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. This idea
was also dropped in her later plans, possibly being a little too
complicated, as she had to simplify greatly.
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. Perhaps
she may still use some of the ideas I offered at a later more
suitable date and project. I hope that she returns and enjoys
our hospitality here again to rest a while and have a vacation
after such stress!
Finally, I thank Lesley for the invitation
and hospitality to join her last year at the 2006 Chelsea Flower
show. I enjoyed photographing a great variety of different types
of rocks, stones and pebbles at a quarry for her, and working
together at her delightful cottage in Suffolk. I have gained quite
a few ideas for Le Paradou also.
