The Cottage Conservatory

The Cottage needed some TLC.

Days of stripping out, scrubbing, decorating have been worth it.

It took 3 men two days just to clean the outside of the conservatory with professional equipment.

We had just 2 weeks to renovate this home before we went on the road to our first music festival of the season. See Igoecoarts.blogspot.com for that story.

The brick wall was swept and hoovered. Flooring chosen. Our things placed quickly for now.

Family and friends gather here. Boys have movie nights, music nights, sleepovers, gaming sessions, crafting and just lazing in the wonderful light.

Secret Garden Treasures - May

Some magic uncovered at the Sanctuary Smallholding during our first month here.

Arches

Nests

Fungi

Trees... ash, silver birch, elder, holly, oak, Hawthorne, willow, rowan, laurels, yew.

Fruit trees... Cherry, apples, pear and plum.

Flowers, forget me nots, sedums, aquilegia, daisies, buttercups, lemon balm, wisteria, foxgloves, violas, hardy geraniums, primroses, cow parsley and red campion.

And a potting bench.

Fencing

The fence along our boundary needs stock proofing. This is on the far side of our little stream, which we put the bridge over, in our last post.

Space is being cleared. 

And holes dug.

This overgrown wilderness is enchanting and Wren and Robin came to see what we were doing.

Tiny elderflower blossoms, moss, ivy, fungi and lichen abound. Bees buzz and birds sing and every now and then a train whooshes past.

The textures of rough bark and soft moss make you reach out to touch and the light bathes everything in a soothing green energy. 

Old weakened weathered fencing post are being saved to make into gates in other areas of the garden.

Blackthorn is a good firewood, apparently. I am researching how to rejuvenate the area with new hedging along the new fence line by taking cuttings from the hawthorn and blackthorn we have already and adding hazel, cobnut and blackberries and currants.

When this new safer fencing is in, we can then remove the little fence on the other side of the stream, opening up the space, bringing the stream into the garden.  Then digging deeper so the stream doesn't break it's banks when it rains. It is far enough downhill from the house not to be a problem, but we want it to thrive and by deepening and cleaning out all the years plastic bottles and rubbish it will be able to flow beautifully. 

Recycled Pallet Bridge

Today this happened...

The man came home with a pallet.  We carried it through the front courtyard under the brick arched gate.

Down by the great Ash tree, that has now burst into green life, and past the empty chicken coop.

Through the rickety gate under the overgrown pergola to the secret wilderness garden.

and laid it down to make a bridge.

Front Courtyard

So week one here and the front courtyard is getting some TLC.

Before

After

I love that this sunny patch outside the kitchen has a verandah with wisteria.

And a red brick arch through to the wild wood.