There is a spot in our garden, as I suppose there is in most gardens, that is always neglected and hard to make attractive. For us, it is the back south western corner.  You walk down a stone path, past the citrus, to where the path abruptly ends with a high block wall. I have done my best with it.

A few years ago, I fell back on that old decorators’ trick of, ‘if in doubt, hang a mirror’. So now it has a two-metre mirror hanging at the end, but I have always thought it needed something more. 

I have looked at all the garden art you find in garden centres, finding it all seems too contrived. I have also visited outdoor sculpture displays and found them too large or imposing for the location. So, I had kept all my old garden tools neatly hanging in the  garage in the hope that one day some clever young artist would tell me they can weld my hoe to my spade, attach a pitch fork and a couple of old rakes and come up with an appropriate piece of art for that scruffy corner. 

Then, the other day I was taking Bad Jelly out for an airing; down to Chateaubriant in Cheltenham for a coffee and a cake. We always have a look in Vauxhall Vintage first and there I spotted a beautiful, old, bruised tuba. All its silver was wearing off and the brass beneath had started showing through the ageing patina. Perfect, I thought, that would look great hanging in the garden in front of the mirror. The lovely sales assistant said just the right thing, when she mentioned she thought it would look great inside her home surrounded by large leaf pot plants. I bought it on the spot, told her we were going for a coffee and would be back after that to pick it up. When we did finally return she told us that not five minutes after we left someone else had called in to purchase it and was terribly disappointed the tuba was sold. We took it home and tried it in various locations but decided it was too good a piece of art to have tucked away down the back, eventually settling on placing it on the mantle above the outdoor fireplace.

Just this weekend, my very old friend Bill Rimmer happened to call in and, on a tour of the garden, spotted my latest acquisition. “You bastard!’’ He yelled. “You bought it! I went in to buy that and the woman said she had only just sold it. I saw it earlier in the week and went home to think about it. I wanted that!”  Bill has spent many years playing in brass bands and gives up huge amounts of time to perform at Anzac and Passchendaele memorials in New Zealand and overseas. He insisted on oiling the keys and giving us a tuba recital right there on the spot. Then, when he heard we were going away for a few days, he demanded to take it home for a holiday whist we were gone.

We all have little spots like that inside our homes too; a little corner that just needs attention, a cushion, a curtain, a chair or a rug. Keep an eye out for the unusual and don’t hesitate to buy it when you spot something that will work, or you too will end up like Bill - playing with other kids’ toys. Next time one of our talented designers is at your home, don’t forget to also ask them for ideas for your forgotten little spaces too.

Oh, that reminds me, we have a new textile artist featured in our gallery from the first of November. Jessica Killen works in the famous Clarke and Clarke studios, in a converted church in Cheshire, England. Her latest collection reflects the shapes and shading of nature. I particularly love the one based on the images of coral beneath the sea. Call in to our constellation Drive Gallery, make yourself a coffee and browse through the wonderful textile art we have available. 

And, if you do know someone with the skill and artistry to weld a collection of old garden tools into a wonderful sculpture, ask them to give me a call. I still need something in front of that mirror.

- Gerald