Diversification Part II

One week later and the garden is done. Well, actually three days later and it was done. The landscapers worked like super-humans and, having started on Monday, were done by the end of Wednesday. It was pretty impressive. And we're really pleased with the results too... here's those  before and after shots I promised.

                                          Before:

                                          After:

                                          

                                          Before:

                                          After:

The light stone paving was exactly the right choice. It really lightens the small space, and has a simple contemporary feel whilst still being robust and long lasting. The biggest challenge for the next few weeks will be keeping the grass alive. Especially if this hot spell continues and the toddler's enthusiasm for running in circles on it doesn't wane. We're watering it twice a day at the moment and it seems to be doing OK.  Fingers, toes and anything else crossed!

As for the container garden, I know it looks a little bit sad at the moment, but these are very early days my friend! So far, I have only used pots that we used to have on window cills or that we inherited during the move. Mum and Dad bought me a couple of lavenders and I got a rosemary and some strawberry plants. Whilst I thought choosing plants would be the tricky part, the biggest challenge has actually turned out to be ScALe. Plants that we pick up in the garden centre seem huge, but when we get the home they are far too small. Take thee Rosemary for example, I was this close to getting a smaller one because I thought it would take up too much room. Can you even see it in the photos?!?!?!?  Long and short of it is, I need to get some larger, more structural plants and pots. I'm thinking fruit trees, like lemons or cumquats... or OLIVES! Could I grow an olive tree in a pot in England!?!??!? And garden furniture. Something to give  the patio a sense of purpose and to create a  focal point/ destination. Something colourful!

Diversification

Welcome to my first non sewing blog post. I think a bit of diversity might help make sure I've always got something to write about. I'll start by playing it safe and telling you about my garden, but who knows where this could end... I have a lot to say on a lot of subjects!

So the sun is out, the sky is blue and we're having our garden done next week. We only moved into our house six months ago, so we've not spent the summer here yet. The garden is basically an overgrown patch of concrete at the moment. It's going to be completely dug up and replaced with a stone path and patio and turf lawn. The way I'm thinking of it is that the structure is going to be put in place next week (by the experts) and then we're going to embellish it over time. Initially, I'm interested in creating a 'container garden'. Not just growing things in pots, but creating a whole environment just above the ground. This website has been really useful for garnering initial ideas and thoughts. Even in such a small space the possibilities are overwhelming, so I've narrowed my ambitions down to the following outcomes:

1. A place to play

2. A haven for bees, butterflies and other wildlife

3. A working garden full of things to eat

I'm not really intending to ever consciously 'design' the garden, above and beyond the basic framework that I descrived above (as sketched out on this post-it note!). 

The intention is to allow the garden evolve over time. I imagine there will be a lot of trial and error, introducing things when we need them and taking them away when they don't work. 

Here's the 'before' pictures ('scuse the washing!). I'll supplement with the 'after' pictures next week...  I genuinely can't wait!!!!

Nothing to Report

This week I have been mostly getting started on my entry for the  Simplicity Blogger Challenge. I've got a really clear idea in my head of what I want to create, and a few pattern 'hacks' (that's pro talk for alterations right?!) that I want to test, so I'm making a draft version out of fabric scraps first. Here's a cheeky teaser... I'm not giving anything away though ...  All it shows is the very start of the process-  where I'm about to trace and cut out the pattern.

Last night I also turned that rubbish dress I made for my daughter into a little vest top. I removed the contrast band from the bottom and hand sewed a hem. It's a bit skimpy, but it'll look cute with shorts on the beach this summer.


That is quite literally all I have managed to stitch this week. So there's no point writing anything more..!

Two for one!

Here's a quick bonus post. It's the boyfriend's birthday today, so I finally gave him the pj bottoms... And he loves them! They fit perfectly and the dodgy button holes look fine with the draw string pulled. So he's happy and my confidence is buoyed a bit before I start my competition entry.