The "Stairway to Heaven"

Right, here are the 2 stumps that I have got to remove before I can continue the steps. I had hoped they would be rotten like a lot of the others I have taken out, but I don't think they are, and of course the chainsaw has gone to be mended, because it has a hole in the piston apparently.
Hope you can make out the steps, they go a long way up, hopefully I will be able to grow a lovely white rose down from the top of the leat.
Some more pictures of how the front garden is progressing, I've been looking at last years photo's of the garden and we do seem to be quite a long way behind, in the sense of flowers being out.