Clare's Brainwave

 Written by Jane

 The Garden In Spring 2009

A few months ago, Clare had a brainwave :) ... and I for one am so delighted that she did ... 

I love spending time with her and Daniel, they're a very talented and lovely couple to-boot.  Clare is an extraordinary film-maker and Daniel a budding writer make a rather switched on combo.

So the suggestion was made that they would come along and spend some time in this very wild and gorgeous garden, a delightful prospect in itself.  

What I Get Out Of It

They are fun and we generally laugh at the same things, Clare has a bonkers off-the-wall sense of fun, which I absolutely love and fall prey too way too often lol, wordplay being key to the mix.  Hope they agree!!!

Their help with this overgrown, often neglected (time too short - time demands too great) plot of greenery has had it's fair share of transformations.  The image above is around 4+ yrs old and was taken in the spring, the garden has developed a tad since then, and the wealth of colour prevails.

If I had pictures from when I first inherited it ... and I possibly do somewhere, it would have been a very different picture in some ways and exactly the same in others.

The magnolia tree, as already pictured by Clare just gets better with age, and is now at a point where it overhangs it's flower laden branches (to within inches of the ground) and the potential for a low-seat and bark covered area has waited long enough.  Will keep you posted on that one.

When I moved in I had only seen so far into the garden, you know how that goes, and was so happy to discover a further 25 feet of ivy-covered woodland area, at the bottom of the garden.  This is taken up to a substantial degree by a fairly old 80 foot tall Lime Tree that neighbours partitioned against it's even having a haircut.  I likey and just hope they feel the same, or this could be quite embarrassing.  

The Copper Beech

And who - in their right mind :) - doesn't love a Copper Beech?  The one that overhangs into my garden from over the side wall of a neighbouring area is firmly established and aging.  The leaves have increased their growth spurt with each passing season and as I delight in the contrast between it and where if barely, just now, meets the Magnolia.  

The resident squirrel loves to run along a series of the garden's wooden beams as it leaps onto a carefully selected deep ruby red branch full of playfulness.  A delightful sight and cheers me on each and every occasion as I stop and glimpse it from the lounge window.

The Growing Season

But the time for planting seasonal foods is slipping by for yet another year and I've hardly started.  It's time to do something no matter how small to make that change and interact with the garden more by getting myself out there.

It's always a pleasure to spend time in such a rejuvenating space.  And I'm always happy when Clare and Daniel suggest another visit, because it gives me the best excuse of all.