Kay's Arbour Project

With the seat in place

The new path

This week saw the welcome and surprise return of Chris Genever - for 2 whole days! So, using all left over tiles, stone, bricks, marble and even Victorian path edgers, we made a path and small terrace beneath Kay's arbour in the top lawn border. Using such a mix of materials meant that they needed laying out beforehand.  The tricky part of laying all these odd materials with their great variation in thickness and keeping the surfaces level was where the real expertise came in.  It was as we came came to the end of the path that the idea of the semi circle hit us!  We were 4 bricks short and Chris came up with the idea of wheel spokes using cut ridge tiles and left over cobbles.  He even made the rim from tiny pieces of cut ridge tile and most of this work was done in the dark beneath an old inspection lamp as it was too dark to see at all.  Bit like the Banana Bench beneath the arbour!  Since its coat of creosote, it's rather tricky to see against the sun at this time of year! 

Getting the layout right

Chris digging out the path

More work for the DSM gang as Dave has plans  to illuminate this feature with a small copper lantern suspended from the centre of the arbour.  Will it look Christmassy or will it make us impatient for summer?

Protecting a very wet lawn

Shed Mission

From one shed to another - ultimate upcycling!

This weekend has seen one project finished and another begun and finished!  This is largely due to the fact that Chris Genever made us an offer we couldn't refuse and he came for 2 whole days.  We finished the new shed and Chris made a little terrace/threshold out of some left over York stone and some reclaimed (from Kay's garden) slate and a planter using 2 old ridge tiles. Apart from the windows and the pears, all exterior materials are original and we used the offcuts of the floor and ceiling timbers to create its 'crown'.  

The original shed and it's rebuild!

The interior is now painted and the wood work has been coated with a turpentine linseed oil mix.  The floor has had a wash with a very dilute white emulsion which has lightened the whole room.  The bench which was also Kay's  has been rubbed down and stripped of its chipped orange/brown paint and repainted in Old English Green to match the frieze. We need to come up with some sort of door catch usable from both sides.  Ideas on that one are still bouncing around!

Hopefully there will be room for a small writing desk, a book case and a chair.  I might even steal the hearth rug from the sitting room to make it just a little cosy! I really must unpack the exercise bike as there really are no excuses left for further delays.  We are waiting for Dave Melhuish: our esteemed electrician from D.S.M. Electrical Installations Ltd. to come and work his magic!

The real $64,000.00 question is: what shall we call it?

The Leaves are Falling Fast

A tidier pond!

Chief blogger's been gallivanting again and no gardening for 2 weeks!  Even Chief Gardener escaped to Thailand for some sun.  On our return, the garden was looking more than a little desolate and a deep layer of fallen leaves carpeted the lawns and the orchard.  Thank goodness for a dry day and sunshine!  It was straight to work mowing and blowing leaves.  Mowed leaves were composted and the rest were blown on to the borders to rot down naturally.

Using up the leftover York stone

Painting the interior

Sponged on emulsion

On Saturday, Chris dug the veg patch.   He also dug/fished out vast quantities of dead leaves from the pond totally transforming it's appearance. Looking at the Acer, I think there will be more to clear next week! Meanwhile, Chris and I finished the frieze on the new shed and began work on a stone threshold outside.  

I even managed to get another couple of coats of paint on the interior walls. I tried sponging on the paint for a change and was reasonably pleased with the change from an all over plain matt finish.  Just the dado  rails, door and window frames left to stain and floor boards to paint.

Wild Bullace Harvest

Straight from the tree (with Chris's help), into the pot and, when cooled; into the freezer!! For those unfamiliar with this fruit, they are a slightly larger, sweeter and rounder Damson.  They are self fertile and originated in England C. 1500

Prunus institia - more commonly known as Bullace

Bullace in spring

Autumn arrives at PTC

Yew sofa under the Acer Seiryu

Cobwed

Acer Palmatum Dissectum Atropurpureum

Acer Platanoides Crimson King

Cornus Sanquineas Midwinter Fire around the pond

The time consuming frieze!

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!

Light Duties to No duties!

Protea

Chief Blogger went from being on light duties to no duties at all!  In fact she swanned off to the Isles of Scilly for a few days and re-visited a positively tropical garden  on Tresco.  

Visiting the Abbey Gardens is a bit like going to a garden in South Africa or Australia as such a large proportion of the planting is foreign to our usually frosty winter climate and here at PTC,  wouldn't stand a chance.  

All of the islands were awash with these Amaryllis Belladonna lilies known as Naked Ladies locally as they bloom before their leaves show.  Just breathtakingly beautiful. What a change from the dreaded Ragwort which abounds in Worcestershire.

Naked Ladies Sunbathing

We also visited Trenoweth Farm where Christine, Francis, Jenny and Dasiy grow Narcissus and Scented Pinks for the cut flower market.  It was fascinating to see where and how they are grown. The flowers themselves are, of course, exquisite. 

http://www.islesofscillyflowers.com/buy-narcissi/ 

is the place to order your cut flowers.  They come beautifully presented and are delivered safely in a strong box.  When they arrive, they are dew fresh and perfect in every way.  The scent from these flowers has to be sniffed to be believed.  These are 'quality' and a zillion times nicer than foreign grown cut flowers.  They grow in tiny fields many of which are protected by Pittisporum hedges.  I lost 2 Pittisporum trees the winter before last!  What does that tell you about the climate in Scilly?  No need to rip out hedges to make huge fields to accommodate massive machinery when picking can only be done by hand!  The 3 photos of flower fields at Trnoweth were taken on our previous visit.

Anyway, it's back to more heavy rain and lawns that all need cutting and I'm still not allowed to use a lawn mower!  Sigh!

Trenoweth Narcissus

Trenoweth Pinks

Fields don't get much prettier than this!

More Scilly photos can be seen at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/SillyOnScilly