Sudden inspiration; a reawakening?

[Wobblycogs]

My blessed spot, my sceptred weed patch, had been overgrown for at least three years. There was a particularly large bramble; something of a predator, and it kept me on the back foot for most of that time. It wasn't that I was lazy. In the last three years I had two knee replacements. (I'm still waiting for the third leg to be done!) and back surgery of 20 years ago has started to show signs of wear again. I am supposed to be type 2 diabetic, (I can't see it, blood readings are fine) and Meniers Disease has got me! As if that wasn't enough, my wife was recently diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease, and the last few months have been all hospitals and doctors' surgeries.

I am not complaining please don't think that. I tend to get on with putting one foot in front of the other, but it is getting difficult.

The upshot of all that moaning is I had to employ a landscape gardener to attack my garden and put things in reasonable order. (I am awaiting before and after pictures from him, and I'll post them if anyone is interested.)

To my delight I can enjoy a reunion with my garden, parts of which I hadn't seen for so long.

In fact, I was sitting in my favourite garden seat last evening, listening to the blackbirds coughing, and feeling the late sun on my face again. Lovely dose of Vitamin D, I promise you. It made me realise that there were certain jobs I could do, and I began to decide on what I could cope with. Hence, this morning I managed to make a new line-post, and await the delivery of a fifty fathoms of plastic rope, to make a never-ending clothes line. (There will be a lot left over, 'cos my garden is just 70 feet long! )

I bought a lump of 50mm square timber for a new line-prop. (Just ten feet to be exact!) I also resolved to finish the shed I started three months ago, and I have plans for an outside clothes-airer, to use when the main-line is full! Phew! That's a little bit of a post then?

If you're still with me, I wonder what has recently inspired you to hit the tool-shed, with a grand plan in mind? It might be just a new water feature, or maybe a fresh path to tend the Dahlias; anything really. It could be fun to find out.

I hope I didn't bore anyone too much.

Cheers

John

 

[CanadianLori]

Yes, I'd like to see the before and after pics.

what is a line - prop?

 

[Beth_B]

Line prop, British term for the pole/poles from which one extends a clothes line. (At least that's the term I'm familiar with.)

Yes @Wobblycogs we love photos here!

OK, I have been threatening to do this for the last two years but in my line of work I'm insanely busy all spring and summer so time gets to be an issue:
Eradicate every last bit of mow-able lawn in my front yard and replace it with ground cover, native plants and grasses and perennials. I did it at my last house. I swear I will do this next spring if I don't get to it this year!

In May I improved upon my 55-gallon rubber tote-in-the-ground "pond" to a much larger one that I dug myself. Maybe 400-500 gallons? It is still a work in progress but I have happy fish and both annual and perennial water plants in there. Next step is to finish the rock around the edges and do some more in-ground planting around it.

 

[Wobblycogs]

Lori.

A line prop is a length of 2" x 2" timber, with a V notch cut in one end. You hang the clothes on the drying line, notch the line in the prop, and this lifts the whole lot, washing and line, a few feet higher, to catch the wind.

Beth, Photos will follow as soon as I get them myself! Best of luck with the transformation.


Hope that helps!

John

 

[marlingardener]

Ah, I have a line prop, just didn't know what to call it! One of the very first things we did when we moved to our little farm was install clothes lines for drying outdoors. I soon found that the length of line would sag if something didn't help prop it up. My husband made two line props and when not in use they hang on hooks on the 4"x4" that are the main uprights.
John, I cannot "fathom" 50 fathoms of plastic line! I bought two 50' sections of cotton clothes line, and have so much that I'm thinking of taking up lassoing some of the local cattle!

 

[Wobblycogs]

Marlin,
One 'fathom' is equal to 6 feet. It's a nautical measurement. Hence fifty fathoms would be 300 feet, far more than I'd need!

John

 

[Becky]

Gosh it sounds like you and your wife have been through a lot recently, but I am glad you are finding solace in your garden - even if you can't do everything yourself nowadays. Sometimes it's nice to be the master mind behind it all, but to let someone else get on with all the heavy work! That's the arrangement that my husband and I have - obviously I'm the master mind!!

It must be nice to feel like you are getting your garden back under control again. What plans do you have for the newly cleared area? We always love to see photos on here so feel free to post them once your gardener has given them to you.

If you're still with me, I wonder what has recently inspired you to hit the tool-shed, with a grand plan in mind? It might be just a new water feature, or maybe a fresh path to tend the Dahlias; anything really. It could be fun to find out.

We have no grand plan as such, but we have been in this house for over 3 years now, and when we moved in there was a rather large laurel hedge which ran down one side of the garden. Ian (my husband - and the other admin on this site) cut them right back to make annual pruning easier, and after he had done that we realised just how much space they had been taking up. The upshot of it all is that Ian is now in the process of removing all the laurels (the stumps are proving to be a right pain) and once they are all gone we will be replacing them with a variety of nicer shrubs. It should look much better when it's all done

 

[Trellum]

Nice to hear you are feeling better Id also like to get a drying line in my new house, I will ask my fiance if he can do that himself. We also want a small greenhouse, we will have to wait for that one as well. Honestly I'm not very crafty or good with tools, but I am hoping to get better and better with crafts and plastic art in general. I think it's nice to keep one's mind busy, specially when dealing with a chronic disease