Success breeds success. Or at least something new to do with the rocks.

So we had great success with our narcissus bulbs. Look, actual flowers:

And, okay, that success was a while ago given that those beautiful yellow flowers are now brown, dying stalks. But nevermind. Success.

Which of course motivated us to do something about the depressing brown hillside. For the last few weeks of her maternity leave, Cherie spent naptimes digging pile after pile of rocks out of a small bed. Endless rocks. More rocks than dirt, really. And when you have that many rocks to deal with, you have to come up with a use for them.

How about pathways?

Lots of pathways made out of lots of rocks. The goal was both to guide foot traffic along specific routes to reduce erosion over the whole hillside and to help add structure to the blank slate that is the Hillside of Doom.

Also, because paths look pretty.

This left us with two triangular planting beds to prettify and that prettification is underway. One of the paths leads up to Annabel’s swing. The other leads up to the fire pit area, which we’ve also prettified. Let’s just say that prettifying is our mantra for this summer.