Homesteading : Reclaiming our views

Since moving in 4 weeks ago there's been some changes to the house...

1. 2 blocks down is building!

When we first saw the views from this house, there was no avoiding the tall trees thriving on the empty block.

As a tree lover, I didn't mind all that much, but as a home owner whose epic view was affected by said trees, I didn't mind them going.

I knew once they began building on the empty blocks next to us those tree would have to go and they did.

This is a picture I took during the building inspection in December 2017.

This is a picture I took just now. I tried to get the same angle so you can see the difference..

If you compare the two photos you'll notice 2 main trees are now gone.

I was unpacking one afternoon when I heard commotion outside, I walked out of the office to see this.

Can you see him?

How about now?

It's a serious job. No wonder these guys are worth the big bucks.

I was scared and I was just watching from inside the house.

This guy came back 2 more times to cut down the dead tree and to cut down a couple of trees at the front of the block, both huge towering trees, cut down in stages like true professionals.

It was amazing to watch. Glad it was him and not me!

2. We finally cleared our veggie patch spot.

Having a veggie patch and being self sustainable was always one of our goals, even when we were renting we still gave growing crops a go. Wasn't very successful at it, but we still tried.

Over the last week we have been spending time in the garden trying to clear up the growth on the fence.

Here's some shots I took back in December 2017 of the garden.

As you can see, there's a plant growing wild all long the retaining wall fence. You can also see the view we could possibly have if we cleared that fence.

We began The Hack Job 2 weeks ago. This is how far we got.

Despite the hours we put in, the growth was just too thick to get all in one day.

We have been slowly clearing it since then and finally, yesterday, after carefully cutting the tangled vines from the fence...

Once all the vines were cut off the fence we saw how bad the lean was.

During inspection, the guy did say the retaining wall will need replacing, but it will hold for a few more years.

I'm sitting here wondering if we need to call the professionals or can I DIY this. lol

Despite the retaining wall situation I'm still quite happy about our achievement. It was a total nightmare untangling the vines, but it's worth it.

Check it out.

Next step is to do research on Companion Planting and design the veggie patch layout.

Coming tomorrow!!

Do you have retaining wall experience? Is this too big a job for DIY? Or maybe you're a companion planting expert? Please drop me a comment. I'd love to pick your brain.

❤ Arly