If you've ever visited The Bakehouse, you may have noticed the garden. It's not rare for someone to say how lovely it looks or how astonished they are that such an amazing space exists so close to the city centre (well, 2 miles, but that's near enough).
Nevertheless, truth be told, although it looks good, it's not actually very practical. Those lovely fresh herbs? You need to leap over a flower bed to get to them. The apple tree? It seems determined to grow out across the footpath, no matter how much it's pruned back. Meanwhile, access to the shed requires skipping over loose stones on mud and the pond is so large it engulfs half the garden (that's no exaggeration). It was all right while the Koi swam around but now they've gone, there doesn't seem any point in keeping it.
If you don't believe me, just take a look below:
I've been saying for years it needs a change but...suddenly we're approaching a new decade and nothing's been done.
Until now.
Until yesterday.
Until I bought a gardening magazine that has totally inspired me.
I happened to be perusing WHSmith (a rare treat these days) and spotted Modern Gardens. On the front cover it boasted a tropical paradise conversion for one of its readers. Inside, it showed a normal garden. There didn't seem much wrong with it.
But then they showed the transformation.
Sawn sandstone replaced a shabby little terrace and the most beautiful curved steps led up to a bridge over a pond. There's a beautiful fig tree and some very clever zone lighting.
It occurred to me something similar would look amazing at The Bakehouse. And what better way to spend a wedding cake tasting than with a stunning outdoor backdrop?
Possibly adding a few cakes helps...
So don't be surprised if you soon see some excavation pictures. That'll be me realising the garden of my dreams!