Sunday 29 November 2020

Deconstructing the 'Zone'

 26-28 Nov 2020

Way back in 2012, while we were living in the camper van, we found enough money to double our electric system.  At the time we had 3 panels on the shed roof and a fourpack of batteries.  We duplicated this, with slightly higher yield panels, but had no more room on the roof.  So Dave and his son, Rob, built an A frame to hold the three new panels.  With a footprint just over 2m square, I saw how useful this would be to make a little outdoor space that could be free of mosquitoes and flies.  So I stapled insect netting all over it and we put in some rugs and a sofa, and called it the 'No-Fly Zone'.  We sat out most evenings there, with dinner on our laps and a movie on the computer.

It is now quite battered, and at risk of collapsing towards the house, so Dave disconnected the panels and started deconstruction.

The lowest panel taken off, but the frame needs to be collapsed to reach the others.

That worked!  Nobody and nothing hurt.

Panels off.  Chainsawing the rest into pieces.  The screws have corroded in place and won't come out.

Another bootleg bbq - with fire pit as the evenings are finally turning a little chilly

Stacking the rescued wood.

Lots of wood to rescue or dispose of.  We had used the bottom of the A frame to store the excess decking wood that we have, so all that needed moving up the slope a bit to a new location.  Then all the cut pieces of the zone had to be barrowed to the bonfire pit.

The new view - looks much better, especially with our fabulous tumbling rosemary bush in the foreground.

Across the slope, above the drystone wall, I dug out a quick trench before the storms due on Sunday, to catch a bit of water and soak it into the earth.  On Monday we plan to buy a couple of Mulberry trees to go on this site.  Mulberries are great summer shade trees that allow the winter sun through when they drop their leaves.  This is the west of the house, so it gets hot afternoon sun, and we have long wanted to plant Mulberries here to shade the bedroom and bathroom windows.


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