Waiting to begin





This weekend Chris made his second visit to the garden to map it. He brought his huge drawing boards and all his interesting protractors, and set up on an iron table on the front porch. Chris' mapping has become exponential. It began with the need for enlarging a scale version of the boundary lines so that the gardening consultant, Manuela, could begin planning. Now the map embraces every rocky outcrop and water course, every shrub and tree, and helpful notes on the condition of soil, weeds and hard surfaces. I cannot interrupt this process because he is enjoying it immensely...a great project for a retired gentleman who missed his calling in maps. When the great map is complete I will post it here.


 And of course, when all of this mapping is complete then Manuela can finally come and give us the benefit of her horticultural expertise. It is surprising how much expertise is needed in this project. A few people have asked me why I am proceeding so cautiously with 100 year old fruit trees when the whole place needs a good slashing. I have also been asked why I am spending money on consultants and gardeners despite the amount of wisdom that should be available from my own family. I have been gardening for 40 years and I have built two gardens from compacted clay fields. I did a stint at the gardeners "university" at Ryde way back in the 70's, my husband has a degree in agriculture and  three sons have worked and studied aspects of horticulture..... viticulture, propagation and landscaping, and fencing. But  I feel hopelessly ignorant. Perhaps my fears are born of a little knowledge. I have seen people go in with pruning saws and hedge cutters, rip down to the old wood, and wonder why nothing came back in spring. So, I proceed with caution maong trees planted by people long dead.

At the end of the day of meticulous mapping of our site, partners joined us and we had wine, pasta and chicken and watched The Kings' Speech...a second viewing for all of us.Geofffrey Rush is very good at playing courageous people who conquer circumstance, but I am not sure that qualifies him to be regarded as a remarkable Australian ahead of those who do rather than those who imitate life.

Back to the garden....the alpacas are making regular visits to eat the roses, I have driven through a major down pipe which feeds water from our roof to the tanks, and my disintegrating right hip was not co operative in any brief forays into the tumbleweeds this weekend. Thankfully Linda the Gardener, 20 years younger than me, will join us this week to retrieve the ornamental border beside the house. There will not be many ornamental work-intensive strips once we get going....lots of shrub borders and ground cover.

I am busy retrieving things from the site, particularly the convict bricks which will be recycled into a paved area near the house. They are very distinctive. All of those on our site have the diamond cut in the centre, and most of them are a deeper red than the one in the picture.  We have also found wonderfully ornate cordial bottles, brown whiskey bottles, bits of willow pattern and blue Cornishware, and thick slabs of old glass, all of which I hope to utilise in mosaics, although first I have to learn that craft. I have a bought a book...it's a start.


I am toying with other names for the property. This weekend I suggested to some visitors that Charlotte Vale Farm might be appropriate...it has geographical echoes of the place we are located, and our little families of animals make it rather farm like, in the small, self-sufficient sense rather than broad acres and major production.

Sometimes you need to spend four entire seasons in a house and garden before you can play with its name, and its destiny.