What's Next?

I can't believe it's been 2 and a half years since I wrote the last blog update. Time has flown by, not as a zephyr but as the nor'west wind that rips through here in spring.

August 2024 after a night of snow

Twilight snow

There have been many times I've wanted to start writing this newsletter again and to start Villa del Vento as a venue in earnest, but I haven't, quite simply because I've been overwhelmed by the enormous amount of work the house and garden needs, compounded by mum's car accident.

Looking at the wreckage, it is a miracle she made it!

And it was a bad one too! A few days before last Christmas we were planning a big family dinner, since for the past few years we've skipped Christmas in favour of just having a much needed rest. We had just got home from the big shop in time for Mum to pop to her hair appointment. She hadn't been gone long when we were surprised at the door by a local who witnessed the crash and managed to talk to Mum before she became unconscious. He was so kind to find us and let us know of the accident so quickly after it happened. We found out later Mum hadn't seen an oncoming car in poor conditions, made a right turn, and got herself T boned at 100 km/h. Luckily the other driver was not seriously hurt and Mum was very lucky she had no internal or head injuries, however she broke several ribs, pelvis, shoulder, and wrist. 3 months in hospital followed by a month of bed rest at home meant she missed out on summer. As you can imagine nothing much mattered to us during these months, except her recovery. Nearly a year has passed by since that fateful day but she's only recently had a shoulder replacement, the bone just wasn't healing. She's still recovering but hopefully this Christmas we will get our big family dinner, made all the more important and special because we are all still here!

At the start of spring last year I had to have my horse Patty put down, she was 34. A month later Merry, who was 28, had also gotten very uncomfortable and so sadly it was her time too. Patty was with me for 28 years and Merry for 20. I made the decision after that not to have horses anymore. I was too sad and I was too busy to ever have another horse. In June this year I saw a post about re homing racehorses and I suddenly felt I needed to start riding again. 2 weeks later I had a wee horse. I call her Pepper. It's important to know that horses should never have to live alone, they are herd animals, they stress and they get lonely by themselves. So 2 weeks later Pepper had a friend, I call her Holly. The problem with having 2 horses is, when you ride 1, the other is home alone and worried. So 3 weeks later my horse's friend had a friend, I call her Silvie. My sister Lisa rides with me sometimes and the problem with having 3 horses is when you ride 2, the other one is left home alone and worried. So 4 weeks later my horse's friend's friend had a friend. I call her Ginger. 4 is the perfect recipe for happy horses. They get to interact and play as a herd and they get plenty of rest days so they don't get stressed out. They are all ex racehorses and therefore 'low budget' but all are beautiful and have wonderful natures and I love them. If there is one thing I am good at it is biting off more than I can chew, so in for a penny, in for a pound.

From left to right: Ginger, Silvie, Holly, Pepper

Holly worked up a sweat climbing a hill at a friend's property

In September this year the consent to have VdV as a business was due to expire. They give you 5 years to show you have started running the activities the consent outlines. I hadn't actually done either of the activities 1) open a cafe 2) hold a large function for paying guests - all our functions and weddings have been private parties. It was a mad panic to jump through several hoops and tick many boxes to hold a function which complied with all the council requirements. It was an extremely stressful couple of months. One of the requirements was to have the well and water filtration set up in a very specific way. The company I engaged to fix it all up for me dragged their feet so long, installing unnecessary equipment, that I almost missed the deadline. In the end I had to get another company to jump in (so to speak) and save the day. Why on earth couldn't they have come up first when I was Googling! The original consent cost me nearly all my savings and took 18 months to obtain so it would have been a disaster if I lost it! Thankfully we just made it. It’s been 5 tough years but I have heard people say it takes 10 years to become an overnight success, so not doing too badly!

Original sketch of the new garden

You could argue that I already have way too much garden (although some gardeners might say that’s impossible) I’m not entirely certain either way but sometimes I think I might have over done it a bit. In a paddock on the other side of a Leyland hedge I have laid out an area for a Persian garden, a lime walk, an arboretum of sorts (because we had collected many seedling trees in pots over the years) and a rock garden (because I had collected many rocks over the years) In the paddock behind the orchard there is a new greenhouse and the beginnings of a jungle with a little pond and a bog garden. But wait there’s more… under the eucalyptus trees beside the green house is a dry garden with a patch of Australian natives. All these plants with a few exceptions are rescues from bargain bins, gathered, or grown from seed/cuttings so it is very rewarding seeing them start to fill out.

Shrubs and trees will have time to put on some growth before paths are laid out in the Persian garden

Tilia trees will grow for a few years before they can be pleached in the lime walk

The 'arboretum'

Rock garden

The greenhouse protects citrus, banana, and pineapple plants

One day we won't be able to see the greenhouse through the jungle

Tiny Australian native plants will eventually fill out - if we keep them well watered

I still don't know what the future will bring but I will keep trying to get the business established. If VdV can generate an income then the villa and I will have a future. Unfortunately everything is so expensive these days I am holding on by the skin of my teeth. I know it's been so hard for so many people these last 5 years, I feel most of us are in the same boat - just trying to hold things together and hope for the best possible outcome. Weathering the storms hoping for the sun to finally shine on us long enough to catch up. Things never seem to go to plan but making the most of what we have got and of what we can do is a success in itself.

Until next time, let it not be 2 and a half years in the writing.