with keys in hand

Welcome to our new home!

We have 3 mango trees, one litchi tree, one orange tree, and one banana tree; lots of fruit to look forward to! The outside space is what I love the most and where I'm sure Luc and I will spend most of our time. I'm already dreaming of ways to improve the yard, make it more child-friendly, and zen-like. So I'm making a list of ideas, here goes....
*vegetable and herb garden in the back
*move rosemary shrub to back
*build a fort, treehouse or outdoor tee-pee under one of the mango trees
*install sturdier fence on right side
*make a stepping stone path on left side
*hang a set of wind chimes from a tree or the balcony
*add a climbing rope with knots to one mango tree (Luc's still too young for this, so this won't be for a while)
*make a bird house or bird feeder or maybe install a birdbath? (no, scratch that last one, we don't want standing water in a place where mosquitoes carry chikunguyna!)

When I look at the yard, the adult side of me sees that things could be more organized, and we could make it look more symmetrical. But that would be boring for a kid! When I think about what Luc sees, (and my inner child) I think, "wow, there's so many places for running, hiding, jumping off of things, and other great opportunities for discovery." Of course, we want a safe place for him to play, so if that means taking out the giant cactus at the bottom of the hill (could you imagine accidently falling into that?), then so be it.
I'm imagining a great place for playing and having all sorts of outdoor accessories to go along with it; hula hoops, a basketball hoop, jump ropes, a wagon, gardening tools, a sprinkler to run through, buckets for collecting things, an old tire swing, a magnifying glass, a bench under the mango trees, and maybe a nice family sized swinging bench for the balcony.

Sigh. I love this place!