Patio Renovation Part 3 - Slabs Down & Looking Great!

I dread to think how many how's I've spent on getting this patio back into shape! All of it hard graft, especially in this hot weather we've been having. 

 I have to say I'm so pleased with it though. It looks so much better and I can't wait to start using it again. 

Let me know what you think to the finished patio! 

Patio Renovation Part 2 - Lifting Slabs, Building Drains

 I've been trying to squeeze the patio renovation into any little gaps in time I could find. Luckily the week before last I managed to give myself a few days on the job and it feels much better! 

Watch this and let me know what you think. Part 3 will be out really soon!

Hellen's Garden Festival 2023

Today is the day! 

It's a day we all look forward to. I always feel like I owe the Hellen's team for taking a chance on me doing a talk, as now that's a firm part of my business! 

I'm really looking froward to it this year, although suffering with a massive case of imposter syndrome as I'm on the garden Q&A session with some really top gardeners - Terry Walton (or his Son Andy depending how things go), Tasmin Westhorpe and John Cunningham. I've been told I bring the smallholder element to it! 

 We're giving our talk at 2.00PM so hope to see some of you there.

If you do come to the festival make sure you come and say hi to me! I'm really friendly ;-)

The Walk Back

 Sometimes I take a picture of our normal life and it feels like it's from a book. 

This one I snapped on our way back from children's cricket on Friday night. Walking on the footpath through a field of barley, the sun setting in the distance. It sometimes feels like our village fulfils some cliche of English village life long gone from many places, and I'm happy it does. A village full of friends, probably a dozen or more people I could drop our children with in an emergency with no worries at all. I feel lucky to bring the children up here. 

Preparing For The Cold When It's Warm!

With the ground being harder we've been moving some firewood around. 

As soon as it gets warm my mind automatically switches to preparing for the winter. Preserving food, getting the wood ready to heat us. 

 This short video talks a bit about that and talks about when I was on building sites collecting my offcuts. 

Let me know what you think!

When do you start prepping for winter?