Today is a fabulous day. After months of being gardenless, it is all about to change. I have dreamed of this moment and can hardly believe it has come. The container with all our worldly possessions has gone. I made the brave call to book the truck to come and get it before we had even begun to empty it. I work better with a deadline, although this was a pretty bold deadline. Especially as Hubby the Un-Gardener would be doing the lions share of the work. Well he is so much stronger than me. It didn’t look like we’d make it as events and occasions kept getting in the way. I have found panic and pressure are even greater motivators than deadlines! You seem to find a superhuman strength to push on through into the impossible. It certainly didn’t seem like we were physically capable to this monumental task.
So, as we waved goodbye to the container that was the backdrop for the last 122 days we returned into the house and tried to store the contents as cleverly as possible so as not to trip over items that should really be in a shed, if we were to have a shed!
The caravan also moved. It didn’t go far, just tucked in beside the house. It had been here much longer than the 122 days. It had been here beside the sea for a few years. We were so blessed that the previous owner had allowed us to rent it from them while we were temporarily homeless. When we moved it, we found it wasn’t just a safe haven for us… the chickens have sort sanctuary underneath after the storm.
The chicken coop had blown over twice in one week of high winds and I don’t think they trusted it any more. Not only was it home but a great location for laying eggs as there were loads of them under there. We just thought they’d gone off the lay in the increasingly cold weather. Unfortunately, the age of the eggs was more than likely too old to even take the risk. Once you have the pleasure of smelling one off egg, it isn’t something you care to repeat.
The next step was removing the temporary garden into a new temporary location, so it was out of the way. It has since moved again as it was in the way of some tradesmen where it was tucked in beside the house. Now it has lovely view overlooking the ocean but moved with less care than the last relocation as time was of the essence. It doesn’t seem to mind its new spot.
Finally, it was a matter of removing all the things that had built up as clutter around the container and out of sight behind the caravan. The kind of things that should be in a shed, but don’t mind too much being out in the open. This was also down to the strength and might of Hubby the Un-Gardener and he stacked it all away in a tidy manner out of the way. Well most of it. As the time raced by it was more a case of moving things to higher ground and hoping for the best.
The day dawned on a mostly sunny day, punctuated with squally rain showers you could see approaching across the ocean, but it didn’t dampen my spirits. Today was ground level day and the bulldozer was due. The kikuyu grass was pushed to one side where it could grow again as lawn. Hubby the Un-Gardener wants a tennis court and for all his efforts it will be good to give him one, however for most of the time it will masquerade as lawn.
It is hard to imagine how such undulating land can possibly become remotely level, and yet with a few sweeps of the blade of a bulldozer the foundation for my dream garden has been revealed. All I need to do now is build it.
Come again soon – I’ll be gardening again before you know it.
Sarah the Gardener : o)
Thank you for sharing Sarah lovely update thank you for sharing and blessings
Thanks Linda. : o)
Nice work Sarah,You will be in blossom by Spring.
I certainly hope so! There is a bit of work between now and then, but all going well – I’ll be planting tomatoes in October! : o)
Hats off to you! I love seeing dreams become reality, and open the door for more dreams. Exciting much!
It is pretty exciting. In my head I can see the finished garden, but there is still a lot to go to realise it. Fun times. : o)
Congratulations! You’ve come so far. Who knew, a year ago, how much your life would be upended, and now re-settled with a view of the ocean.
Gosh I know! This time last year a move wasn’t even on the radar, let alone something so dramatic! Funny how life turns out! : o)
It’s been lovely following your adventures Sarah. I’m really looking forward to seeing your garden take shape. Go you!
Thanks Fiona. I’m looking forward to making the garden out of nothing and try to ignore the fact it is quite a daunting exercise! : o)
I am days away from planting outside!! June 1st here we go!!
These seedlings are sooo READY!
Best of Luck,
-The Northern Garden
This is the most exciting time of the growing season – well one of them. There is so much hope tied up in those little seedlings. I hope you have a fabulous growing season. : o)
Those machines have a way of simplifying ‘some’ things. The problem we have is that so much of our work is around building and landscaped areas.
It certainly beats doing it with a rake and a shovel! : o)
Oh, you should have float-tested those eggs to salvage the good ones! Ones that fully sink are fresh as a daisy, if the pointy end of the egg touches the bottom but the round ends floats those are good for boiling (they peel easier), and anything that is fully floating should go in the bin (or be boiled up and fed back to the chooks, so long as they’re not really boingy floaty).
It would have been interesting for the kids to do it and learn about egg freshness. I think maybe we will next time we find a stash! : o)
Hooray! And oh, the color of that earth!
Don’t be fooled by the colour of the earth – it is black sand and isn’t as good as it looks. It has redeeming features but I have several loads of swamp soil to pop into the beds as I build them! : o)
I feel like that could be a beautiful mix. Were you adding sand to your swampy soil when you built your last garden?
I didn’t have access to loads of sand last time, but I suspect sand will be mixed in with the soil I had delivered from near where we used to live so we will get to see what happens. Maybe I will end up with the perfect growing medium…. dreams are free! : o)