Hot.

The day began damp, hazy and windy but still warm and even hotter later when the sun came out in force.

Lots of people on the beach and surfers too as the waves began rolling in.

After a quiet morning I was back in the garden mixing up mortar again. I have now finished all the sand and almost all of the cement but I managed to get the 'turned around' row of blocks on and everything pointed.

Although I have reluctantly decided to keep the red paving slabs as there is no knowing how far the grey slabs underneath extend and what state they are in I'm still having to take up some of the slabs. I discovered that in the lower layer there are 2 sets of 4 slabs made with a circle cut out of the middle. They would originally been either side of the gates (which are now the street gates) but one set is now in an awkward spot. So I'm taking it up and will lay them on top of the other 4 so that I still have one of these features. I also need to take out some of the slabs for drainage in the new raised bed and to get to them I need to take out the rest of the row first.

It was hot work but I made sure to give myself a few breaks to sit and watch the froth being whipped up on the sea.

You may be wondering what that strange object in my neighbours' drive is. It's a hyperbaric chamber, as used for treating divers with the bends. The lady who used to live next door had MS and used the chamber for high pressure oxygen treatment. At 3 tons it was too heavy for our new neighbours to remove until they had the sliding doors to the room taken out as part of replacing all their windows. It's not something that can be sold on and they're hoping our local scrap man will take it. The front which faces the gate, is covered with dials so there have been plenty of comments and questions from passers by.