Oh my God, what have I done???

Just as I was getting the garden sorted, I had a brainwave (luckily I don't have them very often), I sat and drew a new plan for the back garden. Originally I just stuck beds in where there was a space, as long as they had a path between them (as the children requested) it didn't matter. But looking out of our bedroom window I knew something wasn't quite right with the whole area. So I started designing again, keeping some of the old features and planting and moving others.
What I'd done before was cut beds out of the lawn, this time I decided to leave lawn and cut beds around them to make some more secluded areas, obviously it will take some time for them to become hidden, but I think the design will work better. (Eventually)(& if it stops raining). So off to the hire shop for a turf cutter, it was a sunny day when I woke up, so decided yesterday was the day to start. As usual I didn't prepare anything, although had my plan, so whilst M'spouse was busy removing the fence where the chickens had been, I started cutting the turf....With today’s heavy rain I now realise it is going to be an enormous job to get this finished and sorted by our first opening in 6 weeks time.......help !!!



I then decided there was something missing from the front garden, so decided drastic action was needed down the long border. I bravely removed the turf by the aviary, cutting off the way around the bottom of the garden, so now you have to go around the sunken bed, through the rose arbour and then down around the aviary to a small circular hidden lawn. At the moment we have a huge stone stuck in a pool of muddy water. No wonder plants didn't thrive in this part, I had moved a gunnera there last summer as I'd noticed it was squelchy, but didn't realise it was this bad (this is after 1 night of rain).I'm going to place lots of small stones in this hole, once we get the big stone out, in the hope that it will drain quickly and the grass can grow reasonably well over it.



Whilst cutting out the turf I noticed that loads of branches from one of the trees overhanging the beds were littering the lawn (or what’s left of it), on further investigation found that the electricity board contractors had been in the wood and cut down loads of trees that were growing close to the main electric cables. (They had discussed this several weeks ago, and I'd said to cut down what was needed especially the big one that bends towards the cable. Of course they didn't cut down that one just trimmed it, so with the next big wind I'm sure it will fall and break the cable...oh well.) Anyway I was rather shocked at the destruction, as I hadn't expected all the other trees to be felled, but then decided how brilliant it was because now I can make a proper woodland garden........................when I've finished the rest....!