House-warming present

Rather late, but then I'm often rather late with jobs, I put aside two days this week to lay a small (6m x 3m) patio at the Bury house my older son and his family moved to in the spring.  This was more a case of stock tools than stock items, as the stone, sharp sand and landscaping fabric had to be bought in.  This was a triumph of Ebay deals - excellent communication with each seller and delivery of tons of material at the promised times.

Son and I shared the horrible job of removing the turf and digging out enough soil to produce a sand foundation for the stone.  Both of us have occasional back issues, and this isn't a favourite task.  The hope that the turf laid a month or so after their arrival would lift easily proved to be in vain.  Barrowing in the sand, levelling it and laying the slabs one by one was less physically demanding.  I worked to a jigsaw-like plan to avoid unsightly joints and kept a good eye on the spirit level as I worked away from the house.  It's Indian sandstone, with a riven finish, so the spirit level has to be interpreted with due allowance made.

The last backbreaking tasks were pointing up all the joints and loading the waste onto the trailer to bring home to contribute to some land-levelling to be done here later this year.

Two good days - and the weather helped by being dry but not too hot. Here's to the first BBQ!