When we moved into this house there was virtually NOTHING in the little garden strips by the front of the house.
The place looked NAKED.
So of course, I tarted it up with pots and so on.
Now, after being here for over a year, I know why they had no potted plants there.
They die. They get no water, or very occasionally a tiny bit.
So yesterday afternoon I moved the plants out. And just put non organics along the house edge instead... PHOTOS REMOVED TILL I RE-ASSESS THINGS.
CONSTRUCTIVE OPINIONS are good.
Now... today? Sewing. Pure and simple.
I had wanted to go on a walk at 9.30 but my shins and Achilles are still sore after Monday's walk, so prudent I think to rest them some more.
A little hark back to something said yesterday in a comment I deleted:
PEPSI is my private blog... and yep, I say stuff on there that is not public. It's exactly like talking to my girlfriends in private. The fact that others don't know what's being said is EXACTLY the same as one of my kids having a bitch to one of their friends about ME, but I can't hear it, or comment or defend myself.
EXACTLY THE SAME.
What is said about me behind my back is none of my business, just as what I say on my PRIVATE BLOG to MY GIRLFRIENDS is none of your business too.
So don't go bleating on about not being able to read PEPSI and DEFEND yourself. It's none of your bloody business what I say on there... AND who says anyone needs to DEFEND themselves from what I am saying anyway? Ya don't know what I say on there eh? You are PRESUMING a lot I think.
Back to today...
ONWARD...
Sooooooo.... I took on board what was said and have spent the last hour or so out the front AGAIN.
And this is the result:
I will just have to remember to water the pots.
My biggest 'problem' with the front is that I dislike the front of the house immensely.
It's just so... not me.
I absolutely loved the street appeal of our Auckland and Palmerston North homes ... so am still coming to grips with this home.
Don't get me wrong, I love this home, in many ways it's perfect for us. I just don't like it's frontage at all.
So, now that's done I shall move on to my sewing.
DAMMIT!!!
I went up to school to pick up Keera... and her teacher came out to speak to me. Keera refused to eat her sandwich today... so I STUPIDLY said "What a little trollop". Now I'm sitting here wondering if I'm going to be raked over the coals for calling my granddaughter a trollop! Grrrr.
I really can't be trusted to open my mouth up at that school... really. *sigh*
LOL.... thanks for all the positive comments today... they helped me with juggling things out the front and gave me more ideas to think about.
Signing off for the day... dinner tonight was a chicken and bacon casserole, mashed spuds, mixed veges, cauliflower and broccoli. Delicious!
Chris, I like your eclectic stuff around the garden but that's too much 'stuff' in front of the house - I'm trying to be constructive here, not critical. How about a compromise of some plants that like dry conditions and less bits and bobs? Less can be more :) No offence, just a suggestion.
ReplyDeleteLove the gardens except for the front.Looks like a hoarders house sorry.Way to junkie and scruffy.
ReplyDeleteHi I thought NZ had loads of rain and your grass is lovely and green so I wondered if the plants that died were too big for their pots? Here in UK we do have dry summers, yes tis true, we do and the best plants for dry areas are things like lavender and other silver leaf plants.. don't give up I like your blue pots and the rusty spring, that's a nice touch. Hydrangeas need a lot of water to flower well. Love the fish on the fence too.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Rain never gets on that area because its protected by the roof... YES we do get plenty of rain! I'm going to re do that area again this morning.
DeleteLooks much better! Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteA big yucca in a blue pot where that sign is would look amazing.I think because the front is very one dimensional looking is that why you don't like it? Big tree like plants in pots would give it more dimension and also a solid piece of outdoor furniture such as one of those chunky solid driftwood 2 seaters? Because the area is so vast and one dimensional it would look amazing with solid items rather than bits and pieces that make it look scruffy.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris, have you thought about getting the front side of the house rendered and painted? It would change it sooooooo much. Might not be your thing but its an option. I love your home. :) Have a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteIve been thinking about what you said yesterday about family visiting etc. I know when my children were little I didn't work outside of the home, so I managed to visit family and friends a lot. Now that I have 2 part time jobs, I find my weekends fulled up with house work and shopping that I have no time for during the week. If I have free time in the weekend I like to blob (lazy I know!) Anyway maybe this is why you have less visits from some family. life is more busy than it was even ten years ago. I can't even imagine how you would fit everything in when you have to work when your children are young. I was very lucky that I could stay home for about 7-8 years.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how busy people's lives can be. But everyone has a phone eh?
DeleteExactly !!!
DeleteAnd yeah, I love my family, wish I could see them more but can't, so call them often. Not hard! Even when I am super busy.
DeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI subscribe to the Home Beautiful magazine and get lots of ideas,maybe you could google front of home makeovers to get more ideas. I remember a while ago you had some ideas of a front entrance that looked good with wooden posts. Where you have your two bigger blue pots maybe you could buy two even bigger pots and put in large ferns and only have those two pots in the front and maybe put white small pebbles in the garden bed...I put white pebbles in some of mine and it really improved the look and is tidy...
Peta
We can't put any 'structure' out the front due to council restrictions. I will work on it... something will come to me eventually.
DeleteChris, have you thought about adding pavers or something to just to lead to the front door.
ReplyDeleteThats it ! lack of street appeal ! What about lavender in those two blue pots ?
ReplyDeleteThey would add a bit of height and colour or cordilines (I know that I spelt that incorrectly)
That's better Chris. Yukkas are great in pots by the way - so easy and they don't care if they don't get much water. They are the only things I can grow in a pot! Don't overthink the frontage of your house as you have the nice fence and driveway. Best of all you live out of Auckland!!
ReplyDeletehahaha trollop!!!!! I think it is funny but then - well not exactly PC am I. Seriously though, why does it warrant even a mention that she didn't eat her bloody sandwich? Generally if kids are hungry they eat, if not they don't, maybe Keera just wasn't hungry at lunchtime - or maybe she didn't like the sandwich today.
ReplyDeleteShe didn't like today's sandwich. The teachers have to make sure the children eat their lunch before they are released to play, it's a school 'policy'. Funny though, the little shit ate it as soon as she got home, no problem.
DeleteThe teacher was probably trying to say 'Don't send that sort of sandwich to school again!'. It was luncheon and cheese, a perfectly healthy sandwich as far as I'm concerned.
DeleteA wall planter with interesting bits n bobs n maybe height larger tree pot? Rendered front sounds nice but me personally I loved the front....... Cause I'm a gatherer and love bits n bobs.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog
ReplyDeletetrollop!!!! hahahahahahaha
ReplyDeleteWhat did you say last time that landed you in trouble at the school? I can't remember now!
ReplyDeleteI called MYSELF a grumpy old bitch
DeleteYou just make naughty words sound so cute.
DeleteI think a couple of bench seats under the windows, would look good, then maybe a couple of collections of blue pots of different sizes grouped together? A large wall art piece would break up the plain brick area too. I love those fish on the blue fence!
ReplyDeleteWould you be allowed to put up a shade sail?
ReplyDeleteNope... the council considers that a 'roof'... we can't put a bloody thing out the front without applying for Resource Consent, Change of Land Use Consent, Neighbour's consent bla bla bla. So for that...we wait. For our road to be re-zoned URBAN, which should be in a couple of years.
DeleteCouncils!! We're doing a subdivision at the moment and have had to put in underground power and concrete crossovers although no one else in the street has them. $$$!
DeleteOMG - that school is seriously snobby!! I think it's nice they let you know if she's not eating her sandwich but it's not an issue surely? Oh dear, this is my third comment today... must be a record for me.
ReplyDeleteI can't help thinking it is a stupid policy? All I am told is that I should trust my daughter to decide how much to eat and not interfere with her natural instinct by telling g her to clean her plate!
DeleteMuch better but I think you need something with a bit of height against the wall next to the garage. A largish evergreen ornamental tree would be ideal, do you have Camellias over there? They can be a bit boring in winter but you could put some battery lights in it, that's what I do with mine, and the flowers in spring are gorgeous. Also a water butt near the drainpipe (I am sure you could disguise it) would give you easy access to water for the pots. Keep on blogging. Em, London.
ReplyDeleteLOL I found one out the back yard!
DeleteI like that big pot Chris, it adds a bit of height.
DeleteJust what was needed on that wall. Well done Chris. Em, London
DeleteThe big pot looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteWhat about some tall growing succulents in that garden. They thrive without water and make an awesome show of colour.
ReplyDeleteAND sadly Karen, the Waikato frosts kill them too.
DeleteDon't the teachers at that school have other, more important, things to do than what was eaten at lunch? When I was still working we just made the kids take home any uneaten lunch and mom could see and decide what was to be done about it. That school sounds like a bit of a pain in the you know what!
ReplyDeleteWhat about shutters? Here they are mostly ornamental and don't shut, but they do add a bit of visual interest and weight to the house. They can also be painted to your liking. Love the trollop comment! Not even sure what that is, but it made me lol. Take care Chris!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree! that's a brilliant idea :)
DeleteLooks up trollop... ooopsie! seriously though why worry about if she ate her sandwich, she probably just wasn't hungry.
ReplyDelete