Autumn glory that deserves more respect
The cottage was in ruins and the land consisted of two small fields, bare and weedy. But it did have potential and the first thing we did to realise this potential, even before the deal was signed, was to plant a tree.
But restoring and extending the cottage took every penny we had, and a bit more. This meant that the budget for landscaping was a minus quantity. So I was delighted when a friend with a large garden in Dublin offered me some free tree seedlings.