ABOUT | Mysite

About Me

Hello! I'm Clare, mum to two crazy young children (Daniel and Ellie) and wife to Andy. For as long as I can remember, I have really felt at home in the open air and countryside. I can literally feel my daily stresses start to dissipate as soon as I put on my wellies and step outside to work in the garden or take a walk in the open countryside. I genuinely believe that nature has the power to heal, calm and inspire us - something that seems more important than ever in the fast-paced and often destructive world in which we currently live. I suppose, to a large extent, my love of the countryside is in my genes - my paternal grandfather was a Cheshire farmer and, whilst my maternal grandfather spent most of his working life as an electrician, he lived and breathed the countryside and seemed to understand and appreciate it more than anyone else I have ever met. He was like a character from an old Enid Blyton novel, gruff on the outside, but possessing a patient, gentle way with animals that I wish I had inherited. He would often take in injured wildlife, nurse it back to health and then enjoy regaling his grandchildren with tales of his latest patient. It was not without its risks of course and I distinctly remember he was once attacked by a mother owl who had watched him for several days tending her injured owlet (but that's another story!). Now I have children of my own, I am hopeful that nature will engender in them the same fascination and pleasure that it has always brought me.

Our Plot

Nearly five years ago, Andy, Daniel and I moved into a neglected, Grade II listed, thatched cottage in Oxfordshire and, since then, we have been working towards turning it into a comfortable family home. Unfortunately, as three became four, and we discovered just how neglected the house had become, progress has been very slow and the outside space has largely taken a back seat in the proceedings thus far. Don't get me wrong - I love our little garden and get such pleasure from the brief periods I spend working in it - we've just had other priorities that we've needed to focus on until now. Now the children are a little older however, I'm keener than ever to turn our outside space into an area that we can all enjoy and which we can all gain benefit from.

The garden itself is East facing and by no means extensive. It measures about 30 metres (100 feet) in length and is oddly wedge shaped, ranging from approximately 10 metres (30 feet) at its widest point, to a fine tip. We are bordered on one side by road and on the other side by a narrow river - which is wonderful in some aspects and has the potential to be very pretty - but of course presents its own difficulties and dangers, especially with two young children. The garden has several mature trees (predominantly birches, elders, yews and cherries) and lies mostly in shade. We also have a narrow slip of a garden separating the front of the house from the road and a small patio area with raised bed by the kitchen door. Since we moved in, we have managed to prune some of the larger trees (including removing some very large conifers) and to some extent define the garden into different areas and borders. The plan is, in its simplest sense, to create a lawned play area for the children, a small fruit and vegetable patch and a number of borders/seating areas for us all to enjoy. Central to our ultimate planting scheme will be the desire to create a working cottage garden with a strong emphasis on wildlife and with year long flowering.

It certainly all sounds simple enough written down, but I'm afraid I'm more of a Barbara Good than a Monty Don - having good intentions but learning as I go! Also, given we have limited time and budget, progress will no doubt be slower than we would like and largely through trial and error. Still, all good things...

Images of the front and side of the cottage, showing the length of the main part of the garden. Also, a view of the river.

The remains of an old bridge over the river.