Several years ago it was decided to develop a neglected area of the garden into a series of terraces. Because of a steep slope falling away at a gradient of 1 in 4 in one direction, and another cutting across the piece of ground, it was difficult to make plans but, taking inspiration from the Catalan architect, Gaudi, it was decided to create whatever shapes and levels seemed necessary as the work progressed.

Because of the depth of top soil it was necessary to dig down almost a metre before any kind of firm foundation could be found. At the bottom of the trench a 5cm thick foundation of concrete was laid and, on top of this, the base of the retaining wall was constructed from concrete blocks to a width of 56cms.

The work began with a thousand blocks, all manhandled into their places because of the difficult access to the site.

With only two doing this heavy work progress seemed slow until, at a height of one metre, the thickness of the wall was reduced to 46cms. From then onwards things advanced more rapidly.

As the wall neared completion so its thickness was reduced to a single block. At this stage, instead of finishing in a conventional balustrade, it was decided to shape the top in an undulating wave pattern ( reflecting the pattern of the hills in the landscape behind).

At the same time, circular holes were left within the wall (later to be decorated with mosaic) so allowing views onto the terraces below.

Two further curved walls were constructed to create a series of terraces as the earth dropped away. On one of them a barbecue was built and this, in turn, required very deep foundations.

By the time the barbecue was completed it was just two years since the project was started. In all that time there had been little to show except for trenches, mud and piles of earth. At last, something was finished and it was possible to look forward to tackling more decorative aspects such as mosaics, tiles and ceramic pieces.