Cut the corners – in the garden
GIETERS EN GOETERS VIR GROENTE
Let the water run to the garden patch
I have “inherited” these old water cans from my dad and granddad and they are still used but by placing them together behind my vegetable hothouse I could create a patch of green and iron …
This corrugated iron sheet was in the “scrapyard” in the back of the yard and was ideal to paint a few “inspiring words” to my lettuce and spinach as “motivation” when I do not attend to their needs as I should.
The old taps gathered from a building ruin site was fixed on to a wooden plank and cool drink caps in pantyhose (stockings) is the make-belief water… for the adjacent vegetable garden hothouse
FEETJIES IS MOS SKAAM!
Fairies are supposed to be shy
When I was a child dwarfs and fairies were part of the gardens of grannies and something I would never put in my own garden, until ouma Bettie gave me her wire trees when they moved to a smaller place and I had no place for them either. This resulted in my fairy corner with ouma Tienie’s cookie tins as the base for the trees, covered with old nuts, bark, glass marbles for the water stream and two bought fairies…. This is hidden within the branches of the very big wild olive tree because fairies are shy, I belief.
The cheap sun charged fairy lights from party shops provide the perfect “canopy” for my fairy garden.
BIKINI-HOEK SONDER WATER-NIMF
Bikini-corner without the beach babe
This patch of the yard (cannot call this a garden) at the back of one of the outer buildings is surrounded by big trees, shade and down pipes. This is no problem but because this area is adjacent to the swimming pool a plan was needed not to spoil the view close to the pool …
The old (cheap) beach chairs in no working condition any more is bright and colorful and cover the ugly fence. Old swimming pool play stuff, toad feet, water ball, unused pool net, etc. covers the other part of the fence with the neighbors while we wait for the ivy to cover part of the wall for a cooler outer building facing the very harsh Western sun. In the mean-time some sun friendly-fish even survive here.
Nothing grows on the ground pathway leading to the outside back gate in this corner and therefor I painted the cement tiles we had with some hop scotch fun in the same color as the “fake” bright “tiles” painted with roof paint (blue and turquoise) on the grey paving surrounding the swimming pool. Old wooden planks was also painted in the same bright blue and turquoise used for the outer building door (facing the swimming pool) and some cement garden furniture to make it a bit more inviting.
WAT WAS EERSTE? DIE HOENDER OF DIE EIER?
What was first? The chicken or the egg?
The old egg containers have find a new use and now gives hatching place for my kitchen chickens…and some real ones too! ‘Profitable farming opportunities’ are thus foreseen since the latest repurposed addition to my ‘chicken farm’ (old kitchen containers for eggs, chicken candle holder, etc.).
The weather cock was made by a black smith on request and signals not only the direction of the wind but also function as a sign post to easily find our house when I give directions to visitors.
Ssshhh: STORIES UIT WALTONSTRAAT …
Ssshhh: Gossip from Walton road …
I have added a name to this street in my garden related to a precious family-memory (and dear friends stlll today) dated to also my childhood and a TV-series (Waltons – 1972) – Walton road.
Having your own kitchen for more than 15+ years, you will know some time you just need to replace the old pots/ colander and tin containers of your mom/ grandmother in order not to upset your friends or grown-up children…
IF you are sentimental or a strong believer of recycling, you will understand my wire stand with plants showing the way/ entrance to my vegetable garden.
DIE ‘VOëLTJIES’ GAAN NIE WEGVLIEG NIE
The ‘birds’ in this cage will not fly away!
On two occasions I have received toiletry gift packs in small mock bird cage containers and they now serve as hanging hanging ‘gardens’ next to the very old bird cage from the scrap yard. In this way I can cherish the memory of the gift and my friend long after I have emptied the bath salt and bath oil bottles.
DROOM GROOT EN BOU MEER AS ‘n KLEINHUISIE
Dream big and built more than only a toilet
I have receive this toilet water tank as part plant container a few years before and had to find the right place for this ‘toilet’.
I had to think of what my mom used to say to my dad when he was dreaming up castles in the air: When you build a castle in the air do no build only a toilet. (Afrikaans: As jy lugkastele bou, moenie ‘n toilet bou nie.)
The dream catcher (old crochet piece of my granny as the basis for the wire ring were embroiled with plastic flowers, off-cuts lace & lint and sea shells) made as part of a family holiday project found its rightful place above the toilet plant container.
FINANSIëLE VERSTERKING OM DIE DRAAI
Financial support around the corner
The narrow passage between the house and the garden wall leads round the house to the backyard and the dated plastic cards such as bank cards, credit cards, loyalty card, gift cards came in handy to protect the plaster corner that sometimes carry some heavy ‘traffic’ from maintenance workers, gardening equipment. Cement type glue were used to fix the cards to the wall and this fits in with the shanty town (blikkies dorp in Afrikaans) feeling of the outside passage to the back yard.
DIE TORING VAN PIENK (KLIP) IS NIE IN PISA NIE
The power of the pink tower
I wanted some color during the colorless wintertime and Rose quartz was a great option amongst the grey-green leaves of the Aloe plants, but just too expensive to buy and put outside. Our gardener helped to make wire towers in different heights from scraps of mesh wire to fill with two sizes of rose quartz. The bigger beautiful quartz stones where tied with wire as one would tie a parcel and then hanged from the low-hanging branches from a shrub. I then painted the garden wall grey and draw and color some pink circles in different sizes to as polka dot back drop and at least I now have color all year round!
