JudyN I suspect you are a 'my glass is half-full type person'. Could you give your dog (AKA gardening assistant) a snuggle from me please. I believe life is a barrel that is half-full with a dog beside you.My dog is gone but never forgotten. Was always at the end of my shadow while I gardened. Even if your 'helper ' unearths, or drinks your half barrel empty he is there!
My 'gardening assistant' would have loved to drink from a half-barrel pond. (Forget tap water or bottled mineral water - a puddle, bucket or ornamental pond would have been Champagne to him).
oh, that looks like a comfy snoozing patch. My dog was a lurcher, you can see him -lurking mid photo in the Libertias. The bare patch of soil is the cool earth he snoozed on under a Salix Caprea x Kilmarnock he used it like a beach umbrella. It is the exact spot we buried his old friend, our cat, with whom he used to snuggle on cold nights. Made me wonder if he knew she was under the tree, as there are other shady spots in the garden he could have chosen.
A tip for your barrel from whisky making country. These are designed to hold liquid. The hoops are pushed down tight when they are manufactured, and the barrel shape keeps everything in place, for a time, as long as they are full. If empty, the barrel will eventually shrink and the hoops will fall. This behaviour will become much worse when cut in half.
Hopefully you can reduce the likelihood of ending with a pile of staves and 3/4 metal hoops. Just drive 4 or 5 screws beneath each hoop to prevent them from working their way to the ground. Not much you can do with the bottom hoop, but that one should not move.
If the screws are already there, use the time and have a nice dram.
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My 'gardening assistant' would have loved to drink from a half-barrel pond. (Forget tap water or bottled mineral water - a puddle, bucket or ornamental pond would have been Champagne to him).
Aw, I'm sorry your dog is no longer 'helping' you in the garden. What breed was he? Here's my lad, trying to hatch some geraniums or something...
I'm definitely a half-whisky-barrel-full sort of girl!
oh, that looks like a comfy snoozing patch. My dog was a lurcher, you can see him -lurking mid photo in the Libertias. The bare patch of soil is the cool earth he snoozed on under a Salix Caprea x Kilmarnock he used it like a beach umbrella. It is the exact spot we buried his old friend, our cat, with whom he used to snuggle on cold nights. Made me wonder if he knew she was under the tree, as there are other shady spots in the garden he could have chosen.
Ah, I thought he was a lurcher but didn't want to get it wrong and look stupid
Was he a deerhound cross? He's got that distinguished face.
I'd never heard of libertias before - they're lovely. I'm just working out where they could go in my garden.
Hi judyN
A tip for your barrel from whisky making country. These are designed to hold liquid. The hoops are pushed down tight when they are manufactured, and the barrel shape keeps everything in place, for a time, as long as they are full. If empty, the barrel will eventually shrink and the hoops will fall. This behaviour will become much worse when cut in half.
Hopefully you can reduce the likelihood of ending with a pile of staves and 3/4 metal hoops. Just drive 4 or 5 screws beneath each hoop to prevent them from working their way to the ground. Not much you can do with the bottom hoop, but that one should not move.
If the screws are already there, use the time and have a nice dram.
Happy gardening
W
Ooh, that's a great tip, MacWilliam - thank you