Some thrilling news from Barbara's garden, with a bit of history first:

When Tony and I finally moved from Crawley to Kirkstead on the 4th July 2001, my main objective was to spend the rest of our lives in this tranquil corner of a really great country, Great Britain.  I saw us as caretakers of these few acres, and I wanted very much to learn how to grow things.  I had plastic garden chairs dotted throughout and I staggered from one to another, because I was still pretty immobile following my broken leg and dislocated ankle of 1998.  I had met and welcomed Marcus as chief gardener, and he acted as my hands and knees as we gradually planted up the place.  This could not happen though until the garden was rabbit proofed.  That task was undertaken, so admirably, by Reg who was introduced to me by John when we were let down by our chosen fencer.  John had come along with Colin, the bricklayer, to help lay the foundations for the new Kitchen with the Balcony Bedroom above.  The six-foot-wide kitchen that we had had for thirty years was created in 1974 from the lean-to built in the late 1950's that housed a sink, with a bathroom and WC off it.  Mains water had been installed in this kitchen and bathroom by laying a pipe across the bed of the River Witham, and this was connected to the supply provided by Anglian Water on the west bank, which has farms and homes all along it.  Prior to that Derek (who grew up here) tells me that water was collected by bucket from a "grip" that ran along the edge of the back garden, and apparently it was lovely water too.  Eventually, Marcus moved on to higher things, so John admirably filled the gap, with his excellent knowledge of farming, though at first he really struggled with my desire to mix flowering plants in with the vegetables!  I was so impressed with Reg's skill with his handmade spade and his oak posts, that I asked him to build a pergola for me, so that this flat, three-quarters of an acre garden would have a bit of height introduced to it.  He's just started on Pergola Phase 5, which is to be formed around the Pink Patio in front of the "tin shed", an old ships' container, that we imported to house our excess junk.  Over the years several raised beds have been added to many of the structures, so that I can potter about too.

I've been away from my computor for a few hours now, watching TV and switching between "Three in a Bed" and commentary on "The Chelsea Flower Show", eating some supper, and following one of Tony's favourite programs "Question Time", so I think it is now time to stop reminiscing and get to my thrilling news.

A few weeks ago I asked John and Reg to clean up the bee hive that has been stored in our tin shed for a few years now.  I bought this fancy bee hive as a Christmas present for Tony.  In the early 1970's Tony and I went on several bee keeping courses during our "self sufficiency" era, but decided that the mini garden in Crawley was not a very suitable place in which to set up a colony.  Sadly, Tony's first colony in Woodhall Spa didn't survive their first winter, and with lots of medical expenses to meet we didn't invest in another nucleus.  John made the hive look like new again and recommended that we should leave it outside, hoping that a swarm would smell the left over honey and move in. This appears to have happened yesterday.  Reg told me this afternoon that at first John thought that the occupation might be just a scouting party, but lifting the lid revealed numerous bees very, very busy cleaning the place up.  I'm delighted, particularly as the recent harsh winter has destroyed so many of the lavender bushes that I planted to sustain the bumble bee population.  I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I wanted to learn how to grow things.  Well, I'm not sure that I'm making much progress, so I console myself by observing how much the wildlife, particularly the bees, birds and butterflies, enjoy sharing my environment.  After all, those of you who know me well know that this garden was created with the needs of those critters in my mind.  I'm going to the bottom of the garden tomorrow to see the hive for myself if it's not raining, so I'll keep you posted. 

Thanks for being with me in spirit - love Barbara

Comments

[barbara and ken hunter white]

great website habe been showing all our friends in new zealand .looking forward to being back in woodhall spa monday evening leaving new zealand saturady lunchtime our time.

[Barbara]

Thank you, Barbara and Ken, for getting in touch, and for the compliment re my website. I'm so glad you have enjoyed reading it and sharing it. I really liked the experience of creating it; it felt like giving birth to a child (and I had loved becoming a mother three times, many moons ago!)
Are you moving to Woodhall Spa or just visiting? Either way, I hope you will have time to come and meet me. Just ring 01526 35 36 37 to check that I am available - because I still teach at home occasionally.