Shoveling gravel!

Sutherland was quite enthusiastic with the gravel project and shifted a few wee barrowloads down the slope for me.

You can see from the picture the extent of my garden challenge - I have over a quarter acre of ground that goes right down to the river and it opens out to the left past the wooden fence to a small field sized area. It is on a steep slope behind the house and it gets wet at the bottom of the slope and in winter the river floods onto the very bottom of the garden! It appears that although the original part of my cottage is about 100 years old nobody has ever made a serious attempt at gardening. The only things growing in the garden when I bought the house a year ago were creeping buttercup, nettles, ground elder, couch grass and dockens!

But I love gardening and I love a challenge! I had a raised wooden deck built onto the back of the house and the gravel is all going under the deck and onto a path I have made. I have cultivated a fair sized area behind the house and down the slope and the things I planted last year are all growing. There is light at the end of the tunnel!