On deck

When I moved into this house in 2000, there was a set of iron steps down from the living room to an ugly concrete patio and then a steeply sloping lawn that led down to a flat area, which was actually usable.

A couple of years later, back in those heady days where one was allowed to make one's own decisions about when to borrow money and what for, I was able to remortgage the house and have the garden itself terraced and a large deck built at the same level as the ground floor of the house. (After checking with my neighbour that he wouldn't mind, that is.)

The deck has a lovely view over Kirkby Lonsdale and is the ideal spot for a morning coffee, which is exactly what Charlie, Hannah and Dan are enjoying in this photo. And I was just about to join them :-)