A la claire fontaine
30/6/07 18:33![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darkemeraldsAfter two years of neglect and disuse, my poor little back yard is in sorry shape. I let it get so bad that I couldn't face it. Finally a couple of weeks ago, my sister came over and did a bunch of clearing for me (I really do have the coolest family). That seemed to unblock the qi, and I've since been restoring the space, bit by bit, to the secret haven of shade and greenery that it was when I built it.
A focal point of the back garden is a fountain. I tipped it on its side to avoid ice damage in the winter (two winters ago, I think...). It's concrete and weighs about 200 pounds, but it's also cantilevered and tippy and needs to be perfectly balanced.
Well, I finally got out there set it up again. Twice. The first time, I got it going only to realize that its spot in the garden was no longer level, and the pump was shot. I took it all apart again, replaced the pump, re-sealed the hole where the cord comes out, leveled and reinforced the ground, scrubbed the basin, washed each of the hundreds of decorative rocks that fill the basin, and finally set it upright, put water in it, and flipped the switch.
Yes, it is very square. What can I say? I like the juxtaposition of flowing water and big concrete squares. The rocks in the basin come from friends and travels all over the world. In the foreground you can just spot one rock that I covered with beads. What else are you gonna do with a beaded rock? You can also make out a rock with a picture of Isis painted on it. That came from Isis Oasis in Geyserville California.
That iridescent blue rock on the ground? Actually just a wet river rock reflecting this afternoon's perfect summer sky. The brown-and-white rock in the upper right that looks like a little loaf of bread was a gift from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kispexi2's geologist husband when I visted them in Scotland last year. It's a formation unique, I think, to Mull, and it's one of my favorite gifts.
Next up: Clean the patio table and chairs and eat some dinner out here, to the sound of the bubbling fountain.
A focal point of the back garden is a fountain. I tipped it on its side to avoid ice damage in the winter (two winters ago, I think...). It's concrete and weighs about 200 pounds, but it's also cantilevered and tippy and needs to be perfectly balanced.
Well, I finally got out there set it up again. Twice. The first time, I got it going only to realize that its spot in the garden was no longer level, and the pump was shot. I took it all apart again, replaced the pump, re-sealed the hole where the cord comes out, leveled and reinforced the ground, scrubbed the basin, washed each of the hundreds of decorative rocks that fill the basin, and finally set it upright, put water in it, and flipped the switch.
Yes, it is very square. What can I say? I like the juxtaposition of flowing water and big concrete squares. The rocks in the basin come from friends and travels all over the world. In the foreground you can just spot one rock that I covered with beads. What else are you gonna do with a beaded rock? You can also make out a rock with a picture of Isis painted on it. That came from Isis Oasis in Geyserville California.
That iridescent blue rock on the ground? Actually just a wet river rock reflecting this afternoon's perfect summer sky. The brown-and-white rock in the upper right that looks like a little loaf of bread was a gift from
kispexi2's geologist husband when I visted them in Scotland last year. It's a formation unique, I think, to Mull, and it's one of my favorite gifts.Next up: Clean the patio table and chairs and eat some dinner out here, to the sound of the bubbling fountain.