cutting bricks, hand chiselling bricks.  Repeat.

Duncan dam builder made another beautiful looking crossing nearer to where we are working and a pipe fitted to allow flow between the 2 pounds.  Bob designed and fitted a recyclable non return valve device as well. Very clever.

Leonie arrived with hand delivered King Ken donuts, whose birthday it was. Happy birthday Ken and really appreciated as heavy rain stopped play mid morning.  Can you have another birthday in a few weeks time?  Dave C and Steve C also visited to collect the trailer and fetch another pipe bend.  Please can we have the mini digger back on Monday as we miss it a lot. 

A 6 m pipe was carried down to the now ready trench. Sounds easy on paper. It was lubed up and put, push, pulled, twisted, squeezed into place. The BD, now working well after mechanic Bob got it going after its lunch break, trundled back across the canal for the final push. Ok let’s put a collar on as well. Repeat.

At the end of one of our most difficult days we are 1 pipe length from the end. Thought it would be easy when we reached the bottom.  How badly wrong can you be?  So vote of the day.  Bob with the best lightly splattered face, Richard with the most splattered face, Duncan the cleanest and Julian (not in photo) for the longest trench time.  Good job we can still smile.