Tuesday 28 April 2020

I have just about got the garden that I wanted.

Before we moved here to just outside of Scunthorpe we had a tiny back yard, like the one's on Coronation Street but we also had idiot neighbours and we didn't like spending time out the back. At the front we had a small garden but there was no grass or soil, it was all little pebbles and there was the idiot neighbours over the road. Moving here gave us the garden and freedom that we had longed for.

I have had plans for it since we viewed the house and with Stu being off work because of the Coronavirus it has given us (mostly him) plenty of time to get things done!

Here's a few before photos:


Everything outside needed painting, especially the garage, the windows on the little shed needed fixing and the flowerbed going along the side of the path really annoyed me. It was full of "decorative" stones, it had a sheet of plastic down just under the stones which was supposed to stop the weeds and did to a point but they were creeping through. To me it was an eyesore and could be so much more. Everywhere needed weeding too even on the concrete at the back of the house and in front of the garage.

The first thing to go were the weeds and the moss on the concrete. We got rid of that last summer scraping it with a shovel and it made such a difference. Apart from mowing the lawn repeatedly that's all we did until a month or so ago.

Stu started with the painting, the back of the house and he fixed the windows on the little shed. They were rotten and he replaced some of the wood. It looks so much better just for a lick of paint.


He also painted the garage which made the biggest difference. The green on the doors matches the little shed window and our back door.


It's amazing how much a lick of paint has freshened everything up. The last thing to get painted was the fence. It had never been painted so it was like a sponge soaking in the paint. Stu used all of the paint he had and there is still 2 panels left to do. My dad said he has some of the same paint but it's in the back of one of his sheds and he's in no rush to go looking for it as it's hidden deep. lol


One afternoon the girls and I set ourselves away weeding and moving all of the stones from the flowerbed which runs down by the side of the path. At the top end the weeds were thick and the bottom of it was full of stones. You can just to say see them in the middle photo below.


I am so glad we had a wheelbarrow to move all of the stones to the other side of the garden. It took us a good couple of hours to clear all the weeds and stones and I know we didn't get every stone. lol I then dug it all up, turned all the soil, added some compost and put down the wild flower seeds. It will be interesting to see if they grow as they were well over a year old. I couldn't see a use by date on the box. I have been out there every evening watering the garden and it's a job I actually love doing.


As well as doing the DIY and gardening we have quite a few things for the girls to play with in the garden. Swingball, the little trampoline, basketball hoop, giant noughts and crosses and hopscotch. We also have the table and chairs.

There is still a couple of little jobs that we need to do. I'd love a comfier set of chairs, the girls want a paddling pool and there is still the rest of the fence to paint but now it is just about the garden that I wanted.

It is a pleasure to be out in the garden now. I feel so lucky to have some space outside. This time last year this was only something we could dream about. I am counting my blessings.

Have you done any work in your garden lately?

6 comments :

  1. It's a lovely place to sit when the sun's out and it's great to have a project to work on too. You've done a great job ! :)

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    1. Thank you! We are so lucky out the back, it gets the sun most of the day x

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  2. It looks great! I miss having my own yard now that we're at home all the time, but I'm in a condo.

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    1. Thank you. Oh no! That's a shame you don't have a garden. x

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  3. You have done so much it looks a lot better. I've been in my house over 8 years and I've never done anything to the garden. Until this past week. I've painted the fence panels. Mown the lawn and put weed control sheets down ready to dig it up for artificial grass and I've hung some lights. I'm starting to love it more now. Plus I too had idiot neighbours hopefully they have moved out now

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    1. Most of the work was done by Stu though. hehehe
      It sounds like you have been busy too. x

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