Shroomage Phase 2

Dedicated fans of the blog will surely have been asking for the last few months, what happened to those mycelleum infested logs that were last seen speeding off in the back of a Golf in April 2010? Well they've been brewing away in black bin bags behind my dad's shed for 2 years. It was a damp, dank day today and it was feeling mushroomy so I decided to unleash them on the back garden.

Remove all the debris to reveal the logs in their grisly glory. Something about duct tape and bin bags prepares your mind for a horrifying discovery.

Time to see if there's a wristwatch or tattoos under the black plastic.

Just some stinky looking logs, looks like some fungal activity on the surface here and there, maybe it's working okay!

The log-ends look suitably decrepid.

They're supposed to go somewhere out of the wind and fairly sheltered from the sun so i'm going to stick them under this azalea in the corner of my mum and dad's garden.

One end is supposed to be raised off the ground for some reason, so I plonked them around like this. Only 12 months to go until we may see some mushroom activity now, I can hardly wait!

BBQ Jammin'

Things are moving and shaking for Megayard finally! Paul the builder was round last night and I showed him my ring binder of BBQ designs and 3D renderings. At least he didn't run a mile, but he politely declined taking the binder home with him, just a piece of paper with width and length written on it.

Picked up this classic 70s tome from Chelford last weekend, included guides to giant outdoor pools but it's the all-important 'outdoor dining' section i'm interested in.

This party is in full swing, I can only imagine such scenes this summer when it's all finished. Who will we get to play fingerpicked ragas on acoustic guitar while the rest of the gang tuck into the delicious hot food?

Mmmm, like a scene from Henry VIIIs kitchens.

More hippy dining scenes and the all important brick-built BBQ blueprints. They suggest fabricating your own bottom plate from 3mm mild steel, but I think I might just buy a kit from Tescos.

BBQ Inspiration Part 4

Well i've heard the rumours for some time, but today I got photo evidence of the Peter Jones shedberque.

It's as impressive as I imagined of course. The sweatbox zone.

LAWNMOWERMAN

Our Nick came round today and besides doing several hours of quality uncleing and push-starting our broken-down car, he had time to show me Google's 3D modeling software, Sketchup and made a wireframe of the back yard. Here's some views, i'm going to have to draw the BBQ on with pencil when I show the builder because i'm not really sure how I want it.

Those things like washing machines on the left are wheelie bins. I can't help thinking it looks a bit like one of those 'How the Mesopotamians lived' renderings.

Early pre-history dwelling. No, honestly it'll be lovely when it's finished.

MEGAYARD

Well 12 months or so have whizzed by, I think I was going to do a post about putting up our swing chair (I took some photo so I might do it retrospectively) but i've pretty much had my hands full with Kodie who's now 14 months old. In the summer I got chatting to one of our neighbours on the road who's a builder (and master of stunning stonemasonry) about converting our old back-lavvy to a covered back yard. He's up for it so I need to make him some decent plans. I've got an idea about the size I want, but i'd like it to have a bit of character, so i'm going to figure out some sort of model with the power of COMPUTORS.



That mess where the bikes and a load of junk are now used to be the lavatory 100 years ago. I want to drop it down to ground level and dig the back wall out a yard or two or three.

Ground level view, that doorfame used to be the old entrance to our lavvy I presume. Next doors still exists but ours has had the roof and wall removed. I had a chat with Anne and Mike next door and we have a plan to put our wheelie bins down the shared 'entrance path' between our houses when I get the wall moved back (3 wheelie bins width further)

This is next-door-but-one's back yard. Sort of exactly what I want, the place looks huge but cosy and really natural. Plus I have loads of lovely toddler memories of a currogated plastic lean-to at my mum and dad's house. I was originally going to copy this exactly

On my birthday last year, Zoe bought me this 1978 Barbequeing book, and this particular photo really caught my imagination. Back door and brick-built BBQ. It made me think it'd be good if the back wall of our yard looked something like this. Boozy salads.



This is sort of the vibe i'm after (and can't admit to copying Jamie Olivers fantasy lifestyle), i'd really like to sort out a central wooden table with a fire, probably same height as the table top that we can cook food on and keep warm with.

Next up is a stack of outdoor BBQ's that i'm using as a 'mood board' - I'd like it to look a bit less Miami and a bit more Peak District than most of these though:



This one's the closest I think, it'd be nice to have a sort of open fire in a grate inside a chimney, but crossed with a barbeque. I wonder if it's possible to do both.

Quite nice and 'trad' BBQ but I still think i'd like to do for the open fire / Flintsones version. The tiled top might be an idea...

This one has a pretty nice stone front under the counter, wouldn't mind copying this idea.



That oven-y thing on the right is spot-on!

Nice stone oven

This one's a bit more minimal, but I like the way it looks like it'd warm you up rather than cooking food.

Full on pizza oven by the looks of it. Unfortunately not really got the budget to dig out that much earth and sink a great big oven into the hillside.

Testing out the swing chair

Yesterday I built the world's wonkiest and hardest to join swing chair (bloody eBay) and went to bed with throbbing fingers, a bit of sun and a boingy 8 month old makes all the difference though. Time to put the canopy on and test the swing out properly.

There's the canopy on, very posh.

Grass is growing nicely too.

Dad + Lad

IT WORKS

Swinging Birthday

It's been pretty quiet on the blogging / gardening front in the last 8 months since we were joined by the Kodeman, who keeps us both pretty busy, but I decided to treat myself to a swing chair off eBay for my birthday.

Pretty hot day, there's all the bits, this should be an easy couple of hours fun right?

It's going over there on the brick patio thing Nick made.

Some leftover bits, possibly going to get used to make mini brick BBQ at some point in the far off future.

Well there's one bit made.

Every instruction seems to be contained in 'Step 1' on these instructions.

Lean it against the wall so I feel like i'm getting somewhere. None of these holes seem to be lining up with each other.

Mum and Koder

Two sides screwed together, very sore hands, felt like drilling my own holes.

Ta-dah! Just need to get the canopy on now.

This ain't true, take it back to Wickes and get a straight one.

Pa-pa-dah!

View from the seat after about 7 hours of hand-pain. Think Kodie had gone to bed and i'd missed tea.

All worth it though. I'll put the cover on tomorrowszzzz...