Saturday, July 30, 2011

Path to Enlightenment

The dude and I spent several hours working on the path today. I can't lift my arms higher than my elbows. I'm like a little penguin. Tonight as we were driving to dinner, Pete opined that we're going to start a trend in the neighborhood. The only houses with paths from front door to sidewalk are the ones that have driveways in the back. (And they are all stick straight and made of cement.) But it's so practical and ours will look so great, soon everyone will be digging garden paths. I responded that it's possible but they won't be called garden paths. He looked at me with mild horror. "They'll call them front walkways." In Britain, your yard is called a garden whether it is planted with flowers or vegetables or not. So the walkway in your yard is the garden path. (Which makes sense of "leading someone down the garden path.") He does call a yard a yard, fwiw.

We've called in the cavalry tomorrow. With any luck this project will be a lot closer to done because I'm pretty sure my arms are going to fall off if I have to lift another shovelful of dirt.

8 comments:

Needle Nicely said...

But arms or no arms, you're going to follow him down the "garden path". And that's what relationships are for. But thank you for discovering the derivation of that term--now, go finish that path.

And thank you for many enjoyable hours reading your blog.

Jenna said...

I can't wait to see pictures of your efforts once you are finished. I'm sure it's lovely! Maybe you can put whatever your nemesis is gifting you into standing pots at the edges of your new path when it's completed?

riona said...

Now, you've got me scared ... I was planning on spending some time this week working on making a rock garden with all the stones I have dug out of my small backyard over the years ... I live in the very appropriately named Rockland County. First, I have to was down the retaining wall, seal it and paint it and then start the rock garden. If you are walking around like a penguin, how will I manage being nearly three decades older ... worms come to mind, flat on the ground and only able to wiggle about a bit.

Hannah - City Stitcher said...

on the north of england, they do tend say backyard if it is not covered in grass etc. i am educating my BF that now he has moved to london it must be called a garden regardless of its greenery content. although front walkway? i'm not surprised this elicited a look of horror ;)

Mouse said...

ohhhh sorry I've got a mental picture of you waddling now ..lol and uh huh we call them back yards if not got any grass , or just the back garden ... and we have paths not walkways tooo ... poor DH ..lol love mouse xxx

Anonymous said...

Out here we'd call it a sidewalk regardless of whether it is concrete or brick or stone.

dd

Alice said...

I prefer the sound of 'garden' to 'yard'. However my black thumbs make 'yard' much more appropriate. Garden path sounds lofty indeed.

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

To me a "yard" is concrete, you might have a backyard but never a front yard, its always the "front garden". Except in London townhouses where the bit at the front is called the "area".
We call your path "brickweave", don't know if it's the same to you? It's very popular here for drives but if you can't do it if your garden is over a certain size, it has to be grass or gravel so rainwater can run away.