In the coming week, we will have a guy coming around with his machines to level one part of our garden at the back so that we can put up some play equipment from the kids (a Christmas present...), and more importantly (well, for the adults...) gravel over the outer perimeter of our block. We don't have a garden strip that belongs to the council, so we are able to do whatever we want right up to the curb of the road. So far, it has been about 3 metres of grass, but that is starting to prove to be a real hassle to keep in control.... and so, the current solution is to replace it with compacted red gravel.

The guy will remove about 10 centimetres of topsoil, and then compact the red crushed gravel in... but I need to move the mulch and bricks back a bit to give him room to work! And so that is today's job...

The bricks and mulch only need to go inwards by half a metre to a metre depending on the section... but it is a very long section! So it is a bit of slow going, made faster by my trusty mulch fork! The now excess mulch will be eventually reused to line the back fence to stop our weeds and grass growing up there into the neighbour's block.... and to keep the area clean and ready for the winter planting of fruit trees!

We are planning a slightly larger rectangular area on one end under some trees, to serve as covered parking for students, or a storage/sheltered space for our camper trailer.... but this tree has a couple of branches that stick out low over the area that we are planning to gravel over.... so, I figured it was best to remove them now, so that they don't get in the way of the work during the week. Sure, the guy could probably just whack the offending branches down, but it would make for pretty unclean breaks for the tree.

So, a little undercut with my trusty and much used and abused curved saw... definitely another one of the better purchases! And then followed by the completed cut through from the top which allowed the branch to be cut cleanly.

Hmmmm, it was a bit longer than I had expected... I probably should have kept an eye out for any passing cars!

... and a cute little egg that must have fallen from one of the branches. No nests up there, and this is only a half egg... but so small and delicate!

Pulling up the bricks as I worked around would reveal a hive of activity! Lots of little creatures... and one giant centipede of around 20 centimetres that gave me quite shock! And lots of little ants nests that had used the underside of the bricks as a solid shelter above their tunnels. No shortage of eggs being uncovered which would be rapidly transported away by the indignant ants!

... Eeep, and this ant nest that caused me to jump back! Big red bull ants... these will hurt! So, I let them calm down and retreat away again before returning back to pulling up the bricks in this location! Not a fan of getting bitten!

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