On 4 January 2005 we signed the contract for the purchase of our garden and became its legal owners. That day we made a short visit to the garden before we had to leave to return to Wales. Today, on the fourth anniversary, we celebrated by having lunch in the garden, and now we can stay in Gabian and don't have to leave.
Le 4 janvier 2005 on a signé l'acte du vente pour acheter le jardin. Ce jour là on n'a passé qu'une demie heure au jardin avant de partir pour rentrer au Pays de Galles. Aujourd'hui, on a fêté l'anniversaire quatrième. Nous avons mangé là à midi et après le repas nous pouvons rester à Gabian.
 winter shadows 2005 (left) and 2009 (right) |  |
We had already been cultivating the garden since April 2004, with the permission of the previous owner, and had managed to grow a few salads while we were here for six weeks in the summer, to build the shed and plant an olive tree and a rosemary bush.
 January 2005 |  January 2009, our first plant, the rosemary bush in the centre has grown enormously! |
 New Year's Day, 2005 |  Today's lunch |
Looking at these 'before' and 'after' pictures, I wonder how much we've done in the four years. But then I remember all the wonderful vegetables we've had, especially during the last two and a half years when we've been living here all the time - 130 kilos of tomatoes in summer 2008, aubergines, peppers, cabbages, chard, spinach and so on .... We've still got lots of work to do - there's always work to do in a garden - and now that the days are getting longer and spring isn't far away we'll be making a cold frame, sowing seeds and preparing the ground for planting over the next few weeks. An exciting time!
En regardant ces photos d'avant et d'après, je me demande combien nous avons fait pendant ces quatre ans. Puis, je me souviens tous les légumes merveilleux, surtout pendant les deux ans et demi quand nous habitons à Gabian tout le temps - 130 kilos de tomates en été 2008, aubergines, poivrons, choux, blettes, épinards etc. .... Il y reste beaucoup de travail - il y a toujours du travail au jardin. Les jours rallongent et le printemps arrivera bientôt. Pendant les semaines qui viennent nous allons faire une serre, semer les semances et préparer la terre pour la plantation. C'est du bon temps pour jardiner!
 | Our first olive tree when we planted it in 2005. It's still quite small now, but we have had 80 olives from it this year and we ate some of them last week in the garden. |
 The first summer - 2004. Mostly weeds! |  Summer 2008 |
10 comments:
Congratulations on assuming responsibility for the garden! The transformations over the years are evident in your photos, and now that's it's truly yours I can see you doing even more with your space. Enjoy it!
Ah c'est un bel anniversaire ! Je vous souhaite encore beaucoup beaucoup d'annees dans votre beau jardin et des kilos de recoltes !!!
Happy Garden Anniversary! It is so difficult to appreciate what you've done in the garden when you're looking at it in winter. That's one of the best things about garden blogging, we get to go back and visit our gardens in more lush seasons.
Wishing you continued success in 2009, I bet you didn't eat out in your former garden in winter.
It has been interesting watching your garden and blog develop, good luck with your chefism n ritin too!
Terrific progress. Well done.
It's very obvious how much hard work you've put into your garden. It's a transformation!
Thanks to all for your comments and good wishes.
I didn't realise you built the shed. It looks like it has always been there. I so loved our lunches there and look forward to visiting again. The proof of what you have done is in the produce, of course, but also in the enjoyment of just being there and cooking on your little barbecue and relishing life.
It must have been very satisfying once you actually owned the garden. Gardening is so long term that the soil needs to be your own - if possible! Otherwise all that work improving it could later go to waste.
Thanks for the link to your olive curing recipe which I shall try later this year when we harvest around June up here - looks like we will have a bumper crop.
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