Where were we?

Oh yes… the garden.
My whole summer has been about finishing it and every moment the rain stops I’ve been working on it – well WE’VE been working on it because I really couldn’t have done this without Stephen (and Hobbes)!

Oh yes he’s been working SO hard! (BTW this was wet paint that he was lying on!!Oops!)

Anyway… last time I showed you the retaining wall and putting up the summerhouse but there was still lots to do so –
FINISHING THE GARDEN PART II

We built some steps out of the old bits of wall we found.

We dug out the space and added cement mix inbetween

Don’t they look great?!

This is Paul is a very generous friend who built us a BBQ!!!

I’m not going to show you anymore because he’s going to do a guest blog!

We totally levelled the ground and put in a flower bed.

Hobbes inspected and I think approved!

He liked the sheeting so much we considered keeping it…!

We got the stones on Freecycle and covered the new flower bed with them.

FYI the green thing is a doggy loo – horrible but useful!

This part was Stephen’s pure genious…

We bought solar lights…

Dug a hole for glass stepping stones (from the tip!)

Then dug a hole in the middle of the ledge for the tiles and added lights

There were 4 per tile and we gambled this without testing them- eek!

Then placed the tile back over- wedging it in on the ledge above the lights

We then laid an anti-weed membrane using nails on the borders

Cut out holes for the tiles in an ‘X’ across it

Then folded them back and under and nailed into the ground.

I strangely enjoyed pushing nails into the earth!

The summerhouse needed some steps…

And I hadn’t mixed cement in far too long (a few hours) !! 😉

This was the final bit – laying slate chippings down.

It was getting late and we realised we didn’t have enough 🙁

The next morning we were at Homebase before 9am for more (yes very keen!)

And it was done! (NB the path is the white stone as we had LOTS of that!)

I placed the hammock there for dramatic effect DO NOT LIE THERE!

But the bottom part was still a junkyard!

We cleared the area and got out the pressure washer!

We discovered that the ground was lovely under all that crap!

And now we have a breakfast area as this place is a suntrap! (I built the birdhouse!)

I can’t even believe that after 2 and a half years we had a finished beautiful garden not a mudpit with lots of potential. We are proud of all our hard work and can really enjoy the space knowing we created it… and yes we are going to have a party to Christen it… there is also talk of a Gabberdashery event in it soon too!

COST OF DREAM GARDEN:
Sharp sand = £80
Other building materials = £30
Summerhouse = £500
Slate chippings = £60 (we got some from freecycle too)
Paint = £50
TOTAL (approx.) =>£720

Everything else was free or very cheap so doesn’t really count- the summerhouse was the only big spend but it’s SO worth it! Not bad eh?! I hope it inspires and creates beautiful things – songs will be born there I am sure!

Now I’m getting plant crazy – there have been deliveries, freebies and many compost pick ups going on – coming to a blog near you soon!

Till then my pretties,
Love, luck and ongoing projects
Xox Gabslate