sunday workday - iron post erection

Sunday Workday - Garrad, Alison, me.

The old iron gate posts have been sitting in the garden since the front railings were replaced five years ago.  They are ridiculously heavy but despite this they have travelled round the garden repeatedly, usually accompanied by ridiculously-heavy lifting hilarity.  At last their final positions have been decided, the larger of the two was installed in the autumn for a pair of clematis at the south end, the other has now found its home adjacent to the path in front of the bramble patch.

Teas all round and after Alison and Garrad got cracking on the excavation. Plants up and to the compost, topsoil off and to the new beds, then the wrecking bar to get the bricks out (1 1/2 bucket) all accompanied by the most dreadful sulphurous smell emanating from below ground.

After investigating and lots of discussion decided it may be from the rotting eucalyptus roots that were left after this tree was felled, we'd experienced similar when digging around the stump of a Pseudoacacia that was cut down a few years ago.  Whether this is normal I don't know but plants have grown well in both these areas since the trees were removed. 

The hole was dug two foot deep by a bit less wide and some metal rods were hammered in at an angle into the base of the hole.  The three of us just managed to carry the post from the back of the garden 

- not without a few giggle breaks. 

 

 Alison learnt how to mix cement - you go girl!

Lifting the post into place was slightly hairy, it would probably have been better done with a couple more people, but it dropped into the hole nicely without any problem. We secured it by tying sections of an old climbing frame to it, braced with metal stakes hammered into the ground.  Cement and hardcore filled in around the base and was packed in firmly.  A bit of fiddling to get it level and we were done. 

More tea. 

Tools away.

Good days work.

Garden closed forty eight hours for HnS - I'll see what its like when the concrete's hard.  I do hope it holds - it is very heavy.