First Summer Home Improvement Job (Almost) Completed

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The list of projects for our summer 2014 in the Auvergne was long. Very long.  Though we started on some of them as soon as we arrived at the beginning of July, the wet, cold weather slowed us down as the weeks passed by.  It somehow seems as though there are tools lying about a bit everywhere in the yard and in the house.  hat's why I am pleased that we finally managed to finish one task. We now have a new shade garden in the corner of the yard where before, there was nothing but a strip of ugly cement.

It all started because the joints of a section of stone wall needed to be redone.  Hours were spent digging out the old cement from between the stones. (Thank you, Ecki, for all your help.)  Then, the joints were refilled with a mixture of tinted lime and sand, which is much more original to the house.  My husband perfected this tedious task over a couple of days.
Next, a section of old cement that ran along part of the house was busted up.  Some of the field stones that were unearthed under the cement slab were used to define a planting area. Several trips into the forrest to collect some dirt followed.
Planting the rhododendron, fern, coral bells and hydrangea were my contribution.
Voila, our little shade garden is complete.  Or almost, because the wall needs some more work.  But hey, I am just glad that we can finally see some result of this summer's hard work.

Now, let's hope the plants survive the winter.