Back Yard :: 2021

It's about a month or so since I purchased these little pots packed with floral potential and brought them home to the Attic. It's always such a thrill for me to do this (on the years when I pull my finger out and make it happen at the appropriate time) and this year was no exception. Oh, the J-O-Y in the choosing, in the imagining of it all! I loved picturing the colour combinations in my mind and anticipating a whole summer full of living, growing colour right outside my back door.

Before I could get stuck into the actual planting, I had some tidying up to do in the yard. For those of you who aren't familiar with my outdoor space, let me tell you it is teeeeeeeeeny. It's a very, very small L-shaped enclosed yard - there is a square of paved space directly outside my kitchen door which measures 2.5 m², that's part of it in the above photo. Then we have another even smaller area which measures approx 2 m x 1.5 m and that bit sits just underneath my equally teeny tiny kitchen window. So yeah, not much room to play with at all. It's west facing which means we get the sun in the afternoon, although there are parts of the yard which are in permanent shade all day. I'll show you some more photos as we chat along so that you can maybe get a better idea of the space, but when folks talk about small gardens, they actually have no idea what small really is until they've seen a Victorian terraced back yard.

Once upon a time I lived in a 2nd floor flat backing onto a high speed railway line, and believe me, a small back yard where I could sit in the sun and sip a mojito surrounded by flowers would have been heaven to me back then. So I try very hard to be thankful for this space, to appreciate it and not feel too envious of those who have grassy gardens with trees and wildlife and abundant borders.

Anyhow - an afternoon was spent shifting our dilapidated furniture about, sweeping and de-weeding the rather ugly concrete slabs and getting rid of an accumulated pile of gardening bits and bobs which were no longer fit for purpose. Then it was time to plant up my pots - these are all many years old but are still mostly intact so I simply changed out the compost and gave them a bit of a clean up.

Ahh....that's looking a bit better, a few colourful crochet blankets always makes everything look better!

We had an old folding hardwood chair down in the cellar so we dragged that up to put in the very small space at the end - this is the spot that gets the sun throughout the whole afternoon and it's very sheltered and warm there. I really wanted a lovely comfy chair to be there as it's one of my favourite places to sit, so I measured the space and started to have a look online for something that might fit.

The warm sunny weather was enticing us all outside, including Little Lady who decided that a spot of sunbathing might help her revision along (I know, teenage logic, don't bother questioning  it). As you can see, sunbathing options in our back yard were very basic - a picnic blanket on the hard concrete floor was pretty much the only option. 

Did you notice that I said "was", as in past tense? Uh-huh, well after I had a few mojitos tucked away I confess I went a little cray-cray with some online shopping......

....and this ↑↑ landed in my basket. Oh boy. Please say hello to the Allibert Jaipur Sun Lounger with Graphite Grey Cushion, and picture my face when a huuuuuge box arrived on the doorstep and I had yet to inform J of my purchase. Luckily all was well, and although J said I was "absolutely mad" for purchasing a giant piece of plastic, I was positively overjoyed with it.

I mean, just look how well it fits, and imagine how warm and comfy this tiny space is now...just perfect for some sunny afternoon idling with a spot of crochet in my lap.

The above photo shows where the lounger sits in relation to the shady table and chairs - you can see we don't have much privacy, actually er, we have zero privacy. I guess I've learnt to accept it as part and parcel of living so closely with our neighbours in a terraced row of houses, but I really would love to add some height to our boundary wall and gate so that we can relax a little bit more in our small outdoor space. 

Despite the lack of privacy, I've been getting on just fine with the business of lounging around in the sunshine. I've been making very good use of my new giant piece of plastic seating and let me tell you I LOVE it. Absolutely love it. It's just a delight to sit with my feet up in this little sunny nook, an escape from the house and a bit of time to be alone with my thoughts for a while. I've had one or two afternoon naps here too, well I did have to try out the lounger in it's fully flat position to see how well it worked....I can confirm it works a treat. The only downside to having this one delightful piece of furniture is that I have to share it with Little Lady. We haven't (yet) had to fight over it but that's not to say that I haven't found myself on occasion waiting impatiently for her to get too hot/bored with sunbathing so that I can have my turn.

During the past month, my flowers have really started to fill out the pots. Most of the flowers are situated on top of the wall as they get full sun that way, and it gives me a smidge of extra privacy from folks walking up and down the cobbled back street just on the other side.

I water with a watering can which is a bit slow and laborious but it does mean I can add a liquid feed to the water once a week to keep the flowers blooming well all summer (I hope).

I'm waiting impatiently for the "prolific cascading" which is supposed to happen with some of these flowers...come on, come on!!

Two weeks ago I realised I had one large empty pot to fill, and I started to ponder what to plant in it. I wanted something tall/climbing as the pot sits in front of an ugly drainpipe, so I decided in the end to try growing something edible. I settled for climbing french beans as the blurb on the packet said that they'd have pretty purple flowers so I thought it was worth a try. I planted a handful in a pot indoors on 11th June....

....and six days later, ta-dah!!! How quick was that?! It was extremely exciting I have to say, the thrill of seeds growing into actual real plants never gets old.

I didn't have any tall sticks to hand, so I made some string supports (tied to the top of the drainpipe) for my beanlets to help them in their journey upwards. I'm hopeful for flowers and beans later in the summer that will cover up the pipe, I'll keep you posted. Also, you can see how fast my sweet peas have grown in the blue pot there - no flowers yet, but we do have buds. Super exciting times in the back yard. Buds!!

I love the ritual of stepping out of the kitchen door every morning to check on my flowers and see how they're doing. By the way, I'm still managing to keep with my morning routine in which I get myself out of the house at 7am each day for a brisk "wake-up walk". I'm pretty sure that I've now set that habit for myself (trying to remember when I first began? Ok, found it, it was 24th March so three months ago - is it a habit now then? I think it must be.)

I have to say it's really lovely coming back down my cobbled street at the end of my morning walk and seeing my pots looking so blooming pretty. I'm really happy with myself for making that happen. Well done me.

I leaned right out of my bedroom window to take the above photo for you, so you could better appreciate the small-scale of my yard. Teeny-tiny indeed. Incidentally, the big black box thing there is a very handy storage box which I purchased alongside my sun lounger. Oh, J had a LOT to say about that I can tell you. But it's such a good thing - it means we can easily store blankets and cushions and other gardeny bits that we want to keep dry. And like I said to J, it's waaaaaaay cheaper than a shed, plus you can sit on it or use it like a table. Versatile and useful.

And I leaned very precariously out of the bathroom window to show you the little bit of my yard where my lounger sits. 

So there you have it, it's all bit a rough and ready but it does make me happy. At some point in the future if we decide that this is going to remain our home for many more years, we'll spend some money making this into a proper courtyard garden I think. I have lots of ideas (of course I do), but for now I'm content to enjoy what we have.

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Comments

[Carine]

"Hope you read again from you."

Oops... should be: Hope to read from you again.😊

[Carine]

Hello Lucy,

Also lots of love from the Eifel in Germany. Stay happy and enjoy the little things; buttercups ;), colours, sunshine, with a little rain sometime :)...

Hope you read again from you.

Carine

[Mavis K Hewitt]

Hi Lucy, just wanted to send you some loving thoughts and kindness. I hope life is treating you well and if not, I hope and pray this is a short season for you. Your posts are wonderful and so full of inspiration and the things that you make gorgeous. I have made the dune blanket (first ever crochet project, as I only knuckled down to learn to crochet properly at the beginning of lockdown) and I am looking forward to the new Christmas blanket coming out.
look after yourself and I hope you are enjoying the summer holidays with your family.
Love and best wishes, God Bless, Mavis x

[kathleenalice]

Thank you for all of your lovely cheery posts Lucy and for your generosity in sharing your beautiful patterns.
I hope you are having a lovely restful summer and that you are keeping well and happy ❤

[Nicole]

oh Lucy, thank you for your blog, love the little yard, you have inspired me to get back out into mine. we are in our winter months down here in Australia so will be good to get things prepped over the next few weeks. I have recently finished a massive cosy stripe blanket which I would love to share with you to say thanks and Oh my look what I made!! Anyway, not sure how to do that x thanks again and stay well x

[Candace Jacobs]

Lucy, just wanted to take a moment, whilst sipping my morning coffee, to say "Thank You!" for all of the beautiful blanket patterns and decorative patterns you have so generously shared with us throughout the years. Your picture step-by-step (which is awesome by the way) has encouraged many to pick up that little hook and to give crochet a go. Am furiously trying to finish two WIP's so to be ready to start the Yuletide Blanket in September and not feel guilty having them waiting my attention in the basket of shame. LOL!!!

[Anne Cooke]

Have been following you with enjoyment for many years now, and bought many of your kits, but sadly will have to call a halt. It has been a month since you posted. Very tired of checking every day and not even seeing a short message on facebook to show that you wish to stay in touch with loyal fans.

[Geeha]

I can see it is the Sweet Flower Blanket (right-hand bar) on the lounger but no detailed tutorial. Maybe I'll be inspired to work it out

[Marili Bezerra]

Lucy, te amo e amo tudo que vc posta. Moro em Águas de São Pedro, São Paulo, Brasil. Passeio pelo seu blog e sonho, imagino, faço planos, me inspiro e encho meu coração de alegria e amor. Gratidão
Muito obrigada por tanta cor, luz e alegria e gratidão. Amo tudo. Um grande beijo.

[Katherine A Patterson]

Love your blog, your views and outlook. I have a feeling your just as tired of Covid as we are but its back to the mask here in the USA too. I'm looking forward to your Christmas project! We really need something to look forward to, so thank you for that!My garden is just as small, love seeing what you've done in that space. Praying you and your family are well. Take care

[diane willard]

I just now got around to reading this post. I have to say your space is small. BUT!! You have created a lovely cozy spot to sit and enjoy. You are so lucky to have so many public lands that are near you to enjoy. I have traveled with you many times down your river walk. Thanks for sharing.

[Noelle Sweeney]

oh i do love your cozy spot! It's amazing to me what one person can do! you have transformed that space into something really lovely. It does a heart good to look out of your window and see those colors, it's heart warming. I have been inspired to put pots on my wall now too! great idea. Enjoy your summer oh and love the lounger..

[Corinne]

Lucy, could you tell me which blanket is on your lounger, please? I've looked at all the blankets on the sidebar but can't see it. I've tried to make a blanket with large and small squares but can't quite work it out!

[Angela-southern USA]

The back yard is lovely Lucy! I've spent lots of time in my garden this year, to where I haven't crochet anything yet this summer, I know, it's shocking to me as well. I hope you have lots of hot sunny days ahead!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Charlotte Pountney]

Hope you are OK Lucy, and enjoying your lovely courtyard. It's a bit hot for coffee and crochet...unless you have your coffee iced!

[Julie]

You've got a beautiful space there! Enjoy x

[Sheena]

Lovely garden. Just wondered- if you want more privacy what about a trellis. Either with fake greenery or with an evergreen climber ( star jasmine comes to mind)?

Really enjoy your blog. Thank you.

[Kim]

Hi Lucy. Your garden is indeed petite, but it's so lovely with the flowers all around and a lounger to enjoy the morning sun on. I especially like the sweet peas, with the buds almost ready to pop with their blooms.

[selena]

that was perfect

[Jacquie]

Loved reading this post Lucy. Your Yarden is lovely, and with the park close by for wide open grassland I think it's just perfect. Pots of bulbs, planted in the autumn, would look fab on your wall next spring :0)
Jacquie xx

[Gwen]

Love your colorful outside corner!

[Val]

Hi Lucy, You have made such a colourful place in your garden/yard, I'm quite envious - we have a very green garden - not so many pretties.
Lucy I have been looking for a poncho pattern to make for my two nieces (adults), and found yours - do you have a pattern for it, at least how to start it would be good - one of your commenters said the same thing. Did you start with approximately 100 chains stitches?
Your poncho is the best I have found!. :-)
Val

[Jools Morgan-Jones]

It looks lovely, Lucy - and I love how you have used terracotta pots to make your wall a bit taller. Ingenious!

[Crafty Cath]

It looks great!

[Tracey Ogden]

Love it. I think there is something special about courtyard gardens