Squirrel Woods

Squirrel Woods is the pet name of the woodland behind our bungalow. When we bought the property we were lucky enough to acquire half an acre of it, although we haven’t spent as much time there as we’d hoped in our first year here. Most of our time so far has been spent renovating the bungalow itself.

The bungalow was originally built in the 1930s and was last renovated in the 1970s where unfortunately, it seems to have stayed until we came along.

The house sits on a very busy dual carriageway, so the front of the property can be noisy. Surprisingly though, once you’re inside the bungalow you hardly notice the traffic, and most of the garden is quieter than you’d expect. At this point it’s mostly just background noise to us.

Despite being on a main road, the amount of wildlife that visits the garden is surprising. A pheasant appears every day at around 10am without fail, searching for the peanuts my husband throws out for him. I’m not sure how I’ll feel about his visits once the vegetables start growing though. Last year the birds ate almost every cherry from our four cherry trees, we managed to eat just one each!

The garden itself is around half an acre and already has a collection of fruit trees including apple, greengage, pear, plum and cherry, along with rhubarb, raspberries, gooseberries and blackberries. Much of it sits on quite a steep hill, so making the space more usable is one of the many projects still on the list.

I hope you find a little inspiration here to add some creativity to your own life and perhaps tackle a few big projects of your own.

This blog follows our renovation of the 1930s bungalow along with gardening projects, creative ideas and the occasional gathering with friends.