No, folks, you haven’t missed the latest WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge email…but I sure did as it has become a feature of my weekly programme, one which ensures that, if nothing else, I do one post a week…I missed it so much that in the absence of a formal challenge form WordPress this week, I’m selected my own…anyone is invited to kick in as well if they feel the need – or just have a big gaping hole where the Challenge usually lies…

‘Heavy’ came from yesterday’s task: digging in this sump to capture surface water and sediment from around the garage and to get it (the water) into our storm water system while dumping out the sediment which tends to clog the pipes…The prefab sump unit is 70cm high with an internal dimension of 40cm on a side – the walls are about 5cm thick: THIS THING IS HEAVY!!!

Our first attempt the hole wasn’t quite square enough and the whole thing wedged in about 10cm short of its target depth and too damn high to capture any anticipated run-off. If lifting it in was a challenge, lifting it out was quite definitely ‘character-building’. Edging out the hole by 2-3cm on each side (mostly done to free it up for the remedial lift) did the trick and the sump is now emplaced.

Over the next week or so we’ll shape the ground around it for optimal water capture and then concrete it in, using river rock for the final layer…

As a bonus, we also have some free Flintstone tyres from where the inlet and outlet holes were cut…one more sump and we’ll have enough for a go-kart….