The problem of dirt

So, we now have a dwarf wall (brilliant), but also a massive pile of dirt to get rid of (less brilliant).

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Some went back around the wall...

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From Briar Crescent

Some went here:

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Some went here:

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A little went here:

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Here:

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And a lot went here:

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And now, we're ready to build!

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Lean-to re-build: week 2

Last week was very productive. First, the cement arrived:

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(This is a stealth photo as I figured the builders wouldn't appreciate me following them around, happily snapping.)

Then, Paul-the-builder poured and leveled it.

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And then, of course, it rained and rained.

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Then, Paul very quickly built up the inner and outer walls.

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From Briar Crescent

And now, I'm hoping it'll rain again soon to free the poor passion fruit vine from its layer of builder block dust.

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DIY framing

A few months ago, I bought a lovely little woodblock print (off ebay, of course), but it seems to be an odd size, and I've really struggled to find a frame to fit it. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I decided to stop looking and start making. A few odd bits of scrap wood, plus a dab of glue and some staples....

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...a generous couple of coats of spray paint and an odd bit of wood for the back.....

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And the print is now framed and hung for all to enjoy.

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From Briar Crescent

Lean-to re-build days 2-3: the digging

We were, I must say, a little shocked to discover that the extent of the old lean-to's foundations amounted to this:

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As we value the continued stability and longevity of our little project, the foundations Paul-the-builder has dug for us go a bit deeper. End of day 2:

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From Briar Crescent

End of day 3:

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We're really pleased with him so far and more than a little impressed that he's even constructed a makeshift bulwark for the soil he's dug out.

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On a related note, I've found a new TV addiction called 'Help my house is falling down', and, as luck would have it, the latest episode has been about a family whose extension (built on top of 6 metres of sludge) is sinking away from the rest of the house. So, as you can imagine, I was feeling both a little pleased with myself and a little nervous as I asked Paul about the composition of our soil. Fortunately, it seems we have a decently hard clay, so with any luck, we'll avoid being the subject of the next series.

Flowers and fouling

A quick trip to B&Q last week meant that I finally got some lovely flowers for my carefully prepared front bed.

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The selection was very limited, being so late in the season, but I'm really pleased with the result.

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Today, they've really started to come out.

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From Briar Crescent

But, unfortunately, the flowers have become GingerCat's new favourite bit of the garden, and not even our guard otter has been able to deter him.....

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Lean-to re-build, day 1: the destruction

The first day of the grand lean-to re-build got off to a painful start, when the lean-to decided to fight back by zapping poor L. as he attempted to tape off the [supposedly] dead socket wires. Fortunately, we have the super fuse box, so aside from some painful fingers, no lasting harm was done.

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Aside from some minor electrocution, the lean-to came apart fairly easily.

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And finally, a few fatal blows....

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...and we no longer have a lean-to.

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Storage success (or, why L. might seem a little jittery lately)

Tired of dealing with lumpy sugar and soggy flour, I've been looking for airtight storage options. Fortunately, I have found a solution that is free, thanks to L.'s fondness for coffee. The preferred brand comes in jars like this:

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Stripped of its label, the jar looks rather like the £8 storage jars I've been admiring at Habitat.

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Having encouraged L.'s caffeine consumption, I now have a nice collection.

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While the lentils are pretty distinct, cornflour, self-rising flour and standard flour look fairly similar, which could pretty easily spell cooking catastrophe. I'm sure those who consume our cooking will be pleased to learn that a solution has presented itself in the form of an accidental discovery - it seems the plastic seal pops off with the careful application of a blunt knife.

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Half an hour later...

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And we now have jars that are as informative as they are cheap, and I'm a happy cook.

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Garden work

Since the back garden will soon become a disaster zone, I've been working on making the front garden as nice as possible (to cheer me up should I get too frustrated with climbing over all the rubble that will soon fill the back).

So far, I've been working on giving more definition to the daffodil bed and the middle island using old bricks.

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From Briar Crescent

The plan is to get some flowers to come up after the daffodils are done. I'm currently picturing some little orange poppies. For now, though, I'm content with the other lovely flowers in the front.

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From Briar Crescent

So, apparently, is my nemesis, GingerCat, who has taken to sitting in the front garden and watching me when I'm exercising in the living room. (By 'exercising', I mean dancing around to my music, which is why he looks rather bemused).

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