THINK SMALL

Some people go all out to create a miniature park right there in their back yard. They have the little stretch of grass next to the tiny patio, the bird table, the tiny pond with two carp. And they squeeze into the two-seater garden bench and admire the whole thing stretched out before them, no bigger than a parking spot for a family car.

That two-seater bench is crucial to the overall exercise, I feel. It provides the illusion that this is a park. The trick is to get a bench that doesn't take up much room but still provides the feel of a bench.

This is why I admire those people you see on the news who build a model village in their back garden. They spend years laying railway tracks and modelling little people to wander around the intricate, tiny shops. These people started with the two-seater bench and wondered if maybe they could get something smaller. Other people look around their own back gardens and wonder if they can organise some kind of fountain arrangement in the corner - these guys are trying to work out flight paths for the model planes at the model airport. While their neighbours are trying to create the illusion of having a park right there in their back garden, these guys are working out the garden boundaries for the houses that back onto the park.