Here's to a fruitful 2011

For our final act of 2010, Karen and I imported 7 trailer loads of quality horse manure from the other side of the hill. Claire, our donor, was delighted, and Karen was pretty impressed with my trailer-backing skills. Forget running a half-marathon or getting a degree, boys, can you reverse a trailer?

Spot the wheel

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The mother lode

We've only just begun

We marked our first year at Redlands by closing up the front of the studio. We got in a pro to frame the window and door. Ben and Amandine were home for an early Christmas and Ben helped me haul the double glazing unit up from the garage. Once installed the internal temperature soared to 18C (64F) which shows that the passive solar heating works! Now I need to finish the insulation and airtightness so we can store that heat.

Love the view - suitable for knitting or making music

The pallets make for an instant porch

All I need is a rocking chair

Final grading

A milestone: the rough grading of the garden is finished! With help from Ian and Dave, we got the final contours in place. Now we just need Spring to come and get the grass growing.

Rob in the big digger

Ian at the controls

The final shape of the studio corner revealed

Soil coming around the corner

The level raised in front of the house and the apple bed nicely filled

Meanwhile, Karen has been cleaning, etching and sealing the concrete floor. You can see the remains of the lawn now- good news