04 November 2008

Winter coats





The asters and goldenrod flowers are now sporting their woolly winter outfits, forming a browny-greyish swathe where only a few weeks ago they made a splash of colour.

Now:


22 September:

A succession of workmen inside the house (first attending to the kitchen, then re-wiring everywhere) has limited our outdoor activities to weekends, with the result that work on the greenhouse construction has effectively stalled since September. On Sunday we managed to get back to it. We spread out the polythene layers that will cover the structure and started to pull the first of them over the frame. It wasn't particularly windy, but even the relatively light airs that arose were enough to lift the sheet up like a sail, which was a bit alarming. So we gave up and waited for a still day.

I kept an eye on the wind-speed during Monday and noticed that it started to drop at about 3pm. We tried again and this time the sheet went over without trying to take itself and us off into the skies. The second sheet went over even more easily than the first and then we managed to secure them at the ends and fix down the sides to the wooden battens.


There's still quite a lot to do - the ends, for instance - but it is beginning to feel like a structure now, rather than an interesting piece of garden sculpture.

3 comments:

Barbarapc said...

I really enjoy seeing the before and after shots - so hard to believe - especially in the winter that an area of white was entire tapestry of colour just months before. Hooray for getting the skin on the hoop house!

Anonymous said...

There is such beauty in any season, as is evidenced by your lovely photos.

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

Oh now I have serious greenhouse envy! I really want a poly tunnel to go with the two greenhouses we have already. Yes I know, greedy. Yours looks splendid.