March 2010

Planning our new walkway

So Christmas came and went, and New Years eve came and went, and we were all of a sudden in March again. Time to start planning some new things, new changes, and new challenges.. :-)

We had decided a long time ago that we had too much grass. Grass = mowing, which we all dislike a little.. hehe. So removing some grass seemed like a good option. The first bit of grass to go would be the walkway from the house to the Veg Patch. This meant digging up the old cement slab that was there, and clearing the grass away as we went along.

But we managed to clear the required area, and then paved it using bricks, and setting these with a cement/sand mix which we wet and allowed to set. Way to much work though, and really sore fingers afterwards... :-\ But sometimes one also has to suffer for progress. We had planted the poles and put across other poles which are fastened to the house with joist-hangers. This will provide a structure for the Hanepoort vines to climb up and over. :-)



Walkway now covered with reeds

 We decided that some shade would be nice, so we covered the walkway with reeds. We have since removed them and placed them on the afdakkie (covered area) that we built over the septic tank which is in the middle of our lawn.. :-\ we did this in order to make a feature of the cement slab which is in the middle of the lawn. It now serves as a nice shaded area, when we sometimes sit and enjoy a coffee. :-)



The Septic Tank Stoepie

 Having a small stoepie in the garden where we can sit and enjoy the greenery, and a coffee.. heheh seemed like a good idea. So we made some flowerbeds along the sides of the septictank and planted climbers like Wisteria, and Clematis, a Zimbabwean creeper, Jasmine and yet another Hanepoort vine.. we also planted some Lavender and some Gazanias for a little variation in height. At some point in the future these, the climbers, will actually form a canopy over the top of the afdakkie.. and we will have a lovely dappled shade. We are still planning to a nice round concrete table and two curved benches for this spot...and plenty more wind-chimes and mobiles.. :-)



The other side of the Septic Tank stoepie..

 But these two projects were not the only things we set up this month. We also built an outdoor shower... for some or other reason this appeals to the kids, and hubs.. especially in summer. Yes its cold!!! Freezing cold!!!

We have now clad the outdoor shower using droppers, and on this a Morning Glory has sown itself, and decided that that was a good place to grow... so now the shower looks great.. :-)



Andreas having a shower... Brrrrr!!!

 And of course to finish off this months post, what could be better than a night shot of the house. :-)

Our house at night from the Garden.