And so it begins...

We're at that stage in a project where is feels as if you have taken a step or two back rather than forward. The garden looks like a cross between Steptoe's Yard and a shanty town, this photo was taken yesterday afternoon and today the site looks much worse. So far two skips worth of earth, rubble and assorted garden casualties have been taken out and through our sitting room and dining room. Another skip will be arriving shortly.

The good news is that the foundations have now been dug and as long as the council are happy with the depth we can pour in the concrete and start building.
The bad news is that this does not bring an end to the dirt shovelling as we also need to dig a trench up the entire length of the garden in order to bury the drainage pipes,  as well as the electric and telephone lines which will all be in armoured cable. I have also lost several well-loved and well-established plants, our builders are good but not particularly horticulturally-minded and I came home one evening to find shrub Armageddon had unleashed itself in my absence.

On the plus side, I did order the tiles for the bathroom today, Sucre 1 from Fired Earth's Patisserie range for the floor and Valancia in Opal for the splash back behind the sink. Lose shrubs, gain ceramic tiles, I guess all is fair in the game of home improvements!