The new garden

To be honest @Sheal, my first thought was, "this is what she calls downsizing?"
I wish my garden were a little bit bigger, but such a huge garden that you have now, I feel I'm too old for starting such project. I would also leave many things as they are.
At a certain point, I started thinking about what I leave behind if I can't take care of the garden any longer ...

 

Your new garden is lovely @Sheal, a good size and flat too which makes things easier. Nice to have plans for it and as you say when there's a splash of colour there it will brighten it up a lot. I love the stone wall, it has character.

 

I have to agree about arbours in that - I'm not good at sitting for any length of time either! I'd want some climbers and general planting round that though, to make it more attractive, if I had it.
I forgot you'd been at a little bit of altitude, and more exposure in your previous plot @Sheal. Being at sea level is certainly very different, especially if it's sheltered. We're at about 400 ft here, so not very high, but it's surprising the difference it can make just coming up the wee hill from areas slightly lower, especially in winter.
I think the soil is generally a little bit sandier over in the east than on this side, even if it's not coastal? Just my impression from hillwalking on that side, as opposed to the west, which is heavier, peatier, clay based etc. The climate is completely different too, although you've had a fair bit of ours over the last year or so. Hopefully, this year has been kinder over there for farmers and fruit growers.
Yes, not sure why we'd gone to that side. Didn't have relatives there or anything. My Dad loved the west side scenery. A very different type of landscape from where he was born and brought up! I'm not sure I could live anywhere else.

 

The picture of the back garden makes it look bigger than it is @simone_in_wiltshire. It's about 45ft wide by 35ft long. My last back garden was approximately 65ft wide by 40ft long and the front garden there 140ft long x 70ft wide. So yes, I have downsized quite a bit.

Like others here on the forum I'm past retirement age, with various ongoing health issues that limit my time working in the garden now. This last week I've been shovelling gravel into a wheelbarrow and moving it elsewhere in the garden. For me it's about knowing my limits and when to stop and rest.

 

Thank you @Michael Hewett. Yes, the garden being flat makes a big difference. It was hard work mowing lawns in my last garden. The wall gives the garden shelter and it feels warmer. It also gives protection from the weather for the not so hardy plants.

 

We think alike @fairygirl. The arbour will probably be replaced with a greenhouse. I don't really call myself a gardener - but a grower, which is what I prefer. The smaller shed will hopefully be replaced with roses on a pergola. There's a very good reason for that.

I/we have moved house a lot but be assured this is the last time - I'm too old to do it again.

The closest we've lived to the sea is 200yds and have gardened on all soils but not chalk.

As you live at about 4ooft do you see much snow in the winter? The west coast is said to be warmer than the east.

 

@Sheal That is as little as my one, only that I have a 6 ft on 2 sides wide concrete path because of canalisation running underneath.
Fully agree with the last paragraph.

 

The amounts of snow we get is becoming less and less with each passing year @Sheal . That means even more rain instead, but still temps dropping enough, and therefore ice. Last winter was a classic example of that. Far too mild. I'd much rather have good cold weather and snow, because it's wet enough here as it is! The ice is far more difficult for plants [and humans] than just a good covering of snow.
We still get upwards of 40 frosts in these mild winters, but last year they were definitely lighter, and not as persistent. That makes a difference too.
East side is generally drier and colder - some areas there were at frost level or near that this morning, where we were 6 degrees. We get a lot of wind though, so although it's technically milder on this side, it doesn't always mean it's warmer!

I doubt there's much chalk anywhere up here. I've moved a fair few times too - all clay, neutral to acidic. That's pretty much the standard in the west.

 

I think last winter was miserable for everyone up here @fairygirl. In fact this last year, until recently, has been wet. I'd prefer to have snow too but there's been very little over the last few winters. Frost is a good though as it usually means a sunny day to follow.

That's a lot. I've not bothered to take note of how many we get here in the east.

I wouldn't expect to see chalk up here either. Having been outside weeding today it looks like the soil here is sandy loam - the same as my last garden but with less sand, thank goodness.

 

You'll tend to get more sun with the frosts than we do @Sheal because it often clouds over and we get the inevitable rain after a frosty start, which then freezes. It's all relative though - I don't consider frosts down to about minus 3 as being harsh, whereas others would think that was really cold. It's what you're used to isn't it?
It's becoming a problem on the hills though, re the snow, because some of our alpine plants now have nowhere left to go. The increasing temps means it's too warm for them at the altitude they're at, so they move 'up', and they're basically running out of hill.

Last year was very difficult for farmers up your way. I think it's generally been better this year, fortunately. I remember mentioning on another forum the item on Landward [don't know if you watch that?] when Dougie visited a farmer in Angus, and he [the farmer] was astonished at how wet it had been in July, and was making the harvest very difficult. We still had more than double that rainfall they had for July, which is the reason farmers on this side tend to be of the dairy and sheep variety rather than trying to grow wheat and barley!
I know it mentions on that link I did somewhere about this year's rainfall over here, about the amount of r'fall further north west being measured in metres not feet. I think that had been mentioned on Landward at some point too.

 

I'm with you on that. -5C/23F is when I start to think it's cold and we've had a few -17C's/1F here. Unlike yourself I've only lived in Scotland eight years having retired here, but not liking high temperatures I acclimatised very quickly.

Sorry, I don't have a television.

The land here is not as mountainous as the west which also makes sense regarding livestock there and crops here.

 

Yes - totally different landscapes from east to west @Sheal . The east is more akin to Scandinavia as it used to be part of it, whereas the west has a more rugged structure. Different geology which is affected by that weather coming mainly from further west. It's why our hills are better
You can get Landward on iPlayer - usually back over the whole series, but I don't know how long they keep it on there. It's far better than that Countryfile programme, and covers a nice variety of subjects, as the title suggests. They sometimes do a few specials too, as it seems to end much earlier in the year than it used to do.
I hadn't realised you were such a 'newcomer' ! I suppose I find it so mild nowadays because I've been born and bred here, and it's definitely different in that respect, especially over the last decade or so. I remember reading quite recently that the 'experts' reckon Scotland is being more adversely affected by climate change far more rapidly than other parts of the UK. That could be very negative for the farming community up your way.

 

My apologies again @fairygirl. I don't watch any television programmes after a decision nearly 15 years ago to get rid of the one-eyed monster.

I/we gradually moved up country from south-east England with our three offspring, spending 24 years on the Isle of Man on the way. Scotland had always been a lure, loving it's countryside and history, so we made the decision to retire here and wish we'd made the move earlier.

I won't be around long enough to make any judgement on climate change here but as you are a native I can understand the changes you've seen. Farming here in the eastern Highlands tends to be a mixture of crops and livestock at the moment, but as you say that could alter.

 

I remember you saying that you'd been on the Isle of Man, and I'd mentioned my parents meeting there, and my Dad therefore living here for the rest of his life after they married. I'm very glad that happened.
Lovely that you enjoy it up here, but you should have picked the west side....

Joking apart, it's all lovely. It's no wonder so many people want to visit, and although the weather can often spoil things for them, it's also why our landscape is so memorable.
They were saying that the east side, and the rest of Scotland generally, was a bit drier this year, while we were wetter, so fingers crossed that those crops will be getting harvested and will be in good condition.

 

So are your parents Manx @fairygirl ?

I have an old thread here on GC about the island if you're interested.

We started by looking at Dumfries and Galloway and Argyll, which would have given us easier access back to Heysham or Liverpool docks to visit daughter No.1 on the island. What put us off was the amount of travelling just to negotiate all the lochs. So we abandoned that idea and having had a love affair with Ullapool for many years we decided the Inverness area was ideal, giving us fairly easy access to it.