A sulk, a soaking and a solution

I’ve worked it out. I now know how I’m going to save and landscape the soft fruit orchard.

And it took me until 4pm to work it out. The day was vile – gloomy, damp and wet.  With enough rain to deter one from even trying a spot of soil shifting.

Instead I mooched and filed papers and generally grouched about.

But by 4pm and too many cups of tea later I went up to the potting shed to see if Artur could entertain me as a distraction.

He kept leaping out of his cashmere lined box and demanding a bit of exercise (well, stalking me in the damp garden is his idea of fun).  So I took to the buckets and shovel and did some useful work.

First up I filled in the gaps in the lavender bank and tried to improve the levels of soil in the approach to the potager steps.  They are grass covered but full of dips and divets.

So with the cat bouncing about trying to keep his paws dry I thought I might have a look over the steep drop and see if I could shift some soil in the gap.

Bernard and Manu had very kindly piled up a few cubic metres of soil salvaged from the swimming pool flood, so I had a go at raking and pushing a large pile over the edge. I wanted to see if any would stick to the steep slope below and let me build up the level.

And bless me it did. Well, I had to keep plodding down to the next terrace with my shovel to tamp down the soil, but ever so gradually it is working.  Oh for some able bodied lads to help shift this stuff.

By my calculations, all I need to do is move the huge mound about 15 feet. But it’s an assault course involving jostaberry bushes, a few small blackcurrants and a playfully prickly blackberry specimen right at the lip.  This was a present from Teo, so I don’t want to move it right now.

I did about an hour’s worth until I realised that I was utterly soaked. And have no retired to the dry to see if I have the stamina (and no sciatica) to have another go tomorrow. Well worth the cross moooching about.