I have worked myself to a standstill

OK, I know, I am far to old to be doing the heavy work that I could do in my younger years!

I worked so hard yesterday, lots of heavy lifting of concrete slabs and laying them behind my garden studio to make a path and access so that I can paint it in the Autumn.

Then all the work up the allotment - I intended to have a rest today honestly!

But after the disappointment of not having the floor laid yesterday, I decided to do something to take my mind off it and created the start of 'Kath's Garden' around the sun room.

I dug out a trench and made a 'proper' flower bed with yellow chrysanthemums either end - they'll look lovely late summer, and there are lavender interspersed with saxifrage - sun lovers.

 

Unfortunately alongside the walls was a dumping ground for all the rubble, so I had quite a task digging it all out (it was hidden under soil).  I replaced it with new soil mixed with well rotted farmyard manure and along that side I planted penstemons, lupins, Selenium, and a tall Lobelia.  In fact all these will be lovely tall plants in shades of reds, blues, purple, and sunshine yellow, which should flower late summer and look a treat.

 

The soil where the fish pond was will sink over winter, so as a temporary measure I put down paving slabs just so that I could move my table and sunshade up this corner for a different view of the garden.

In September I'll be raking over the soil again, stamping it down, raking yet again and sowing grass seed.

But for now this will be my view from the shade of the umbrella.  

 

I hope to be having my breakfast here on warm days, and lots of lunches and teas

It's a perfect corner to sit, and watch, and chill out - and maybe even sketch!

These photos were taken at 9pm tonight - just before dusk.

I ache for England but it is so worth it - I would be aching anyway to a lesser degree.

Mr Lottie has ordered me to rest all day tomorrow.

BUT

If I don't feel too bad, I intend to pressure wash the chairs that go with the table, and to give the big table and little coffee table a coat of stain - all  before it is time to cook  a Sunday Roast lunch

Garden Room Day 10

They started taking out the patio door today and we heard a bit of a squeal!

We had told the builder that we had cavity wall insulation - but the information hadn't been passed on to the lads!

We could all just stand there helplessly watching it cascade out onto the floor without being able to stop it.  On the plus side, we are a bungalow so once it had all drained out from the gable wall it gradually stopped.  Have you ever had an experience with the mini foam balls?  You can't sweep them up, any breath of air and they fly all around the room, and they are really full of static!  Mr Lottie and the 'workers' all set to trying to clear them up.  We couldn't use our little vacuum cleaner as it's one with a bag inside and it would have filled up packets of replacement bags which we didn't have!   The men were telling us some funny stories about mishaps with this form of insulation - one of the funniest was when a patio door was being installed on a windy day, and as you can't stem the flow of balls, they flew all over the garden - and neighbouring gardens.  On the positive side we at least had the garden room, and the door closed so were able to contain them.  Sadly the day finished on a downside.  All was going smoothly, the glass in all the windows and the French doors to the extension were fitted smoothly, and look a treat.  But (oh why does there always seem to be a big 'but' in things we have done) - they installed the French doors in place of the patio door, and the doors were supposed to open out and flat against the walls either side; the frame being fitted on the outside of the wall, to avoid the doors 'smacking' against the wall either side if it were fitted inset as patio doors are.  Yes you've guessed it, they fit inside, and even if they move the door frame to the very outside edge, the doors are so big that they will hit the outside walls and not lay flat. So we will lose a metre of space on both sides - which is a lot in a small room, and one door will obstruct a heater and there is no other place it will go!   The 'boss' is back from his other house in France and is due to pay us a visit tomorrow - watch this space - it's bound to all end in tears! He, of course was the one who did all the measuring and ordering.  Hey ho!

 

Garden Room Day 10

At last - progress is romping away now.

My goodness the thickness of the roof panes was a shock

How those men managed to carry them and lift them up onto the roof amazed me, and they got 'whacked' in with a very sophisticated tool - a long lump of wood!

Bluebell couldn't wait for them to go home - then she flew through the door for a look around.  Yes a very clever bantam, as she knew the glass hadn't been put into the windows or french doors yet.

She stood looking out of the door at the others with a rather superior look on her face!

Thank goodness for the workers a duller day today.

Tomorrow - doors and windows to be glazed, patio door coming out, french doors going in.  Electrician coming to do the wiring, and a builder coming to put up the plasterboard.  Thursday the plan is that the plasterer will do all the walls, the builder will lay the pipes and extend the soakaway, and build a step, and Friday, fingers, toes, and everything else crossed, the floor screed will be laid.

Today I spent my time mowing the front lawns and a long time pruning Sylvia's rose arch over the front path.  I did want to clean the chooks run out - but Mr Lottie made me sit down and rest.

Garden Room Day 9.

A funny thing happened last week - Mr Lottie was at a bowls match and a man came up to him and said, 'Heard that you wife is not happy with Tony and the lack of progress on your extension'.

They all had a good laugh at my expense - and my conversation with said builder.

Living in a village, with other small villages around - it's funny how 'word' gets around isn't it, and we hadn't told a soul! So that is probably what prompted the brickie being sent last week to finish off the brick work - and the surprise visit today.

A room with a view

Ok - so it's only the framework.

But it does resemble a room now rather than a building site (Note the garden wall has fallen down) over the weekend - must get the brickie to repair it when he next visits.

Fingers crossed, this time tomorrow the roof should be leaded and glazed.  See the difference in colour of the brickwork.  That is because the base concrete is still drying out and the bricks look darker

With a bit of luck the windows should be glazed too tomorrow!
The guys reckon that by Wednesday evening their part of the job will be finished, including the removal of the patio door and installation of new french doors!

 

It's amazing what two men can achieve in one day - with cups of tea every hour, and cakes and biscuits in the shady studio.  They even had an hour's lunch break too!

The cakes are home made boozy mincemeat swirls, morello cherry madeira squares, and gooseberry and almond strudel.

I spent the whole morning making dozens of sandwiches and rolls for a bowls match tonight, that Mr Lottie wasn't even playing in!   And the bowlers had a stack of the above cakes too.

I'll find out tomorrow if they all passed the taste test when we get our plates back.

Arghhh builders! Garden room days 6, 7, 8

Well the builders disappeared off the face of the earth after day 5.  No phones, no reply to messages zero.  When I did managed to track him down (not the lovely hardworking workers, the person that is owner of the company).   I was told that the bricklayer would be coming towards the end of the following week.  Fibber.  A phone call last Friday - and I caught the builder at home - no apology, nothing!  It should have been finished in three weeks according to him when we decided to go ahead.  that was an even bigger fib!   I hate it when people take advantage of me cos I am nice and friendly and polite.  But the worm can turn - and will - it's the red hair!

I moved a couple of armchairs out of our conservatory just to see where the new settee will go.  It'll look nothing like these

The lovely bricklayer turned up Monday and got 'stuck in'

He used up the bricks and breeze blocks and had to get some more.  This was newly laid turf last year, I do so hope it recovers

End of the day Tuesday - insulation to go in and the breeze block inner walls need to be completed

Thursday late morning all ready for the framework for the roof and windows to go on.  The builder is at his home in France again for two weeks - been over there every other week - how the rich do live.  Keeping fingers crossed they come early next week - but haven't been told.  

Garden Room - Day 5 - Just working in the rain - getting soaking wet!

 We have had storms on and off all night, so we gave up all hope of the builders coming to do more work.  I was just debating whether to let the chickens out before going up the allotment to take some photos, as the sun had just come out - when Eureka - the truck turned up!  All plans cancelled for the day.

 

They covered the concrete with tons of ballast - well stones with lots of sand in it.

 

Then the heavens opened and we had an almighty storm - but James soldiered on

with a machine that thumps the stuff and packs it tight.  It was hard going doing it in a storm, as it kept puddling on the surface - not good.

 

It became impossible - and when I went out with a cup of tea - they had gone!

A little stream was pouring off the sand down the drain!

 

But they returned - and the rain was relentless - but they came bearing gifts.

 

And James had to go over the ballast again, and again.

 

The thick sheets of insulation went on top of the sand.  When we had our conservatory built years ago it was just a piece of plastic that was used between the layers!

The thick liner was placed on top - and the storm returned!

 They worked on regardless, mixing and laying the floor - until it was looking more like a pond - so again they stopped work.   The rain was so horrendous that I just stuck my arm out of the door and snapped!

 

Another pause in the storm, they finished laying the concrete - and yes you've guessed it......

 

It resumed and the concrete looks like a muddy swimming pool!

 

They'll be back the end of next week to continue - by which time I hope this has dried out! 

You'll notice that I am not complaining about the rain - the garden and allotment needs it - and the lawn is actually green again - well those bits that aren't covered in cement dust as sand.

I had a productive day in the front garden inbetween downpours - pruning the rose arch and shrubs.

(This is a bit boring - so skip any posts that start with 'Garden Room' it's just a visual record for me - so that when it is all done, I can look back and see what a triumph over the weather it was)

But if you want to build your own - this'll be a step by step guide!

Garden Room - Day 4

Work continues after the rain stopped play for a couple of days.

 

The two bricks on the front wall show where the double doors will be

 

The side wall is built up to the window ledge height.

 

And this will be the view from where I will be sitting.

 

I'll be able to see right down the garden - all day!

It's a deluge - and I'm to blame!

 

We have had months of drought and as soon as we decided to have some work done

 

The rain arrived - and hasn't stopped!

 

The bricklayer couldn't even finish the damp course

 

It's just soaked - and since these photos were taken this morning it hasn't stop raining, and the concrete base is turning into a pond!

Still - the garden and allotment needed the rain desperately.

Fingers crossed we get a dry Monday morning so that the damp course can be finished.

If you haven't guessed already - it's going to be a Garden Room - but not with an indoor paddling pool - which it has at the moment!