rocking it!

 last year before we left, I put down a bunch of this lovely red slate.  It actually worked really well at keeping the weeds down and so this year, we've been doing some more...

 Today I gave the kids some incentive to work hard.  I said we'd work in the morning and then I'd take them out to dinner and a movie...it must have worked because they both worked really hard.  Kit must have carried 35+ bags of rock around for me, while Ella did weeding and mulch spreading.

 It all looks a bit stark and bare at the moment, but I intend to go plant shopping on the weekend.  I put down news paper and weedcloth and mulch and red slate.  We fight a never ending battle with a certain weed here called Bishop's weed, so I had to go hardcore with the weed blocking.

 I have a tiny bit more painting to do on the side (apart from the high windows which will have to wait until NEXT summer when I will buy myself a really long ladder)

 and it looks good...

 however our mud problem turned into a bigger problem once we realised that it's actually a spring running under our house coming out...I dug that trench and within 2 days (with no rain) it had filled up...one for our contractor to fix after we leave...

 The movie was great (Despicable Me 2) and when we got home it was still light so we walked up the street to look at the rock piles...

 Kit actually started this last week (there's another one on another river near by that I have to stop at one day as there are SO many piles) and others (including Ella) have added more.

 It was so beautiful down by the river and we managed to leave right before all the mosquitos came out.

 Kit even went in...fully clothed of course.

 And on the way back I took this photo of our house...it's come a long way.  I still have 5 of those high windows to do, and we need the roof replaced (to the same colour as on the portico), but it's looking good.

Tomorrow more work in the garden....more weed blocking (we have another delivery of rocks coming this week) and a few last bits of painting.

[I had to come next door for this post...poor old ipad (first generation) can't cope with more than a few photos...and I had to come inside as the mosquitos have been eating me alive]