Toiling in the Garden

If some of my readers wonder, why I am not posting lots of newly painted minis, here is some of the explanation:

My cobblestone lawn edge project which lay dormant all of last year (and I did not have the guts to restart this summer, because of temperatures around 30 Centigrades) is now finally getting some love.

I expect to get all of the north side of the lawn edged before winter, and from then on I shall only have to do small sub-projects (around the conservatory, edging the raspberry bushes and the apple trees, and other such negligible tasks compared to edging the entire lawn).

Rounding Off the Garden Project...

...at least for now. Autumn seems to start this week (according to the forecasts), and I do not think that it will make any sense to order another batch of cobblestones until spring. There is some chance that summer may return next week, but I shall need to see the forecasts next weekend before deciding whether to  try laying down more of the lawn edge.

I placed the rest of the regular cobbles in the trench running past the trees today, and after taking this photo I also managed to get them stomped in and covered in sand.

I more or less only short of doing the left edge of the lawn (along the concrete slates) - but, of course, I shall also make edges around trees, bushes, and the round bed in the middle of the lawn where the flagpole used to be (it broke in a storm some years ago).

The Summer That Would not End

Another weekend spent in the garden instead of painting little angry men...

After employing chainsaw, fire, axe, hatchet, and sledge hammer, I finally managed to remove the roots that blocked my trench for the cobblestones, and I have filled the trench with slate sand well past the second tree. I am now, finally, all set for putting the remaining cobbles from the second batch into the trench,

I also finished putting concrete slates at the edge of the trench along the left side of the lawn (which looks 'right' in the first photo, as it was taken from the far end of the lawn).

I put the slates in, because the ground is declining away from the lawn, and rain and general corrosion would probably mean that the cobblestone row would get disorganized rather quickly if nothing supported it.

I got the slates for free a couple of years ago, and they were always meant to be used for this edge - plans just got upgraded  with the cobblestones which provide a broader and nicer edge for the lawn.

I think I shall have to adjust a couple of the slates a bit, as the top edge could be a bit more straight, but all in all I am very pleased with this progress, which I had not expected to be able to make until spring next year (but the summer just keeps staying, and I may as well keep making good use of the warm dry weather, which may come to an end this week).