The excavation continues

It's April 11th and the excavation, or 'reduced dig' as it says in the Contract Programme is nearing an end. I wondered why this stage of the build  was so called - the word 'reduced' made me think it was to be less major than it's turned out to be. Almost the entire site is now dug out to a depth of  4.5m /14ft 7ins  from the 'party wall' adjoining the Church Hall path , to the timber fence on the other side. Only a narrow strip of 'garden' is left at the east end of the plot. The party wall is demolished, and the Church Hall side entrance closed . I didn't see  the wall coming down, though it looked very flimsy and probably didn't need much of a push.

As I watched the digger removing more and more chalk, I wondered how much closer it would get to the perimeter. Answer: right up to the very edges. Sadly, the espaliered pear tree (see picture in last blog post) has been a casualty. Though prepared to lose it, I would have preferred to have been told that the digger's maw was approaching,  so that I could at least have supervised  its careful  removal. Sadly, it was torn out and dumped on a heap of chalk . But perhaps it will survive even with the top branch torn off,  severe root and trunk damage, and when it  was, about to break into Spring bud. It couldn't have happened at a worse time. It is now installed in intensive care in Dave and Sarah's garden, and with careful nurturing it might pull through .

Another 'crisis', well, that's a bit of an exaggeration , was when some of the soil next to the fence in the neighbour's garden started to fall into the pit , together with a few small plants and bulbs. I began to get a little anxious that should the neighbours venture too close, they might well tumble into the Pit too. But all is safe now that the workers have stabilised the fence with props and a cross beam.

The excavation is so extensive  because room is needed for all the foundation works , beams, pipes and so on. In addition, there needs to be space all around  so that the builders have room to manoeuvre when all the foundation work is being installed. This is scheduled to begin next week.

It's quite alarming  living so close to the build, where I can see everything that happens either through the back windows of the house, or  through the viewing panel cut into the safety barrier between the back garden and the building site. . Perhaps it's better not to be living right next door to it, but on the other hand, it's easier to spot possible 'emergencies' , like the doomed pear tree and collapsing garden episodes

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