Getting the Right Spot
White Seat by Leyland Hedge
Aargh! My new white wire seat is in the wrong garden spot. As I see it (from my cosy bed at dawn, doing a huge sweeping overview of the whole garden) it's a contest, with the incumbent (Duck Lawn) and three strong and worthy contenders.
- 1. Behind the Moosey Pond.
- 2. In Cordyline Glade.
- 3. On the House Lawn.
Now out there in the real world (?) each applicant would make a written submission, and then do a 'Pick me! Pick me!' style presentation. In the 'realer' world of TV (??) they'd be stuck together in some sort of gardening house, set weekly tasks, and sent home one by one.
In the Moosey World, choice must be made by the fanciful yet analytical Head Gardener (me) and the pragmatic Non-Gardening Partner, who is likely to choose the place closest to Duck Lawn - less effort to move the seat...
So Where's The Seat Going Again?
I've thought deeply about positioning garden seats. You see, there are two completely opposite ways of looking at this : from the outside looking in, and - you guessed it - from the inside looking out. And that's the trouble with Duck Lawn, where the seat is at the moment of writing. The backdrop (an ugly, functional Leyland hedge, rough and scarred from its recent trim) provides an unfortunate, inappropriate setting for such a whimsical, romantic white wire seat. It's crying out for a Lavender field or an old rose arbour - and a Head Gardener in a floaty dress. Blast!
How About Here?
Impressions...
But remember - this is only the impression one gets when viewing the seat from afar. The seat doesn't entice - no-one could ever be magically lured over to sit on it. This is a pity, because when one does sit down the ugly hedge is behind, forgotten.
Duck Lawn, ringed with green leafy trees, pretty shrubs, and flowers is a visual delight. Distant climbing roses drape themselves over the woodshed and pergola, and the water race is near enough to just hear the quietly burbling water...
Seat Spot Dilemma
Now if Non-Gardening Partner would co-operate there's an obvious answer to the seat spot dilemma. NGP simply carries the seat to each and every new location - without grumping or saying things like 'Why can't you make up your mind?'.
The Head Gardener then checks from afar for the enticement factor, and sits on the seat for ten minutes to score views and vistas. She can even put on that floaty dress and have her photograph taken - if she must...
White Wire Seat Behind the Pond
But alas - practicality demands that the right decision be made first, before the seat is shifted. Otherwise the Head Gardener will lose what little credibility she has left as an intelligent planner of garden-stuff. And so, looking at each spot both inwards and outwards, I've made my decision.
Fluff-Fluff Tests the New Seat
And The Winner Is...
Hee hee - the garden spot which couldn't be further away from Duck Lawn. A spot which is both enticing and scenic for the seat-sitter, and the natural beauty of water nearby.
Nonchalant Yet Romantic
A spot with rustling paddock grasses providing a nonchalant yet romantic background. A spot from which blossom trees can be enjoyed in spring, red roses in summer, phormiums in the middle of winter. With a family of garden gnomes nearby, frolicking in the foliage. The perfect place to escape to with a good book...
The new white wire seat is going behind the Moosey Pond! Yippee! Now where has Non-Gardening Partner escaped to?
My Reading Seat Behind the Pond