This shows the stages I hope fairly well tho jumbled order, and sorry my phone camera had bleary eyes! Grandson Bruno helped, got plastered, and toppled (gently) off the rebar once… He was laughing about it two minutes later. Note the mix consistency in wheelbarrow – firm but fluffy – ie been mixed for a few minutes briskly to aerate a bit. Went on like butter. Carving the next day just in time – the 2:1 mix was already getting hard!

The coloured plaster was so the steps wouldn’t need painting. (1kg of powder iron-based – colour called ‘marigold’, per 20kg of cement. Used 1.5 kg all up.) I went over the whole with iron sulphate stain as well, though later Anna plans to paint all but the actual steps to match the raised beds and arches. There’s a little ‘grotto’ space under the arms of the steps, with two plaster lizards formed from left-over coloured plaster…

The steps took way longer because there was an existing slope and I couldn’t just ‘carve’ the steps out of the earth then lay the chickenwire onto it. Steps had to be built up and filled with waste concrete pieces and concrete. Much leveling and measuring, as Bruno shows!