Yet another project!

Laying in the raspberries

Reclaimed oak fencing

Meanwhile..............down the bottom of the garden: another project is well under way. A new little fruit enclosure for the raspberries is under construction. Chris used some reclaimed oak post and rail fencing to enclose it and planted more beech saplings in order to extend the present beech hedge around the Henclosure. He even brought some currants, rhubarb and  a gooseberry bush. He plans to make a wood chip path and even a gate - eventually. The next stage is to strip the turf to improve the levels and then replace it. This will entail importing soil from the Henclosure but should mean easier mowing with the mower no longer wanting to slide down over the edge of the turf! Will it be finished in time for open gardens?????

End of the day!

Laying a new greenhouse floor.

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Chris mixing more mortar

Newly laid path

After a day in the persistent rain yesterday and getting soaked through and covered in mud, it was a real pleasure to continue greenhouse work in sunshine today. Our star of a builder arrived with much needed bricks for the new greenhouse path - probably cos he didn't trust us to go and buy the right sort! I found 4 old tiles which he built in as features and I was allowed to brush off the mortar! We plan to keep the same greenhouse layout as before with a bed for tomatoes on the right hand side and staging on the left with the far end floor space left free for taller pot plants. So far, the grapevine seems to be surviving

Evidence of building works!

Another Step Closer

Richard...

..demonstrates his theodolite!!

The replacement greenhouse is now another step closer following a visit from Darren & Richard at Hartley Botanic. They came and checked on final levels and dimensions and gave Chris gold for the best greenhouse base! They not only admired his accuracy but also the details in the brickwork. We now need Chris to approve their construction! They even managed to dodge more vicious squalls and have promised to send photos of the manufacturing process & also shelving details.  Roll on 18th when construction commences!!

Richard & Darren from Hartley Botanic

Return Surprise!

Main long wall

Main gable end wall

After a bit of a trip 'up north', we came back to an amazing surprise. We found a beautifully finished greenhouse base complete with a dog's tooth course of bricks beneath the blues on the 'front' side.  Chris had even found time to lay slabs between the base and the sleeper retaining wall.  How does he do it?  Even the door thresholds were all finished! We can't wait for Hartley Botanic to do their bit now! Josh Heywood, their design engineer has been most attentive when it comes to design detail and dimensions and we await their visit tomorrow. They have promised for installation to commence on 18th April. Hopefully, that will give us enough time to finish off before our first open garden event on 1st May (shiver!)

Easter Monday Building

Slate plaque & ridge tile installed

Milk bottle niche - imagine the geranium in a clay pot!

Thanks to Chris sacrificing most of his Easter weekend, huge leaps forward on building were made today.  Even the weather cooperated although we commenced operations in high winds and glacial temperatures! Gradually the winds dropped and the temperature climbed a tad.  Either side of the south facing door we have the milk bottle niche that Chris gave me on the right with the freshly engraved slate plaque on the left. I found some ridge tiles which Chris cut and laid above both features. Both look amazing! Since these photos were taken, the blue bricks on the top were finished. The labourer was in trouble (again) this time for unsatisfactory workmanship whilst brushing off the pointing! Despite such failings, I'm sure that Hartley Botanic will be bowled over when they see this base!

Man with a plan!

Squally Weather!

Plum blossom

Acer leaves unfurling

Elsewhere in the garden: buds are swelling, bees are buzzing in the old chimney and despite the gusting squalls, it's definitely spring-like.  Taking shots in sunshine between the squalls give no impression of the high winds which are giving the blossom a real beating. 

Whilst I was lugging barrowfuls of bricks, Chris P. carried on doing border work and aerating compacted areas of lawn.  The top lawn borders look very neat and weed-free.  Funny how freshly tilled soil improves it appearance so very much! The temperatures have remained too low for the grass to put on any growth but the lawn man came and gave them their spring feed so, they should start greening up very soon. Settled or dry weather for building to continue tomorrow? Let's hope!

Understanding Churchill!

An old book-like piece of slate

Mr. Perfection at work

Despite battles against the storms, high winds, coughs and colds; there has been huge progress on the greenhouse base.  There have been faux pas on all sides. Chris G. underestimated the required skip size, Chris P. was a tad out with one of the trenches and mine was probably the worst - in that I failed to make crystal clear to Dave, the exact dimensions of the wall given the lack of play on the existing electric cable! This means an underground joint will now be needed as the existing cable is far too short - GRR! So with the scores even we pressed on in spring like sunshine on Friday and vicious squalls yesterday. It's no surprise to find that Chris's brickwork dimensions are so exact and precise, it's almost breathtaking! The foundation bricks are red semi engineering bricks but above there are quite pretty replicas of old bricks. The colours vary and they exhibit quite a soft appearance which, when weathered will look even better. 

Building walls means there's flexibility for personalization! A piece of old slate was pressed into use, cut to size and engraved.  When I say engraved, the letters are a LONG way from perfect but, as a rushed job it's now legible. Scratching away with a punch meant that I lost the use of my fingers after an hour's work.  Worse still, when wet, the words just disappeared so today, I went over them with a dremmel. The lettering styles leave much to be desired but it's a record.

Weather protection for both bricks and grapevine!

I SO understand Churchill's fascination with bricklaying.  It's totally captivating and so much to learn! You'd think that piling bricks up and sticking them together with mortar would be quite easy. In fact, there's a zillion things to think of. The two types of bricks came in different sizes so the joints where they meet had to be planned.  As for keeping the entire structure perfectly upright, straight and square.........need I say more?  Yes, I do cos there's the 8 stainless steel threaded bars required by Hartley Botanic which needed even more precise spacing and placing! 

And the good news for Al? The piles of bricks and sand on the drive are getting rapidly smaller!