It seems a while ago now since our new patio was installed, but looking back over my blog posts it was only June 2013. Somehow that makes it seem more recent than the three and a bit years it is. Back then we extended the patio by an extra slab and true enough it felt roomy and more useful.
We had some slabs left over and our original plan was to use them in other parts of the garden. But as time's gone on, that hasn't happened and our new enlarged patio began to feel smaller. So much so that we thought we should have gone further.
Then earlier this year when we started to get serious about adding some edging - and circles - we worked out we actually had enough slabs for that extra row of patio we craved. And so, that became part of our plan.
We'd hoped it would be complete at the start of the summer, but with one thing and another our gardener and patio layer couldn't fit us in, along with our tree cutting work until much later than we'd hoped. And while we wanted the patio extended, we knew the tree cutting took priority.
Finally on Saturday it was the turn of the patio. And typically rain was forecast. Thankfully though all that digging and trugging of earth to the skip at the start of August stood us in good stead and as we'd done most of the manual work ourselves it saved us some cash, which is never a bad thing.
My plan was to build a dedicated barbecue area for MOH. Close enough to the patio so he didn't feel out on a limb, but not in the middle of the patio so the barbecue and the smoke were centre stage. The answer was to lay one of the large slabs at right angles to the house, set back from the main view down the garden. It kept us both happy even though it meant losing an old and very leggy, but much used rosemary bush. But as I took plenty of cuttings before it went it seemed worth it.
With the first slab in place the bricks were laid out and the position checked, then it was quickly done and the rest of the row soon followed.
DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN THE WORKMEN ASK TO BORROW A BROOM AS THEIRS IS IN THE VAN AND THEY'VE GOT MUDDY BOOTS
And with impeccable timing, just as the row was laid along came the rain. Plastic sheets were quickly found and used to cover the new row of patio to protect the pointing and to stop it being washed away. It worked and on Sunday we uncovered the new row for it to bask in the sun just as much as we did.
So that's another part of the garden plan ticked off the list. And it seems we've another week of good weather in which to enjoy it! It's starting to come together, although there is still much more edging to install. But more on that another day.