One or two steps at a time
Since my last post I have been slowly but steadily getting on with laying my stepping stones in the right hand side of the garden. I put eight around the pond, and then five to make a path towards the greenhouse and compost bins. Originally I was going to have six in the path, but after laying them down and walking round them and looking at them through the window I decided that five was better. So I now have a spare slab for if one of them cracks.
I have set 11 of them in mortar. Just the farthest two remain to be set. When I first started laying stepping stones, my dad said I shouldn’t get them completely level because then water wouldn’t drain off them. Last week Callum, one of my colleagues at work, said the same thing. I find it amusing and flattering in equal measure that they should think I would be capable of getting a paving stone so level that water wouldn’t drain off it. In the picture below you will see that I am using three spirit levels in a desperate attempt to make the slabs less wonky. Sometimes I do manage to get one of them nearly level, but as far as I can tell, that seems to be governed as much by chance as my skill.
Stepping stones around pond and to compost bins
The algae I tried to stick to the pond edge (see last but one entry) all got blown off or kicked off by pigeons. Blobby algae doesn’t work. Strandy algae is what’s required. Should have listened to my boss. Story of my life.
Fortunately the pond is now cultivating its own supply of strandy algae so I can gradually hoik it out and layer it on the pond edges.