Rare photograph pre-1998, the year
the barn was converted
Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing:-" Oh, how beautiful," and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives.

                                   The Glory Of The Garden  by Rudyard Kipling
 
 January 2007

 

Old pond, 20 cm deep, palm tree one meter high, in pot, refused to be moved with former occupants , roots already spread out 3 to 4 meters though

 
Forecourt 
May 
2007
         2008


I made a wooden frame 15 cm high, filled it with cement and then dropped tiles, plates, cups etc in it. Far too thick, it took an enormous effort to get this front panel into position.  Size front compared to a book on the right

2008, now brick walls needed to
be added behind this front panel

 
  2008
2008 Beginning construction new wall and flower tray


 



surplus bricks to be used for surround of a 
new pond, old bath tub to create extra small pond . 
Useful to save future tadpoles from hungy goldfish.


           The space for the  bath tub pond


Summer 2008 


 2009  New pond , 80 cm deep, arrives, 
grey bricks now used for surround 
Palm tree reached 1.50 M. 
meanwhile . I smashed its pot and 
allowed it to enjoy lots of new soil and 
compost . Its roots already spread out 
5 meters below footpath

Large pebbles concreted into holes between 
bricks


 
 On the right a small pathway for frogs 

                               2009

                     2010
            2010 palmtree 1.80 meter


   2011 Penelope Grasshopper 
         sculpted in cement

             2012 Corner mosaic at the bottom of palm tree 
Outside wall Summer 2012
          2012 New composter

         Phase 1 preparing the body


            Phase 1: preparing the top 
             with the help of old bin top
 

                            Phase 2


                          phase 3
phase 4

                      phase 5


         more or lesss the finished product, 
          2013 Corner mosaic continued

             Corner mosaic A better view
2014 Garden sculpture crafted with the help and guidance of Pat Elmore RBA , her website is HERE

          2014 Future mosaic corner project
 

2014 Rhododendron surround This rhododendron 
was the only one we took with us from Oxford in 2007


                     Plate dating from my youth in the Hague
 


                             April 2015
curious frog when designing cat-proof surround for new pond

               2016 Rhododendron now settled 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


             Stepping stone in the lawn, one of 4 

          2016 Cat- and heron proof (ish) 
                   surround for pond

 

       2017 start of 2nd corner mosaic

                 2017 start of Gaudi wall outside
Pond 2017

                                    2017 Composter 
            Outside Gaudi wall 2017

Autumn 2017 2nd Corner mosaic, some small 
plants added
                    2018 detail outside wall

                                      Outside wall

             Left hand side of gate

      2018 continuing the Gaudi wall


          Entrance Summer house

 
  Summer 2018 starting the water container
Detail of water container

      2019 small pond ( old bath tub)
      Corner mosaic January 2019
2019

              Bath tub pond 2019
On the left the palm tree
in 2018: 3.65 high

 
 

the outside Gaudi wall to be continued april 2019 onwards - watch this space

 
 

Pond conversion August 2016 ( making it cat- and heronproof )
 
 

Wil je een uur gelukkig zijn, bedrink je.
Wil je drie dagen gelukkig zijn, treed in het huwelijk.
Wil je een week gelukkig zijn, slacht een varken.
Wil je een heel leven gelukkig zijn, word dan tuinier
Chinees spreekwoord

April 2019 moss ridge and statuettes added

April 2019 Corner mosaic enlarged and fully planted