It's not all Champagne...

As winter approaches there are some jobs that are a bit less glamorous than others that need doing. One of those is to close off the outside water. It’s one of those cold, wet jobs, that needs a good cup of coffee to look forward to at the end.

It was a drizzly day, so I was quite cheered when Brian said he didn’t need my help this year, as he could remember what needed to happen and what order it needed to happen in.

It all starts with the water in the pool room, which comes from the well at the bottom of the hill, pushed up there by a pump in the well room. It also serves some taps in the garden, which we use to water many of our plants. Anyway, Brian starts the job by turning off the pump and then going up to the pool to open all the taps and drain the pipes up there. Having done that he then comes back down the hill and opens the lower taps, letting the water held in the underground pipe that runs up the hill drain away. This takes a bit of time, as it’s a fair distance up the hill and the pipe holds a lot of water. Once the taps stop running it’s time to drain the pump.

A couple of years ago we forgot to empty the old pump we had, and the water froze inside, cracking the shell, and forcing us to replace it. So we really understand the importance of draining the pump correctly. Once that’s done the job is finished, and all the taps are left open to stop potential damage later in the year .

Just one quick job after that, which is to close off the flow to the outside tap from the mains. This is hidden under a metal plate in the driveway, and surrounded by cobwebs. It certainly keeps him fit doing this job.

All done now, despite the rain making it a bit harder than it should have been. Well, it can’t be all Champagne all the time!