More stone shifting - and a little bit of parental pride!

It's been a very busy couple of weeks - hence the large gaps between posts.

I just want to share a bit of parental pride before I do the gardening bit - so please indulge me for a few paragraphs!

My younger daughter, Last-Born, has recently taken part in a school production of High School Musical. She had the lead role of Gabriella Montez - and was FANTASTIC! And it's not just me that thinks so in my doting-motherly way, the local press thought so too!

I've included the article from the paper - I hope you can read it okay! Apparently if you click on it, it will enlarge so that you can read it properly, or so Last-Born tells me!

I am SO proud of her! I did do some acting way back in my youth, but I don't do singing as I have the musical abilities of a dead slug! It obviously skipped a generation and went straight from my dad to Last-Born. (and First-Born. She is equally musical and plays a variety of instruments). I am so in awe of Last-Born's singing skills as I have to settle for enthusiasm rather than accuracey!

Suprisingly enough, Last-Born wants to be in (star in!) a West End production when she's a bit older. She certainly has the ability.....!

Right, back to reality - and the Japanese Garden! It took several attempts and a variety of different stones before I found the 'right' stones for the island. The first big stone we put in place looked right when it was lying down on the yard, but when we stood it vertically in the hole on the island it was just so wrong that it was obviously meant to be a horizontal stone ...... so it had to come out. Himself was not overly impressed with me at that point!

Once we found the right stone and started to get the other 4 in place as well, Himself did begin to understand what I meant about some stones being vertical and some being horizontal - having initially thought that I'd completely lost my marbles ( or should that be pebbles?)!!!

Here are the island stones finally in place - much to the relief of Himself!

You can also see the centre stone for the Tai Chi circle just resting roughly in place and the soil now mounded up around the circle. When it's finished, the centre stone will sit in the circle level with the tops of the bricks - but I wanted to see what it would look like!

The Tai Chi circle from the north (top) side, with the island stones, the dug out stream bed coming down the far side of the island to go under the bridge to the bottom pond and the gravel/ hardcore motorway, sorry - path, waiting for its top layer of sand. Ignore the sticks - I obviously hadn't cleared up properly!

Ceefer cat was inspecting the bamboo - again!