2010 Newsletter
Isn't it amazing how quickly the time for the annual newsletter comes round again?
Work dominated the middle part of the year. Two of my colleagues left and I was asked to take on responsibility for the final stages of our release. This involved very long days and nights and meant that much of personal life was put on hold. The release is out now and life is starting to return to normal.
Canine vistor on the opening day mingles
Thankfully this happened just after the garden was once again opened to the public under the National Gardens Scheme in early June. The hard winter of 2009/10 had meant that visitors saw plants that were not usually in flower at the beginning of June. The aqualegias just about hung on, but the roses and dieramas weren't quite ready to make an appearance. Fortunately a lovely white clematis flowered for the very first time ever on the morning of our first day - perfect timing.
I had wondered if our attendances would fall off after the first couple of years open as more and more local people had visited, but that does not seem to be the case. We seem to get around 100 people a year, which is just perfect for our small garden. Many more and the tranquility of the space would be lost, many less and we might wonder if it was worth opening.
This year, we welcomed our first canine visitors to the garden. They were both beautifully behaved and the resident dogs enjoyed showing them around.
Those of you who are interested in the garden as it moves through the year might want to check out my website on Gardening and Dogs. Launched last year, the site has now had almost 10,000 hits. As well as regular updates on what is going on in the garden, I have a number of articles on the blog of interest to anyone who has a dog and would like a beautiful garden.
The end of the year saw me in hospital for a minor operation. Thankfully all went well and I am now well on the mend, thanks to Brian who looked after me exceptionally well.
Best wishes to you and yours for 2011.
Finuala