Stables Garden Bench

Stable Seat

The seat by the stables is my favorite winter morning coffee seat, when the sun is low in the sky and the air is crisp. It's a heart warming spot straight after winter sunrise, when many other parts of the garden are still in shade.

In the very middle of winter the earliest rays are shining here by 10 am - a perfect time for the first morning break. You can even kid yourself that it is going to be a warm day. The sturdy wooden surface is perfect for resting that first hot cup of coffee on.

This seat is built from a railway sleeper balanced on two columns of bricks. It's quite low to the ground and allows the sitter to lean comfortably against the Stables. There are absolutely no wobbles.

Leucadendron and Stable Seat

A Good Seat For Cat Company

Situated close to the house, a person resting on this seat will always be visited by at least one cat. The nearby Stables Border is always full of colour and interest, from the daffodils and tulips in spring to the mass plantings of yellow euphorbias and red penstemons in summer.

The Frisbee Lawn is opposite, with overhanging trees from the driveway and fencefuls of summer roses. Pelargoniums winter over here in tubs, and Alyssum self seeds in the dry soil around the seat. A Leucodendron called Safari Sunset is thriving with neglect in the dry soil.

Nasturtiums grow well here too, their orange colour set off against the dark wood stain of the stables wall. So do a variety of dry soil weeds and tenacious grasses!

Alyssum Closeup

Alyssum

There was no Alyssum anywhere at Mooseys when we first arrived. A few seedlings of the white variety arrived with a potted rose from my old garden.

Gradually this easy-to-grow flower has colonised the dry dusty soil in front of the Stables, needing no help from me. It's a humble plant, but it always gives me good memories.