Picking up the Pieces
The forces of nature have been harsh, leaving catastrophes in its wake in many parts of the world!
Climate change, global warming, call it what you like, but something is afoot in this everchanging world of ours, and the changes are happening at a rapid rate!
Our lives here at home naturally have been affected by the storms of April 2022, making us realize that our little paradise could have been destroyed within seconds, as that is how fast a landslip moves, mowing everything in its path!
I would say we should get used to expecting the unexpected - life has a way of throwing curve balls but thankfully also brings unexpected blessings!
We became much closer to friends down the road, and learned a couple of life lessons from these two angels disguised as people.
The school for children with special needs, where the landslip originated, managed to raise funds to restore the massive bank and is now planning a small workshop that will be used to teach the older children some basic skills that could possibly help them gain employment
Our once tree-lined road is changing its face with gabion walls so will never be the same again, but that's the most cost-effective and likely safest way to restore the massive crater left by the landslip from the school bank which destroyed two homes below it.
We have been assured that the school will be planting in front of the gabions to have some greenery hiding most of the wall.
What is a Gabion Wall?
A Gabion Wall is a type of retaining wall which is constructed by stacked stone filled with gabions fixed together with wire. Gabion retaining walls are generally battered (angled back towards the slope), or stepped back, rather than stacked vertically.
Source
This is exactly the method they are using to retain the ground and secure the massive bank to prevent future disasters. The landslip could have been prevented if the school had followed strict engineering practices when they installed an action soccer pitch, but I will not bore you with those details, as I've told the story over and over. This is a School for children with special needs, and the soccer pitch is just one of their ways of raising funds for the school, as our Education Department does not provide sufficient funds for maintenance, let alone projects like this! I would like to show you the progress of the restoration of the landslip thus far, starting with how it looked before the storm from a Google Earth image. The red shape is the approximate site of the slip. Immediately after the storm - a massive landslip destroyed our friends' home and a house further down the valley. I took this pic the morning after they had cleared all the mud away with a grader; that section still has trees. To our dismay, the trees that survived the landslip were cut down, but we saw why later on; it was to make way for machinery plus they wanted the wall exactly on the boundary. Site clearance with an entry to reshape the land; we had a bobcat moving to and fro from early morning till dusk, as they're racing again time before the rainy season starts. The delivery of stones for the gabions sounded really frightening as the noise is deafening when they tip it out! I'm glad to say that this team of skilled workers really know what they're doing and are making speedy progress. This photo was taken today and although it's not a pretty sight, we at least will have peace of mind that the bank reinstatement has been done correctly as they are following engineering principles to make provision for drainage. Thankfully all the damage has not affected our BnB at all, in fact we've been busier than ever before, so we are thankful. Is this your idea of the lifestyle of a retired Silver-haired blogger? I would think your answer would be a definite no! Original Content by @lizelle JOIN Hive using my referral LINK
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Hopefully these Gaboon Stones wont end up in your garden one day... 😏
I very much doubt it Dan, as they have a civil engineering company doing the work & have installed a massive storm water system, something they never did when they built that soccer pitch! It's diagonally across from us, so we at least still have trees in front of our property.
That's good to hear... but also sad to got another proof that governments help at nothing.
That's the sad part. The school principal is passionate about helping these children who were born with physical disabilities, but the government does very little to help them!
Once i heard a politicians say: be happy, in middle age the disabled where killed or sent to asylums to rot... 😶
Just awful, politicians are the ones who need to be put away!
Looks like a sturdy wall and hope it helps! I think it'll soften as plants and grasses grow around it, hopefully!
Yes it certainly will as they now also have a massive stormwater system in place now. One of the teachers is passionate about gardening, they have a greenhouse & teach the children about that as well, so I trust it will happen as plants will definitely soften the look!
Hope you're keeping well @riverflows🤗
Yeah I'm okay. Been better. Life's ups and downs, post covid malaise I guess! But alright. xx
That Covid malaise can linger, goes away eventually; nasty little bug!
Glad to read they have already started restoration works. Gabions are commonly used in our roads/highways too. Hope they last long.
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So are we as our rainy season starts soon! The gabions don't look too pretty but together with a stormwater system, we at least will have peace of mind now. Hopefully they plant in front of it soon to being back some greenery.
Thank you for stopping by @ifarmgirl & for the LOH🤗
Hope they get it done before the wet season and it will be a good timing too for whatever plants they will grow.
You're very welcome ❤
Yes you're so right, it would be perfect timing for new plants, so I'm hoping they get that all done in time, @ifarmgirl!
It will be great if they do Lizelle. Have an amazing day to you :)
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Wow, that is rather scary. They disregarded proper engineering practices and the result was very destructive! At least they are trying to make up for that now. The Gabion Wall looks pretty decent. Hopefully they will also select plants to help stabilize the ground when planting the area.
You're so right @pixelhuntersam, the type of plants are very important. That's one of the reasons we were upset about the removal of the trees as it helps with stabilizing the soil. Thank you for stopping by 🤗
Hopefully they will include a tree or two in their replanting because those roots definitely help! Not to mention trees are beautiful and a valuable contributor to the environment overall.
I'm glad it looks like they are finally getting started on the repairs.
I think if you are happy doing the BnB in your retirement, that is what counts. You have such a pretty place for it.
We are all so relieved something is finally happening with the restoration @jacey.boldart! Yes, we still enjoy our job😉
Nice seeing you Jacey!
Oh my, what a mess. We have landslides around here sometimes, too, although usually not close to where we live. They were more common where I grew up, because it was much rainier. I'm glad it's getting cleaned up so quickly.
It was a frightening experience and they say we can expect more of these kind of natural disasters with climate change! I do hope that doesn't happen near you @scribblingramma. Thank you for the visit, take care🌞