SORTING OUT 27 PETERSFIELD ROAD

YEAR ONE

From the very start Irene and I wanted a Bungalow, it was on the cards from day one, but the big problem with a Bungalow is, they hold their price. So when we eventually found this one we were tickle pink, and although we wanted a front door on the front, that's the best place to have it, we've got ours on the side. Another feature we weren't looking for was a cropped roof, but beggars can't be choosers. We managed to buy it before the prices went crazy, and in four years it has more than double it's original price, which is ridicules, as everything is regarding property. Very soon I decorated through out, this had to be done before I touched the garden, and for the year of the move, all of the dahlias were grown in eight inch pots, just one of each variety, because I had to retain the stock. It was a good job, because like most moves ours was held up, and being I still had these pots from the days when I grew late chrysanthemums, I used them. They grew well enough, although the watering and feeding was hard going. All the while I was working inside I'd be eyeing up the garden, weighing up were the Sun started in the morning, and were it finished at the end of the day. In the evening I'd take measurements, working out on paper where everything was going to fit in, and of course I had to water and feed the dahlias, in the confined conditions they were growing in.

From the very start I knew I had about half the area to play with, the front garden was twice as big as down the hill at 104 Petersfield, and the back was twice as small. Fortunately the greenhouse could be placed behind the garage, it wasn't ideal, but after four years, it has been a good working greenhouse. The main stumbling block was the slopping site, it was worse in the back, and entailed shifting about four yards of soil. Trouble is when you're removing a slope you don't want the top soil to get mixed up with the subsoil, so I had to make a huge mound of the top soil while the sub soil was placed down below. It took two weeks of hard work in the evening and at week ends, but gradually things were taking shape. I wish I'd have taken photographs of the work involved, but so many times you've done the job before you realise photographs would have been a good idea, but the photographs below are some I took.

	Before the ground was levelled.		And the walls and patio were built.

YEAR TWO

	The paving had been re-laid.		The Greenhouse and retaining walls had been built.
	The dahlias seemed to like their new surroundings.		And in the front it was as if we'd never moved.

When I look at these photographs I can hardly imagine I did it, but the wanting to was the main encouragement. A round the existing grass area had been broken paving slabs to make a hard edge to the lawn, this was all taken up, and fortunately it had been laid using mortar, which came away from the broken slabs fairly easy, this  was piled in another enormous heap, and had to be continually shifted, because most times it was in the way, you know how it goes. I'd had a run in with the man next door, well not a run in but a slight hiccup, regards an up and over door that had been fixed to my wall, but also to my new neighbours on my left. You've guessed it, they'd fixed the thing without permission. I distinctly said get the okay from the man next door, (You know the spell-check on this thing's remarkable, and talk about improve your spelling, what's that, you want to know which word I miss spelt)  If you must know it was `distinctly' but don't forget my time with Hitler.

I'd ordered the bricks to make the retaining walls, there were to be two large raised bed in the front, and raised beds in the back to sort out the different levels, due to the slope. I'm not a bricklayer, but I can build a wall, but I wouldn't be any good at leading a Country in to War, glad I mentioned that, although it's wasted on anyone younger than seventy. I got most of the structural work was done before the frost, and by the time I lifted the dahlias, we were looking a whole lot better. The following year would be easier thank God, and I'd already earmarked a date for the open week-end.

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