Mobile Tree Surgery

Tree surgery with a difference AND right outside our gate!  Luckily Chris Genever is also pretty handy with a chainsaw and an hour or so later, we had a drive full of oak lengths ready for logging when Chris Pugh comes next!

Welding Wheels Within Wheels

Salvage Art

Chris (looking after his ears!)

One filthy snowy/sleety/rainy/freeeeezing cold day earlier this week, we turned the cart shed into a welding shop with the help of Chris's trestles and builders'planks!  

Very tricky photographing a subject I can't look at!

We (yes - I did some too!) welded some lovely old cast iron wheels and some rusty old horse shoes together to make a pair of matching panels to go either side of the Herb Garden gate.

The finished panels

Although I say so myself; I think the finished results are not half bad and quite in keeping with our rustic preferences!  A creation made with materials some might even have scrapped!!

Garden Personnel Move

Easter Island Man

Martley Hillside

Easter Island Man got a new home last week and has moved from the tool shed down to a new slate platform made from DIY salvaged Welsh slate!  Chris did all the clever stuff including making the arch around the corner over the cave entrance and hiding the nasty concrete lintel with a scalloped lead canopy.  I was entrusted with rubbing down all the mortar the following day.  I'm getting quite good at it now.  Easter Island Man gazes out towards the sunsets over Martley Hillside whilst guarding the cave entrance.

A New Soakaway

This week saw the new 'linear' soakaway dug.  It means that rain water from the garage roof no longer flows into the septic tank.  Following detailed instructions, a trench 2 spits deep was dug (avoiding cables) and perforated land drain laid.  Rubble was laid down the sides with gravel on top followed by a sheet of plastic (to ensure soil doesn't block all the perforations).  After topping up with soil, Chris re-laid the turf.  Result: near perfection.  Not exactly creative gardening but, nevertheless a necessity. Now, all we need is rain - as we have done so for months and months!

Spot the soakaway!

Weekend Post Script

Ranunculus Ficaria 'Brazen Hussy'

And - lastly: isn't this a great name for such a little show stopping Celandine?

End of a busy week

It was the first day of spring and the end of another hectic week at PTC so - time to hoist the flag and enjoy a sundowner in March!  For some; it was time to wring out their wet socks after all that power washing!

For more photos; 

check out: https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/TheBigCleanUp

Head of the pond

Friday was spent raising the stone retaining wall at the head of the pond and Sunday - replanting all the Dogwoods. Well it was a certain Chris Genever doing all the donkey work with me standing at the other side of the pond saying yes or no to a particular stone and it's position. It will make for much easier mowing as the grass is now level - less risk of the mower ending up in the pond.  Chris built a couple of natural looking stone steps as walking on the loose cobbles so close to the waters' edge was a tad precarious!  The pump has yet to be re-located and the pebbles need moving around in order to disguise the pipes and cables.  All this work hasn't deterred a duck and drake from making themselves at home on the pond.