Monday 28 May 2012

View from the hammock chair

Since last Wednesday we've been having a spell of lovely summer weather. This, combined with all the rain we had previously, means that things are growing like, well, the proverbial weeds.

view from the hammock chair looking NE/E
As a result, when not working we've been busy outside. With just under a hectare, which is grass with numerous trees, the ride on mower has seen very active service. It can indeed feel a little endless; like painting the Forth Rail Bridge [any Scot will know what we mean]!

The nasturtium and sunflower seeds we planted have sprouted and need thinning and in the shady corners our lizard orchids are coming along nicely.

 hammock chair in use!
The hammock chair, purchased during the optimistic warm spell in March, has now been hung on the restored swing frame left by the previous owners. Last autumn Niall cleaned and prepped it before giving it a good going over with hammerite paint in British Racing Green. It's a great place to relax with an ipod, a book and/or the 2nd England - West Indies Test Match on BBC Radio4 LW.
Perhaps that last bit of grass can wait.... after all the daisies do look nice!

We also would like to say a big thank you to Martine at Wishing I were in France and Lady Justine; two fellow bloggers who read Chez Charnizay. Recently each very kindly passed on an award. We're really pleased to have been nominated but have decided to simply suggest some blogs that we have started reading more recently which you might enjoy too:

Snippets from Labartere
Melbourne -Our Home on the Bay
Morning AJ
Zut Alors!
Loire Valley Experiences

16 comments:

Jane and Lance Hattatt said...

Hello Niall and Antoinette:
The daisies do indeed look pretty and, should we be lucky enough to have a view of them from the hammock, we should certainly be of the view that they look even more wonderful....EXACTLY as they are!

How fortunate you are to have such a peaceful, verdant and relaxing garden in which to spend time. Life is definitely too short for mowing....and, besides, grass is much better for not being cut too short!

The Broad said...

What a beautiful garden you have. Pefect for a hammock, and for daisies. Al fresco dining would be acceptable, too -- some French bread, cheese and of course some red for some and Sancerre for others! Bliss...

ladybird said...

That chair looks very comfortable. Ideal for napping or just watching the world go by. Martine

wcs said...

Endless grass cutting! It kind of makes up for previous years when it was so dry that nothing grew for a couple of months. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the grass...

Vera said...

That chair looks very do-able, especially since our lawnmower broke and we have decided to recycle our knee high grass into hay rather lawn clippings, which involves scything which involves a lot of hotness which involves a lot of the need to go sit in a super duper chair like yours!

the fly in the web said...

Cousins from Belgium have just returned home bearing...hammock chairs, for comfortable garden viewing...

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Jane & Lance - so far the daisies remain undisturbed!

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Broad - the hammock chair is great for reading. Nothing beats good French bread and cheese washed down with a good wine!

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Martine - best place to read when it gets hot :-)

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Walt - yup last year we had a dust bowl, this year it's green jungle.... even under our pine trees the grass is shooting up!

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Vera - it is VERY do-able :-) and very comfy once you install yourself.

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Fly - Think they are a great invention as we are advocates of long-ish periods of garden viewing to intersperse periods of garden 'doing'!

Perpetua said...

What a very appealing garden, full of green shade and daisies. A good book and a hammock chair seem an infinitely preferable alternative to mowing in hot sunshine. With all this rain and sun I'll be interested to see what our French garden looks like when we arrive in 3 weeks time.....

Niall & Antoinette said...

@Perpetua - thanks! Well the mowing isn't too bad--we have a ride on mower.
I think you'll find your garden very lush! Be prepared for jungle :-)

MorningAJ said...

Thanks for the recommendation. Very kind!

My garden looks a wreck at the moment. But I'm hoping to tackle it this weekend. We've got a four-day break for the Jubilee and I suspect that the entire country will be hectic. So we're planning to stay at home, eat, drink and potter around doing odd jobs.

Niall & Antoinette said...

@AJ - you're very welcome :-).

Hope you get great weather, our forecast is for 27/29C today & tomorrow. I think you are so right everywhere will go a bit manic and I'd stay at home too.