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Earlier this year, I was sat in my back garden surveying my grand estate(Ha-Ha), and then after a few glasses of Mr Jack D I had a flaaash of inspiration to re-model the whole area. At the time this seemed like a good idea, But with hindsight, all the best ideas are usually fuelled by alcohol and are truly not that good at all. This is one of those "I'll never do that again ideas".
As I am a mature student at the moment
, I seem to have an unnatural amount of free time on my hands, and this coupled with the rather inclemment weather we experience in Britain I find myself watching daytime TV, How thrilled I was to find a whole channel devoted to gardening and garden make-overs.
These people come to members of the public with an army of professionalls and in a day they completely re-do the garden to something that usually could be a show garden at Chelsea or Hampton Court flower shows.
I have very little gardening experience, Little DIY experience and NO landscape design or construction experience at all...... what was I thinking, so please find below a stage-by-stage photographic account of my project.
As I said before, "It seemed a good idea at the time-How wrong was I?"
These raised borders were custom made for me by (please follow the link) http://www.aldingbournetrust.co.uk
I decided to tackle the "patio" area after I had positioned the raised borders and re-planted the plants in them, (each 1 took aprox half atonne of top-soil in each that I purchased in bags and collected in my car..............good job i've got a Vauxhall Omega with a huge boot).
Anyway, the first row of pictures above is of the transformation of the afore-mentioned "patio" area, I first lifted all the 28 slab, levelled the area with the sand base that was there and then proceeded to lay down the landscape fabric, then cemented the 6 foot diameter stone circle in place, then.......... yes you've guessed it...... more ruddy rain. I seem to have chosen the worst, wettest June on record, possibly since the dawn of creation to re-model my garden, it was turning into a nightmare, resembling something from The Somme during the first world war. Sunny Sussex.......Ha-Ha !!! 
Yet More Rain!!!!!!!!!!!
So, after the patio area was re-done, with the stone circle, it was time to attack the rest of the garden, and as I had already placed an advertisement in the local press for the paving slabs, (and promptly forgotten I had done two weeks previous- A very senior moment by me), the phone rang and a guy wanted to purchase the afore mentioned slabs, and he would be round that evening.......... one problem........with the weather being like it was, i had forgotten the ad and the slabs were still in the garden as a path as they had been for the last 15 yrs or so..... PANIC!!!!!!, he came, he saw, he bought.... luvvly jubbly.
The path looked a complete eyesore 
and once more rain came down it looked even worse. So there I was, 1 windy, rainy Saturday morning trying to lay landscape fabric in my garden over where the path was, trouble was, unknown to a mere mortal as myself, I had apparently moved over night from Sussex to Chicago in the USA, Never known so much wind (not even from a catering size tin of Baked Beans), and then I had to try to weigh it down with something, thank goodness I had a few partial slabs that were stubborn during the lifting process
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So with the path lifted and then covered it was then time to attack the "lawn" area, I lifted this on both sides from the path that cut diagonally across the garden, then I had to level the area, wot a job that was, so I went to my local hire shop and got a metal roller, then trod up and down the garden with my roller, I did manage to sub-contract some child labour at one point, but, like any teenager he lost interest after 10 mins.I perservered with the levelling, ordered my cotswold chippings, had that delivered and hand shovelled it all over the area..............................no sign of rain for a few days and then...... voila!!!! complete, But, as i said before, NEVER NEVER Again
(unfortunatly I ran out of space to show you all the pictures of the transformation and finished project, but if you would like to see them I could e-mail you them by return if you contact me.
Thanks for reading my 1st blog, ever, sorry if it was long winded, R1
