Gardens on Cnoc na Gaire

Over 8 weeks ago men with shovels, steel capped boots, a lifetime supply of lucozade and roaring yellow diggers arrived like an invading army on to Cnoc na Gaire. Since then our Hill of Laughter has been a slightly less tranquil and significantly louder place. There's been a whole lot of mud, sweat and rain but the once grassy knoll is emerging from under those steel clad feet as an elegant and refined garden.

This was our garden waaaaay back in July just before Alfie was born, which feels like a whole life time ago! A different person stood on these front steps and looked out at a different landscape, with only the faintest inclination of how drastically the world was about to shift!

The initial growth spurt was the most dramatic as it happened so quickly! I remember a brief moment of panic when I first saw how we had brutalised it, I genuinely felt sad for everything we'd uprooted. A small mercy that the Summer was over we weren't making any bees homeless. As first priority the top layer of soil was pulled away and turned to kill weeds and destroy their roots. After that the levels were set, because of the slope and poor drainage the front garden was divided into three levels. The first will be a gravel turning circle and will sit right under that digger, down three steps will be a rectangular formal lawn and down a further flight of steps, nestled at the foot of the hill will be a round lawn surrounded by a wild flower meadow.

Things had started to take shape by September, you can see where the lawns will be laid, as well as where the steps will eventually go. One of the things I love about Cnoc na Gaire is the light. From every angle it is bathed in warm, living light. This photo makes me so excited to grow our lives there.

Then one day, there was a roundabout! The turning circle appeared over night! On the right you can just about make out the last few feet of what will one day be a secret pathway and down on both lawns there are tiny, grassy spikes nuzzling their way out of the soil! Eeeeek! I can't wait! 

On Tuesday for the very first time we will be donning work boots and rubber gloves ourselves and finally getting our own hands in the soil! Our shiny new shovels are sitting in the garage just waiting to be used! I am speechless with joy!