Update:

There will be no lasting repercussions. She will get over it, and they’ll ask us to look after heir house and feed their hedgehog (no not a euphemism) in a couple of weeks when they go on holiday as well, which we will gladly do.

We are always cheery tp them and don’t bear a grudge – if she wishes to, well that’s down to her. I’d gladly rip all their side up and turf and pay for the lot, but she wants raised beds, paving slabs and stones, so up to her.

Anyway, this is what it looks like now, which we think is miles better already

30th March 2013 by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr

….and here is this afternoons disaster:

Aarrrgghhh by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr
Who the flippety flock puts the phone/TV cable 1 inch under the ground in mini-trunking???? Needless to say there was a shovel/cable incident..

but I bodged the internet/TV back together

Aarrrgghhh, but a bodged repair by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr
…and it works!!!!

Phone line is still borked – engineer booked for Tuesday, sadly means I’ll have to leave some turf off until it’s repaired 😥

Now, I think it’s time for beer!

Why not get some of that cement block lattice stuff that local authorities use in country car parks? That way it will look like a lawn and you can mow it AND park on it.

Who the flippety flock puts the phone/TV cable 1 inch under the ground in mini-trunking????

Need you ask?! The cable companies are terrible for it. Too much hassle to bury it at proper depth in duct like all the other utilities do…

Reckon you should lay some of that grass protection mesh so you can park a car or caravan on there should you wish. Invisible once the grass has grown but will stop anything (including bikes/short cutting postmen from making mud/tracks.

i can’t be bothered to read the thread to find out, but please tell me you’re going full down the middle of that flower bed? 😀

haha slice it perfectly in half, including that little tree and the central flowers! Be reaaallly meticulous about it!

PDF, you going to amalgamate or something those F connectors?

It’s very tempting and I did look at my angle grinder earlier!

Decided that may tip them over the edge right now, so will be left for the moment, but it will be coming out at some point in the not too distant future!

F connectors – they are a temp bodge, now wrapped in leccy tape. VM engineer here on Tuesday to do something better (or possibly not!)

easygirl – Member

Ok, just a suggestion
Waste your time winding another human being up over a piece of grass, I’m sure bad karma will repay you in time

piedi di formaggio – Member

Who the flippety flock puts the phone/TV cable 1 inch under the ground in mini-trunking???? Needless to say there was a shovel/cable incident..

😯

@ easygirl ……..truly you have the gift of foresight, oh wise sage.

What other words of wisdom can bestow on those who seek to tread the path of enlightenment ?

Ernie
I used to be as belligerent as anyone, but I’ve seen a few horrific things over the years that people do to each other, I must be going soft in my old age, can’t be arsed winding people up anymore
I even cleaned my neighbours drive of snow last week and picked her some groceries up. 🙂

Will you be planting anything else other than just laying turf?

You may not have liked what was there before, but at least it was a bit more biodiverse than just grass. Some diversity would be good for the wee bugs that we ignore but really need.

Virgin just parted the turf pretty much when they installed our cable, to install it to any kind of depth would take a while. I guess they then run into a world of issues with regards to pipes and cables already installed if they were to dig down deeper, not to mention the time taken.

You should Tarmac over it and park a caravan there like everyone else on your street.

F connectors – they are a temp bodge, now wrapped in leccy tape. VM engineer here on Tuesday to do something better (or possibly not!)

It’s distinctly possible that you’ve already gone waaaaay beyond what the ‘engineer’ will think is necessary. If you’re lucky he may use a bit more tape…

@ feet…. you’re in Chelmsford, aren’t you?

do you per chance live on Beeches estate? Houses round your way look similar to my folk’s house.

Hello, taking a tea break.

Yes in Chelmo, not Beeches though

Relations next door are pretty much back to what they are usually. He will talk to us and is a really nice friendly chap. I think he likes what we are doing, she has thawed, a bit, but she’s always been a bit ‘my way is the only correct way’

Anyway, progress has been good today, clearance was completed and top soil applied…

IMG_1218 by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr

Turf laying in progress…

IMG_1221 by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr

…and nearly done. I’ve left some bits of turf strategically left off until I know what’s happening with the VM cable (the broken bit is under the paving slabs

IMG_1223 by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr

Just gotta work out what to do with a couple of tons of gravel!

Diversity will come with a small tree at some point and loads of pots with various things in near the house

….and here is this afternoons disaster:

Today’s word is “Resistentialism”

Wild flower garden for diversity and low maintenance.
Basically, just cut it once at the end of the summer, it’s for bees and nature and stuff innit.

We’ve been here for 11 years and hate it.

So every time you came home you hated the look, and you’ve left it for 11 years…

So every time you came home you hated the look, and you’ve left it for 11 years…

There was a hell of a lot other stuff needed doing to the house and back garden, so we haven’t sat still. We were also putting off mentioning it to the neighbour too!

Anyway, nearly done now….

IMG_1226 by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr

Forgot to say, her next door said ‘it’s looks nice’, which was a surprise, but then lobbed in an ‘each to their own’ just to balance it out!

I wouldn’t worry about the neighbour. She drives a Nissan note for f’s sake, no taste whatsoever

Glad to see your neighbour has shown some humility, she’s not as bad as thought then.
Down to the supermarket for a bunch of flowers then 😀

Diversity will come with a small tree at some point and loads of pots with various things in near the house

Will they be doing one of them “street” dances when they come? I reckon a bunch of yoofs jumping around the lawn won’t help relations with the neighbour!

A genuine LOL at dabble’s post! 😀

Funnily enough, they tolerated and even joined in the street party we had last year!

They sound like great neighbours to me, I’ll send you £10 by PayPal,for some flowers for her 😀

It looks much better. And to think you criticised the condition of my floorboards when you had a front garden that looked like that….! 😉

Generally they are OK, it’s just the garden thing that’s an issue, she can be very ‘particular’!

Oh and she hates cats with a passion and would gladly see them all dead, and she’s told us that. We have a cat (mind you he does like to catch birds in her garden!)

the only thing i’d be annoyed about if i was her would be my lack of vision, some of which might have meant they could have helped out and both sides could have looked like yours does now, i.e. infinitely better!

FWIW I don’t think the raised bed looks too bad!

I do hope the crazy paving is next on your list, otherwise she has won & your stuck in the 70’s 😉

I like her garden. And I reckon your plain, and quite frankly rather dull piece of tuft, has by its contrast, accentuated the aesthetic factor of her garden. So I can understand why she might no longer be bothered 🙂

One thing I would say about pea gravel and slabs. They do breed brilliant ant colonies. My gran had a front garden like that. As a nipper I spent ages watching them!

Looks much better, the central square thing is enough to tie the two gardens together. There’s no reason that the garden should always be stuck in the seventies monstrosity of nasty pavers and raised beds. Some more flowering plants would have been nice but only if you’re the sort that can dedicate enough time to keep them looking tip top otherwise grass is a decent compromise.

dannyh – Member

One thing I would say about pea gravel and slabs. They do breed brilliant ant colonies. My gran had a front garden like that. As a nipper I spent ages watching them!

Danny…go outside and play with the ants! Okay… 😆

Oh and she hates cats with a passion and would gladly see them all dead, and she’s told us that. We have a cat (mind you he does like to catch birds in her garden!)

She’s sounding more and more reasonable by the second…

Keep that turf well watered for first month till it takes

Looks like you just butted edges. Might need to fill in gaps with top soil if its not kept wet. Turf likes to shrink – even more so when it dries out.

a ton of gravel? Use it on your local trails to fill bits. (big rocks first though!)

Just discovered this thread, have to say I am both laughing and appalled at the same time
My aunty may well be a bit particular but she is very proud of her house (and her car 😉 ), people just have different tastes, be a boring world if we all liked the same
Didn’t know a member of my family lived next to a fellow stw’er, say hello from me