Garden Tram

This garden tram will take you wandering around Nusantara Flower Park (Cipanas, West Java, Indonesia). Just pay the added ticket and enjoy the ride! In our last visit, we didn’t ride it as we wanted to take lots of pictures. We preferred to walk and took a rest every time we felt tired.

Cannon and Fertility

This very old cannon is called ‘Si Jagur’, located on the back yard of Fatahillah Museum (Jakarta, Indonesia). It’s not only historical cannon, but the back of the cannon is actually observed by many visitors. Can you see the unique shape? This hand figure is a symbol of fertility.

Here, there still are a few people believe that the cannon can give you fertility. Just rub your belly (if you’re a woman) to the fertility symbol. Does it really work? I really don’t know, hehehe. I won’t try it, too weird for me.

The Weekend in Black and White

Walkways (3)

Wood Chip Path

A wood chip path is the embodiment of things ‘natural’. Its main drawback is its unsuitability for steeply sloping sites; heavy rain will tend to wash it away.

First, flatten the area by taking off the high spots and filling the low. Poison all grass and weeds. Lay the shade cloth or weed mat; stretch it first, then hold it in place with rustproof tent pegs. If these are too expensive for your budget, buy a few lengths of thin metal rod and make them yourself.

Spread the chips to a depth of 30-40 mm. Spray poison on any weeds that may still appear. Unfortunately, the chips lose their looks fairly quickly and will eventually disintegrate, necessitating replacement or retopping.

Walking on them in bare feet is also not the most enjoyable experience and neighborhood cats sometimes use them as litter. But they look good!

Banana Boat

I still share pictures that taken around Pangandaran Beach (Ciamis, West Java, Indonesia). It’s still early in the morning -7 am- this banana boat has been ready for its passengers. It looks fun riding a banana boat, but I haven’t yet tried it. Have you?

Couple

Of course, it’s a candid shot. The couple is sitting near the swan lake area in Nusantara Flower Park. At that time, we were sitting at the bench. This couple attracted my attention to capture it. Sorry for not sharing a clear photo here, I use my pocket camera.

The Weekend in Black and White

Walkways (2)

Granite flagging

Flagging, whether it be granite or sandstone, looks attractive in any yard, front or back. Both it and the bed it rests on are kept in place by timber edging held by pegs.

If you want to lay the flagging flush with the ground, first excavate to a depth that allows for the flagging thickness plus a 50 mm sand bed. A mattock and a square-mouthed shovel are handy for the excavation and a wheelbarrow is essential to move the soil to its new location.

Using a string line to ensure straightness, fix the 100x25 mm treated edging in place (if it’s below ground level, you must check that it has been treated for that purpose) by nailing to the pegs. 75x25mm or 50x50mm hardwood, 400mm long, will be suitable for these. If square, sharpen them on the four edges to ensure they drive easily.

A sledge or lump hammer is the best tool for driving in the peg; a claw hammer with its small face tends to split them. Take care not to hit a telephone or service line. When nailing the edging, hold the sledge hammer behind each peg to stop it being loosened.

If you want to form a tight curve, use a sheet of tempered hardboard (or old three-ply). Rip the hard-board into strips equal to the width of the straight edging. Mark out regular curves such as quadrants using a piece of hose, electrical flex or rope. Free-form curves can be done by eye.

Position the pegs back from line of the curve by the proposed thickness of the built-up edging. Three or four layers of hardboard should suffice providing the pegs are spaced at about 450mm centers.

Once the edging is finished, lay the dry sand (or dry 10:1 sand and cement) bed and put the flagging in place; make the top of the walkway as level as possible to reduce the risk of people tripping.

Run more dry sand or sand and cement into the joints; then, moisten it with a fine spray when finished. Allow to harden.

Source:easy home projects