This week, I thought I would try participating in the Writing Workshop, hosted by Josie over at Sleep is for the Weak. Josie hosts this workshop every week, and I have not really found the courage or the time to participate before. However, when I saw one of the prompts this week, I had to give it a go. (It also fortuitously coincides with hubby being away on a business trip and me having time to myself of an evening to think and write in peace).
Each week, Josie gives several prompts; the idea is to choose one and write a post around it. The prompt I have chosen is:
If you have read this blog before, you will know we are currently in the middle of project "New garage and garden makeover". My post is therefore about what I imagine the "after" to be like.
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Nature is wild, nature is unruly. For the last three years we have not really attempted to tame it - it has had the upper hand in our garden since we moved in to our current house. Occasionally I look enviously at our neighbour's garden. In comparison to theirs, ours has been a veritable jungle. Their garden is clean and orderly. There have been complaints about leaves (leaves!?) and rotten pears dropping over the fence. Their garden is almost clinical. Actually, I know I do not want a garden like that. So what do I want?
Yes, I dream of order and clean lines, but I also dream of a space that is not so shackled that nature cannot flourish. A space where nature plays its part. To me, a garden is a living thing - the beauty of it is that it evolves and changes over time and with the seasons. I dream of beauty, but mainly I dream of colour - all the colours of the rainbow; deep purples and pinks, vibrant reds and oranges against a sea of green. I dream of year-round colour and interest.
I dream of a space for family. Somewhere for the children to play - to play in safety. Somewhere where the blasted swing/slide combo doesn't obscure our view of everything!
I dream of a space for me. Somewhere to sit and think, just staring into space. Somewhere to listen to the sounds of the world - our strange little suburban world, where the sound of birdsong from the nearby park mingles with the traffic from the urban streets. I can smell lavender and freshly mown grass. I can hear the buzz of the bees as they go along their merry way.
I dream of a space for friends, of finally being able to properly "entertain". Somewhere for the barbecue, a place for the table and chairs. Gentle lighting to illuminate the warm summer evenings*. Jugs of Pimm's, glasses of wine and laughter.
That will be my garden. Soon.
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(*I'm an eternal optimist, 'kay?)
