What we are up to at our property……..

Finding land, working a small plot or anything else countryside related
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Ian
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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Ian »

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gonbechan
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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by gonbechan »

That is already looking really stunning Ian.
I can just imagine what its going to be like come summer.

Will you plant any lotus in the pond or just go with reeds and stuff?

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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Ian »

Yes, would like lotus in there too, probably in the lower pond, can get pretty wild in the upper one during extreme rain events.
My wife picked some watercress out of there today, shiitake near the pond, daikon and taro at one of the terraces, more persimmons.......like visiting a supermarket but without the checkout counter. :)

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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by gonbechan »

You could probably get wasabi growing just under the waterfall bit if you don't already have some.
Once it takes root, the torrents won't harm it and it will just pop up again after.
It is very pretty too.

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Zasso Nouka
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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Honestly Ian every time I see what you are doing there it leaves me deeply impressed, it really is incredible the changes you've made to that land. I remember the pictures you posted on the other forum when you first bought the land and it's come a long way from that in such a short space of time.

The ponds are really looking good, all that rock work must have taken some serious effort but looks fantastic. The waterfall looks very well done and will get better and better and plantings around the ponds grow and establish.

Awesome man, totally awesome.

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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Ian »

Thanks ZN - It is shaping up nicely and I enjoy the big changes and the little ones too e.g. saw the first small fish in the pond the other day. Nature in action.

Gonbechan - good idea on the wasabi. Thanks. We do have a lot of wasabi growing in self-watering planters. Want to put some of those around the pond in the future. Just waiting a little longer though, plan to raise the lower pond water level by around 20cm and see how that goes first.

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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Ian »

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Well, it took just on a year of waiting to get around 10,000 new bricks and blocks from a warehouse in Osaka. Extras from construction jobs in Kansai e.g. shopping malls, universities, Festival Tower building in Osaka. The owner had to be sure they didn’t need them anymore (e.g. for building repairs, modifications) so it took a long time to narrow down the details.
We will use them for e.g. garden edges / pathways.
Also, months before delivery we found we couldn’t get the 10t trucks (three) up to the property due to a tight bend in the public road, so first we had to unload the bricks at a location nearby, which took a while to find, then to smaller trucks i.e. one 8t and a 2t, with a forklift at both ends.
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To make very good use of the 8t truck and forklift on the day, at the end we also loaded some hinoki logs to go to the sawmill. Will use the resulting cuts back on site.

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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Zasso Nouka »

That's great Ian,

You've been waiting a long time to get these bricks and it's finally paid off. So do we finally get to see your brick laying machine in operation ? :lol:



That sounds like a really impressively well organised operation to get everything together and all in place at the right time. Way to go man :clap:

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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Ian »

ZN - Thanks.
For the next load of rocks I send you, please put that machine on the return barge. :D

We need to invite this guy over. :D


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Re: What we are up to at our property……..

Post by Ian »

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Was given many trees, which we mainly put around the ponds e.g. camellia, yaezakura, Japanese maple, hydrangea.
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More firewood. Will clean up that terrace and plant fruit / nut trees this year. And the same at another terrace.
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Found a rock during earthworks, now a place to sit during the warmer months.
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Cut up hinoki and sugi yesterday, to go to the sawmill next month. Waiting on a carpenter friend to let us know the cut sizes he wants for a making a shelter at the pond.

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