I
must go down to the seas again, to the lonely
sea and the sky and that is how it was
when we called again with Lee and Noel at
their new home at Groomsport, Co.Down.
I was not only amazed at the bright, dry morning
but the amount of work which had been completed
was staggering.
It is 5 weeks since our last visit and everything
that was discussed has been implemented. The
dry stone wall is brilliant. The step from
the patio doors to the garden has become a
mini patio, raised on a dwarf brick wall and
surfaced with honey coloured tiles. The stone
base for the path and patio has been laid
and finished with blinding. It has been vibrated
to give a firm surface.
It may not sound a lot in the time but if
I mention 3 ton of broken rock selected and
transported by wheelbarrow, 4 ton of broken
stone spread, 5 ton of top soil excavated
by hand plus the building work, dark evenings
and rotten weather you begin to get the picture.
A neighbour helped one morning, probably to
get peace and quiet to go back to bed. I am
assured that there was a fair division of
labour but Lee wasnt allowed to build
the wall. She could have but Noel was enjoying
himself.
They shared pushing the wheelbarrow. Lee wheeled
it over empty and Noel wheeled it back full!
There is another small stone wall to build
along the West facing side which will be shaped
like a
question mark. There is trellis to be selected
and erected for privacy to the sitting area.
It will soon be decision time for the patio
and path surface. Expensive tiles or spend
the money elsewhere?
The planting wont take place until the
new year but I heard them muttering about
buying each other a plant for Christmas.
What will they buy? Noel knows as much about
plants as I do about architecture so Lee may
end up with a house plant. If it happens to
be an aloe, its sap will be useful to soothe
the blisters on their hands. A
tree each would be an idea where they could
swing a hammock.
If you have inspiration for suitable plant
presents for a small seaside garden then share
it with us. E-mail your suggestions to gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk
Cherry has suggested they take a break at
Christmas but the producer thought Christmas
day was sufficient
and back to breaking stones on Boxing day!
