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Sunday 16 September 2012

Garden lighting

My garden lighting cover two things primarily twofold my decking area and the security to the workshop. Today I extended the wiring loop to include two extra light along the new fencing  To cover the pathway leading to the lower garden workshop and decking.


The added loop which includes two extra light which I can't show you working yet like it,s Sunday and B/Q was sold out of bulbs of the type I require.

I managed to get the bulb that was required to fit these lambs and tonight switched on.

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Rhapsody in blue.

A very vigorous climber it flowers like this year after years, soon to be cut right down and moved due to garden refurbishments, but, not till it's dormant hope I'm doing the right thing.


Tuesday 11 September 2012

My new camera

I  got up early that morning just to try out my new camera a Panasonic Lumix T20  The sun was shining just after a heavy but short rainstorm. I called it, a liquid crystal's in the morning sun see here.


Our conservatory

As we're getting older and my wife is one of those that with the slightest puff of wind is off indoors moaning it cold out here,  even if it's sweltering, while I still sit outside.

We decided it would be better to get a conservatory built.

After many months of measuring and planning and designing, I finally came up with my own design that we wanted.  , While this was in process I was waiting for a major operation on my liver, several cancelled dates yes you guessed it my operation date came through.

What to do, proceed with the conservatory, or cancel the operation and wait many months maybe a year again, no I needed this operation badly. 

We decided to bit the bullet and get a builder to do all the work this time around, as I would be laid up for at least 6 months. Now to choose a builder to get it built to my precise specification which we finally decided one after some very fierce negotiation out of five quotations, some were OK. Others quotes were just figures plucked out of the sky they didn't have a clue, the one we chose his start date a few days after my operation, all I could do was sit back and watch, frustrating or what, I am a builder.


Footings over-site and drainage all connected, dwarf walls and main wall all constructed with framework partially done, NOTE, a hipped roof at this end.


The exterior is now complete its fully glazed,  freshly rendered, and it only needs painting.



Looking down the far side nearest to where the new panelled fence will go there is one panel temporarily fixed.


French door on the end nearest to the front of the house NOTE with a glazed gable end above, there is a reason for that as I want to at a later date to construct a kitchen with a trusted roof to it which will fit over the cable end,  so these doors will open into the new kitchen.


The interior the electrical 1st fix completed and all plaster-boarding were done before the plastering and cement screed to the floor.


 Floor screeded, plastered and the electrician has second fixed, lights of our own choosing, builder finished. I now have to get it tiled and painted.


Looking out through the kitchen door into a new dining area, floor all tiled and wall painted plus I moved the china cabinets out there as well.


Lounge area now all furnished we also decided to have sun blinds fitted, as you view the photo on the right side it gets the early morning sun, and on the left side it catches the last of the evening sun at the far end.

The sun rises in the east and set in the west. Hence as the sun climbs throughout the day from about eleven in the morning. The sun comes through the french doors. As the sun swings around to the left side of the picture for the rest of the day, thus giving us sun and shade as the sun continues around to the west, it's setting, perfect. There it is finished, now when is it going to stop raining.

New boundry fence

This fence was erected to replace the hedge that we removed to revamp our tired garden in the wake of having a new conservatory built.
I decided to remove the hedge for a dual reason, mainly to get enough room internally for the conservatory, which would allow us to feel comfortable inside.

I still needed a space to gain access to the rear garden and access to my workshop quickly while transporting heavy items to and from, hence as the hedge was 1m in width, it had to go.

The lower end of the fence partially erected, I intend to lower its height slightly and then add some trellis work along the top edge to allow for climbing plants to grow up to.

A quick look along the other side, it still needs trimming etc. in places and then has it height slightly reduced.

A front section all concreted in across the front driveway, you can just see the top of the side panel to run down to the lower part of fencing.
Front end running two thirds up the driveway is completed still need backfilling with soil on my neighbours' side and infilling with concrete on my side, all the panels are now in the running down it's entire length to the lower section of fence.


Hedge and decking removal.

While revamping our tired Garden, we decided to have a conservatory attached to the house where our decking area is now.

This now means a complete revamp to our Garden and lawn area, the first to go has to be our decking then one of our two hedges which run the entire length of our Garden some 90 ft in all.


We decided that the first to go would be the decking we had outside the kitchen door, so with the help of my son Ian we set about removing it. Shown here with half the decking removed. Soon after the remaining deck was removed.



Now the hedge,  It was 2m in height plus a bit more and in placed 1m in width. Ooh, it was hard work not just cutting it down to ground level and disposal of which we hired a  shredding machine, but hand digging out dozens of stumps, by the time we had it all out and piled up in the front Garden you could not t see the front yard. 

The area is shown, Is where the decking ended and alongside the lower end of the hedge. Stumps awaiting removal.



The concreted area outside the kitchen door down to the end of the concrete path in the foreground, Is where we built the conservatory.  The fencing I'll show in the next post.