Dream Monastery

[Sibling Chatty]

OK, we're speculating on our Infinite Funding for the Monastery/Monasteries.

Where? What do we include? More than one location, to take advantage of weather/seasons?

What kind of gardens?? (Ooooh, fun!!)

GO!!

[beagle]

Something like the fountain at Castle Howard would be useful to keep the real toadfish in.



(Picture Credit, Atlas Fountain at Castle Howard (C) David Redhouse. see
http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/~dir21/gallery/tn/atlas_fountain_castle_howard.png.html for creative commons picture licence terms).


A maze like the ones at Blenheim or Hampton Court would be handy for storing trolls too.

[Sibling Chatty]

A BIG yes on the maze.

We can start with one of bigger shrubberies (Ni!) but I want to build one from boxwood that'll take a while to grow as well. (Years, to be specific-ish.)

I have always liked the idea of a maze made up of a shrub that can be shaped into all sorts of things...

[Opsa]

Whew, that's grand!

Speaking of mazes, how about a meditation labyrinth garden? http://www.labyrinthcompany.com/

I walked one of these last summer and it was a very cool experience.

We have a lot of chefs here, so we'd need a huge kitchen. Also, a spring house for our Beer production.

I picture a great room with a big stone fireplace and a long table for meeting, creating and sharing meals.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

I'd be fond of a Zen rock garden, myself.

It might be good to have things spread out, too, so we can be free to be as noisy as we want in one area without disturbing meditiation/sleep/etc. in another.

And a big honkin' library would be vital, I think.

Oh!  Oh!  Also, a small lake that's  sheltered from the wind by lots of trees for canoeing (solo or with a partner, according to the wants of each).

[beagle]

If we have a labyrinth are we obliged to have a minotaur? It's hard to meditate while running like hell.

Are we going for the big dining room:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page2225.asp

or eating in the kitchen? The first has more style, but the food's always cold, and it's a pain if you only have one condiment set.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Seeing how the cooking's likely going to be done by fellow siblings, why not bring them into the festivities?

We could have a stylish eat-in kitchen (or dining room with cooking facilities, depending on your point of view), after all.

[beagle]

What are we going to eat? Monkfish?

Can I be in charge of the vastly extensive but very poorly audited cellars please?

[The Meromorph]

We'll set up up with a suite down there... Just try not to have the people bringing in fresh supplies trip over you. 

[Bluenose]

Might I suggest we have a small part of the monastery set aside for a distillary.  I rather fancy the idea of some quiet contemplative monks watching over the maturation of some fine malt whisky, only occasionally testing the contents, of course. :toadfish:

Bluenose

[Aggie]

We need fruit.  Since my Dream Monastery is in the tropics, mangoes, durian, mangosteen and passionfruit are a must, and then everything else that will grow.

In the temperate zones, I'd settle for berries and tree fruits.  Either way, my dream would be to have it all naturalized around the grounds, not cooped up in a garden.

A barley field and some hops twining up the front gate would be a nice touch as well.

[Sibling Chatty]

'Informal' gardens are more my style, and orchards with trees in a line are too commercial looking...lots of groupings of trees.

I want a butterfly garden, with all the things that'll attract butterflies. Must also have herbs, and a good allium garden, but not too near the other veggies...the kitchen gardens will be huge by necessity.

Can we have a big, informal sunporch that's glassed in during the winter and open during the summer? Lots of comfy chaise longues with sturdy tables and lamps? I miss my grandmother's sunporch and the special place to curl up with a book.

Oh, handicap acessibility, please. Ramps, wide doors (i've tried an electric wheelchair, and I think I might be a little hard on doorframes for a while) lifts/elevators where needed. There's this thing called 'universal design' that's supposed to be accessible without looking 'institutionally accessible'. Plan ahead...

[Sibling Kephra (Tansy)]

Yep.  Garden.  Biiig garden.  With lavender, tea roses, and crawling ivy attatched to the gazeebo in the centre.
Where I suspect Sibling Chatty and I would spend our time drinking when we weren't weeding. 

[Bluenose]

Oh yes!

And lets make sure we let some of the roses go to seed, for I have an itch to make some rose jelly, at least in between testing the progress of the malt...

Bluenose

[Aggie]

Where I suspect Sibling Chatty and I would spend our time drinking when we weren't weeding. 

We could build a separate gazeebo for that.

Some wild roses about the grounds, please...  they smell so lovely, and can seed themselves freely.  As far as handicap accessability, why bother with stairs when we can have flowing walkways and ramps instead?  Love the sunporch idea...