I have a yard

After 6 weeks of hard work I finally can say that I have a yard. Rocki and I just love it.

Enjoy the new pictures and bookmark the link to my new blog: Flora and Fauna on the Bayreuther Oschenberg
In the new blog I will make pictures of all the nature growing and running through my yard long term. I am already curious how it will change from now within the next few centuries...

In this blog I will keep on documenting the renovation of my house - still a few things left to do...

A wonderfull sunny May morning

All the wood I collected for next winter

Don't I have wonderful wild flowers in my yard?
If you want to see more of them go to my yard blog

 

But some "wild places" still need some hand to look good.
On the hill directly under the house I am starting a rockery.

A Rainbow!
Enlarge this picture and search for it :-)

And here is the fantastic before - after picture of my yard - taken from the same window in the house:

Summer 2011

Spring 2012

Yard work - eliminating 50 years of old wood

After the most important task outside my house was done - the fence - the real yard work was finalized... The jungle I bought last summer had to go so I could see and walk through my yard.

... and this was all done within 4 days. My bones hurt, I got blue, purple and green bruises all over my body, skin is scratched all over from the thorns, I am sun-burned and my head still hurts a day after from the crop chopper...

Rocki still looking at the mess a day before we started chopping the cut off wood.

Getting the machine of hell into my yard.

Chopping, chopping, chopping....
This is my friend Helmut, but mostly I stood on the machine and Helmut getting the sticks ready for me.
We needed 20 liters of gas within 4 days of running this thing as long as it was daylight.

Getting better on top, but not started further down...

Rocki made a nest looking at the working crew.

Before - there are actually surprises under the wood stacks.

This was after the stack was gone. Sad, but tulips time is almost over anyway.
Welcome back next spring!

You could sense that there was something build under the old wood and so this littly very old pool suddenly was there.
You can actually see my house from the yard now, and no stacks of old wood any more (at least at the top).

 We actually finalized all wood piles within 4 days, including Sunday and a Holiday. My neighbors hate me now, but hey, that happens once in 50 years :-)
Still some cleanup tasks needed, but now I and especially Rocki can actually use our yard (me at least in a few days when I can walk or lift my arms again :-)

Need to relax now :-)

The tick season has begun

As beautiful as the nature overall is in this area around the "Oschenberg" - it is one of the most horrible places in Germany with the most ticks (Zecken).
Rocki already had 5 of them in the past 2 weeks and last night I found the first one on my body. Bloody bastards!!!

Every animal in this world has a reason to be here. Spiders eat bugs, birds and frogs eat bugs - what the hell are ticks made for? Anybody???

We finally build the fence

Yesterday finally was the day where we built the fence around my yard. My big dream is comming true and of course Rocki's as well!

Here you see some pictures of the hard work we did, at least I can hardly move any more today :-)

My friend Uwe tearing out the very old pols, there used to be a fence already centuries ago. Isn't his face showing how hard he is pulling :-)

Here you see my friend Helmut and Uwe on the side fence.

Since my yard is on a mountain, the fence needs to get adapted to the hills in the ground. Helmut  is welding the fence parts here.

... not just welding, but also cutting.

Love this view :-)

Germany - sunshine - yardwork - of course beer is not missing!

... and a cigarette for my friend Jürgen.

It took us 2 weekends to cut out the jungle before we were able to even start the fence. Here you see a (zoomed) view taken from my terrace down to the end of my yard where you see the fence.

There is still lots and lots of work involved to get rid of all this old wood from the centuried that we already cut. Burning, yes, but it would be too much to burn it all. Chaffing also yes, but most the wood parts are too big for small shredders, bigger ones are hard to get down into my yard...
So lots and lots of work still ahead of us.

Yes, lots of work, but Rocki can help now - running freeeee!!!

Rocki exploring his new yard the 1st time!