blank

For this episode we were in Chandlers Ford in Hampshire to help the Richardson family. This incredible family have been through so much, and the father Jason is pretty much tied to the home because of the treatments and machines that keep him alive. The family desperately needed an outdoor space that they could escape to and relax that was within reach, and it was such an honour to be able to give that to them.

blank

You can see me here with our soundman Lloyd and a sneaky Amy trying to hide her in her jumper. If you’ve read my previous blogs you will know that we call Lloyd ‘Stormbringer’ as he always brings the rain with him, and this episode was no exception.

blank

This is me with Thea our production coordinator who sources all of our products for us. As you can see, I’ve had to bring out the hat as the rain is about to come in and soak us. It was supposed to be a light shower, but we ended up with a good drenching.

blank

The hat went down a treat with the crew. You can see Ash, one of our landscaping team, showing his appreciation in the background here.

blank

I’m on my third set of waterproofs here. The hat is now too wet to wear, so I had to resort to a hood instead.

blank

I had a great idea for a bit of fun when I saw Katie in her stripy top! I borrowed our director’s hat and someone else’s glasses, and hey presto we had a good game of Where’s Wally! (or Where’s Waldo to our American friends)

blank

Here you can see Frances getting to grips with another tactical bit of artwork.

blank

We all get involved with artistic projects as we go, and here you can see me fresh from doing my own bit of art… otherwise known as staining the fence.

blank

This is Jake, one of our PDs. That was a HUGE sunken area that we dug out. And you can see Katie in the background talking to the rest of the team as they pulled everything together.

blank

Absolutely soaked. Mud everywhere. You get cold right the way to your bones on some of these shoots and it’s not easy to get warmed back up, but here I am, trying to keep a brave face on it (unsuccessfully).

blank

Frances on the other hand is inside in the warm, with a nice cup of coffee and her script, getting ready for the day’s shoot.

blank

I do love my hat, as you can see (my mum gave it to me for Christmas). The guys in the background are working hard to erect the pergola. In the end it gets taken down again!

blank

This wide shot gives you a glimpse of how many people are working at one time in these gardens, and this one had its challenges for sure.

blank

I got into the car and realised I hadn’t brought my eye protectors with me, but I thought don’t worry I’ll borrow someone else’s if I need them. Well, the only ones available were bigger than my own scuba diving set! But I wore them, and had a bit of fun with them anyway.

blank

Singing in the rain…

Katie and I thought we would cheer everyone up a bit with a song and dance, swapping a lamppost for a new tree.

blank

Lloyd with his giant boomstick, trying to look commanding.

blank

Here’s a pic of the finished garden. It was really nice that it brightened up right at the end, as we always like to bring the family in when it’s dry and clear to see the garden if we can. They were such a deserving and inspiring family and it was such a lovely garden we were able to create for them.

blank

A final shot of the four of us all looking absolutely saturated. And we really were wet right the way down to our skin. All very pleased and relieved that the garden is finished and looking forward to getting dry!