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Post by Moonlight on Mar 15, 2013 23:31:02 GMT
What both robins were both trying to tell me was "Hurry Up!!!". They wanted to get to the goodies under the tarpaulin of the heap of ballast, that I am shovelling.
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 17, 2013 0:21:25 GMT
Struggled on with my 'path' aka shovelling ballast and now today rocks from one part of the garden to another.
I missed Fairy Pink Wellies who really gets stuck in but this time I had Pirate Yellow Wellies who gave me a running commentary about a penguin that was having a baby. She did pick up a (tiny) amount of ballast about the size of a table spoon and scattered it whilst telling 'the animals' that it was time for dinner.
I asked Pirate Yellow Wellies to go and get my phone so she went inside the house to get it after a very long wait, HH called out that he had found my mobile, so I said give it to Pirate Yellow Wellies. She has gone upstairs. Humpf. When she did come the light was really fading but I wanted to take a photo of this lump of ballast that had somehow solidified into a rock with tarpaulin inside.
I was bending over trying to take a photo the best that I could when I jumped as something moved towards me. It was a bubble. Pirate Yellow Wellies was blowing bubbles in what was rapidly becoming darkness.
I took photos but they were so dark that I've had to lighten them up considerably.
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Post by Cherry on Mar 17, 2013 6:33:30 GMT
A lot of work there Moonlight.
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Post by Geranium on Mar 17, 2013 6:42:02 GMT
Good luck with it all.  |
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Post by grindle on Mar 17, 2013 7:41:58 GMT
keep it up, it will all be a distant memory one day  |
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 17, 2013 11:24:55 GMT
Having serious discussions re. garden layout. Realistic options.  that's the problem with living in a house with a garden on a slope with a wooden cabin at the bottom of it.
Both HH and my Dad have been impressed with the effort and the progress that I have made making the path but if I want to plant my dahlias and the sweetpeas any time soon (this year?). I need a garden that I can use.
Mega sigh. Sometimes you just have to give in fighting a loosing battle and get the help that I need from people that know what they are talking about. There is no shame in that even if it makes me feel sad.
I tried.
Tiny steps forward, a couple of steps backward and hopefully bigger steps forward after that. 
I love my husband after all he has a lot to put up with, can't be easy living with me.
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 17, 2013 13:20:46 GMT
Went to Hort.Cult. Shop bought more 8 foot canes, water retaining granules and another potato growing bag, I'm taking 2 minutes time out from looking at garden landscaping websites.
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 17, 2013 15:05:36 GMT
Read the instructions on the granuals and it said that you only need to use them 3/4 of the way down and that they need watering twice an hour a part to 'charge' them up. It is raining here, I can't work on the path now, so I've made up 3 hexagon pots with the granules mixed in 3/4 and the rest is normal. I though the rain could do the charging up for me.
I am going to plant some freesas with some trailing sweet peas and pansies and lobelia. I am hoping they will look good once they get going.
Well that's the plan and it makes a change from digging and shovelling the ballast. At least it feels like I have done a bit of 'real' gardening (even though I have not yet planted) for a change.
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Post by Lou78W on Mar 17, 2013 17:35:29 GMT
If yu don't have your beds ready in time for your dahlias....why not pot them up and sink the pots in the beds when they are ready |
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 17, 2013 19:38:24 GMT
If yu don't have your beds ready in time for your dahlias....why not pot them up and sink the pots in the beds when they are ready |
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 17, 2013 21:29:39 GMT
Once the rain stopped I went outside and did a bit more on my 'path' but this time I've started again. Instead of shovelling the ballast from the original tarpaulin heap into a tub, staggering to my trench path and then emptying it repeatedly going between both tarpaulins.
I am now digging out the ballast that I shovelled on top of my 2nd tarpaulin which lined the trench.
(So I have not touched the original heap on the grounds if I am going to have to dig out what I have done so far it seems stupid to make it any heavier by filling it any more.)
I am trying to remove the 2nd tarpaulin from my trench and the only way that I can do that is to empty the trench. So now it looks a right mess but I need to do it, I've worked too hard to leave and let someone else take over. (Someone else can come and do it properly but) I don't want anyone to come here to do a quote, see a tarpaulin lined trench filled with ballast with a few slabs placed on top and fall about in hysterics because of what I have done.
I have my pride, yeah well, pride comes before a fall, lets hope I don't fall into my path trench, it is so deep I might not be able to climb out again. (Only a slight exaggeration there).
Not sure about the tiny steps but my boots are filthy and Glastonbury festival has nothing on this part of my garden right now.
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Post by Geranium on Mar 18, 2013 6:42:23 GMT
How large is this area? It does appear to be a 'labour of love' you've taken on. Maybe it's time to sit down and make a definite plan so you don't have to repeat all this hard work.
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 18, 2013 14:30:59 GMT
Been busy this morning. HH told me that he could tell what I was going to do by the determind look on my face last night.
moi? "Not I" said the wolf  
 Don't tell anyone but my battle with tarpaulin no.2 has been fought and I have won. It is now lying in a heap on our lawn where I dragged it. Girls won't be happy I've just ruined their game, the penguins and dolphins that used to live on the 'sea' have been evicted.
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 18, 2013 14:55:20 GMT
How large is this area? It does appear to be a ' labour of love' you've taken on. Maybe it's time to sit down and make a definite plan so you don't have to repeat all this hard work.
HH is in full agreement about the making a plan (in advance next time). We walked it out yesterday and put some of the really tall canes up (to keep the tops away from the girls' faces and 8 foot canes should be ok on that one.) to mark out where each path needs to go and areas for planting and where to plant things.
HH came home for lunch today and after looking at my path (which truth be told instead of looking like a trench for coffin to go into, now looks like the coffin has been buried.) helpfully told me about the next thing you need is sand on top when you are making a path.
Apparently it all needs squashing down and then a layer of sand added on top. HH has been looking at www.pavingexpert.com/home.htm I have 2 formen HH & Mr Robin who is site manager of all the mess. When he isn't laughing at me, he is tweeting at me and I think he is saying something like "Hurry up lift those slabs, I want my worms."
Slave driver. .
I've an hour before I need to get the girls, time to crack on with my path. |
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 18, 2013 15:55:24 GMT
This was how it looked yesterday.
This is how it looked when I had to stop yesterday with my 'helper' standing exactly where I was shovelling. I had to give up.
This is how I am going to have to leave it today.
It is only now that I've moved tarpaulin no.2 that I can see just how bent my path trench is. So I've got to dig out more cutting into the mound. The slabs on the right are my guides, not where the path is going to end up. The slabs running along the shed will need to be moved into guide positions. Some of which will become the path. Using the slabs as a guide of 5 across. There will be the path running down the middle with 2 ish slabs either side for plants.
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that's the problem with living in a house with a garden on a slope with a wooden cabin at the bottom of it.
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT