src/content/blog/year2024.mdx

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ However, we've accumulated quite a few other small jobs since the last update! B
 
 The theme for this year's major works is _outside_.  We're running out of large-scale things to do inside, but there was plenty of scope outside for improvement.
 
-Even since we arrive in Bath we struggled to enjoy our patio.  It was always a bit of an awkward shape and the floor was <sup>all</sup> over _the_ place.
+Even since we arrive in Bath we struggled to fully enjoy our patio.  It was a bit of an awkward shape and the floor was <sup>all</sup> _over_ <sub>the</sub> place.
 
 <Solocard title="Still a huge improvement on what we had in Harrow..." src={s("patio-before")}/>
 
@@ -36,24 +36,24 @@ Well we decided that we couldn't possibly live with it anymore and got some peop
 
 <Cards images={[
     {title: "A big mess", src: s('patio-mess')},
-    {title: "Wondering if we've made the right decision", src: s('patio-thinking')},
+    {title: "Trying to imagine what it would look like", src: s('patio-thinking')},
 ]} />
 
 Work tends to go fast when you're using the right tools, and given that 🎉🎉🎉 tools are our favourite things 🎉🎉🎉, we couldn't pass up giving you a quick overview.
 
 <Solocard title="Power-Wheelbarrow and MiniDigger" src={s("patio-progress")}/>
 
-The **Power-Wheelbarrow** has a weight capacity of half a ton, and can lift and tilt it's bucket into a skip.  Super useful when you're having to take all the spoil down the full length of our garden.  The tank-style tracks have an amazing capacity for churning up lawns though.
+The **Power-Wheelbarrow** has a weight capacity of half a ton, and can lift and tilt its bucket into a skip.  Super useful when you're having to take all the spoil down the full length of our garden.  The tank-style tracks have an amazing capacity for churning up lawns, and it churned up ours with gusto.
 
-The **MiniDigger** is just pretty cute.  It can tuck in it's treads so that it can be driven straight through a house - we didn't feel the need for a demonstation.  They also didn't let us have a go as its quite a bit more tippy than a standard digger.
+The **MiniDigger** is just pretty cute.  It can tuck in its treads so that it can be driven straight through a house - we didn't feel the need for a demonstation.  They also didn't let us have a go as its quite a bit more tippy than a standard digger.
 
 Between them they made very quick work on removing our old patio.
 
-Despite having these excellent tools, they didn't manage to completely remove some of the slabs of original pennant stone - They dropped them halfway down the garden.  Fortunately in a very neat way that happened to expand our mid-garden patio. 😁
+Despite having these excellent tools, they didn't manage to completely remove some of the slabs of original pennant stone - They dropped them halfway down the garden.  Fortunately in a very neat way that happened to expand our mid-garden patio by the 'orchard'. 😁
 
 *Todo: Midgarden patio pic
 
-Whilst the demolition was quick, it wasn't entirely smooth.  We'd decided to have the treads of the stairs match the patio, and when they came to remove the old treads, a fair part of the rest of the stairs came with them turning them into a bit of a slide.
+Whilst the demolition was quick, it wasn't entirely smooth.  We'd decided to have the treads of the stairs match the patio, and when they came to remove the old concrete treads, a fair part of the rest of the stairs came with them turning them into a bit of a slide.
 
 <Cards images={[
 
@@ -62,13 +62,13 @@ Whilst the demolition was quick, it wasn't entirely smooth.  We'd decided to hav
 
 ]} />
 
-We had a big ol' conversation about various options on how to proceed, but we didn't really like any of the options presented.  In the end, we decided to get our stonemasony friends back to come and fix things.  Of course this adds more time as we need to organise more people, but we thought that it would be worth it.
+We had a big ol' conversation about various options on how to proceed, but we didn't really like any of the options presented.  In the end, we decided to get our stonemasonry friends back to come and fix things.  Of course this adds more time as we need to organise more people, but we thought that it would be worth it.
 
-In the meantime, work continued on the main patio, and by the end of June it was done*  We chose a porcelain tile as these would be very hardwearing, but most of all, they would be flat (a feature we _really_ wanted)
+In the meantime, work continued on the main patio, and by the end of June it was done*.  We chose a porcelain tile as these would be very hardwearing, but most of all, they would be flat (a feature we were _looking_ <sub>forward</sub> to). We would have relain the pennant stone if there was enough, but half of it was missing and replaced with concrete or broken.
 
 <Solocard title="Done*  (Carefully framed photo)" src={s('patio-done')}/>
 
-We were so pleased with finally having a _flat patio_ that we decided to cash in a wedding present from Ozzy's parents - a garden furniture voucher.  We couldn't see any expiry date, which is good considering it was over ten years late 😀
+We were so pleased with finally having a _flat patio_ that we decided to cash in a wedding present from Ozzy's parents - a garden furniture voucher.  We couldn't see any expiry date, which is good considering we were over ten years late redeeming it 😀
 
 <Solocard title="The voucher gained interest" src={s("garden-furniture")} />
 
@@ -83,9 +83,9 @@ We found out that each stair is almost entirely supported by the large wall and
 
 By the time the masons had finished it was already late July.  Now we just had to organise a time to get the original bloke back to place the stair treads.
 
-And someone else to come and fix the railing.  During deconstruction of the stairs, we had to cut out a few of the supports for the railing.  This left it in such a wobbly state that if you did need to use it, not only would it not prevent your fall, it would probably fall on top of you afterwards.  Fortunateley, there's a really good ironworks company just down the road from us, so we got them to come and fix it up for us - it only took a few weeks, but that pushed us into September.
+Then, we had to get someone else to come and fix the railing.  During deconstruction of the stairs, we had to cut out a few of the supports for the railing.  This left it in such a wobbly state that if you did need to use it, not only would it fail to prevent your fall, it would probably fall on top of you afterwards.  Fortunately, there's a really good ironmongers just down the road from us, so we got them to come and fix it up for us - it only took a few weeks, but that pushed us into September.
 
-Lastly we just needed to get ourselves in the right frame of mind to tackle repainting the railing.  I feel that having to wait a few weeks to get someone in to do something is generally considered an encouraging sign of competance - well in that case Nikki and Ozzy must be bloody amazing at painting railings!
+Lastly we just needed to get ourselves in the right frame of mind to tackle repainting the railing.  I feel that having to wait a few weeks to get someone in to do something is generally considered an encouraging sign of competence - well in that case Nikki and Ozzy must be bloody amazing at painting railings! We had to wait ages for them to start!
 
 <Cards images={[
 
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ Lastly we just needed to get ourselves in the right frame of mind to tackle repa
 
 ]} />
 
-Now we just need to wait until spring for the plants to start growing in and it'll be done!
+Now we just need to wait until spring for the plants to start growing in and it'll be done! We've planted rosemary, some lavender, a peony and a rudbeckia so far. We've ordered some climbing roses. Bets are on for how many will survive the winter.
 
 DONE DONE DONE!  It only took 7 months - no wonder our updates are slowing down!