Since moving house almost five years ago Paul and I have found ourselves groaning at the garden year in year out as despite endless prodding, poking and pruning we still have the worst drainage imaginable resulting in a garden akin to a swamp.
At one side of the garden we have a rather dated greenhouse which I fear could pose potential danger for the kids and a shed, which in my opinion faces the wrong direction and is placed slap bang in the muddiest portion of the garden making accessing said shed near impossible unless you dare venture down the uneven concrete slab path which is also caked in crap.
Further along a recently purchased swing set and slide stands unused patiently awaiting the summer sunshine. The wooden playhouse which stood alongside the swing set has now been moved to the patio for safekeeping to prevent its wooden stilts from sinking into the mud resulting in possible rot.
A trampoline with a child sized hole in the protective net sits in the middle of the mud bath along with a couple of random bouncy balls which have wedged themselves into the sludge.
It may be Spring but I am yet to step outside without losing a welly in the quicksand like squelch which was once grass . Seriously the last time I ventured across the garden I literally had to yank my welly from the ground as I sunk into the mud Bridget Jones style. Hanging laundry from the line feels very much like attending a festival as even wellies lack the coverage required that and we are yet to replace the line following having had the extension built.
Uneven, discoloured, concrete paving slabs make a small patio area which is divided into a picnic and water play area, opposite is a small yard for the dog to do what dogs do…
To say I am fed up of our garden is an understatement, it is a complete waste of space as our entire household other than the dog is unable to use it for at least ten out of the twelve months of the year. What’s the point in having such a large space and being unable to make use of it?
The garden is the go to area for the kids in the hot, summer months. I only wish that they could get into the garden more often but sadly it is a mud bath for most of the year and there is very little that we can do about it other than rip up the entire lawn and spend vast amounts of cash on concrete, astro turf and decking to create the perfect ‘year round’ play area for the kids.
It’s high time we pulled our fingers out and got the project started but without funding there is very little we can do. Thankfully we have a fantastic family and network of friends who are all more than willing to offer us a helping hand and even use of their mini digger (Cheers Mike!) to get the job done.
Paul and I spent some time designing our dream garden whilst staring out of the patio doors (which also need replacing as like most of the windows in our house the glass has blown) at our rather water-logged, pitiful excuse for a garden.
We have made a plan and at some point (preferably when we are able to get outside without being hit by hail or soaked through with rain) we will make a start on our dream garden. Here’s what we are hoping it may look like given a little time and effort…
If you can make sense of my scribbles then well done and let me know as you’ll be one of the first…
Basically, we are wanting to dig up the entire lawn then using printed concrete (which looks far prettier than it sounds) create a shaped area for a new, smaller and safer greenhouse and the shed which will be painted beach-hut blue to sit upon at the bottom of the garden both of which will face towards the house for easy access.
We will get rid of the pathetic paving slabs and completely replace the patio and the dogs yard with a shaped, printed concrete area. Part of this will feature a raised decking area which we will be able to walk out onto and will be roped off for a picnic table and some rattan furniture to sit upon.
The desired decking will have steps down to both the shaped concrete area and garden. Along the far wall of the garden we will also lay a small line of printed concrete to place pot plants along as we will need some plants in the garden otherwise I fear my green fingered Father in law may totally disown us!
A new trampoline with a fully functional safety net will be placed at the side of the garden along with the swing and slide set which I will be sure to clean up following it being sat in Peppa Pigs Paradise (muddy puddles) for the past year.
The playhouse will be repainted and placed inline with the trampoline and swing set to create a structured play area for the kids. I am also considering placing some small stepping-stone, circular slabs running from the decking area to the play area, green house and shed.
To complete the makeover we will paint the fences, add pot plants to the designated pot plant area, hang a garden clock, a wooden wind chime and a terracotta sunshine ornament upon the back wall and Bobs your Uncle, Fannies your Aunt we can kick the kids outside to burn off their endless amounts of energy come rain or shine!
I have seen some fantastic furniture from Fishpools which I quite fancy having on the ‘dream on decking’. Firstly, I quite fancy an outdoor sofa set, this would be ideal to laze upon in the summer evenings, kicking back with a glass of vino and the tunes on full whack.
I’m also loving the idea of a new dining set but as Paul assures me he can resurrect our current picnic table with a quick sand and varnish I will make do with a new parasol for now.
I was considering a garden swing until I saw these day beds (see above) and quite frankly these totally top any swing set I’ve seen so far. Either way a small lottery win may be required for any of the above but I can dream right?
I am hoping that one day we can make all of this possible and until then I have my fingers crossed for some serious sunshine as I am through with having a Glasto garden.
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2 comments
I love all of these, I used to be totally addicted to the sun and had to lie under it, whenever it was shining to get a tan, now, since suffering a stroke, getting out into our steep garden is not so easy, I do, however love to go out in our convertible car, with the top down, when the weather is warm!
Sounds lovely not done a convertible before