It was about cats really

Gardens I have lived with – part 3

My next garden was a bit larger, in a more leafy suburb of Nottingham, the town that I grew up in.

There was no front garden, just car standing.  The back garden was quite long and separated from my neighbours by fairly low brick walls.  There was the obligatory lawn border to the left hand side with a few shrubs, to the right of the lawn was a concrete slab path and a border containing a grapevine.  The previous owners had planted this and were suitably proud of it.  Grapes did used to form, but never got beyond being hard pea like things.  Notions of wine-making production were soon dashed.  

To the rear of the lawn there was a large vegetable patch lined with gooseberry bushes.  The vegetable patch elicited some vague veg planting by then husband.  I remember in particular the planting of Kohn Rabi.  Neither of us knew what it was or what should be done with it.  When it matured (well, it may or may not have matured, we couldn’t tell) – it looked so alien that nothing happened with it.

The main period of our time in that house related to the birth of our two children.  Consequently I confess that virtually no gardening went on that I can remember.  I do recall planting some pulmonarias which I was really quite fond of.  Ground cover and lazy planting was the order of the day.  

The garden was for the children to play in and not much else.  I look at this photograph though and see a brigher, more colourful border than I remember.  In fairness I maintained it rather than actually did anything with it.   The garden was just sort of ‘there’.  Probably the garden I did least with – sorry.

Please note- none of these photographs are of the garden, they are photographs of Polly near a grapevine, Claude near a gooseberry bush and Becky walking up the garden.  I find it fascinating that when I look through my photograph albums I can see where my priorities/interests were/are.  So at this point, pre-children, lots of photographs of cats.  My next few albums are full of my children growing up with some cats involved.  Now, photographs of the garden, my children (of course) and yes, still cats.   If only I could get them altogether in one photograph.......