Blocks and dogs

There are forever rainbows over our new site. Actually, there are forever rainbows because there's forever rain.

This is the concrete arriving for the slab for the big shed. I was surprised to see the way the builders transported the concrete - via the bucket on the digger, a surprisingly delicate operation.

And here's Aoife with her new friends. They all turn up to say hello.

Driveway, digger and the slab which forms the foundation for the big shed. And beyond, the winter view, the no-leaves-on-the-trees view across the lake to Tipperary.

Finally the neat and smooth concrete slab, ready and waiting for the next stage. So quickly there is concrete where there was boggy ground.

Work begins - blocks and blocklayer on site.

Dog escape

Good weather means gardening not blogging. Many slugs have been transported to other parts of the garden. The brassicas are saved (mostly) through this process, which although disorientating for the slugs is much kinder than cutting them in half or dipping them in salt.

Last night the small dog escaped again. We have part of the garden fenced off with various combinations of chicken wire, vague hedging and undergrowth, but every so often both dogs would appear on the wrong side of the gate. We raised fences, patched possible holes to no avail. So this morning I went round again. This time I wore my wellies and gardening gloves which I thought would help. I also carried a pair of secateurs.

These precautions did the trick. I found a possible route to the outside through a tunnelly bit and a hole. The small dog watched then, little innocent, showed me what she (and presumably the other one) did. Hop up a little bank and onto the wall that runs between us and the neighbour's field. Trot along and jump off at the other end. This is a route-of-no-return as the wall is high, and explains the yipping at door or gate when the dogs have had enough of doing dog things outside.

I fenced it off with chicken wire. If they're out when I come back from teaching flute this evening I will be very pissed off.