Outdoor water features

Another (yes another) thing on my outdoor wish list is a little garden pond. You know the type...small, encircled with lots of stone, goldfish swimming within, a little fountain giving it just the right amount of authenticity...so pretty. My friend Janet has one, and although I have yet to sit and enjoy it, I certainly plan to!! I can just picture us...blissfully sipping our diet Cokes while the kids play in her pool and then...SPLASH...yeah, yeah, I'm daydreaming again!! Anyway, because I can't find the room in my yard to have one (and with town bylaws I'd probably need a 5 ft fence around it!!), I will just have to enjoy other people's.

Determined to incorporate a water feature of my own, I purchased a wall fountain for my deck. It is just the right size and after plugging it in...voila...perfectly trickling water. Well, maybe a little too strong a trickle. I get the feeling it will be triggering too many trips to the bathroom if we're sitting out with friends drinking some summer cocktails... Oh well, that's better than seeing one of my cats with a poor little goldfish hanging from its mouth! See how life gets in the way of decorating perfection? A perfect example of reality vs. fantasy!! I say, if you want a low maintenance/low-cost water feature, try a nice birdbath. Not only will you be adding some interest to your garden, but you will also be providing a lovely spot for the birds in your yard to cool off.

I will leave you with some wonderful examples of outdoor water features you can aspire to, or like me, just continue to dream of. Besides, living just 15 minutes from one of the most beautiful beaches in Atlantic Canada, I have absolutely nothing to complain about!!!

Unfinished Business...

Well, here are some before photos of all the outdoor projects we have under way. The only problem is...there are no after photos yet. We still have lots to do before those can be taken and the weather and our schedules are not cooperating. Paul has made more progress than this photo shows - the floor of the deck is now complete and he is starting on the walls. I want the pool area to be good and private so we can pretend we are not within spitting distance of our neighbours!! The kids decided they could wait no longer and decided to have their very own "polar dip"...the water temperature was about 60 degrees, so needless to say, their dip was very brief!!

Sophie and I are tackling the flower beds but that, too, is slow going. I want to plant with the future in mind and I want it to look "cottagey"...I don't want anything looking too perfectly planned or cookie-cutter. I'll post some pictures of the progress we have made as soon as I get my mulch.

I hope you all are enjoying better weather than we are. It is still basically quite cold and rainy here. There haven't been too many occasions where the kids have had to wear shorts. It's looking like another short Maritime summer...Happy landscaping!!

My workspace

I have seen some beautiful workspaces in magazines and on some of the blogs I have visited. Unfortunately, mine is not really one of them. I have a tiny space I carved out of our family room that my kids tend to invade for their own use. More often than not, I find myself picking snack wrappers they have left on my little desk and staring at basketball screen-savers on the computer. Yes, it is more of a storage center for my decorating books and magazines and even my intended "inspiration board" is more functional than beautiful...

When I find my space "invaded" I creep into Paul's office to work on the computer and tend to do any design planning at the kitchen table. Perhaps I am just like my kids: playing musical desks and just wanting to be where everyone else is... Oops, gotta go: Paul is kicking me off his computer...guess I'll go kick the kids off mine!!!