We have had enough good days since Sorley left to get on with the terrace and walling. Now finished the corner of the wall and link to house (apart from a gate), built up the face of the terrace and sown grass (for the moment). You won't be able to see them but there is a set of (very uneven and ethnic) steps in the corner by the wall to access the grass bit. Outside the wall I have smoothed off the slope and sown grass there too. As you can see I (with Sorley's help when he was here) have been able to get rid of all the big rocks and debris. Once the grass has grown it will be fine. Going to concentrate now on the other retaining wall of the terrace which Sorley built. The rest of the garden wall is going to have to wait until I have finished the inside. In the meantime I have up a fence to keep out the sheep.
We had Rosa (of Lea Gardens at Tresta) and her partner, James (tree man) here on Sunday morning filling my head with ideas. In this climate I find it hard to visualise the results of their enthusiasm! James was here to give me advice on planting trees in the walled yard (where Sorley's 'chalet' will be) and mentioned that we might be in line for a Forestry Commission grant, so I am looking into that ... it will mean planting in the spring, which is a relief as there is so much to do!
Having crossed one Rubicon two weeks ago in getting a homehelp I am now on the shores of another ... one I have seen on the map but chosen to ignore until now that my feet are getting wet again! Rosa and James have persuaded me that if I am going to have a garden, vegetables etc., we must have a cat to keep out the rabbits! Apparently toms (neutered) are very good ... they have 7 (!), but then they have a couple of acres of garden, and hardly see the toms in the summer. So, next spring (see I am still putting it off) maybe we'll get a couple of (neutered) tom cats! Sorry Helen, maybe I should have warned you not to read that!
One of the great ideas that Rosa and James came up with is to turn one of the two ruined buildings into a plastic tunnel, simply (hardly) roofing it with polycarbonate. Maybe the other I can put a net over and grow soft fruit ... such is this vision of abundance. By then I (and my muscles ... I thought I was looking pretty muscular until I saw some close-ups of the Scottish rugby team) will probably have had enough of wall building, there won't be any stones left anyway at the rate I am going!
