Gardening.

I have always loved gardens and flowers. I had my first proper garden at my first house when the girls were tiny. 
I always just wanted a cottage garden full of flowers. I managed it too, from a really plain boring garden I added and added until it was a riot of colour. The only way I have any evidence is to show a photo of the girls at that house with the colour in the background....

Well that little one, Lucy, is about 2 there and tomorrow is her Hens Party before her wedding! And Chloe has planned her day which I know is going to be beautiful.

Their little flowers picked from the garden really remind me of how lovely that garden was.

Since then I have had a few homes and repeated the planting until I have lots of flowers. 

Our last garden before this one we got married in. It really was a tiny enclosed yard and the bedroom looked out on to it. We also ate out there most nights. I will always remember this one as special....

This garden is probably the nicest of them all but not at the moment as there is so much damage from the heatwave. I have so much work to do. Some things are very burned and sad. But it looks pretty from the front and unless you come in and look around you wouldn't know how much I have lost.

Out the back we have a lovely eating area. That is number one to me, a place to eat meals outside. At the previous house that was just a tiny little area yet we lived in it. Here we have more space and it is shaded by a big tree. This also happened to protect things from the burning sun last week.

There are lots of areas that need work and even re doing but I am not going to show you those until they are fixed! 

I truly think even a small balcony or courtyard, any little space, can be turned into a lovely spot to sit in the sun, eat a meal, read or have a cup of tea. And that this one thing makes life much nicer. If you don't have a little place and can make one, even if you improvise with a box for a table and a little chair then do it! I remember seeing on TV that in countries with tight space and little sun people know the exact time the sun will hit their yard and will be out there waiting for it so it is not wasted! We take it for granted a little but we have so much of the year that eating outside is lovely. We love long evenings outside. Once it is dark I have solar fairy lights that turn on and everything twinkles. These add so much! They are $15 in Cheap as Chips and are wonderful! I have two sets out the front and two out the back. 

Next week after recovering from this Hens Party (!) I will get stuck into the damaged parts of the garden. Once it is done I'll take some photos of the hidden bits!