This year didn’t see any spectacular developments in the garden. Both the lawn and our hedges continued to grow and get stronger, and we spent as much time in the garden as the weather and other commitments would allow. The garden to us, in the Spring and Summer months at least, is our living room!
You might just have noticed if you are very observant that I have extended the patio. It now goes back to the garden house (not shown in the photograph). My main motivation for doing so is that the grass in this part of the garden just doesn’t grow very well thanks to the overhanging trees, which take up all the moisture in the ground and block out the sunlight. Plus it’s less lawn to mow!
There were, as ever, a few small developments, like the addition of our garden gnomes, "Wolfgang" and "Irene"! These two were kindly donated by our friends in Kassel, Wolfgang and Irene, after whom they are named (just in case you didn’t already figure that out . . . . ).
2014 was World Cup (Weltmeisterschaft) year, so the pavilion had to be decked out with German flags and party lights in June. We had no idea how far Germany would go this time around – they usually make it to the later stages, unlike England. This time, of course, they would go on to win it – no mean feat, since the tournament took place in South America! Better yet, they beat Brazil 7-1 on their own turf – the heaviest defeat ever suffered in the semi-final of a World Cup.
Needless to say, there was probably more beer-drinking going on than actual gardening during the World Cup competition. You can see I’ve been busy, though – as witnessed by the patio extension back to the garden house, clearly visible in the above photograph.