Freckles 'n' Family: It's Been A While.

Like most of you, I too, along with my hubby and kids have been cooped up for months on end due to Covid-19.

With traveling out fo the question, our back garden FINALLY got done! Woohoo! Been in our lush house for four years with a dust bowl of a back garden, now it's my little bit of heaven. I knew what I wanted from the start; and I designed it with, home in mind. When I say home, I mean Wales.

As a child we had a massive blackberry hedge that year after year, my sisters and I would eat so many of them, and yes, even without washing them LOL Those were the days right!

In my childhood garden, we also had, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, and all kinds of veggies and my all-time favorite flower; Bluebells and second, daffodils. As a child, I didn't like weeding and having to go out to pick veggies etc. Now, as an adult with a finished back garden, I weed, and planted those things that remind me of home. The proper, English bluebell bulbs will come In October from Britain and I can't wait to plant them and see them bloom.

I've got carrots, chives, cilantro, green onions, marigolds and nasturtiums growing in the raised veggie bed and the other raised beds I sowed a bunch of wildflowers that are to encourage Monarch butterflies. Then I have hydrangeas ( those remind me of the time when my dad was recovering from his brain hemorrhage in Pwll, Llanelli.) Lilac, lavender, mint, and chrysanthemums. The trees, well...no massive oaks in our garden lol but I went with. ones that do well in Utah. The one I do have is a weeping cherry tree (weeping willows were out for our back garden they grow too big. (As a child, my sisters and I when we lived in Dafen, we'd go wandering in the fields and sneak into the care home grounds where they had the biggest weeping willow tree, I'd ever seen. We'd hide under it umbrella branches and play.

My other trees are an Emperor Japanese maple, Cleveland Pear (not fruit-bearing), and a zelkova wireless.

I also wanted a firepit and flagstones that reminded of, home too. Even the raised beds remind me of castle walls back home. You may also notice I have a Welsh flag, high and proud :)

All, We have left to finish the garden is the picnic bench that will come next week and one last string of bistro lights. Then it'll be done. Our dear friend helped me hang up the three rows of bistro lights, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082R2QCQR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did the last one over the cement patio myself. I also did the barrel planters with the posts for the lights. Yes, I carried the 80-pound bags of quick cement and mixed it and planted them once they were dry with flowers. I also wrapped the trees and posts and hung on the fence, LED solar lights! Boy, do I love them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0892L9KHT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But today, I wanted to share with you the idea I had forming in my noggin :) I set about creating that idea.

For the firepit top I made. I found this blog about making one and I followed her directions - https://addicted2diy.com/diy-fire-pit-cover-2-0/

I went with shiplap as my wood, which I glued together to make it stronger. I used 8ft boards which I cut into 48' each. Which is what my fire pit is in circumference. I made two of these, glued them together and then from the underneath I screwed them together too. Once that was done I drew out a 48" circle and then cut the extra wood away. Sanded and then the long process of designing what I wanted on the top. Of course, I went with my heritage of being Welsh.

I enlisted my daughter Ashton to draw out the words and a template (she has lush handwriting - not that I don't) then we traced over the words to make indentations in the wood, traced over those in pencil and I did the same with the dragons and Celtic knot which means family then, I began the hours/days process of wood burning.

Can I say, my hand ached like no other! Sheesh.

But.....I loved how it turned out.

And if you're wondering what on earth do the words say; here you go :) going to the right,

Cwtch= cuddle

Cymru am byth = Wales forever

Twp = daft

Sut wyt ti = how are you

Creoso = Welcome

Diloch yn fawr = thank you very much

Cariad = love

Shwmae= Hello

I used a water sealant with a light stain. Then I added handle I purchased from Hobby Lobby, on sale! Who doesn't love sales!

I also bought a clear, elasticated plastic tablecloth to cover my firepit cover. Yes, I know I used a sealant, but our sprinklers literally criss-cross over where our firepit it! And me, being me, I didn't want to wreck all my hard work!

Don't know about you, but it turned out pretty awesome, right :)