The plants in the foreground are in a tiny bog garden made in an upward fold of the liner. We had a much bigger bog round the pond but it was a pain to keep clean because we used garden soil, full of weed roots and seeds, and the moisture made it difficult to weed. Also it was so big we had to stand on it to look after it. So we'll see how we get on with this. I was worried about it drying out quickly in hot weather, so put some water-retaining granules in the soil, which was bagged aquatic compost. After the rain we had overnight and this morning, the plants look good. It will be interestingt to see how the hostas compare with the ones in the ordinary garden soil on the other side. We are off to Devon tomorrow on a cheap Flybe flight which makes the journey even cheaper than driving when you factor in thes two stops we would take for refreshment. It will give our aching muscles a chance to recover. (That's not definite - we haven't heard yet what jobs Mary-Ann has lined up for us!)

This is a photo of the stream in progress taken yesterday morning. We worked on it all day - well, I spent half the morning painting the bridge ready to be put in place. You can see the two slabs ready for the ends of the bridge. They used to be sides of a concrete coal bunker, made redundant by the new plastic one we acquired for the smokeless fuel when the central heating was installed. The butyl liner was retrieved from the pond when we did away with that for the annexe to be built, and we also conserved huge flints and slates. The pump from the pond is still working although we had to buy a new water pipe to take the water from the reservoir to the head of the waterfall. Dave went to Homebase late on Saturday afternoon and cleared them out of pebbles when we realised what a length of stream we had to fill, but the cost of the project has been mostly in time and effort. I'd like to add this morning's picture but there seems to be no option to put it after the text so I'll do another post if I have time.

This is Dave digging a hole for the reservoir for the new stream. The barrel behind him is going to be cut down and put in the hole. At present it is just over 2 feet deep, and three-quarters of that is sticky yellow clay. Dave is getting very enthusiastic now he can see things taking shape, but I have been a bit worried today to see him working in that position and heaving heavy clay out on the end of a spade. You can see what he has dug out in the trailer; since I took the photo he has emptied it and started filling it again. On the slide show there is also a picture of the head of the stream, which is just a few concrete blocks at present, with our old flint with the hole in it for the bubbling spring. I hope to be able to post something prettier soon.

There is something interesting that I shall have to research. Bees are busily flying in and out of the hole and apparently making tunnels in the walls. Dot says they are mortar bees, that normally make their homes in loose mortar in crumbling walls. What they are doing in our reservoir hole I have no idea.

This is an update on this morning's post about Dave's appointment. We got to the hospital in time to have a coffee, and signed in at the orthopaedic clinic. The notice-board where they post delays was blank, and we figured the clinic wouldn't have been going long enough to be running very late. How wrong can you be! At quarter to ten a nurse came out to tell us they were running an hour late, and would try to get things moving. As Dave was really only there to tell Mr Rai how pleased he was with his injection he went to tell the receptionist, who arranged for him to pop into the ante-room of the clinic and tell his story to the registrar. His report was recorded in his notes and we were on our way to the car by 10.00 o'clock. Sometimes common sense does prevail!

We've had rain! Proper, long, soaking rain. It must be terrible to live in a country where drought is a fact of everyday life. I've even had to water the veg, which I hardly ever do because I was always taught that it encourages the roots to grow up towards the moisture. The ground where the lawn and pond used to be, outside our kitchen window, was baked hard and had deep fissures.Hopefully we can now get on with creating the stream and finishing the patio.

Dave has his appointment with the spinal surgeon this morning. He will be able to tell him that since the injection in his neck by the radiologist he has had no pain that lasts more than the usual day when you have done something heavy. Yesterday he shovelled half the contents of a large compost maker into a cement mixer to break it up and mix with Levington's - a test of anyone's neck and shoulder I should think.

The greenhouse is now planted with tomatoes, just the cucumbers to go in. Dot has been growing two monsters in the bedroom, and I have one titchy little thing on my kitchen windowsill. We'll plant them in the greenhouse today and have a bit of a competition - they are all mini ones, as we were so pleased with those last year.

The watering system still works, so that's a relief as it has been connected up all through the winter, although not switched on. We have been looking at a rainwater harvesting system with a huge underround tank and connections to the washing machine, toilets and garden pipes. We are not on metred water, as our calculations told us that we would be using more than the £400-500 we pay on the rates. I suspect sooner or later we shall be forced to have a meter, and then I think we sha have to forego the greenhouse and hanging baskets.

Dave has just discovered that his appointment is 9.30 not 10.00, so I must stop rabbiting and clean my teeth. We are going to have a half day out in honour of his apointment. Garden centre I expect!

We have just come back from North Wales from a visit to Dave's Mum and his sister and her family. Anne had not been since Dec 2007 and Dave had only managed a couple of brief visits. It was good to see Mum Basketts looking so well. She is frail at nearly 98, eats like a sparrow but takes an interest in everything and everyone. Her stories of long-ago are as entertaining as ever, and she is just as accurate in reporting events from recent times. Great stuff Mum, have a lovely birthday on the 13th.

We had a relaxing four days. We caught up with Dave's cousin Stan and his wife Jill, who arrived a couple of days before us and left two days before. We all did a bit of gardening, and Dave helped to build a hen-run for Rachel's rescue chickens. (Apparently Tesco abandon their battery hens when they reach their first moult and go into a two week non-laying period.) The hens are pretty scraggy and largely featherless when rescued, but Rachel's are already thriving and rewarding her with daily eggs. They also have the perk of her magnificent cockerel, who has taken it upon himself to announce the earliest signs of dawn every day, or so I am told. I don't sleep in my hearing aids so never had the pleasure of being woken by him.

Rachel, Roy and the children have recently moved into the extension they have had built on the side of the house. They entertained us all for Sunday dinner, together with two of the children's friends, eleven of us in all. Great meal, Rachel. If you click on the scenery picture you should see a tent surrounded by curious black cows. I snapped it on my way down from a walk up the hill on Sunday morning. Dav and Megan and their friends should have sept in it after a BBQ on the hillside, but actually Dav was found tucked up in his bed in the morning. Dieting is going to be very necessary and very hard this week!

We broke our return journey in Walsall, where Joe, Sally and Russell were recovering from a curry the night before. They managed a pub lunch at the Longhorn though.

I have left out the reason why we left home in the early hours of Wednesday morning rather than after breakfast on Thursday. A course on dementia came up which was too good to miss, so we had 24 hours in Burford. Dave spent a lovely sunny day at the Cotswold Wildlife Centre while I did my course. We did B&B in Fulbrook and curry in Burford High Street. MAybe I'll write about the course later - I feel it is going to lead to a continuing involvement in care of Alzheimer's patients.