We moved into our current house in July 2012

This summer will be our sixth here

As our family has grown

Loved and lost

So our garden has grown and changed

After Tilda died we rapidly filled our garden with play things

For our suddenly bereaved toddler twins

But now as we begin living again

We find we have outgrown our garden

Our numbers have grown

Age gaps demand attention

Our needs from our outside space have changed

This past week of heatwave

Have seen a lot of time spent

Reading and drawing in the garden

Lying together on blankets chatting

Sitting together with a picnic

Playing football and catch

Acting out adventures

Seeing all that goes on

Has shown me how our garden can be used

And the kinds of things we can create and collect

To make our beautiful garden

Even more magical

The stuff childhood memories are made of

Our older children have always adored being outside

And this week has introduced Edie

To a life of garden exploring too

Between May and the start of October

All 7 of us have our birthdays

This year our birthday gifts to each other

Are going to be garden based

So that together we can create a space

Where magical memories can be made

The first birthday to be celebrated is Baby Tilda’s

I really want to make Matilda Mae’s memory garden

More of a sensory space

With minibeast mirrors on my secret garden wall

Wind chimes

Herb garden

Strong scented plants

Edible flowers

Wind Spinners and statues

I want Tilda’s special place

To be somewhere we can all be together

A space for us all to enjoy

A space for peace and reflection

For Edie we are focusing on sensory play

A water table

Sandpit

A mud kitchen

A swing and a slide

Bea wants a playhouse

With a patio and window boxes

With a kitchen

A table for drawing

And a bedroom upstairs

We think this one from Garden Buildings Direct

Would give us a good starting point

Esther and William

Together with Daddy

Are designing and building

An adventure tree house

With rope ladders

Monkey bars

And hopefully a tube slide

I want a summer house

Overlooking Tilda’s garden

A little space for me

To sit and read

And write

And be

I also want to fill our patio

With comfortable outside furniture

To eat our family meals outside

And entertain friends

I keep finding myself

Scanning the garden deals at Groupon

Hoping to find the perfect set

For Daddy

An archery area

A fire pit

A place to sit and tell stories

To toast marshmallows

To cloud gaze and stare at the stars

We also really need to upgrade our trampoline

As it is too small for so many children

To bounce on safely

Where to begin?

With the little things I think

Some sensory bits in Tilda’s garden

To bring us together in her memory

#livingfortilda

#monthofmae

Then the big things

The sky is our limit

Our garden are blank canvas

Time for our adventure to begin!

This is a collaborative post