Dirt under my finger nails. A bit of a sunburn. Muscles that are readjusting after a day spent planting perennials. 

I'm enjoying the long days and working overtime. I designed 3 new gardens this week and juggled the installation of 3 others. All 6 gardens are so different from each other; it excites me.

One of the things I like about my work is working with the contractors. I love craftsmandship. My father is a craftsman and I grew up appreciating things that are well made, well built. Things that are deliberate and sturdy. Things that stand the test of time and don't take the easy way out. I appreciate real materials and techniques. They may take a bit longer and cost a bit more, but they make all the difference.

I love to banter with the contractors about the best way to build something. What are the choices? "This is what I was thinking, would you suggest something else?" I pick their brains for ideas.

I think a lot of designers are arrogant and tend to send out a signal that they know better. I am confindent but humble in my communication with the contractors. I stroke their egos, when it is deserved. I always compliment a job well done. However, I also don't hesitate to refuse to accept work that doesn't meet my standard or differs from what was agreed upon.

In the beginning, playing this game in such a male dominated world intimidated me. If I could count the times when I essentially heard:  "Ach, little girl, do you really think you know what you're doing..." But I'm learning to enjoy the give and take. I enjoy the mutual respect that has developed between myself and several of the contractors with whom I work.

Today I visited a garden that is being built in Naarden Vesting. Every inch of this fortified town is a monument and the zoning laws are beyond strict, and rightly so. I've designed a garden there which will be completely walled in with a symmetrical port. We are still waiting on the permits to build the bike shed which will be completely in character with the house. However, they've started the paving, and well, I'm just so happy with the care and detail in which they have done so.

I'm not sure if someone else can yet appreciate it and see what it will become, but below you can see what it looks like now:



In the back of the garden there will also be a studio office. It will be a mirror version of the sunroom on the back of the house. There used to be a 8 meter long shed that was used to store wood for the bakery (which is what the house used to be). This shed has been cut in half an each part is used for one of these elements.

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On the way back from Naarden I stopped for lunch in Hilversum. Dirk's brother moved there last weekend. For the last 5 years he has lived in Groningen (he studied there). I showed him all the best places to have coffee and grab a bite to eat. I'm glad he's so close now and I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more of him.

In Hilversum I spotted a dress I really like.  I haven't bought any new clothes in a couple of months, so I thought: why not. A bit of solstice present for myself.



We don't have any full sized mirrors in the house. In fact, besides the bathroom mirror, the only one we have is on the floor in the bedroom. So it's not the greatest picture, but you get the idea.

Also I wanted to share a picture of the "wild" flowers by the bike rack at the train station. They make me happy.