My
input after being asked to assist Lesley Bremnes with her entry
to the
CHELSEA
FLOWER SHOW 2007
Le
Paradou June 2007
Two
years ago in 2005 I had the great pleasure to meet Lesley Bremnes,
here, at Le Paradou as my guest. I treasure the kind gifts of
her, signed, books! This initial contact led to Lesley inviting
me to help her with the designing and planning of her entry submissions
for the Chelsea Flower Show in 2007! Lesley already had her basic
format, ideas and layout in her head, but requested further ideas
in respect of my knowledge of fishkeeping, pond building, natural
history and as an inventor and craftsman linked with my technical
skills. Her intitial plan required my help in teaching her computer
graphics skills to formulate those thoughts. Then further ideas
to make the designs more unusual in content and workable. This
started with Lesley asking me to design a "musical water
chamber" at the head of the stream (top right). I suggested
tubular bells and chimes at first, but she wanted something more
unusual, possibly using bells. My ideas for this are below, a
chamber utilising bamboo cantilvered tubes to drive the chimes.
The speed controlled by the water flow. ( At the last moment,
just before creation, this idea was shelved due to the cost of
the bells, and, apparently, the chinese advisor not being keen
) By request, I therefore simplified the idea back to a simple
set of chimes, the clapper being driven by water spray. I had
proposed the idea of Koi Carp in the lowest "tranquil"
pool. It was found that we could no longer have live animals or
fish in the show, and so the idea was deleted. I had also enthused
Lesley with the idea of having a whirlpool just above the centre
bridge, the flow being offset to produce this effect and then
disappear down a bore hole to well up in the tranquil pool. I
suggested using colouring in the building of this one section
similar to the strata at Roussillon, but more subtle to continue
the natural rock colours to be used in the main garden.
The layers of ochres at Roussillon
Lesley's final designs changed greatly
from the above as you see by the final work below, but I feel
pleased that I was able to offer her choices and help her formulate
her final path. I congratulate her upon her success in gaining
a bronze, as she well deserves after such hard work and effort
to gain entry and complete such a project for many years.
The new pond at Le Paradou becoming
established.
In 2010 we moved to Theddlethorpe in
Lincolnshire and in 6 months planned and executed all of the work
below - and more. Films showing all of this may be seen on my
youtube channel.
