Friday 8 May 2009

The Studio... getting ready

Yes, I know Marea calls it a Summerhouse, but to me it's going to be a studio; somewhere I can do my stained glass and painting without having to clear up my workings all the time - somewhere I can leave designs half done to come back to them later.

The first thing was to take out and get rid of the old plum tree and honeysuckle, plus moving a couple of good roses such as Austin's 'Buttercup' (photos later in the season) and clearing the ground.


With the trees, shrubs and remains of the fence gone, it all looks a bit bare. The land falls away down to our parking area, and where we keep the logs. The plan is to shorten the bank and take soil from the bottom to level it all up.

First, we have to get rid of the bindweed or we'll never be shot of it. I don't want it undermining the base and coming up through the floor!

Also, there are lots of smaller plants to move - mainly different varieties of cranesbill, but also primulas, grape hyacinths, auriculas, etc., etc.


The bank looks very scrappy, and we also have to dig in the cable that runs around from the switch box to the pump and pond lights. this will also provide power for the studio (for lighting, heating and soldering).

Once the base went down, it all looked a lot better - smooth and level. i was surprised at how much soil had to be taken away; I thought we might have to bring some in.


The base is set on (new) sleepers, tannelised, so they ought to las 20 years or more with no treatment.




To the right is the gateway to the garden; I have to rebuild the steps and back fill with more gravel (probably about 2 tonnes).

Molly is a bit bewildered by all this activity. Fortunately, she's not the sort of dog that runs away even when there's no fence to keep her in (unlike her predecessor, Josh, who kept getting out of our last, very large, garden by pulling strands of the chain-link fencing until they straightened and came out, parting the fence - he was going to an industrial estate nearby where they kept feeding him. In the end, we had to put up an electric fence - that stopped him).

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