A green cave in the making.

I just love cosy courtyards. In fact, I love them to such an extent I have a board on Pinterest  with more than 100 pins that I accumulated for inspiration.

When we bought the property, the courtyard was empty and barren. This was the point where my very fertile imagination came in very handy. I did not see the bland generic walls and the couple of straggly pot plants. I saw a green cave filled with lush foliage and flowers and comfy chairs.

This was the first step to get there.

We put up the main beams for the pergola, making sure all the measurements were correct. At this stage the wood is still unpainted.

They all fit quite nicely....

So they all came down, got painted and went back up again

The covering laths got screwed into place.

The creeper Mondia Whitei planted in the corner started to grow the beginnings of the green cave. 

A bit of furniture and there you are.

Now fast forward a year or two....

And this is now...

The beautiful carved screen was found abandoned on a building site.

The entrance to one of the new suites leading off the courtyard.

The cave is taking shape and what an adventure it is figuring out what grows best where...