Friday 12 October 2012

DIY Day...

This morning when I got up 'to get the wets in' and remove the cover from the pool I rescued a tiny little shrew who was swimming for its little life.  We would like to think that it was the one that went into hiding in the house last night.  I don't know how we thought it might be able to get through the cat flap and then open the sliding door out into the garden but who knows!!!
 
If you have read the blog before you will know that last year I had the job of staining the wood that John used for building projects and that by the end of it I was totally stained out so you can imagine my delight when my DIY task for the day was...  yes you've guessed it - STAINING!!!    I am a little concerned because the stuff we have been using recently has a name which is very close to Creosote and I have read that... Creosote, once the British gardeners' favourite wood preservative for over 100 years, has been banned for domestic use following an EU directive. Retailers have already stopped stocking it, and householders with supplies should have used it or disposed of it by the end of June 2003. Recent research on mice has shown that contact with creosote increased the potential for cancer.  Mind you it wouldn't surprise me if some of the little DIY stores over here have never heard of the EU directive!  Anyway I digress - I got the job of staining the new balustrade corners that John has built to define the edges of the decking that is in the front garden and which, we are at pains to point out, are for decorative purposes only and not to be leant on!!
 
It was blinking hot in the side garden today and staining all those uprights was a bit fiddly but once they were completed and John put them in place they look bloody marvellous - John is so brilliant at bringing my ideas to life.  We plan to get something to grow up and around the corners just to soften them but will take our time to choose the right things - we don't want anything too rampant and John is keen to find something that will keep its leaves in the winter so we will need to have a mooch around Droushia and see what survives - I have a bit of a hankering for an evergreen jasmine because that would give us flowers and fragrance as well as keeping its leaves and would be relatively simple to keep in check .
 
Having completed the decking we sat down and had a drink and looked at the space - John is keen to hide the poor wall and fence between our house and Paul's next door.  We think that allowing the Morning Glory to cover that area would be a good idea and so John is going to cover the wall with trellis that he is going to build himself.  He had enough wood to do the uprights - and yes that meant I had more staining to do - and will need some more wood to complete it.  He also wants to build a more permanent and attractive gate to the gas bottles and he fancies putting some stone 'cladding' around the bottom of the wall - not Jack and Vera style obviously - something more tasteful than that.

Shaun and Sharon arrive next Wednesday and John was keen to clean out their pool so that it looks better for when they arrive - there is an issue with it somewhere but he hasn't found it as yet.  As S&S are only out for a week we keep trying to persuade them to enjoy the rest rather than work all the time.  John took Dad's old pressure washer so that could get rid of the crap on the bottom which not only looks awful but probably poses a health hazard as it is prime mozzie breeding territory.  Whilst John did that I went round opening windows to air the rooms and give the outside a good sweep as the bloody birds wreak havoc and they have a fruiting olive tree which looks lovely but drops leaves and olives everywhere.
 
 
We had worked hard today and managed to get jobs done without World War III breaking out - even though I failed miserably to be promoted to using the drill - too weak wristed unfortunately so I had to be satisfied with Chief Stainer.  As a reward we took in the last of the evening sunshine on the front decking armed with a Leon (John) and a Keo (me).

1 comment:

  1. You did a good job, John! I like the simplicity of your balustrade. It made your deck look aesthetically beautiful. And it gave the place a sort of privacy as well.

    Tiffany Larsen

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