When we bought this house, mid last year, there wasn't very much nice you could say about it. It was uninhabitable, some rooms minus floors and/or ceilings, almost all without power and plumbing, etc. 'Has potential' would be the real estate description.
And the garden ... well, the backyard was taken up by one very large shed, dozens of ugly overgrown ferns, a toxic tree (Angel's Trumpet) and a number of bizarre brick structures that Kenny (our predecessor) had built (maybe too many bricks left over after he built the extension?).
The house is now habitable (well, we're in it, right?), even if I do still have a list a page long of minor bits and pieces to get done. The garden, not so much. Well, the shed is gone. The ferns are gone. The toxic tree is gone. The brick structures are gone. (I should mention that digging out bricks is very good exercise.) In their place we have, um, a patch of dirt. This has been the situation for some time now.
But, hurrah, today I ordered turf. Tomorrow I will flail about with a screed rake and try to get things as level as possible. On Saturday, we will lay the turf. (Note that I say this as though it's simple - it had better be.)
Scout, the supposed-BeagleXJack-Russell-who-is-actually-BeagleXStaffy-and-growing-as-big-as-a-Great-Dane, will probably do his best to dig it up. This will be a conflict for poor Spouse, who loves lawn (go figure) almost as much as he loves The Dog. Weeks of entertainment lie ahead of me.
I also have the sleepers for building the bed for my vegetable garden ...
Gifts of the Season
3 days ago
2 comments:
For years we complained when our old Golden Retriever galumphed over a shrub, breaking branches, or left deposits that had to be moved before our little patch of lawn could be mowed. But, oh, do I miss her now. . . The deer don't, though!
Are you going to do before and after pics for us?
Take care of yourself -- that's a lot of work ahead of you, much of it potentially back-breaking! But what a reward you'll have at the end.
I love that description of your dog galumphing over a shrub! That's exactly what the Scout puppy is like. I will do photos (have to find original 'befores' from when we first got the place). And thank you for the warning - as it's only a tiny little patch (50sqm) - and I've already done the really horrible stuff (digging and schlepping bricks), I'm hoping it won't be too arduous ...
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