If you had told me last year that I would be enjoying the ‘garden living’ life I would have laughed. I am the LEAST green fingered person you could ever meet and when I bought my house the three generous sized lawns actually scared me a bit as I only really bought the house for the option of extending it for my son Harry in the future.
However, this year the garden really has become a part of our lives. I would love to say that ‘we’ have begun a slow but steady transformation but in all honesty its my fiance Andrew who has done all the hard work. It’s impressive when you know that he actually hates gardening and even more so when you find out that he has his own home where the garden is a tad neglected in favour of mine! Yes, I’m a lucky girl.
‘We’ have found that maintenance is key and so Andrew diligently mows the lawns and sprays weed killer down where we don’t want the pesky blighters popping up! He’s also dug up a patch of wilderness outside the patio doors and laid decorative pebbles over a mesh layer so that we can now sit outside properly. We have even dined in the sunshine that we are currently enjoying and I have to say that it’s a really lovely experience to be eating your food in the fresh air!
Another benefit to being outside is that I also find I tend to ‘switch off’ when I am outside more so than I do in the house. Working is practically impossible with the glare on your laptop and when that sunshine warms your bones its hard to do anything other than just relax into it! I am hoping that spending more time garden living and not lounge working will help to calm my naturally anxious, hectic personality.
We did buy a cheap and cheerful garden patio set a couple of years ago with the intention of spending more time outside but we have barely sat on it and its already looking tired! Now that the garden is looking batter and we are actually out in it more often I am looking to buy a new set which will last (although I do reeeeally love the modular furniture sets too!). We also have a trampoline outside that all the children use, but particularly Harry who gets some sensory reward from the bouncing. Now that I am enjoying the garden I really do want to spend some more time in it and so I’d love one of the swinging garden seats which I expected would cost a fortune but are actually quite reasonable. I’ve seen one that I like at Lionshome and can just imagine sitting back, reading a book and enjoying a pimms in the sunshine as the children bounce happily on the trampoline.
Our garden still has a long way to go before its finished (don’t tell Andrew). It still lacks colour and we are undecided about whether to plant in borders for longevity or pots for convenience (all suggestions are welcome if you too are as green fingered as me!) At this point in the season I think we have left it a little late for flowers but we are certainly enjoying the fresh, practical patio area and the neat lawn does look great. As more sunshine is forecast we are ready to fire up the barbecue, get the drinks in the fridge and until we get the lottery win to pay for a gardener we have BOTH agreed to make sure that the garden Andrew has created for us all now stays neat and tidy – although if its anything like the house, that will last all of half a day! Wish us luck!
Chat soon
Charlie xx
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