This just shows how much can be done in about eight hours. The Fiancé did most of the digging over, removing weeds, cillas and dandelions as he went. I helped with the digging, planting and of course, cups of tea. I was also kept busy in the back garden, weeding, sowing more vegetables into pots, and pacifying the dog. It helped that the weather was really good, cool breezes with lots of mild sunshine, made working outside a real bonus.

Having realised, when scouring the local DIY superstore, that the plum slates we really wanted were way over budget, we opted for bark chippings. We will, at some later date, change the bark chippings to slate, but for now, that works very well, and was a fraction of the price!

All we bought for this project was the weed supressing membrane and pegs, bark chippings, 3 small lavender bushes, one convulvulus and an aubretia. The rose was already there, and has been for the last 40-odd years, and the small weedy lookin' thing is actually a small hydrangea (blue, of course, to match the theme of the garden). The work was back breaking, and we both feel absolutely drained from it all, but we also feel elated, looking at the garden. It is now no longer a place of weedy neglect, it is now ours. Another thing to tick off on the list of 'ways we've made this house ours'. It looks, to us, great. It needs more plants, which will be bought at a later date, and planted as time allows (they didn't have a great selection of plants with blue/lilac/white flowers and silver foliage at that particular nursery, but thankfully I have two local nurseries who will have a good selection).

The Fiancé, despite aching back, has gone to get something really nice but naughty to eat - because I think we've deserved every bit! I don't think my hands will ever be the same again, though... So back to the hand cream for me!