An insight to the daily life of a garden design and landscaping build up on a rear garden located in Cullompton, Exeter, Devon.

Day 12

View previous day here

Coffee.

Video footage applying the scratch coat

It's not until you watch yourself at work you realise your little habits, it would seem I like to tap the plastering spot board each time I fill the hawk, this is to ensure my steel trowel is clean for the next lay on.

Concreting the reflection pond

Concreting the reflection pond

Whilst I'm applying the scratch coat to the garden feature walls in the Marshall's kitchen area and the raised seating area the team mix the concrete for the base and footings to the reflection pond, 200mm depth of concrete in all will allow four courses of 225mm wide block work with 10mm joints, bringing the top of finish block work to 72mm below finished paving level.

Plastering the scratch coat

Plastering the scratch coat

I have completed the render scratch coat, all but one small area, now where's my Jewson lintel, I can only assume the missing lintel is walking the 5.7 miles from the Tiverton branch to my Cullompton landscaping project, perhaps I seek to much by means of an explanatory  phone call ??

Whilst I await I'll feed the last perimeter up-lighter cable through the electric ducting to the seven raised Marshall's black limestone planters.

Ducting draw cord connection

Ducting draw cord connection

I bend 200mm of the cable and clamp tight, I fasten the internal draw cord from the duct to the clamped loop of the electrical cable and wrap tight with duct tape.

At the furthest point of ducting from the draw cord connection I pull the cord slowly through the ducting, once the cable is fed through the ducting I include 500mm at each end for the electrician. Plastic is wrapped at both ends of the duct and the cable is wound up and secured.

Cable pulling

Cable pulling

This simple device of two road pins at the same height and a small bar or broom handle assists me when pulling the cable.

Still waiting

WAITING !!

Where's my Jewson lintel. 

Where's my Jewson lintel

Where be my lintel to I know where he be ?, actually I don't.

This kind of poor service would never occur from Phil Skeats at the Newton Abbot branch, what do I have to do to climb ranks in the Tiverton packing order?

Garden reflection pond footing and base

Garden reflection pond footing and base

With guidance from the rotating laser level at dig level I set the laser to 200mm above dig, this level is used through out the concrete pour, once all concrete has been mixed the levelled concrete is tamped and left to cure.

The lintel arrives !!

The lintel arrives !!

YAY 3.45 pm ........ I bed down the lintel and clean down the site.

I detest being in the hands of a sales rep, I call it a day for today.

Tomorrow were not relying on others.

Tomorrows blog:

Garden reflection pond and overflow system build.

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David Benson replied to Graham Taylor's discussion Grass paint colourant
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Peter sellers replied to Graham Taylor's discussion Grass paint colourant
"Graham. Sympathy nearly did the same myself, don't know how effective a paint would be, probably make the damage even more visible? How about cutting out and filling in with turf?"
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Graham Taylor posted a discussion
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Matt Jones replied to Matt Jones's discussion Stihl HLA65 gear replacement
"Success! For anyone that comes across this problem in the future. An impact driver is a must. I actually ruined the driver bit in the screw head so had to cut a new slot in the screw head with my dremmel. Then I opened the blades as much as they…"
yesterday
Matt Jones replied to Matt Jones's discussion Stihl HLA65 gear replacement
"I will give it a go! Thanks"
yesterday
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Billybop replied to Matt Jones's discussion Stihl HLA65 gear replacement
"just a thought and maybe totally barking up the wrong tree here, but if threadlocked in maybe a hot soldering iron held against the screw would help release it"
yesterday
Matt Jones replied to Matt Jones's discussion Stihl HLA65 gear replacement
"Thanks John, yes I have tried jamming up the cogs so they don't move but it's proving very tricky to hold everything tight enough to stop it moving and now I'm in immediate danger of burring out the drive bit on the screw! It is a genuine stihl and…"
yesterday
Matt Jones replied to Matt Jones's discussion Stihl HLA65 gear replacement
"Okay thanks, well at least I know I'm not missing something really simple. I have read a few comments on a YouTube video with several people who have had similar issues removing this screw! I think it's doable, just maybe has a particular knack or…"
yesterday
John F replied to Matt Jones's discussion Stihl HLA65 gear replacement
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Guessing again as I only lubricate my gear wheel but is it similar to…"
Tuesday
Billybop replied to Matt Jones's discussion Stihl HLA65 gear replacement
"hi I had the same frustrating issue a few years ago when trying to make 1 good machine out of 2 bad ones, think a special tool maybe required, or there is threadlock somewhere in the rotating shaft assembly to stop it coming undone, can't quite…"
Tuesday
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Tuesday
Matt Jones posted a discussion
Hi, i'm trying to fix my brothers Stihl HLA65. He has bought a new gear for it as the teeth were all worn. But i'm struggling to disassemble it to swap them out.This central screw in the attached picture needs to come out so I can remove that…
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