the grand entrance...

Each visitor to Cordwood has to heave open the ugly rusting, metal gate, avoiding its malevolent barbed wire topping and then heave the gate back closed again after they have driven through.

our first walk down the drive in August 2008

Huge intake of breath moment similar to the one before you dive into the deep end - and now time to put in new gates, concrete or wooden edgings along both sides of the 250m of drive, get levels and 'falls' right and finally to gravel. This will hurt.

We'd asked for a quote. I'd told Jill to prepare herself. She has developed a habit of gasping involuntarily whenever any price is mentioned. Intake of breath followed by an exclamation  - 'How much?'

work on 'the grand entrance' begins..

In Poundland. Intake of breath  - 'How much?'

Prepare yourself for the quote I said and reminded her of the figure we should have in our minds. I read her the estimate. And it was a tad lower than I'd predicted. No gasp.

Then I realised I was only on page 3 of 8. When we got to page 8 and its grand total we both gasped. 

'How much?'

Then, like a white knight on his steed rides in son Dave who visited us, looked at the job and pronounced it 'do-able' and he'd got two weeks before Christmas to do the work in. His dad and Uncle Roger (and any other fools who volunteer) would be his 'lads'.

I must say, all dad-like how impressed I was with his use of the theodolite in calculating levels from the architects' drawing. Mighty proud.

So now, I'm making spreadsheets and preparing to order. Cousin Sue gave me the idea of installing a turnstile for paying visitors!! Hmmm. eBay?

And we've already made a start. Yesterday dear friends Trev and Linda helped us to remove hawthorns and tidy the horse chestnut at the end of the drive. 

It really will be a grand entrance...