Lovely - I want to go home now.

>> I built all of this with my own two hands, as if you care, apart from the gravel paths, with which Vic helped.

I did more than just help with the paths. I made bacon and egg sodas - very important in garden design.

Good point. And very tasty they were, too.

It occurs to me that any Americans reading this might think that a bacon and egg soda is some type of refreshing drink.

Right purty. Looks like one of them GroundForce things 'n all. Very professional.

It's very hard to get a camera to deal with the huge contrast between light and shade, though. One way is to shoot early morning or late evening, when the sunlight is less strong. Another way is to use fill flash. Many people don't realise you should use flash, outdoors, on a bright sunny day, to reduce contrast.

Actually, those photos looked much better before I uploaded them to the web. Might be the JPEG compression, or might just be a matter of the gamma settings on different machines, or, most likely, the difference between CRT and LCD. Whatever the reason, the contrast was OK on my laptop.

> Looks like one of them GroundForce things 'n all.

Thank you very much, but I didn't take two days.

"Americans reading this might think that a bacon and egg soda is some type of refreshing drink."

Whereas a bacon and egg soda is actually a bacon and egg sandwich prepared using a kind of quaint rustic peasant bread known as "soda bread"?

Oi, enough of your lip, Sassenach. We're not peasants over here. We have plumbing and horseless carriages and everything, and sometimes don't even beat people to death for their religion.

That garden is really spectacular. Good job.

And boy do I miss soda bread.

Next time you're over, you must come and eat soda bread in the garden. Unless it's raining.

Lovely garden! I have the same problem with our dog, though.

am hoping to put up before and after pictures of the little private side garden I have been working on.

Smashing garden, well done! I've just had my first try. Spent considerable time and effort planting the bedding plants, and I now spend equal time and effort re-planting them every morning after my ginger cat has dug them up in an effort to bury his crap. Consideration is being given to starvation, or possibly, front paw amputation!