Garden Fences and Super Husbands

I am always in awe of my husband, no matter what he turns his hand to he does an excellent job and is a thorough perfectionist.

Jason can turn his hand to anything, here he is showing our Fell pony Cola

We have lived in our home for 18 years and the fences have been up for 20. They were impractical things really with the top foot of fence comprising of trellising. It looked nice initially but as the fence began to age and weather the trellising disintegrated along with alot of the fence.

He can play guitar & violin

The fence was propped up, tied up and we were constantly amazed at how it continued to stay upright, even after the worst storms. The thought of replacing the fencing was daunting, not only the cost but the actual work involved in fitting it. Paying for somebody to come in and do it was a nice idea but not something we could afford. Luckily, its a shared boundary so our neighbours paid half.

Patient with the children

I was worried about the dogs escaping and how the whole project would be managed but my husband had a plan and over the course of three weekends he bit by bit took out fencing and poles and replaced them. Luck was on our side because only two posts had to be removed and just taking them out took him an afternoon on each one!!!

Finally the fence was finished and now I can't believe how we survived so long with the old one!!

The old fence panels are waiting to be chopped up for use on our chiminea.

So really this post is just to say how proud of my husband I am and a huge thank you for doing this and not giving up even when the going got tough.

Spring

I don't really want to put a jinx on things but I really do feel that spring is on its way. It is still cold outside but the plants are starting to grow. I have just walked through Darland Woods and everything is sprouting, even the grasses on the lake. Cola is shedding his winter coat also which is earlier than last year I couldn't take Cola's rugs off until mid May!

I hope that we do have an early spring and a nice summer this year, we missed out last year and that was such a shame.

I am looking forward to seeing leaves on the trees again and the place being lit up with the colour of flowers.

Lets continue our walk....

The Castle has been lived in since it was built by Edward I in order to keep the welsh in place. During the civil war the castle was ordered to be raised to the ground by Oliver Cromwell and alot of the castle was damaged. The Middleton family lived in the castle until a couple of years ago and still have apartments in the Batchelor Tower. This view was taken from the buildings previously unseen by the public.

I love this part of the garden, it is full of colour and life. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Down one of the many footpaths you stumble upon the gravestones of pets who once belonged to the Castle.

A little further on and you come to the thatched summer house.

The flowers were breathtaking! The perfume off them was devine.

No garden would be complete without a water feature!

Let me take you for a walk.......

Yesterday, my husband and I spent the afternoon in Chirk Castle which is local to us. We went there for lunch then enjoyed a peaceful walk around the gardens. I took so many photographs, way too many for one post so I will take you on a walk with me around the gardens over a few postings!

This flower caught my eye instantly because of its colour - it was so beautiful, reminding me of blue skies or blue oceans....

This little fella was sitting all on his own on the other side of the ditch! He had his head tilted at a very cheeky angle!

A little place to sit and chill tucked neatly away right at the edge of the gardens. We sat there for a while listening to nothing - no cars, no children, no dogs barking, no people...... It was devine!