Summer in the Garden

We've really enjoyed our time in Capstick's garden this summer.  It has a very Secret Garden-ish feel to it with its brick walls and ivy.  

This has been my view as I've washed dishes all spring and summer long.  My clump of lavender has given me new insight into the phrase "busy bee."  No matter what the time of day, the bees are constantly at work in the lavender.

When you step out the back door of the kitchen you see where our neighbor told us a conservatory used to be attached to the back of the house.  She and her husband used to own Capstick and did most of the renovations, uncovering a lot of the original structure that had been covered.

What remains is a useful little shed for hiding away scooters, but what we used it for most was the myriad of boxes we had when we first moved in and had to buy so many things to furnish our house.

The Kitchen Door

You can see how the kitchen has been extended beyond the original house.  Capstick was once the servant's quarters attached to our neighbor's house, and the neighbor behind us who renovated it now lives in the renovated outbuildings.  

We borrowed a fire pit for the 4th of July, and it was a fun addition to the garden for a few weeks.

I really like the garden because it has so many different little spaces.  I like having the paved area, the rocky area, and a grassy area.  Buying the swing was such a good decision.  We lived in our house in Alabama for 6 years, and I never pulled the plug on buying any outdoor furniture.  I didn't want to make that mistake again, and we've enjoyed having a place to sit and read and have people over.  I even took a short little nap on the swing this past Sunday!

There's this nice little hideaway in the corner of the garden where that little tree grows.

There have been nice little wildflowers popping up through the summer.

This little low-growing plant has kept its flowers for months!

And the roses keep on coming.

The aforementioned lavender lasted months as well, but it's finally starting to fade.  It is the end of August after all.

Here's to you, Capstick.  And summer.  These long days of summer have been delightful.  I hate to see them end!  Living so far north has made me think more about the official dates of summer more than before.  I tried not to count it as summer until June 21st this year, and I'm going to try to hang on to it until September 22nd.