Garden excavation

Do ant nests smell of petrol? That was the sort of thing that was going through my head as I excavated a few more cubic metres of mess.

I have a week of work here on the steep bank to the right of the guest house.

I gave you a sneak preview of the project a few weeks back.

Here is a recap.

Twelve long metres of promise, currently disguised as a weedy horror. Held together with rocks.

Ivy smothered rock. Plus nasties. I suspect this was the dumping zone for all sorts of unwanted bits of mess.

I was weeding very carefully as I kept coming across broken glass, random bits of metal and this wafty petrol smell.

And ants.  Not the giant nest I was fearing with every strike of the Bulldog fork on the soil, but a few. And fun caterpillars which I carefully moved away.

I had hoped it was a proper stone wall – a terrace if you like. But I fear it’s just garden variety granite rock.

I’m optimistic I can get the soil and most of the weeds off this week.

And then I can see how many low rock walls I can rebuild to break up the huge expanse of dirt.

It’s not madly glamorous, but it’s fun to be excavating again.

Best of all I have a close place to dump all the weeds. I had thought to wheelbarrow them over to the parking area and chuck them down the slope. But instead I am building up the dangerous slope right next to the guest house where the bank has worn away. One Ikea bag at a time. Dragged up the steep slope.

Putting the plants (albeit in weedy form) back up at the top of the garden from where they ended up (bottom) feels apposite.

Hopefully I will have more to show you Friday.