Something Old, Something New

Sometimes, being able to do some of the small things you've been wanting to get done for awhile gives as much satisfaction as doing much bigger things. And that's what it felt like when I finally switched this pot for a new one this weekend.

I placed this terracotta pot, planted with the terrestrial bromeliad Dyckia frigida on top of this pillar last spring and it stayed there all year up to this weekend when I finally made the switch. Although I did buy this pot specifically for this purpose I wasn't too happy with it once in situ. I overestimated the size and it looked disproportionately too small for such a prominent location. It was supposed to help demarcate the transition to the new garden but instead it looked like a non entity there, plus I thought the plant I chose to go in it didn't look right for the spot either.

But I was none the wiser what to replace it with so it stayed there until I got the chance to acquire a more appropriate replacement. And finally I managed to do the switch this weekend, out with the old and in with the new.

I spotted this pot in one of our nearby garden centres and took an instant liking to it. The colour and material looked right, a combination of concrete and grey stone chippings, and would fit in with the colour scheme of the new garden. And it was just the right size, big enough to make it's presence known and help tie in the new garden with the old, but not too big that it would pose a risk of falling off when strong winds pass by.

And fall it will not, much to my surprise this pot is exceptionally heavy for its size. When I first tried to pick it up I nearly fell over and Gaz thought I was just messing about. When he lifted it he instantly knew I wasn't. We both had to lift it to the trolley and once on the till (which has a scale on it) it weighed a whopping 30kg!! Anyway, with a bit of a struggle we managed to lift this 'small' pot in it's place and I'm finally pleased and content with what's on top of the pillar. I still haven't decided what to plant in it though, probably a glaucous leafed Yucca to remain there permanently. Or a mixture of tender succulents, with some trailing down the sides of the pot, as a temporary, yearly changing display. Lots of time to decide!

And on to newer, much bigger matters, I will pass you over to Gaz for an update on our pond project (Yes another new thing, our first ever combo blog!)...

Mark


After the recent recap on the pond build we haven't featured the project for a couple of weeks and quite a bit more work has been done. Since the update, we have completed the roof and ridge tiles of the filter house and then added gutters and drainage that leads to a soakaway.

Agave bracteosa is happily suckering away...

So with the filter house reasonably water tight attention has turned back to the landscaping with further construction on raised bed three which will include a small water feature. The third raised bed is rectangular in shape with one end sectioned off to form an additional pool that will have a small fountain or geyser to provide a gentle background sound to the area.

The pipe work to filter this pool runs through the bottom of this raised bed and into the filter house, where it will be on a small filter separate from the main Koi pond filters. This pipework is now all in situ and the raised bed is now partially filled with top soil.

Part way though this mini project we ran out of concrete blocks as we did not expect the mild start to the year, so with another delivery and more mild weather we were able to get this mostly finished off this weekend.

Once the block-work was completed we spent this afternoon getting the walls rendered. Normally you wouldn't expect to be able to do this in January, so yet again we are benefiting from the mild winter!

On a sad note Charcoal passed away on Tuesday evening. Peacefully at my mums house where she had been having some TLC for the last few weeks. Charcoal initially joined our family when I was just 16, coming to live with Mark and I in early 2005 when my parents were planning to move into a smaller property. Over the last year or so she had started to show signs of her age, slowing down and sometimes looking frail. She had a check up at the vets who identified a tumour in her stomach, which due to her age could not be treated. The vet recommended keeping her inside, so back in November she moved home to my parents, who are semi retired, so usually one of them is at home during the day. 

Charcoal 'helping' insulate a Greenhouse.

Sadly on Tuesday she took a turn for the worse so Mark and I went round that evening to see her and unfortunately she no longer seemed to have much strength, we all felt that she may have to have a final trip to the vets. Charcoal, as always had other plans, she had never liked the vets, and after having had a cuddle from us all, purring away for a few minutes in Marks arms, she crept off to her bed and went to sleep for a final time. She went out the way she had lived most of her life, on her terms. 

Charcoal: May 1993 to 17th of January 2012

Gaz

and back to Mark again....


Our beloved Charcoal, the cat that changed my mind..

June 2007

I was a 'dog' person before and never really liked cats for reasons I don't know, more likely I was just preconditioned not to like cats after being a dog owner for years and years. And then I was introduced to Charcoal many years ago, not so much as a choice but as part of the 'package'. And she took an instant liking to me and she won me over, for she was very affectionate and was a great company in the garden.

Charcoal guarding some of my succulents in August 2007

But her lasting legacy with me is that she changed my mind about cats. Prior to her I would never even consider getting a cat as a pet. But she has won me over and I now view felines in a better light. For without her, I would have never had this two:

We will always remember her with fondness, lots of happy and funny memories when she was still with us. And grateful too, that this beloved old cat also paved the way into something new.

Mark :-)

Posted in: Charcoal , Knickers , Pond build , Twinkles