Demolition mode

This first photo was taken about 8 years ago.... the grass was green, the steps in the grass were solid and not rotting away, the stoned area under the wooden frame thingy was quite a handy place to put a small swimming pool in summer, the railway sleepers all around the garden were perfect for keeping kids off the garden and images of lots of beautiful flowers flowing over the edge of the sleepers were floating around in my head.
Then... the trees grew very big - which is great for privacy, but terrible for growing a decent lawn. The wooden steps rotted away. The kids no longer fit in the paddling pool. The straightness of the sleepers and the reality of not being able to grow flowers in the area are getting on my nerves. The stoned area is too dangerous in the wet and too small to really utilise for anything. So... on Saturday I had had enough and started by ripping out some of the sleepers - not an easy task to do alone. I then somehow managed to get the whole family to help to pull down the wooden frame and smash all the stones (which we originally got for free) and remove them, leaving a big open space to play with. I had big plans to rip out the rest of the sleepers and mark out the new garden today, but (un)fortunately it rained all day so that may need to wait till the weekend.... The plan is to get most of this area paved in some way, but that may be a while away yet. Unless there is a master paver lurking out there that wants a week of free accommodation, delicious food and wonderful company in return for their services!