More floods and Landslides

Last week we were leveling the area above the pond a bit and securing it against potential landslide with the aid of helpers Rob and Cha Cha from Baltimore and and Colorado.  They survived the first storm in the caravan and sensibly left before the second storm (apparently cousins of Sandy...).  The second storm, last weekend did cause widespread damage in the region again, including numerous landslides, a bridge washed away up the valley and our friend Jan having her cellars flooded and her paths covered in mud.

The storm was forcast, so we tried to secure the bit above our pond as well as possible, but... it wasn't good enough.  When checking while the rains were still on the pond was filling up nicely and everything was hunky dory, but today we discovered that the boards above the pond had give way and has turned the pond into one big mud hole. 

It wasn't too tragic though.  We just spent a few hours strengthening the area above again with cuttings from the hazel, which was threatening to engulf a nearby olive and a fig tree anyway.  It's looking a lot safer now and we'll plant some trees up there soon to make sure it'll stay in place.

There's some mud which needs excavating out of the pond again, but beneath and on the rest of the land everything is fine.

Saturday I'll be having my big 50th birthday party and afterwards it looks like I may be going on a wee trip.  More on those things when I get back.