Gnomespiration

Here are some more photos of Gnome Gardens

GNOMESPIRATION, if you will:

This is a lovely little 'Gnome Town'. Small, compact and cosy and with gorgeous gardening features. I hope my Gnome Island will have such beautiful blooming flowers. Lacking in number of gnomes though.

Very cute. But not a fan of how spaced out they are, and my Gnome Island certainly doesn't have this much space.

Adorable. And all similar gnomes, which is rare and nice to see.

Gnome Hill! Very creative and comical. I imagine they are all keeping an eye on the rest of the neighbourhood.

Perhaps a few too many gnomes here. Also not a fan of the Snow White figurines. They are Dwarfs (or Little People) not gnomes!

Too cramped, but I love the committment!

Very sweet!

What a lovely feature for a gnome garden! And only £14.99. This is definitely on my Gnome Island bucket list of things to buy!

How it all started

Last month I visited Penzance in Cornwall and came across an amazing Gnome Garden (pictured above).
I thought it was great and was told that the couple who owned the house (right by a public garden) had been adding to it for years.

I was very impressed and overwhelmed by childish excitement. What a quirky and interesting thing to collect, and more than that... what a way to bring a smile to other people's faces!

As a passerby you could spend hours looking at the garden. Trying to spot anything new, observing everything that is going on and seeing the lovely flowers and wildlife that have been interwoven with (or cultivated by) the gnomes.

I decided from that day that I was going to start my own Gnome Garden.

I visited home a few weeks later and told my parents of my plan. To my surprise they were both very eager and hugely supportive and excited about my suggestion. They encouraged me to find a spot in the garden the next day. Our roundabout 'island' was selected as the perfect spot.

 My mum took me to several Garden Centres on the way to the train station the following day and we embarked on a wild gnome hunt. Some Garden Centre assistants responded to our desperate gnome-related requests (we were on a very tight time limit as not to miss my train to London) with confusion, surprise and disorientation. They were obviously not used to directing customers to garden gnomes and often there was no specific section.

In the end we found one, (names James after a very helpful sales assistant) and also toadstool to join him in the garden. And so it begins. My crazy hobby is now up and running. More gnomes, photos and garden features to come. Watch this space...

Gnome visits London

Last week James the Gnome visited my workplace. He even made two new friends - Josh and Vijay:

They loved James so much they even imitated his gnome pose:

Josh also gave James the Gnome the prestigious title of 'Lord Gnomington III' and we granted him the position of Royal Bearer of the Cafe keys:

Thanks for all your hard work James. 

My mum texted me to say she has bought a toadstool for the garden, which I can see next time I go home. 

James will finally have a place to put his lamp down. And give his weary arm a rest.

In other news...

My gnome plans for the future:

• Solar powered water features
• Butterfly feeder
• Bird house (homemade)
• Bee log
• Solar powered lights
• More gnomes (of course)
• More toadstools and perhaps the occasional small animal made of pottery

Pictures of the Gnome Island will be posted once I return to my hometown and re-acknowledge the existence of trees, grass and shubbery in the world.

Alternatively I'm moving house soon so if I move somewhere with a garden (or balcony at the least) then it could act as a nice resting spot for James for the moment, a kind of purgatory if you will. 

But London is no place for a gnome. James, and the others (waiting in shops for me to buy) will eventually get taken back to Sherwood Forest and establish their true and permanent residence there.

Christmas time promises to be an epic Winter Wonderland as I have dreams of teeny tiny red Santa hats for all the gnomes, fairy lights, a mini Christmas tree and fake snow to surround it all.

Disclaimer:

Having finished my degree, and now having a little more time on my hands than I am used to, I realise that I may come across like a 'crazy cat lady' since starting to collect for my Gnome Garden, or  rather, Gnome Island.

Now, while I do indeed have cats (at home, not in my tiny London studio flat, that would be crazy) and while my parents do have 4 cats (5 if you count a recent stray -  and yes that's quite a lot, I agree)... I do feel I am currently of stable mind and am not suffering a quarter-life crisis as others may suggest.

 I do recognise the silliness of all this. It is tongue-in-cheek and very much to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Gnomes are not real and they do not have feelings, achey arms or favourite songs.

The puns available to gnome-related endeavours are highly amusing and endless however, and thus, with the help of what friends I have left after this, I will keep on collecting gnome memorabilia, always attaching gnomey puns to them, and keep blogging about my soon-to-be Gnome Island. 

Because remember 'Gnome Man is an Island'.

And if all else fails, and my friends desert me within a few weeks as I expect, then at least it is comforting to know that I will always have James and the other gnomes to keep me company.

My First Gnome

Hello. Welcome to Gnome Island, because "Gnome Man is an Island".

Today I bought my first gnome. 

He will be the first addition to my Gnome Island at home.

His name is James.

 I don't think this is a particularly original or exciting name, but my mum said we should name him after the shop assistant who sold him to us, and I don't want to upset my mum. 

James - My First Gnome

Name: James

Interests:  Latern holding, furry boots and grooming beard.

Birth Place: Floralands Garden Centre, Lambley, Nottinghamshire.

Adopted by: My mum
Favourite Song: No woman Gnome Cry

Favourite TV Programme: Gnome & Away
Favourite Book: The Curious Incident of the Gnome in the Night-time

Life motto: 'There's no place like Gnome'