End of week update
- 2 minsThe summer got off to a good start over the last week. Whilst the two bank holidays have shortened the time, the remaining days allowed for a good start on projects around the homestead. Downtime has been spent hanging out with my partner and our combined families.
The Beds
In the upper garden, work on the veg beds continued. The ground in the area has been levelled to what will be the new surface height, and the beds have been stained to give them some protection from the elements. Next up is filling with soil and compost. This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of some removed turf from other parts of the garden and reduce the amount of depleted soil in the greenhouse.
The Deck
The deck has settled after its vigorous cleaning and looks much better than expected. The last third still needs attention, but I’m forced to work with the weather to clean it. However, it has been cleared of all the plant pots. The idea is that the wood will be ready for treatment when the weather improves, and we get a few back-to-back dry days. The boards need to be at a moisture level lower than 18%
We’ve opted to have an oiled finish. Staining decks is a never-ending task, and doing a proper job is not as easy as slapping on another layer. Oil is. It takes much longer to prep and treat the first time, but you get that back over the years by being able to touch areas up without re-doing everything.
Applying the oil on top of a preservation treatment should extend the deck life. While oil (plus paints, stains and varnishes) prevent water from getting into wood, it doesn’t actually do anything to prevent rot once the water is in. And it’ll always get in. Hopefully, the two treatments work a treat, and we’ll get another decade’s use from the area.
The King
The other news is that we have a new King, hence the extra days off. It was nice to be a part of this country’s history and see the same sights my gran did as an 8-year-old girl, albeit in colour. It was lovely chatting with her about the day. Whilst I’m not a royalist by any stretch of the imagination, it’s nice to see the Machiavelli-inspired three-pronged power system the UK adopted in all its glory. All courtesy of the fourth prong. . .