Most of my garden seats are made from ‘found materials’; concrete blocks, stumps, slabs of stone  and bits of timber I deem wide enough to sit on.

My impatience when I have a notion to create a new one knows no bounds. Fortunately my aging muscles seem to rise to the occasion.  I cannot bear to wait even five minutes for help.  Whenever I walk by this giant slab  (excavated from some long forgotten location). I marvel that I was able to lift it onto the supports. I should hide those ugly paver columns, in fact I’m sure I did, but something must have died,

Rock slab seats.
Among the grevilleas.

Stumps make perfect seats, especially if the chainsaw has made a clean slice at the right height. It’s always sad when a tree has to go, but at least there can be a  lovely memento. The one below comes into its own in autumn, when it’s surrounded by one of nature’s colourful carpets.

Stump seat in Autumn

‘Faith Seats’ are a special feature in my garden. One must have faith that the  spiders in the stumps are asleep, and are not  deadly Funnel Webs as some people insist they are. My associate Editor Des sometimes ‘fishes’ for them.

Spider web and Editor Des
Come on out and identify yourself Mr Spider.

I’m not the only one to use my seats. Our resident Wonga considers the one below one  his very own. It’s his woodland wooing seat.

Wonga pigeons on their wooing seat.
Wonga wooing seat.

Clearly a  successful courtship.

When the wongas are absent I get a chance to use the bench seat myself. It’s a good spot for reading, and watching all the other birds,

Wooden seat.
Seat of learning.

This seat below is often used as a table by a currawong.

Currawong enjoys a snack.
Not much for lunch.
Currawong snacking.
Tasty though.

My chamomile seat wasn’t a great success. It was in the wrong position, with not enough sun.

My chamomile seat beside Christmas lilies; a fragrant memorial to my mother Myra My own 'Place of Enchantment' .
My chamomile seat beside Christmas lilies; was created a fragrant memorial to my mother Myra.

I was inspired to create it during a visit to Sissinghurst.

Chamomile seat at Sissinghurst.
How lovely is the seat I saw at Sissinghurst?

WINTER

In July, fragrant Daphne flowers behind a stone seat. It’s a pleasure to sit here in the winter sun. This is the only ‘store-bought’ one I have.

Stone daphne seat
A fragrant winter spot.

I also have a pair of chairs  rescued from a council throw-out in Bondi. They are made of iron and surprisingly durable rubber strips. So far they have survived several years of sun and snow.

Snowy seat at Blackheath NSW
A cushion of snow

At AFL football final time in early spring I decorate one of the chairs in the colours of my team, the  Sydney Swans. Fortunately, camellias are in full bloom and  look great threaded through the rubber.

Camellia Seat
Go the Swannies!

Editor Des  is pictured swatting up on gardening. His little friend is being kept quiet with a chocolate bar.

Editor Des studying gardenig.
Des learning French
Lunch, and a seat on which to dream of  visiting distant lands.
Garden seating quote.

It’s true, most gardeners don’t spend enough time just sitting in the garden, and I don’t either. Well, except when the lavender and roses are in flower.

Pauline Conolly  on her lavender seat.
My favourite spot  amid the lavender,  looking towards a little rose garden.

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

Oh dear, I think it must have been an omen that a self-seeded potato recently grew up through my lavender seat. If I have to face isolation during this dreadful virus I will at least be able to supplement my diet with spuds, pine mushrooms and parsley.

7 Comments
  1. Oh Pauline. I have just wandered around your garden admiring the various seats and plants. I feel inspired to get home and see what I can do in my Irish garden which is exposed and where there is nearly always a breeze – mostly a cool one too. Actually mostly a very cool one bordering on cold! Thank you for sharing your bit of paradise!
    Lorraine

    • Pauline

      Thanks Lorraine, well it gets very cold here in the Blue Mountains too. We call our village of Blackheath ‘Bleakheath’.
      You live in a beautiful part of the world. I hope you find a sheltered spot or two for your seats.

  2. What wonderful little sanctuaries – although I’m tempted to think you must be continually sitting down ‘on the job’! I especially like the memorial to your dear mum Myra. My favourite image above is the final one of you among the lavender and blue hydrangeas. Funnily enough, we had a repeat of ‘Ladies in Lavender’ on TV over the weekend just gone. I watched it of course – yet again!

  3. So true,
    Gardeners don’t spend a lot of time sitting in their gardens.
    When we do , it makes it even more special those quite moments enjoyed.
    I wonder sometimes why Gardeners have so many sitting places.
    Possibly for all the visitors to the garden to enjoy.
    Editor Des and the birds appreciate a seat and it’s good you find time to enjoy as well.

    • Pauline

      I think we just like the aesthetic appeal of seats, June. I had a dozen or so at last count. I think Des and the birds use them more than me to be honest.

  4. I saw a shiny bluey black bird – medium size eating whole white correa flowers in my garden – near Mudgee

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