Hola! Water!

The sun has beat down upon us. For days it has done its best to cook us. Drooping their backs despondently, the plants out front have let it be known that they are feeling unloved. As Under Gardener, I have done my best to service their needs. Honestly I have. But my feet dislike the fearsome task of carrying the weight of me + 2 loaded watering cans out to the front. Once, maybe. But several times treking to and fro from the water tap in the courtyard to those desperate, gasping plants out front.....well, no, my feet don't like it one bit.

And so it came to be this morning. Out came the sun, bright and early. Lovely. The dew was heavy. The plants had had a drink overnight. But had they? On closer examination they were definitely starting to look sorry for themselves. On inspection, Head Gardener Lester said, "They need more water." To which moi, aka Under Gardener, replied, "But we have to pay for the water by the water meter" which was a good answer I thought. I didn't feel it relevant to mention the moans of my feet.
"Right, get in the car, we're going to get a pump for the well. The water's free. May as well use it."

So off we sped. Into the BricoMarche shop. Pump got. Long length of hose got. Extension lead got. Grinding machine got.?. (that was for another project = the sharpening of the lawn mower blades which were pitted and chipped by being made to cut the field which is rough ground and meant to be gone over by a tractor. HG doesn't have a tractor, so he has to use the petrol lawnmower. Not quite the same thing, I grant you, but needs must.) Two black dustbins got.?. (they were for yet another project = the making of the nettle soup fertiliser to help the plants along.)

Home. HG now had several projects in hand. The well first.

With much huff and puff he manfully sorted out the black lead which was tangled round the pump, the yellow hose which was coiled up like a snake and refused to uncoil itself gracefully and the red extension lead which was alright its packet but once removed became a tangled mess.

Et voila! HG in readiness for the plunge-in. How manfully he stands. With pump in hand, he is ready to attempt the second step of the project.





"Wait" I shout, "not yet. I'm doing a photo-shoot and you are fidgeting about too much".
"Hurry up" he yells just as loudly back at me, "This **** is heavy". Bless. HG can get irritated when I give photo-shoot instructions!

The pump descends into the well. Down it goes. Plop! Into the water.

Lester whoops his way round into the courtyard with the extension lead dangling along behind him, intent on finding an empty plug socket somewhere to insert the plug he has firmly in his grip.





A moment of silence. HG calls out "Is it working?"

And yes it is. Bright and clear water, twinkling in the sunshine. Brought up from the depths of the ground into the fresh air. "Hooray" I hear the plants call, "We might get a drink today if she can stop messing about with that yellow thing and that furry thing." Well it was hot, and Bools was thirsty so I was playing the game 'let's see if we can get the water into your mouth' with him.

Things I have learnt today: That getting your own water out of the ground is mind blowingly great. That it was not a good thing to get miffed with HG because he took the top job of watering the plants with the hosepipe while I had to use the watering cans. That it was a good idea to get a spare plastic dustbin and use it as a temporary water container from which I could fill the watering cans. That it is better to stay positive and hope that tomorrow it will be my turn to use the hosepipe. That sometimes one has pleasures to look forward to tomorrow, which come out of the adventures of the present day.