A mammoth undertaking

It’s been well below freezing for most of the last two weeks. I escaped the worst of the snow, but there has been about an inch and a half here, which then froze completely solid. I managed to keep the sloping part of the drive fairly clear using a snow shovel and rock salt, but the flat paved bit has been like an ice rink. The car passenger door froze shut for three days, and on one morning this week the porch door also froze shut. I had to go out through the garage and kick it open! What a good job all the neighbours know me, as it must otherwise have looked very suspicious!

The garden has been completely buried under the snow and ice, but then the thaw came and with it I was able to see what damage had been done. I have a terraced garden, with retaining walls made of concrete blocks holding each of the terraces in place. I looked out of the kitchen window to find that the ground heave caused by the soil freezing and melting had displaced some of the retaining blocks. I was looking out onto a wall of unsupported earth, and a stretch of the retaining wall was lying in a heap on the ground. That was pretty worrying – the thaw was continuing at pace, and I really didn’t want the garden to end up in my kitchen!  I put an urgent call in to a local garden maintenance company, asking them to send around two strong men and a ladder to put the blocks back before things got any worse. A year ago I wouldn’t have even imagined that one could phone up and request such a thing, but now I do it almost without a blink. I bet Chris would have a wry smile though……