Patio attack.....

This time last year we were anxiously waiting for the date for PP to go into hospital for her surgery.  During that period I was planning an upgrade of the patio behind the kitchen and dining room, hoping to create a sumptuously exotic seating area for her to recuperate and relax during her convalescence.

It was used constantly over the course of last summer, but mid-Autumn all the lovely cushions, rugs and throws were carefully packed away and the seating was swathed in waterproof covers for protection.  Since then it's been used as a covered storage area for logs and kindling for the fire and other assorted detritus.

Exhibit A...

Now that April is here, it's time to refresh the area and give it a thorough clean to remove all the winter mould, moss and muck.  And WEBS, more of which anon.

Exhibit B....

Yuck....! 

Jet washing is great fun for about 15 minutes, then it rapidly loses its appeal and becomes back-breaking drudgery.  15 minutes is as long as I can reasonably manage before I'm fit to collapse, and coincidentally is also the time it takes for the drainage gully round the edge of the patio to fill to overflowing, thus calling a halt to the task.  It then takes several hours for the water to dissipate down the soakaway, which isn't quite enough time for me to recharge my depleted batteries.  As a result, the cleaning process takes up to a week, in fits and starts, depending on the weather.

It's wet, dirty, exhausting work, not helped by the fact that the ancient grouting between the paving stones is on destruct and being blown out by the force of the water, revealing yet another horrible job.... re-grouting the various holes.

This morning I managed to jetwash just 10 paving stones, out of over 100, not counting the  the side passage, or the steps up to the top of the garden.  I reckon I can possibly manage one session in the morning and another in the late afternoon, so even with my parlous maths skills, I estimate it will take about a week to 10 days to complete the task. 

Of course there are many other things to do to return the area to a thing of beauty.  Last year I'd ordered some lightweight, waterproof fabric with the intention of making some curtains for the sides of the wooden gazebo to provide better protection from wind and rain showers.  However, as the material is so lightweight, it will billow and blow about like crazy, so I also bought some weighted tape for the hems to help keep them hanging straight.   What with one thing and another, I didn't get round to it last summer, but this week I set up my sewing machine and set to.

Needless to say, things didn't go exactly to plan.  The fabric is difficult to handle.... it's slick and slippery and slides around under the sewing machine foot.  Also, I don't have a special foot which would make installing the weighted tape easier, so I have to fiddle around with a piping cord foot which isn't quite right.  I've managed to complete 3 of the 4 panels and will tackle the final one this afternoon while I'm working up to another 15 minute session on the patio.

While I was out there earlier, I also discovered that 15 generations of spiders have colonised the wooden gazebo roof, building webs of such size and complexity that I might have to Dyson them.... the webs, not the spiders.  I plan to serve them (the spiders) with an eviction notice just as soon as I work up the courage to approach their lairs, which are festooned with the desiccated husk remains of myriad victims.  I do realise that these spiders are simply living their best lives, but I'd really rather they did it elsewhere, not a few feet above my head.

I also need to make a new floral headdress for the zebra, as its current one looks a bit forlorn and is very webby.  It's also slipped down over one eye and her face is covered in spider dinner droppings so she needs a good wash. 

Exhibit C...

Webby Zebby

Basically, everywhere I look there's stuff to do, so my estimate of having it all sorted in a fortnight is looking a bit optimistic, but I'd really like to have it ready in time for my birthday in 16 days time.

Better crack on then.....