The garden shed.....

All throughout June, we are working on odd jobs at Cranberry Cottage. We are using long weekends there to get things done. This past weekend we decided to start on a job we have put off since we bought the cottage 9 years ago...the garden shed.

 BEFORE

This shed was hand built by the farmer who owned the cottage before us. He made it so solid that even our neglect was not enough to bring it to ruin. We had the roof replaced years ago but never got around to painting it. The problem was that I hated the brown and wanted to do something different but also within keeping of its surroundings.

Last week, I got a brainstorm that it needed to look like typical Old Dutch "potdekselen". We bought a large pot of "bielzenzwart" which is a very fluid tar based paint. We got stuck in and I discovered that I have a hidden talent for this kind of paintwork. I did the three sides while Jos worked on the front and underneath of the roof overhangs on all side.

The difference of the before and after photos just amaze us. We are really happy with a weekend's hard graft.

 AFTER

Our next task will be to repaint the door and roof line in cranberry as the cottage itself is and making some new lace curtains. The ones hanging now are so old that I am afraid they will turn to dust if I touch them.

Heidi

Gates, blossoms and a husband's sense of humor.....

This is our little haven of rest...Cranberry Cottage.

We enjoy spending time in the garden and listening/watching the birds. But I had a little problem that the gates Jos had made back in 2009 were too heavy for me to move. So when I was in the garden, I was stuck in the garden not being able to open the gates. *grins*

We had some hinges we removed from a gate in our city garden that was not being used. We decided to drive to a wood yard we know and buy some heavy wood posts to hinge the gate to and make it easier to open.

On the way back to the cottage, Jos wanted to stop at a snackbar in a village near us and get a "broodje kroket" which is a deep fried, breaded ragout in a bun, a Dutch specialty. This snackbar is literally built on side of a little stretch of canal so you feel like it is floating. We sat down to eat our treat and Jos said I can say he took me on a dinner cruise. That is his sense of humor in a nut shell.

And speaking of nuts...*wink*...look how pretty chestnut blossoms are up close. There were some beautiful huge chestnut trees across from the snackbar and we parked next to this one.

You can see the new posts on the gate which really came out nice. No more ropes to tangle with and a gate that simply swings open for me.

Here is a link to the post on my old blog when Jos made the new gates.

Heidi