August 20th

The veggie planters, which saw the first seeds planted in May, are now producing well. For a first time trying to grow veggies, we are quite plased with the results. Since getting home from our holiday in France, I'd moved around seven bags of earth into the railway embankment. On the 20th, I decided to have a final big push to get it finished. With all the rain through July and early August, the soil in the bags got very wet, despite trying to keep them covered. As a result, the soil was very wet and the further down the bag I went, the more sticky and clay like it became.
 

  
I'm pleased with the overall size of the embankment. Early on, I was wondering if I had two much soil, but it's worked out fine. I saved one last bag of soil for filling in some low spots in the lawn at a later date. In the top of the embankment, I've placed a spare paving slab to give me somewhere to stand to do future weeding. I'll probably add a few more large stones randomly along the embankment to use as stepping stones, also to aid weeding. With the right ground cover, the slab should be hidden. Planting may not be until the spring, as it depends on what plants suit the conditions and what time of year suits them best.

The new lawn is taking hold quite well, though I did overseed some thin areas after getting back from France. While we were away, I think the heavy rain washed the seed off some areas. Looking back towards the observatory, it's looking quite good. For the next part of the job, I need to order another fourteen sleepers for the final top layer of the sleeper wall and thirty six 900 x 600 paving slabs, for along the hawthorn hedge.

The day ended with a fireball sun setting on the West North West horizon, so I grabbed a few phone pictures over the gate. The last time I did this, there was no ballast or lawn.
  

 
August 26th

We spent most of Saturday the 26th moving thirty eight, 900 x 600mm paving slabs. We found an architectural salvage yard selling reclaimed paving slabs at around one third to one half the price of new slabs, but unfortunately, they didn't deliver. As a result, we took my flatbed trailer on the 28 mile round trip to collect them ourselves - twice! With a total weight of almost 2,700Kg, we had to split the load, with each round trip to get there, load, get home and unload, taking around two and a half hours. It was back-breaking.

August 27th

The weather was against me on the 27th, but I was determined to push on and get the sleepers fitted. The day was interrupted by frequent heavy rain, so the tools were in and out of the observatory on a regular basis, since that was the closest power supply and under cover shelter. Ten sleepers were full length with another three cut lengths. I ran out of time and dry weather for the last two short lengths, a four feet and two feet length. I hope to get those fitted tomorrow. I can then move onto the hawthorn hedge path.
 

Over the end of August and the beginning of September, I was away at a World War 2 event, so didn't get back to the garden until the second week in September. With the last two pieces of sleeper fitted just before I went away, I was now moving on to the hawthorn path. I decided the best plan would be to pave the area behind the observatory first.

Starting here would give me access from my trailer hardstanding to get materials in. From the end nearest the new lawn, I could then work towards the railway, having a path under me as I worked down to the end. When that was done, I could turn around and work up the garden from the observatory, across the back of the trailer hardstanding and up behind the garage.

I started by clearing weeds and some roots, and cutting the earth back to approximately level. Due to the fall on the ground, the foundations would slowly need to step up towards the garage from behind the observatory. The foundations would need to step down heading the other way to the railway.