Ditch Levelling
Well the last part of the weekend in August that we spent transforming the drive, and to some degree the garden, was spent levelling in the ditch. It is not clear from the pics, but there was a drop of over two feet from the level of the garden, and it is in this space that we plan to put our fruit cage, vegetable plot and chicken run. So this has all been on hold until we could level this off.
5 Circle Covered and Bed Digging
Since the first time we saw Waterloo Farm there was no real distinction between the front and back of the house. This was largely due to a large shingled turning circle/parking area that is in the ‘back garden’. This has left the house a little bereft of identity and also privacy when you are in the back garden. To remedy this our plan has always been to convert this turning area into grass/beds and secure off the front from the back.
Part 2 of the drive/garden transformation resulted in Liam raking through the compacted gravel and lifting off the top 6 inches. This was used as the hardcore and base for the two new guest parking bays covered in Garden Transformation Part 1. Once this had been cleared, we then replaced the shingle with approx. 40-50 tons of top soil, which was then graded smooth by the digger bucket.
Next we wanted to make maximum use of having the track machine on site, so we used another 10-15 tons of top soil to cover the land drain that had not re-seeded through the sand. Being cheeky we also used the digger to turn over the soil on the new beds from which we had the turf cut. This turf was then re-layed by Tammy on the old turning circle. We certainly know how to recycle!!
Next we just had the ditch to sort out….
Garden and Drive Transformation 5
This took place in the summer, but only just got round to blogging about it as we have been busy, busy! For some of you following the blog you will know that traditionally the parking for Waterloo Farm has been at the back of the property using a turning circle.
We are keen to provide parking at the front, and reserve the back just for garden. This would also provide us the ability to secure the back of the property and encourgae visitors to use the front door – something we are keen to do as following the renovation work we now have a welcoming and spacious entrance hall!
Sloe Gin Recipe - Progress
Since I have my first post on the sloe gin recipe we have had a significant influx of visitors to the site, clearly there is a high demand for sloe gin this year!
I guess now we have started to have some ice on the cars in the morning the traditionalists who pick their sloes after the first frost will be stripping local off-licences and supermarket shelves of gin by the basket load!
You may remember that I have been trying to grow some veg without a proper veg patch this year (see here for previous posts on the subject)! Well, I recently harvested my butternut squash and thought you’d like to see them. In the end I had only 2 fruits (off a single plant), but those 2 have done OK and, for my first attempt and considering they were grown in an old sink (!), I’m pretty chuffed! (more…)
