DAY THREE

 So they were back this morning at 8 am ready to get the job done.

The circle starting to be cut out 

The garden is on a hill so one side is higher than the other.

Dark grey setts going in.

Circle appearing more as the day goes on.

So the main build is finished! The reason it's not complete is because we didn't think to include the two concrete bases that the arbour seats sit on! 

So they are returning tomorrow to lay paving on the seat bases and that will pull the whole space together.

This side, the downhill side, meant that the path to the bench was higher than the concrete base, so the that meant the bench would be lower to the path, so needed to be raised.

So now they will be back to sort out the forgotten bases tomorrow and then it will be complete! We are very happy with how its looking and how quick it's gone down and what a professional job has been done.

Final photos tomorrow .

DAY TWO

 Arrived at 8am and were soon mixing up cement and laying the pavers.

A couple of hours later there was a good covering of pavers. I did at this moment go and check that they'd remembered that there is meant to be a circle denoted by two rows of dark grey sets! I was happy when they said , the would cut out the circle for the sets once the paving was all in, that way the circle will be perfect.

Nice mix of colours.

So by 4.30 pm the majority was laid with just a small part near the gate and by the higher bench area needing laying. Please ignore the red drinks tin, not allowed to walk on the paving, so it had to stay where it was!

The higher bench side. So all this in one day ! Three to four of them working together at times. So looking forward to tomorrow , when the circle will be cut and the pointing done along with the hedging blocks going back in. 

Exciting times ..

EXCITING TIMES!

 Finally we are having some work done in the garden. We needed to lay a circular patio along with some short paths to it and to each of the benches in the flower garden. We used to have a nice area of grass around a small stone circle with a sundial in the centre.

However the arrival of two dogs, now full grown , who love to chase each other around the circle , churning up the grass as they did so, meant soon the grass became just tufts and mud or soil. This made it mucky and at times dangerous to travel across this section of the garden.

So last year we extended the four flower beds making them bigger, intending to lay a patio ourselves. Well when I say ourselves, I really mean Paul, with help from me where I could. But Paul really was not looking forward to having to do some much heavy work, so we decided to get someone in to do the job.

Having a professional come in and do the work, would mean just letting them get on with it once the design had been agreed. No digging out tons of soil and then having to find somewhere to lose it among the existing flowerbeds etc, no wheelbarrowing tons of mot to make the foundation for the base and no having to get on his knees to lay twelve square foot plus of paving.

The landscapers arrived on Friday, delayed by a day due to the storm of heavy rain that lasted all day on the Thursday.

The first difference was they had hired a mini digger! Which was dropped off the day before and ready for them to use. The second was that after they'd dugout and wheelbarrowed the soil to boards they'd laid at the front of the drive, a lorry with a grabber arrived and lifted all the soil onto it's back and so by 12 noon, having arrived at 8am , the foundations had been dug down and the soil removed ! 

The brilliant little digger, that was just small enough to make it under our gazebo and through the gate into the flower garden.

The day was quite grey and the threat of showers was ever present.

By mid afternoon the mot was done and the tiles had been delivered.

We have gone with a porcelain tile due to the fact it keeps its colour, unlike our patio Indian sand stone paving that spends most of the time all looking one colour due to dirt etc instead of a variety of colours plus they are very hard wearing.

The tiles are not quite as grey looking as in the below photo, there is more of a golden brown look to them.

So looking forward to seeing the finished results next week! Exciting times! A new paved area and we have done nothing except pay the man!

IT'S FEBRUARY!

 Goodness that time's slipped by fast! Not much happens here during the winter anyway, we settle the garden to bed then leave it be.

There have been so many storms over the last few months, that we decided to be on the safe side and take Gweinie off her pillar and tuck her safely away at the side of the studio.

We will put her back up next week and hope they don't then announce another storm on it's way with gale force winds.

We had forty bags of mushroom compost delivered in early January and Paul's been weeding and spreading it on the garden flower beds. Still a good sixteen or so bags left to be spread, which we will get too when we have some time.

The raised river bed area is looking well, with some of the bulbs we planted last year starting to appear.

Also the bulbs we planted in pots down near the house are also starting to flower.

Lots of colour to come from these pots.

The Camelia up by the gazebo is full of blooms, hopefully most of them will manage to open before getting caught by any frost.

a closer look.

We are putting in a new kitchen and Paul's doing the work himself, which means we have been able to use the savings of not paying someone to do that, to spend on having someone come in and lay the circular area we want in the flower garden. Wonderful as that is so much harder and less forgiving on the knees and back than putting in the kitchen.

Weather permitting it will be laid soon. So looking forward to seeing it down and finished and finally giving us a path from the house all the way to the back of the garden without having to walk on grass or mud!