The weather has been kind and this last weekend saw our "big push" to get the majority of the work done on a garden being built for some friends. I do not normally get involved in the construction of the schemes that I design, I invariably get in the way, have far to many opinions and quickly get frustrated that it isn't happening the way I had foreseen. I am better resolving the details and getting on with the next piece of work. However, this garden has an ulterior motive, I'll get to use it. designed in an afternoon over a beer and built on the following three weekends; it has been a social occasion as much as a labour of friendship. Wives children and dogs helped to move 7 tons of soil, plant over 200 plants and consume two jugs of Pimms. Backs and shoulders are throbbing today but almost expressed as old war wounds might be , with a sense of pride and hopefully the trigger to reveal a starring role.

Three new enquiries this week, all are going to be planting biased projects I think. Interestingly all spoke about potentially moving within the next few years but still have the desire to make the most of their gardens between now and then. I think for the first time people are willing to wait. Current project commitments mean I cant start any new work until late August/ Sept but everybody has found this seems to fit in with their own plans. Its hard not to think about projects when I have seen them and been commissioned, so I do keep a sketch book going to jot down notes and ideas as they occur. I also quite like a long lead in to the start of a design, the preparation, the consideration of what sources and references I might use, researching, obtaining materials and probably most importantly planning the work so that it gets completed as anticipated.

I mentioned that I would start to tell you about the things that I like, as disparate and unconnected as they might appear to gardens. They are where I get my inspiration from, or are simply my enthusisms for the products of someone else's thinking

I read RJ Ellory's "A Quiet Belief in Angels" recently. Not a subject I would typically be attracted to but a crafted and very well told story. His blog is also worth reading.

Senz "Storm" umbrella. An elegant and striking design. The science behind it is impressive but what is most impressive for me is the redesign of something so common place.

The smell of oak, cutting it (or rather attempting to cut it, because its not easy) reminded me of how "homely" oak smells, almost yeasty, bread like. But then there are several smells that can drag me back in time; creosote (school sports day), cocoa butter (instructing on Camp America), 2-stroke engine oil (my father stripping motorbike engines on the dining room table)........