.........amazing children :)

Over the last few months my husband, Steve, has been slowly losing his battle against cancer and now has to use his wheelchair all the time. He has previously always  been a strong, independent person so his new dependence on other people has really hit him hard :( .

The garden - which is on two levels - has become a no-go area for him. The dogs have re-landscaped the lawn nearest to the house and then we had to dismantle an old garage and store it on the grass until we could dispose of it. We put some old paving slabs on the grass to stop the concrete garage panels sinking in too far ( they were incredibly heavy) so the lawn underneath died and the whole area was a total eyesore.

Steve and I have been away for a fortnight and returned late Friday night. Our daughter asked us to knock on the door when we got home but not to come in until she said we could. She said that she and her brother had a surprise for us . We did as asked and they both came out to help their dad into his wheelchair and then we had to go round to the back garden with our eyes shut. And what a surprise when we  were finally allowed to open our eyes. They had totally re-landscaped the part of our garden nearest to the house and made it wheelchair friendly so their dad could use it with minimal effort.

The area they had worked is about 40 feet by 25 feet which they had dug out by hand - 4 skips full of earth. They had paved a large patio area, put a decking area in, gravelled large borders, made planters and tubs so the dogs don't dig up the plants, bought a table and chairs, solar lights and re-laid paths. They had lit fifty tealight candles and placed them around the garden and it was totally magical  :) :).

I was totally speechless and so very, very proud of our two amazing children. Their friends had helped them to do all the work - some of them were work colleagues of my son whom we have never met and live over a hundred miles away, others were teenagers who have never gardened in their lives before. And all of them were willing to put a lot of hard work, effort and money into making life a little easier for Steve and myself - a very humbling experience.

Two very proud parents indeed :)

There are a few photos in my profile - hope I can say that sorry if it isn't allowed.

That is fantastic...you know what they say.....You Reap What You Sow.
So congratulations  on your wonderful children.

Karen :-)

Ahhh that's a wonderful story!!! 

That is a really heart warming story and lovely to hear of two lovely children who can make their parents life much easier. You must be so proud of them.
All the best
Anna

That's so wonderful - I'm a bit hormonal today and it has brought tears to my eyes :) What wonderful children you have :) :) :)

Daisy

oh wow - bought tears to my eyes reading that - just wonderful children!  lovely thoughtful and so special - you have raised them well haven't you!

you do have amazing children and their friends.  You are deservedly two very proud parents.  x

Brought tears to my eyes aswell, what fabulous children you have, enjoy your new garden.

What a lovely surprise.  Fingers crossed that the weather stays good and you can both enjoy it as much as possible :) :)

Hugs,
Jackie x

Oh I'm all misty. :) What fantastic human beings! in the sioux sense of the words You must be so proud to have raised your children to become such thoughtful and generous people. Fantastic friends too. :-D

What wonderful children you have. Their friends are wonderful people too. It brought tears to my eyes reading it. Well done to you both for bringing up such caring kids.

How wonderful! :)

Wonderful kids!  I am sure that they will have as much pleasure from seeing Steve using the garden as he will!

I am sure that they will have as much pleasure from seeing Steve using the garden as he will!

They were so excited they were fit to burst :) :)

Wow, what stars. You've obviously got super kids.

What a lovely, thoughtful thing for your children to do :)  You must be incredibly proud of them.  I hope you and your husband enjoy the fruits of their labour :)

That is absolutely fantastic, what a wonderful thing to do :) :) :)

It looks beautiful, fantastic work by your kids and their friends. . hope we have a lovely indian summer for you to enjoy it :)

Marion

Just had a look and it is brilliant, very talented children if I may say :)

Wow you must be so proud of them...

So are they out for hire for when my parents go away?  :D LOL

Oh How wonderful!!
What a heart warming and inspiring post thank-you Harley, I;d thought Id had the worst day of my life today..but this has put everything in perspective for me, and gave me the first smile of the day (badly needed)
The patio looks amazing. Im soo heartened to hear such a lovely story xx

Liv phone me ! 07967354674 or 01993832797

Lucyxx

Words can't say how reassuring and uplifting that is, after the unsettling day I've had. If all children were like yours the world would be a fine place. :)

Thats Brilliant :D :D Bless them :)
Looks like a good job as well :D :D(From a proffesional angle :))
you have amazing kids :) :)
Lea :)

Oh Lizzie, what a lovely family you have. The garden looks lovely and you must be so very proud of them.
What a lovely, sweet thing to do :)

Excellent. Bet Dad is proud as punch to.   The sun will benefit him so much just now..

Hugs

wonderful - steve must feel so proud of them - and also reassured.   And as foryou - bet there's not a prouder mum than you anywhere tonght

margot

Hello you ! I was wondering where you had got and was going to mail you ;)

What wonderful children you have and how they will be there for you when Steve ;)

Oh Harley, what a lovely surprise for you both. You've done a great job raising such wonderful children. The patio looks fabulous, can't believe they managed all that in 2 weeks when it's taken me 4 years to do my back garden :D

This brought a tear to my eye!!! What a lovely story and how proud you must be. Gives me faith in there being decent people out there again!!:-D

What a wonderful surprise and what amazing children you have (and their friends who helped).

Lindsay
x

What a wonderful thing to do :) 

You must be so proud of them, and yes, you do reap what you sow :D :D

Hope the sun stays so you can enjoy the garden.