So we are about 4 weeks in, having started with something that looked like this in the summer:
We started by clearing the chuckies from the path (stored in ton bags), dismantling the ‘stream’ (keeping all the stones in a big pile by the green shed), clearing the turf (building a bob flowerdew inspired turf compost tower by the sycamore), removing plants and a buried rayburn (!). Then thomas took all the loose soil away to give a reasonably flat area to start marking everything out (which started the reinstatement of beltie’s mountain).
We then spent two or three evenings setting out the poles to mark the corners, this was easier in the dark when we were trying to use the laser.
The first day of Thomas’s between-jobs break was spent setting out with boards and marking the trenches with his much longed for builders spray paint!
In the afternoon he started digging!
Having removed the top layer of soil we spent another evening with another laser, marking the levels. The next day Thomas got to work on getting down to the right level. He started with the strip next to the path and quickly hit the sub soil – pick-axe was employed at this point:
Although he looks pretty happy about it…!
tollstension 