Relaxing on the deck

Hello dear friends,

It has been a lovely weekend here at the farm and I thought I would show you one of our favourite lounging areas.  We have always enjoyed time outdoors so when our renovations were being done we made sure to include lots of living space outside.  Our home has a wraparound veranda as well as a large deck outside the kitchen area.  When we first described our vision to our contractor he was astonished and wanted to make sure that we understood how much wood would be involved in creating this project.  We did understand and we love it!

This area is close to our koi pond and we love the sound of falling water.  We use a variety of plants in the pond including irises and lilies.  Annual water hyacinths and water lettuce help to provide some shade for the fish and absorb some of the nutrients from the water, acting as a purifier.

We have so many frogs!!  Frogs are a great indicator of the health of an environment so we are always pleased to have such a large assortment of them.

The koi pond originally had one waterfall.  As the water circulates it goes through a filtering system.  We found that it needed a second filtering system so added another waterfall.

And of course we have koi!

A few weeks ago we decided to replace the furniture on the deck.  For this area I love to use blue in keeping with a water theme.  We ordered a new love seat and arm chairs and I am pleased to report that Willow has taken them for a test drive and approves.

A blue lantern and candle holders reinforce the theme.  I purchased a set of blue drinking glasses and we have blue and white "Willow" china to use in this area.  If you are wondering our coasters become "lids" when outside to prevent bugs from landing in our drinks!

A little arrangement of hydrangeas.

We completed this area with matching umbrellas and umbrella tables and an outdoor area rug.

I had never heard of umbrella tables before so when I saw one I thought it would be a great idea.  I purchased the blue umbrella and the umbrella table but after we set them up I thought we should have a second matching set.  Now we have an umbrella and table on either side of the love seat.

We have little decorative blue anchor lights at the koi railing and at the barbecue.  

The lighting in the umbrellas along with the candles all provide for the perfect spot to sit in the evening, enjoy a glass of wine and listen to the waterfall.  Now I must practice my photography skills in the dark.  I have been using a tripod but must confess I havent mastered it and most of the photos are too blurry to use.  I really wanted to share what this area looks like in the dark!  Wishing everyone a great week.

Thank you for visiting!