A little snooze on the side.....

Most people find preparing for holidays stressful. There is a lot to do and if you a gardener you have to make sure there are watering systems or babysitters organised for your precious plants.  We decided to increase the pressure level and have our new Garden Room built just 2 weeks before our trip. In hindsight it was good to have a tight target to work to but supervising the Electrician the very afternoon before our departure was cutting it fine. However, once the electrics were installed without any problems, Doc and I unwrapped the furniture and did some hasty ‘room styling’ before moving on to packing for our holiday. Needless to say we did not actually sit in the Garden Room other than to test that the furniture was okay.

The Garden Room had to be finished because 4 days after we got back from the Baltic cruise, our family came to stay for a week. It was just the surprise we had hoped for (lots of wows and ahs) and we could not prise Doc’s mum from the new home-from-home. In fact at one point there were 9 people in the retreat which seems like a contradiction in terms but no-one seemed to mind the crush.  In fact, it reminded us of our caravanning holidays. It has a cosiness and friendliness about it.

Doc had shifted 2 bulk bags of cotswolds chips for the drainage strip around the perimeter of the Garden Room and we are still admiring the chips when we go in and out of the door.  We know the effort it took to bring the gravel down the garden!  A barrow load looks substantial until you lay it on the ground. Doc laid some temporary paving and now has to plan for a newer, larger paving area, flower beds, pergola and water feature. However, the next step is to finish the steps behind the Garden Room and put hand rails across the banks. That is all before we plan any new planting.  We had hoped to be doing that in the Autumn but have revised that ambitious target. 

We had concerns that we would not use the Garden Room enough to justify the expenditure but we need not have worried.  Because of my disability, I sit in it the most and even though Doc is running around doing jobs he is still finding time to eat meals in there and take a tea break in comfort. Now we have somewhere lovely to sit, we go there and because the room is winterised with insulation and a heater, it really is a home-from-home all year round.  An internet connection was a must too and now we can watch TV programmes or listen to the radio.  What we like the best is the fact that the room is actually in the garden, away from the house.  Once we are inside, relaxing, it is going to take Herculean effort to leave our haven and do some chores.  Yawn, I feel the need to go and sit down right now……