We just bought a new seat .
Assembly begins
And put it together. (both of us – would have been impossible alone – but I took the picture so you can’t see me slaving away.)
We’ve always wanted a seat in the meadow, but there never seemed to be the right place. Then some cotoneasters died and left a space behind, which we intend to fill with laurel clipped low as at Rousham. We thought of building one, as we have elsewhere,
but sudden impulse took us to a teak ready made (ish). Enables us to experiment and see if we like it.
Seat arrives in situ. See dead cotoneasters behind. I kept the trunks for their weird sculpture.
So – we brought it down. (both of us) And sat on it.
Sitting.
And admired the view. And thought…
Taken in bright sunlight. Sorry.
We thought
– it’s a bit domestic and maybe even suburban for an otherwise rather natural feeling place. Hmmm.
But – it is an amazing effect to actually be able to sit and look at the meadow. I never knew or anticipated this. But the experience is quite different from walking through it – and it’s a delight. Being able to relax and just look…
See?
So. Now what? Well, the seat will tone down. It’s teak, so it should go a subtle grey. That will be better. The laurel will grow up and surround it. That will also be better. It’ll snuggle it in more. So, we’ll see how we feel.
Meanwhile, drinks here tonight in the sunshine.. (YEY!)
What do you think? Is it a keeper?
O, and Charles also replaced The Head, after a little refurbishment:
Mended head…
I think being able to sit IN a garden is a wonderful thing. It is a much different experience than walking through. You get to watch the birds and insects really interact with the plants in a way that you just don’t get to when you are on the move.
Enjoy your drink.
Thank you. We did. It turned out to be more than one drink and more than one seat….and you are so right.
I agree…too early to tell. New wooden things in an established garden are frequently jarring. Let a season or two of sitting, weathering, & growth happen before you decide.
Yes. I think we must. It is just too good sitting there – you are right. Time will mellow it.
Being able to contemplate the meadow is such a lovely thing to do. The laurel will give it strukcha (said in a Joe Swift voice.)
Brilliant. Love to have strukcha!
We like seats like yours very much, and have 3 of them around the field/garden, as well as a number of slate benches. In many ways, being able to sit and look at the garden is what all the gardening is for. It will certainly look more at home when it weathers, and then you could perhaps choose a slightly darker oil to treat it with?
You would oil it, Ian, rather than let it fade to grey?
Hi Anne & Charles,
Let it go grey, it would fit in better with its surroundings. I have a teak seat too (grey, what else) and I’ve let honeysuckle grow thru it which makes it even look more natural. I give it a haircut twice a year though so there’s space for me to sit. đ
BTW fab view from your new seat of the meadow. Wish I could see the real thing, as I love, love wildflower meadows. Have just returned from wonderful holiday in France (Haut Marne) where there were wildflower meadow galore. Loads of wild orchids as well. Ab fab with knobs on and a packet of crisps! ;-).
XXX
Yolanda
Hi Yolanda, – you must come and eat crisps on our bench too, then one day. We’ll save the meadow for you….. Xxx
I like your use of the word snuggle. And I think over zealous maintenance is what leads to a suburban look. So I’d go for the fading. But I’m lazy. And love to sit.
You could be right about the maintenance. And we’re good at casual maintenance, so maybe that and greying – and having vegetation growing through,- will do the trick. And let us sit there rather than faffing..
Like the seat. Not so sure about the dead cotoneaster branches. A distraction to the eye in that tranquil spot and weird though not in a good way?
Maybe – it also distracts from view otherwise straight into Veg Plot, which I wanted to distract from. Losing the Cotoneasters has temporarily lost us that division…
Love your blog and pictures of your garden. The seat looks comfortable and sitable, placed in a premium spot. There is nothing wrong with being new; with time it will fit right in
Inger
Today’s garden visitors have agreed with that. We await weathering…Thank you!
Colour-wise it’s quite understated compared to the other “pink” and blue seats. And in just the right position (more or less where I’ve liked to stand for a while to experience the meadow). I’ll “reserve judgement” on the trunks until I can see them though I wonder if they might get people looking at the veg plot as they wonder why they’re there.
The G12 has a 30 second timer you know so you could have set that and run back to help Charles with the bench đ
I think all our cameras have a delay – but they all also need a suitable perch…
The other seats are in different contexts.. context is all?
I like. I also like the structuredness of it in the meadow. I know what you mean about a new seat. I have one at the top of the Mothers’ Garden (in white plastic ;( – if you want to know what suburban is; but it is weather proof and cheap – I guess being sensible is what makes it suburban đ …. ) Anyway sitting-to-enjoy is so different from passing-through-to=enjoy. So I wish you joy.
Interesting – what does define suburban? I take great consolation from your affordable one and do love the sitting… XX
Having a sitting area in a garden creates a different means of experience, so the seating area is a keeper. The new teak bench is very different from the bench you made, maybe that is reason enough to keep it, to create variety. If you get bored of teak, paint it!
Thanks, Amy. We’re not short of sitting places/seats really (about 20?) but this is a new one and a new perspective. You are right about variety. Not so much about painting though – the annual chore of repainting the painted seats was partly what drove us to having our own design built. (the other thing was that ours are designed for the comfort of people who are shorter than seat manufacturers inevitably assume) Xxx
We have metal furniture with a verdi-blue finish. The bench across the pond has a graceful shape, but the colour flows into the surrounding green. And it’s bliss to sit there looking back across the pond.
You can never have too many benches and seats in the garden and I just love the feel of timber, much cosier to sit on than metal or stone. We have lots of teak and it turns nicely silver-grey in no time. We have a bench under the willow in our orchard and it’s a favourite place, not only when camassia and narcissi flower in the long grass but also later in summer when the meadow is cut and it looks so neat as opposed to the wild look of spring. I hope you’ll have many drinks on your new bench in the years to come.
Thank you! We’ll toast all our seated and drinking well wishers, too. Xxx
Keeper ! Fade to grey (sounds like a cue for a song) gets my vote. I love that shade of silvery grey which just melts into the landscape. But will you sit on it, or perch for a second, before you think of some task in the garden which has to be accomplished immediately ? I know I always intend to sit and just enjoy and contemplate, but, sadly, in my case it seldom happens.
We do – because we have a habit of sitting in the garden with a drink on a fine evening. Good to have lots of choice.. Downside of that is trying to cook supper after a couple of glasses..
I don’t think you can ever have too many seats in a garden (suburban or otherwise) – but then I have lots of steps and like to sit down a lo wherever I’m working. When it weathers and is ‘cuddled’ by all that beautiful long meadow grass and the flowers it will look as good as it feels.
I know you are right!