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| My black steel water troughs |
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| My sexy, curvy, zen garden |
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| The reflective qualities through out the garden were brilliant. The more you looked the more there was to see |
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| A wildflower turf escapee.. Several people asked if it was my intention to have weeds in the lawn. Certainly was! |
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| The different aggregates represented the strata layers and bed rocks from the Lake District |
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| My favourite photo of all. Cenelophium denudatum , framed by a curve and it's reflection |
I just realised I've been putting off writing this summary of the last month, as I'm still assimilating the experience and adjusting to the void the end of the project has left.
After 6 months of planning and project managing, and effectively doing two jobs, one month on site near Manchester, and several thousand miles in all manner of vehicle, I am finally HOME!!! and enjoying this rare and wonderful thing called spare time...Catching up with friends, sleeping more than 5 hours a night, realising I haven't played my piano in two years and reacquainting my self with my music.
For those who have not been informed, I've just built a show garden and was a finalists for the RHS Young Designer of the Year. Unfortunately I lost the competition but came joint second with an
RHS Silver Gilt medal. I'm not too sure what silver gilt is, but I believe it's a silver medal someone has bothered to buff up and give a little extra shine to before handing it over to the recipient. What ever it is, it's as close to gold as you can get, so pretty groovy after just one year in business. However, I cant deny that when the title of young designer of the year is up for grabs, a shiny medal is poor compensation; a little like running the marathon and tripping up just in sight of the finish line (I'm not bitter, honest )
The experience I gained was however priceless, and enriching on so many levels. Awards aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the build and breakdown aspect, speaking to the thousands of people and hearing their incredible feedback and comments, and seeing my design built and come to life. I was also fortunate to meet and be helped by some of the finest people I've ever met, and whom I hope to call friends for life.
I'm not sure what the next stage of my career will be, I don't think I can do much more in terms of marketing, having been on TV, radio, news, and various magazines and papers, also handing out 4000 fliers at the show. I have no leads nor projects in sight as yet,... So, I'll not think about it too much - que sera sera, a lot can happen in a month.. I'll worry about it after my imminent holiday and a couple of weeks in Europe rock and mountain climbing, visiting family and general shenanigans. It's a hard life!
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