Two Peas in a pod

It was our 35th wedding anniversary yesterday.

It wasn't a hot and sunny day to start with but we went out anyway.

Anything to escape the noise that is still going on around Soggibottom. They have now moved from the back to the front of the cottage as they continue to dig the new water course. The only way to keep sane is to go out and escape the noise when we can.  Especially on our wedding anniversary.

At least the new water course is now starting to take shape.

Another plus, we were near the front of the car ferry over the river Dart at Dartmouth yesterday.

The sun started to shine and the grey sky cleared into brilliant blue.

Just the same kind of weather we had 35 years ago on our wedding day.  Time goes by fast when your having fun.

Just ask Freya.

Freya is over at The cat flap cavalier as usual. Please no one mention the word P O N Y.

Dartmoor National Park, Tors, a clapper bridge and a Dartmoor Hare

This is a clapper bridge... hope your all clapping ready for the Dartmoor Hare giveaway.

This particular clapper bridge is at Postbridge on Dartmoor. Records of it's use go back to 1380 when it was used by pack horses to take Dartmoor tin to the town of Tavistock.
Dartmoor hares probably found quieter places to cross the River.

There are so many beautiful views around Dartmoor, it's hard to choose which one to show you. I haven't a clue what this Tor is called, they all have names. (A Tor is a kind of hill made of granite rock). See any hares yet?

  
One animal you can be sure to see on Dartmoor are sheep.

When one comes trotting around a narrow bendy corner of the road, you can be sure others will be following. It's always best to slow down and give way to oncoming traffic. Especially when they use the whole road.

The residents appreciate you slowing down. They also stop to chat if your lucky. 

It's Foal time on the moor at the moment so taking care while you drive along is a wise thing to do. 

Sheep, ponies and cattle are all over the place.  Spot any hares yet ?

I won't keep you waiting any longer, as usual for all our giveaway draws we used the Hi Tec gadget of Santa's Little Helper hat. 

Placed out in our garden on the apple tree with all the names in. 

The hat was shaken well and a name pulled out.

 If you would like to email me with your address Jo the Dartmoor Hare will be hopping on over to you. 

Don't worry if the Soggibottom carpenter didn't pull your name out, there will be another giveaway in December.  You can find where the Dartmoor Hare is heading  
if you click here.  Congratulations Jo.
Or you can follow Freya Rose Blossom along the river Dart to The Cat flap Cavalier.

A big thank you to everyone who joined in and also shared the giveaway on their blog. 
Welcome to all the new faces on Soggibottom's friends and Christmas card list. Looks like we have some visiting to do.  

Come on Hare, we had better get your walkie boots on.
 :-) x x x

Soggibottom Dartmoor Hare Giveaway/2

Entry to the Dartmoor Hare giveaway is now closed.

Results to be announced tomorrow...
South Devon is at it's best on a beautiful Sunny day.

Soggibottom Dartmoor Hare Giveaway.

Last years usual December 7th Soggibottom Cottage giveaway wasn't cancelled, only postponed. Better late than never.
Two Dartmoor Hares in the photo are the last I am going to make from this pattern.

I thought you would like the chance to have the very last one all to yourself in a giveaway.

The only thing I ask is that you are a follower of Soggibottom's blog, if you aren't already you need only click and become one. 
Please let everyone know about the giveaway, either by posting about it or putting it on your blog side bar somewhere. Let me know you have done that, cos I check. :-)
Last of all, please make a comment on this post. When all that is done, then your entered in the giveaway, make sure I know where to contact you on June 1st 2013 when the giveaway will end. 
I forgot to mention, there are no restrictions about travel, Dartmoor hares can travel anywhere.  

It's been hard work putting the cottage back together after it was flooded last October. But we've made it, and life inside the cottage has gone back to normal.

Life outside is still quite different. We still have months of disruption to come while a new water channel is being built, the intention is to take extra water from the stream when there is a danger of flooding.  This is only the start of the new water channel.

Our little Medieval bridge, is unfortunately suffering from the amount of heavy traffic that's been traveling over it every day for quite a few weeks now... 

WE DO HAVE WEEKENDS OFF.... time to recover before it all starts again early on Monday mornings.

One good thing about the concrete lorries that are being used, they are slightly smaller than the large lorry loads of earth and spoil that are being taken away. Last Monday there were 21 spoil lorries that traveled over the little bridge. Times two, coming and going = 42 times to travel over the little bridge.

 No wonder the road surface is starting to break up under the strain. Unfortuanatly it's not just the road surface that has damage now.

This is a photo taken under the bridge. This little bridge isn't just a Medieval little marvel, it's our only way to and from the cottage to the outside world.

For the time being a steel plate has been placed over the damaged part of the bridge.

At our insistence the bridge will be monitored every Friday from now on.
Monitored by G.P.S   (Global Positioning Satellite)  would you believe it ?
Marvels of the modern world. I wonder what the original bridge builders would have thought.
They would have probably told the water channel builders to use another entry point because they could have.
Not one we can use but they could have done so and it would have been so much easier.
The original weight restriction of 7 and a half tons kept in place not suddenly changed to 40 tons over night...  This bridge was built for horse and carts, not heavy loads.

Crazy council's who in their haste to complete one job within a dead line make more work for themselves.
The bridge will eventually have some TLC. It's waiting for English Heritage to come and give their expert advice on how to repair it.  When all the lorries have finished.. obviously...

Where have we been over the last few weeks ?
On bridge watch.

It's not all doom and gloom this side of the bridge. We have a birthday to celebrate on Monday and the start of a giveaway which we always enjoy. 

Where did the last two years go Freya Rose Blossom ?
Freya Rose Blossom is over at the catflap cavalier 
Beautiful Birthday Girl. Happy BIRFDAY FREYA  X X X

Soggibottom's May Day and Bank Holiday.......

Where ever you are in the world, we hope your having a great MAY BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
No noise :-) x x x

How to protect a Medieval bridge in the year 2013 Open Access to Stonehenge.

It seems strange to think in the year 2013 the only thing protecting our little Medieval bridge from damage by lorries with heavy loads passing over it, is a sign and a few bits of ply wood and paint.

So much for the hi tec world we live in.
The best thing about these plywood and painted boxes is that at the end of the day they can be taken off, I suppose that's just in case at the end of the day when all the work crew have gone home kids passing might just toss them into the stream  ??
Well, with such hi tec safety equipment you never know, it pays to be careful with such an expensive defence.

It's been noisy with traffic coming and going past Soggibottom cottage this week.

There is a pedestrian right of way that goes over the bridge past Soggibottom Cottage and around to a large park. Apart from the sign that tells heavy traffic to beware of damaging our little bridge, there are no signs warning anyone else of all the comings and goings of lorries or men at work building a new water channel.
The water channel has to be built because when the new road that is going to by pass our village is built there is going to be more water heading our way down the hill ....

There is a tourist attraction in the South West of England called "Digger Land". We have a digger land all of our own and we don't have to pay an entrance fee.
We could have spent all day watching one large mound of an old cob house being moved from one place to another.. One of my saying's.. "really interesting NOT.. " Why move it from one heap and build an exact one a few feet away ?

No signs saying beware of heavy vehicles or "MEN AT WORK", on the path on the park side either.

I suppose it's fair to say new machines and the new work force have only been back for four and a half days, so many other things to do rather than put up safety signs for Mr and Mrs Joe public. The half day was another story last Saturday morning.

At least we have an excellent distraction from all that has been going on around us over the last week. Karina came to stay for a few days. Karina has been painting new bird houses.

She also put her own humour and thoughts about the work that has been going on around here in art form. Rock painting.

For everyone who has asked in Soggibottom's last post.
This is a Bailey bridge. The tank underneath carrying it along is a Chieftain tank bridge layer. The Bailey bridge on top unfolds making a bridge crossing. I am told it's quite unbelievable to see it all unfold.
An Ex British army Sargent also told me the combined weight of tank and Bailey bridge in the photo above was probably about 60 tons.. hum, well past our bridge's 40 ton new weight limit. To think only a few short months ago our bridge weight limit was 7 and a half tons..

The wonders of new technology and new builds.

On Sunday morning we passed Stonehenge, it's one of our favorite stops on the way to see our kids. One of Freya's favorite stops too. A new visitors center is being built about a mile and a half from the Henge. The idea is to put all the surrounding land back to open space and close one of the roads that pass right beside the Henge. A land train will, in future take visitors to see the stones. At a price of cause.....Open Access to Stonehenge.

Time on this side of the bridge to put up defences and defend and look after the places we love.

Freya can be found over at the catflap cavalier.

I'll leave you with another of  Karina's master pieces... to dust and noise. See you all soon.