And behind the mahogany doors of the wardrobe is a cavalcade of 30 years of fashion, including bell-bottom trousers from the first time they came around. I find it extremely difficult to get rid of things.
It’s the same in the garden. I can make a case for the Pisa-esque towers of plant pots in the potting shed. Plastic, yes, but recycled. Endlessly. From time to time, some will float off to a fête, planted up with divisions of cymbidiums and Spuria iris, although not often enough to make a real difference. Fortunately, plants are now most likely to come from swaps with friends, swaddled in newspaper rather than plastic. The towers may not be shrinking much, but at least they have stopped growing.
Leaning against the wall in one corner of the potting shed is a clutch of hoes of different sizes, a mattock, a pitchfork… all with heavy wooden handles. They belonged to my father’s uncle, a schoolmaster of a type that perhaps does not exist now: tall, solitary, ascetic, a mountaineer, formidably well read. He kept a fine orchard, a huge vegetable garden and grew splendid auriculas. As well as his tools, I have his meticulous garden diaries, which stretch from his retirement in March 1945 to his death in June 1962. I don’t use his tools —they are too heavy for me— but knowing his diaries so well, how could I throw them away?
Denne historien er fra April 26, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra April 26, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
All gone to pot
Jars, whether elegant in their glazed simplicity or exquisitely painted, starred in London's Asian Art sales, including an exceptionally rare pair that belonged to China's answer to Henry VIII
Food for thought
A SURE sign of winter in our household are evenings in front of the television.
Beyond the beach
Jewels of the natural world entrance the eyes of Steven King, as Jamaica's music moves his feet and heart together
Savour the moment
I HAVE a small table and some chairs a bleary-eyed stumble from the kitchen door that provide me with the perfect spot to enjoy an early, reviving coffee.
Size matters
Architectural Plants in West Sussex is no ordinary nursery. Stupendous specimens of some of the world's most dramatic plants are on display
Paint the town red
Catriona Gray meets the young stars lighting up the London art scene, from auctioneers to artists and curators to historians
The generation game
For a young, growing family, moving in with, or adjacent to, the grandparents could be just the thing
Last orders
As the country-house market winds down for Christmas, two historic properties—one of which was home to the singer Kate Bush-may catch the eye of London buyers looking to move to the country next year
Eyes wide shut
Sleep takes many shapes in art, whether sensual or drunken, deathly or full of nightmares, but it is rarely peaceful. Even slumbering babies can convey anxiety
Piste de résistance
Scotland's last ski-maker blends high-tech materials with Caledonian timber to create 'truly Scottish', one-off pieces of art that can cope with any type of terrain