The green and rolling countryside of Worcestershire, England, is home to the cider apple orchards which surround the gardens of Pear Tree Cottage. They enjoy a sunny south westerly aspect with sweeping views across to Martley Hillside, Woodbury and Abberley clock tower. The Teme Valley lies just over the hill and, not far away, is the Herefordshire border. Although our climate is temperate, our seasons are often uncertain and always a challenge to a gardener! This began in 2010 & follows the weekly ups and downs of garden work chronicling both successes and failures but, above all, demonstrates the fun enjoyed by three people who regularly garden in all weathers

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21 October 2012

Big mix up and I'm in trouble!

Painted slats awaiting drilling



I was in serious trouble this Saturday!  I had already painted all the slats for the frieze and all that remained for Chris Genever to do was align them all, whizz along them with the hole saw & drill the holes - another quick touch up with the green paint and then they could be be screwed into place.  What could be easier, quicker or simpler?

As it was, I got the blame for screwing up!  Somehow, drilling a few holes took ages longer than I imagined and the hole saw left lots of frazzly-untidy-sticky-out bits on both sides and the tops and bottoms of every slat which all had to be sanded off before the raw wood could be touched up! It had already been suggested that the finished individual slats should be numbered but............somehow, numbering was omitted.  By the time they were picked up, sanded off, put down, loaded into the wheelbarrow and unloaded, they were all mixed up.   How was I to know that they wouldn't fit together - not one of them???!!! The holes at the bottom didn't line up or the holes and the top wouldn't line up or the top wasn't level or the timber behind showed!! Hmmm!

We spent most of the day changing them around, rotating them - the permutations were incalculable!  In the end, we did the best we could and vowed to number them all when we finish the remaining roof end!  All in all - a highly frustrating day!!

Anyway, they don't look too bad and the shed looks more like a Great Western railway ticket office!  Since Sunday was so warm and sunny, I spent most of the day painting the interior with left over paint from the kitchen.  Another 2 coats to go on the upper half, oil the exposed pine and then we can unpack the exercise bike which has now arrived!
Sorting & screwing drilled slats!

Chris the younger, on the other hand had an extremely productive day and got masses done!  He lugged 15 barrows full of wood chip down to the chickens and to the new wooden steps, cut the beech and the laurel hedges, dug out an old grass and planted the area with narcissus (and he HATES bulb planting!) and the golden hop at the base of the arch.  He also blew all the leaves up together as they're falling thick and fast!  We even did some planting around the wooden steps by which time it was dark and..........time for a drink!

Chris planting bulbs

Pity about all the flat batteries and the forgotten mobile phone!!  Bit of a bad day at Black Rock!


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