My Summer Garden

Toby likes to pose in all garden pictures. This one is the path to the Summer house

For the past few weeks I've been putting in a fair amount of effort to get my garden up together in readiness for Open Studios at the end of July. Usually I work around the garden at a slower pace. The problem with this is that as the weather gets drier, the ground get harder, making weeds more difficult to get out and newly planted shrubs difficult to establish. So although I'm still losing the battle with weeds, the overall impression I think looks quite good.

This shows some excavation work in readiness for  the raising of the path, to save me paddling in wet weather.

One of mum's lilies

I thought now would be a good time to take some photos, while everything is looking lush.

Pots waiting to find their Summer resting place.

A peony on the patio [and a purple sedum I rather like].

The next three pictures show the side path in Winter, Spring and now in Summer.

Winter pots

Spring pots [and another posing Toby!]

And the same pots in June

Toby's 'Walk'

Here's our border collie dog, Toby. The most important part of his life is his daily and quite often twice daily walk. He rarely gets tired and would really like to stay in the forest all day. Simple pleasures!

The first video shows how he starts every walk. The second is after an hour and a half charging around Parkhurst Forest. He knows his walk is coming to an end, so he tries to put off the inevitable by walking very slowly.

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My Perfect Place

Summer house April 2015

A perfect place to chill out after a walk

Earlier today I found a lovely post on Facebook entitled 'She Sheds, Women's answer to the Man Cave'. lightersideofrealestate.com. The sheds are beautifully decorated little places to escape to.

It got me thinking about my shed, or as I grandly prefer to call it, my 'summer house'. It's not a beautiful shed, it's not stylishly decorated. In fact it is messy, cluttered and far too full of stuff. It is the place where I make my beads. But oh, it is so much more than that. It is a little protective capsule of a place. In a world and a life that is always changing, it is a place that stays the same.

View through the door

The other day I was listening to someone explaining what meditation was. They said it wasn't necessarily a person sat crossed legged with eyes closed, making 'om' sounds. It could be simply being in a peaceful state of mind. Well I would say my shed is the nearest I have ever got to meditation and being at peace. When I walk through the door I feel my body and mind relax. The radio or audio book is turned on, the kiln is fired up and very quickly the only thoughts in my head are to do with beads [and following the audio story, of course].

Making Beads

And Toby dog finds it relaxing too!