So what I really want to be writing about are the awesome Christmas presents that I bought this week. But I can’t, in case their intended recipients read about them :-)

Instead, I’d like to share to share some pictures from my garden inspiration board. This is another one of those boards that I made retro style with paper, scissors and glue, before I discovered, y’know, technology.

When it came to the garden design, the elements that influenced me most strongly were secret garden atmosphere, Mediterranean influence, and tropical/jungly feel. Here’s how the board turned out:

Secret, hidden away little patio? Check:

Jungly feel? Check:

Mediterranean feel? Check:

I also really wanted some great garden lighting:

See, what I really wanted to do here was compare pictures of the inspiration and the reality. But it’s too dark to go outside right now with my camera, and in any case I am really very comfortable on the sofa… so it will have to wait for a future post...

In the meantime, you can check out our garden before and after here, some photos of our twinkly garden lights at night here,  and the garden through the seasons here.