My Conservatory – Woman Of Worth by Mands

I have always wanted a Greenhouse… or even a Conservatory. I love being home and a Conservatory was just one of those luxuries I dreamed about… and although we’ve chatted about building one during the past three decades of our marriage, there was always more important things to be done… paid for and even built… than something as extravagant as a Greenhouse.

Not that I was deterred… as we have almost always had a veggie garden, that I have diligently loved, nurtured and tended, working hard to create a space to grow edible veggies and herbs.

There is an entrance room on our home that I dubbed the Conservatory from the first day we moved in eight months ago, however that I’ve done nothing with, because there has been the need to clean, renovate and paint our bathrooms and bedrooms… and obviously the kitchen.

However, it’s felt a little sadder every week as the months have passed, and I just couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Although we don’t have the budget right now to paint, I decided a good clean would be a great start. Armed with liquid sugar soap, we wiped and scrubbed from ceiling to floors… and the difference is amazing.

The tiles are lovely, and once clean, most of the security bars proved immaculate, except for the security doors which will need to be resprayed at some point… and the ceiling and walls, look so much better and will be wonderful, once we paint, after I decide on the right colour. The plastic roll blind, also looks much better after a good scrub… and revealed only one tear, which I have no idea how to repair… just yet. 🙂

Once it was clean, I’d just stand in the middle of the room, for a few minutes every day and try and imagine what I wanted and how it would look. Of course my grandiose ideas always need heaps of money. *Grin*

However, each day when the winter coldness of my office, sent me to the sunny warmth of our Conservatory, the desires of my heart and the power of my imagination, started to germinate seeds of thought that just had to be planted. *Smile*

I imagined dozens of juicy delicious red strawberries ripe to pick and eat… and the pungent aroma of herbs in their season. I imagined my cuttings planted in pots and growing on shelves… and overflowing in hanging baskets from the ceiling… and on shelves… and a potting table, and plant boxes of seedlings growing, and a cupboard with my garden goodies… and… and… and. *LOL*

Dreams do come true…and prayers do get answered.

Not always in the way we want or imagine, often much much better. *Grin*

I decided that by the 1^st September 2018, at the beginning of Spring, I’d do something… anything… to make our Conservatory, as untraditional as it is… more like a Greenhouse than just an empty entrance room.

Dave, my wonderful husband, bought 2 x 3m gutters, end caps and brackets (R100) and mounted them on the security guardrails above the half wall… with a few holes drilled in the bottom… and Voila, my first ‘strawberry beds’ were ready for planting.

R40 for a bag of potting soil, and R30 for two small strawberry plants… plus a few that I had in plant pots… and would you believe it… a week later we had our first delightfully red, wonderfully ripe strawberry, that I insisted my hubby eat, and of course he did, and said it was absolutely delicious.

We added two more very happy Strawberry plants, and the most beautifully aromatic Pineapple Mint, and every day I can see new growth. *Grin*

I am just so excited… and very happy every time I step into our Conservatory.

The miracle of planting a seed or cutting… and it grows, is an absolute wonder I never tire of. The thrill of picking something edible from my garden, that I have planted and nurtured with the blessing of Nature… that’s delicious to taste… whether a single strawberry or a dozen butternuts, is much more than a nutritious treat… it’s a harmonious relationship with Nature that continues to give, and inspires the richest of creative blessings.

Although there is still a lot more that I want to do in our garden…and Conservatory, it’s a patient labour of love that I’m thoroughly enjoying.

It doesn’t matter if I’m weeding on the hottest day and only clear a small patch, or I’m preparing beds to plant… or planting seedlings and cuttings to grow and gift… gardening… and planting… and growing something… calms my often chaotic thoughts, and always soothes my heart and soul. *Smile*

Follow your dreams… there is always a way!
Happy Spring
Mands

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A “Conservatory” is a building or room having glass or tarpaulin roofing and walls used as a greenhouse or a sunroom. If in a residence, it would typically be attached to the house on only one side.

There is this little “Nookie” on the side, that’s really too small to have even a chair to sit on… the space is 1.33 metres long, and only 82 cm’s deep… so I had no idea what to do with this space when I started. 🙂

These are the Before photos, however after we had cleaned. 🙂

If anyone knows how to repair the tear in thick plastic awning, I’d love your feedback please. 🙂

For our Strawberry Gutters, Dave installed the Gutter Brackets first, and then the Gutters with a few holes drilled into the bottom and ends installed. 🙂

That’s my wolf, Ryver and her offspring Gandor wanting to go out and play. 🙂