One of the most enduring images of a summer wander through the countryside is stumbling upon a meadow in flower. A haze of heat, pollen and bees conjure the laziness, the moments of introspection we desire when one can lay back and dreamily plunge into a world of thought. All around is the life fantastic busily determining their own fortunes and all the while one can while away an afternoon content in the notion of nothing else really matters.

Our lives are so busy – some might argue we live in an age of ‘time famine’ – and that moments of ‘doing nothing’ are not wholly possible as conditions of work, family and societal pressure to conform predicate a constant movement ‘to-ing and fro-ing’ from one task to another.

These thoughts were in our mind when we conceived our studio. We wanted a place where those fragile moments of stillness could be harnessed. It was at this point the meadow concept became a strong desire. Between two reclaimed telegraph poles our old well-travelled hammock is strung. This swings above a purpose built deck – the eye-deck – and all around is the meadow flowers and grasses.

Roundels of cherry trunk act as stepping stones – ensuring the meadow is not crumpled and trampled upon and allowing the smaller low lying sedum to thrive. The shady areas beneath the burgeoning canopy of the honeysuckle will have she loving hosters and lily of the valley. A contrast in years to come.

The meadow is not finished. We still have a lot of planting to do and subtle finishing of the eye-deck. Yet it is what we both saw  in those wet and cold winter months when we first broke the ground on the studio build.