‘I think you should get the soil tested first. I assume the wind from the sea brings salt with it?’
Simon shook his head. ‘Surprisingly no, the winds rarely blow onshore because that’s a little bay down there and it’s protected. The garden is actually in a little valley so the wind hits the roof before it hits the garden.’
‘How do you know that?’ Amanda asked.
‘Diana told me. She did some surveying of the land back in the day.’
Simon looked at David. ‘Diana is the previous owner. She was an avid gardener but is getting on in years now. She let the garden go due to her health issues.’
‘She would know the soil type then?’ Amanda asked.
‘She might but it’s still worth doing new testing anyway, as things can change so much, and since the garden has been dormant for a long time it will have changed quite a lot since she was last planting it.’
Amanda nodded. ‘It’s all quite scientific, isn’t it?’
‘It is,’ said David. ‘I can give you a number for someone to come and check the soil and so on and then we can chat about it afterwards.’
‘You should show David the seed box and maps and the watercolours you did,’ Simon encouraged Amanda.
‘Oh sure,’ she said. ‘I mean, he doesn’t need to see my paintings.’ She looked at David. ‘I’m a visual person, so I needed to see how it would look from a picture.’
‘I would love to see them,’ David said.
29
Amanda
Amanda led David to the house and took him through the back door to the kitchen.
‘Coffee? Tea?’ she asked.
‘Coffee would be great.’
‘Finally an English person who isn’t obsessed with tea,’ she said as she turned the kettle on.
‘I love tea but I like coffee first thing,’ David said as he sat at the kitchen table.
‘Simon, can you get the seed drawer and stuff? It’s in the living room,’ she said.
Soon Simon was back and he placed the items on the table in front of David.
‘This is the book about Moongate’s garden and the maps Diana drew for each of the seasons,’ Simon explained to an entranced David. Amanda made the coffee and a fresh tea for Simon. She buttered some fruit loaf for them and placed it on a plate and then put it all on the table as they talked.
David looked up from the watercolours of Amanda’s vision of the garden. ‘You did these?’ he asked.
She nodded.
‘You’re incredibly talented. What else have you done? Can I see?’
Amanda knew she was blushing and hated how easily she was pleased by praise for her artwork.
‘It’s silly,’ she said, brushing him aside.
‘No, it’s not silly,’ Simon said. ‘Show him your work. Actually, show me also – I’ve hardly seen anything.’
Amanda groaned and went into the front sitting room and found her latest sketchbook of her animals. She went back and put it in front of them and looked away as they opened the book.
‘My God,’ said Simon. ‘These are fantastic.’
