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!