The old Privy
Four, actually. Prompted by the imminent arrival of the septic tank emptier on his annual visit, I thought you may be interested to see how the process was 'handled' in the not-that distant past here at Autumn Cottage.The previous owner of the cottage was, back in the 1950's, the Head Mistress of one of the local village schools - very much a contemporary of 'Miss Read' - who also lived not far away. She told me the story of how she had come to the village from the city, and was one day regaled by the chortles of the schoolchildren, who announced that the Lavender Cart had overturned in the village. Bewildered, she had to enquire what such a cart may be? and was patiently enlightened by a seven year old that said cart was actually that used to remove excess night soil from the houses around about - given the name of 'Lavender Cart' in allusion to its pervasive perfume!
I wonder if a similar cart visited Autumn Cottage? - maybe to take away excess 'fertiliser'... if so, here is an example of what would have been emptied onto it, which has been stored away amongst other garden paraphernalia here for a long time. It is what I have only recently realised is probably the original soil bucket which would have been placed beneath a wooden seat in the brick privy, which still stands here in the garden.

Methinks, though, that scattered cottages like this were more likely to retain much of this product - perhaps tipping it into a soil pit to rot down and add to the other forms of compost that would have then been returned to the earth to maintain the high fertility responsible for the abundance of vegetables, fruit and flowers seen in so many images of the Victorian cottage garden. It is said that in many old habitations in country and town, that the most wonderful tomatoes were those grown behind 'the little garden house'!
I'm ashamed to say that I pierced four holes in the bucket and used it as a planter when I first discovered it, thinking it just a common old bucket, discarded under a tree when we acquired 'the house next door' fifteen years ago. But since rediscovering it and noticing it's unusual shape, wide-topped and with two side-handles for greater ease of emptying, I am sure that it is more unusual - almost certainly the bucket that belongs to the privy, and definitely to be treated with more respect than I have done up to now.
Mea culpa - time to make amends and take greater care of a little bit of history. The old privy is now used here to store day-to-day garden hand tools - though my neighbour has restored hers to its original state. Along with the house, the privy is a Listed Building, and in the major clear-up and re-assessment which is going on here at the cottage at present, I'm minded to think that further restoration of our own 'Lavender Bower' may not be in order as well? It is just a precious a piece of history as the grand houses round about, and indeed more at risk of disappearing for good if it is not valued by ourselves. Watch this Space for developments in Lavender land!
On a sweeter note, below are two visitors to the garden this morning purely for your pleasure...a Great Tit gobbling peanuts from the new feeding station,

and the elegant but aggressive Nuthatch which sees off any other visitors to the food. Never mind....there's enough for all - unless the squirrel decides to visit...but that is another story for another day.
Happy Monday, everyone - may you walk in beauty - even though you may be surrounded by Lavender !
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