Major ground works PT 1

After a rough couple of years with fairly major ill health scares, we have finally come round to recognising that there are some jobs we can no longer do with ease, and are finally employing people to do the hard work we used to be able to do. 

And some jobs, that we paid for many years ago, need re doing. 

One of these was the gravel drive. We had this done by an excellent local contractor more than 12 years ago

We have never used any chemicals on this place, so we don't spray weeds. We kept the weeds out of the gravel drive for many years by hand weeding, flame weeding and raking, but over the last few years it's got weedier and weedier, until, quite frankly, it looked an eyesore as you drove into the garden. 

So, we employed an another excellent local contractor to come and remove and redo the gravel drive, laying down heavyweight geotextile, then a crushed, compacted stone layer, then top gravel. 

What a difference! It looks fabulous! Mat and Luke, who did this work during the hottest week of the year so far, were amazing.

They are coming back to do more groundworks in a few weeks, so watch this space. 

Trip out to Daffodil woods

Some of you may have seen Countryfile on BBC1  which was based around the daffodil Woods near to me? 

We had been to visit them a few days before, and oh my they were spectacular this year! 

(And the lovely Ranger they interviewed, is a neighbour!) 

 

The start of growing

HotBin chugging away nicely, up to 60C now.

Wormeries all going well

Compost barrowed onto beds. 

 Spectacular display of Celandines in the front garden! 

End of March.

I mowed the grass today, followed around by the "veg patch" Robin. 

We have enough land to support a number of different Robin territories, so we have "front garden", "veg patch", "main garden", "polytunnel/barn" Robins, as well as who knows how many in the wood and meadow. 

I was charmed at this Robin following me, as I mowed. 

The Crocus have died down, now the Fritillaria emerge. 

 

New patio area around barn and polytynnel

The wide slabbed area by the barn had a "flower bed" next to the barn wall, which the previous owners (gone 25 years ago!) grew a Loquat tree in, totally  unsuited to our climate and a bit of a disaster, tbh. It died, and the bed became a bit of a weedy mess. 

So Compostman decided to sort it out, and we agreed it would be good to generally tidy up all the rather ad hoc "crazy paving" effect which had evolved by the barn and to the polytunnel  to provide hard standing and walkways over the last two decades

I don't have a before  pic readily to hand, but imagine a half slab width bed next to the wooden barn wall, and a two slabs width path, most broken and with lots of  weeds growing between the uneven slabs. 

We had to buy five new slabs because the slabbed area is much bigger  but we did manage to use a lot of what was needed from our store of  "stuff you keep out back rather than throwing away, just in case it might be useful" 

One of the joys of having loads of spare land to store stuff! 

The area in front of the polytunnel was tricky, as the polytunnel isn't parallel with the back or side of the barn, so there was a lot of slab cutting and relaying involved, to get it looking good. 

 Oh, it is SO much better, now! A wide, level, functional and attractive space, rather than an uneven, weedy, messy looking area.

Excellent job by Compostman, as always.