I can hardly believe it’s time to link up with Soma at Whims and Fancies for Wandering Camera again already!
During September, my camera and I didn’t wander far. Mr RH and I have been to busy making a flower garden. And I fear you will rightly notice it is rather short of flowers right now but then it’s not really a flower time of year and I think it has a lot of potential! If you would like skip down to some knitting and steam rollers, I won’t be offended!
It began with a large (about 30′ x 15′) area of decking, which was here before us. We tried to ameliorate it by making a small border and a box hedge around the edge several years ago but really it was always an eyesore and when it started to rot we thought we’d take the opportunity to do something else. I didn’t take a ‘before’ picture but this is what was under it.
We have kept the wood, sorted into ‘usable’ and ‘burning’ and reused or kept for reuse the general rubble and old carpets etc so nothing has been wasted! Our best reuse, so far has been a large compost bin (bottom left below).
We built some brick steps and made an outline with lengths of treated decking, which we filled with broken paving etc followed by two tonnes of sand, the old carpet and one tonne of recycled slate for the paths and a small patio.
And we filled everywhere else with four tonnes of topsoil (after digging out all the old rubble and breaking up the clay). To celebrate, we bought a table and two chairs in an end of season sale. I have planted bulbs to get a start in the Spring and I think it will be a nice place to sit once we have flowers growing around and obscuring the square edges :)
Apart from that I have a knitting finish (the hodge podge Winter Cardy)…
A new pattern (the Rainbow Hare Peg (Clothes Pin) Bag)…
And a little crochet (although I have officially banned myself from crochet to get more sewing done :/ )…
I also took a photo of one of the many steam rollers that go by our house every Summer and couple of people have asked me about them so I thought I’d include a little info here.
“In the years before the Second World War traction engines and steam wagons were the backbone of road haulage and farming , and without the invention of the steam road roller by Thomas Aveling we would not have our system of macadam or tarmac roads. The advent of the petrol and heavy oil engines as used in early tractors and lorries changed all that, but steam wagons were still in use in the 1950’s and some steam rollers worked on well into the 60’s” (Source).
There is a grand tradition around here of restoring and celebrating such engines and a circuit of Steam Fairs or Rallies take place throughout the Summer ending, for us, with a road run to our local village. They cause havoc during rush hour but there is always something wonderful and exciting about hearing the clattering in the distance slowly getting louder and louder interspersed by a couple of hoots and hiss of steam.
I happened upon this you tube video, which gives a good idea of a nearby Steam Rally, lest anyone should think the countryside is quiet and dull :)
I’m going now to link this post with Soma’sWandering Camera – October Linky Party and to see everyone else’s September photos.
Happy October!
Janine @ Rainbow Hare
RAINBOW HARE 
dezertsuz
Thank you for sending me the link. That’s so interesting! We have steam engines for trains, powered with coal, and some still run on small tracks for a few miles here and there around the country, but I’ve never seen anything like this that ran on the roads! That must have been great with the gasoline shortages of the war, and Australia being so huge with the great desert middle. Amazing, and I appreciate learning about it. I’ve looked and see no parallel history in the U. S. trucking industry.
LikeLike
Catherine
What an achievement with that part of your garden – it’s beautiful! I share your love of traction and steam engines – they are very majestic:-)
LikeLike
Archie The Wonder Dog
I’m really looking forward to seeing your flower garden grow and develop!
LikeLike
Carol
This is an interesting post. We have a steam train kind of museum near here where you can actually ride on steam trains. I never knew they HAD steam trucks.
Glad your patio area is taking shape My best summer moments are spent outside on the patio with a cup of coffee. Love that banner across the back of your house, too!!
xx, Carol
LikeLike
Paige
Wow, your photos represent a lot of hard work in your garden! With the bulbs you planted, it promises to be full of color.
LikeLike
soma @ whimsandfancies.com
You put in so much work into the garden, it is going to look beautiful in Spring. I am glad you shared the photos of this large endeavour and, of course, Poppy! The projects are so vibrant and the bunting looks wonderful. Fantastic photo of the steam roller with the sunlight glinting off it. Loved reading about the steam rollers! I still get excited at the sound of any steam engine :)
Your camera did very well this month! Thank you so much for linking up on Wandering Camera!
-Soma
LikeLike
Kaja
The back of your house looks lovely! I like your bunting with the beautiful blue doors – I hope you’ll show us again in spring when all your hard work comes to fruition.
LikeLike
Dixie
I’m sure your new gardens will be wonderful.
Your clothespin bags are so cute! And your new cardigan looks lovely and warm.
I didn’t know about the trucks. Thanks for sharing…
LikeLike
lapaylor
that last picture is beautifully framed, and well lit. It evokes feeling, and it’s a truck! Love photography
LeeAnna at not afraid of color
LikeLike
SomedaySewing
OMG! It looks idyllic in your backyard! Nice work!
LikeLike
Lara Buccella
Your garden looks like it’s off to a great start Janine! You’ll really enjoy it next summer!
My grandfather was a Hudson River Dayline steamboat engineer and always made a beeline for anything run on steam. I have a lot of his memorabilia. It’s so great that fans keep those engines running.
LikeLike
Benta
The garden a looking good! (Miles behind in reading blogs, comments will be brief if at all, but I WILL get there!!!)
LikeLike