Travels with my camera

I decided to get another job done from my list today - I completely re-laid the patio slabs that I put down earlier in the year for my bird feeding area. It was always a bodge, I didn't use enough sand, only about three small bags if I remember, and they were becoming a real pain, wobbling about, and looked horrible, uneven, and despite the weed block I put underneath, I was growing my own corn down between all the crevices where the seeds had fallen.

I had a ton bag of sand delivered about two weeks ago, mainly to top up in my bird aviary. Unfortunately, due to my bad back, I hadn't done much of the shifting. I tried with a builders bucket full and did a few and gave up. Then I tried with the wheelbarrow, and gave up with that after a couple of loads too. I just couldn't manoevre it round the front garden path, through the gate, and up the one in three hill to where it had to be, just to steep. So I thought today I would do it sensibly and use a small bucket, that way I couldn't be tempted to put more in it than I could carry. Anyway, I did it, took about 3 hours in total, but now it looks much better. I worked out that I used three buckets of sand per slab. That was about two bucket loads under the weedblock to level it all out, and one bucket full on top of the weed block. There are thirty slabs, so that means I did around 90 trips to the front path, through the front garden and up the slope. Plus the shovelling, raking and sweeping. I've used half the bag of sand, so half a ton of sand taken by bucketload. They would never have done it on Ground Force!

After that I had a soak in the bath for about half an hour, first bath I've had for about 5 months. No I don't smell, I normally shower, can't be bothered (or afford) to have the immersion heater on to heat up the water for baths normally. It was pure bliss though. Don't know if it's helped much though - I am still in agony, but I just have to grit my teeth and get on with it else nothing would ever get done here. After that, as it was nearly 5 o'clock, I only took Emma for a walk just over the back of the council estate here, she wasn't bothered actually about going but I think she needs to get out, she'd been asleep on the sofa all bloody day! Good news is that she hasn't been scratching though, well from what I've seen of her anyway. That shampoo Damien (swoon) gave me must be good.

Felt mean when I checked the hogs dish this morning, the poor hog that I marked last night didn't return, so all the food was untouched. Hope he managed to find something somewhere else, and that he will come back tonight.

I'm going to move Ryan's nest box back over to the far side of the front garden tomorrow, so that when he comes out tomorrow night, he will be free. I just hope he sticks around, but I must let him go, he's fine now. I checked in the box today, and he hasn't wee'd or messed, so he's definitely over the wee in the blood thank goodness.

Well that's about it for today, hope it will be dry tomorrow and I shall go out somewhere I think, assuming I can move that is....