The scaffolding arrives

As well as the shed, the scaffolding also arrived today.  The lower storey is built, we are now going skywards.

Shower room and utility top left, kitchen to the right of the photo.  Oooooodles of lovely space!  Anyone for dinner?

This is something we don't normally get to see.  The only elevated view of the garden is currently obscured by the bubble-wrap double glazing gaffa tapped over the kids' bedroom window.

Temporary lodgings

Today the garden welcomed it's latest addition - the shed.  And quite some shed it is, at 20 x 10 feet.  This is almost as big as our house, and before we fill it with garden tools and lawnmowers, we might just spend the odd night here when the builders turf us out of the house.

Building update

Weather permitting the brickwork should be finished tomorrow.  The lintels are nearly all in, and work on the upper storey begins next week.

Old stomping ground

It was the NGS open day for Chevening gardens today, so we thought we would wander down to our old stomping ground and relive some memories.

There were fish in the lake, dragon flies and damsel flies to chase, wild orchids to admire, and lots of trees and long grass for playing hide and seek

and to top it all off, a maze.  Amazing!

The antidote to bricks

For those of you who are sick of looking at our brickwork, this is what the garden looks like at the moment.  More pictures on Sunnyside Diaries

Day three of bricklaying

We are nearly up to the top of the windows! 

Foxgloves

The highest point of the big wood walk was coppiced two years ago, and this year it has broken out in foxgloves.  Nature never ceases to amaze me.  They weren't planted here, they weren't here last year, they have just appeared.  A sea of them.  Simply stunning.

Den making

3 straw bales + 2 blankets + 1 wooden pallet + 1 large piece of netting = 1 den + 2 happy children

More bricks

You may soon get sick of these pictures, but I am hugely excited by our growing house, and the prospect of finally moving the washing machine out of the lounge!  Say farewell to the old view of the house from the back, as very soon it will be obscured forever by our new west wing.

Building works resume!

Thanks to a long awaited break in the weather, the bricklayers spent a productive day here at Sunnyside.  We now have the beginnings of an extension!

Here is the front doorway and entrance hall.

Horsing around

Today we treated our kids to their first riding lesson.  Both beamed from ear to ear as they walked and trotted their ponies around the school looking like a Thelwell cartoon.

Chicken feed

Myrtle and Darcy having an afternoon snack.

Springwatch at Sunnyside

The great tits may have fledged but the avian maternity ward is still buzzing with activity.  All four of the blackbird eggs in the old outside loo have hatched and the chicks are now plump and feathered and almost ready to fledge.  

The long tailed tits from next door are a week or two behind, but fluffing up nicely.  Security in this nest is tightly controlled and our camera can't detect the exact number of chicks, but there is large bundle of fluff and several yellow beaks moving around, so it's looking good.

Jubilations

 Many congratulations, dear Queen, on your diamond jubilee. You have done a splendid job these past sixty years, representing our country with grace, dignity and wisdom.  We raise our glasses to you, and our knives and forks as we tuck into a delicious barbeque, hosted by our wonderful

 neighbours Tim and Christine.  God save the Queen!

The Seaside

We treated ourselves to a day at the beach today with Nanna and Grandpops.  The wind was a little brisk, but we still managed to build a sandcastle to rival any other on the beach.  The tide was out by miles, so rather than wait for it to come in and fill the moat (which might have been at around midnight), we sieged the castle, first with an attack of sand bombs and then with an attack of small feet.  And one or two large ones.

On the way home we were treated to a Battle of Britain flypast in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  Just as we pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the car, a lancaster bomber flew right over our heads. 

Unfortunately there was no time to get the camera out, so these shots are a little more distant.  We climbed onto the top of the car to view the rest of the display, and it was declared to be the perfect end to a great day out.  Spot the spitfire directly above Jenny's finger (she was pointing at the lancaster).