While Mr P was sleeping yesterday I decided to look through my treasure box. I cannot remember the last time I did this. There is nothing of great monetary value, just a box full of memories.....my memories. At the bottom of the box I discovered some papers tied together with a piece of green ribbon. Amongst them were the following images of my last garden....taken by my father. I did not own a camera in those days and have no other photographs of the garden.
It took me back to the tiny walled garden. Sheltered, and secret.....it could not be seen by anyone, the walls kept it just for the family. A blank canvas when we moved there. Oh boy did I enjoy planting this tiny plot.
I was, at that time, a novice. I knew the basics......my father taught me well. Putting them into practice was another matter.
You can see from this image and the writings, my love of bees goes way back.....in fact, to childhood.
Another memory.....one of my darling Cavaliers....Ellie a rescue dog. I wish I could share more with you....the tiny pond.....the balcony garden.....the old wall.......sadly this is all I have.
Apparently when the new owners moved in within a year the garden had been cleared.....minimal was the new owners preference. I can remember feeling so sad when I was told. What about the wildlife that lived amongst the ivy....where would the bees go.....would the thrush find a new nesting site. Nothing stays ours forever, everything changes.
Where is heaven? Is it not
just a friendly garden plot,
Walled with stone and roofed with sun,
Where the days pass one by one.
Not too fast and not too slow,
Looking backwards as they go
At the beauties left behind
To transport the pensive mind.
Bliss Carmen.............Where is heaven ??
Leaves of Arum Italicum have emerged. The beautiful marbled leaves are a bonus to a Winter garden. They sit beautifully among the ferns in the woodland area.
Prunus Autumnalis flowers from Autumn till Spring. I love the weeping form. Flowers are small but plentiful and stand up to the weather well.
Candelabra Primula is in bloom, such a surprise. The exceptionally mild weather has given it thoughts of Spring.
Pots full of fuchsia are still giving beautiful displays..............hard to believe really. I am not complaining......
I love the mini forest in the copse. Surely this must be faerie land ?
Each day I have walked the garden. Much needed at times. It has been a difficult week but the news is good, Mr P is home. He is recovering slowly...........we do not know what the future holds but we are positive and strong in mind. I personally feel the worse is over and the future is bright.
Thank you all for your words of kindness and compassion.
They have helped me get through this week and I am grateful to each and every one of you.
Life is full of ups and downs. We all have our own story to tell.
If we didn't have downs, then we wouldn't have ups.........if that makes any sense.
The Autumn garden has never looked more beautiful...............and yet.
Yesterday Mr P was told he had two low grade tumours in his bladder. On Tuesday he will have them removed. We are both positive, we will work our way through this............the consultant is optimistic.
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood................Marie Curie.
Have a wonderful weekend........enjoy your loved ones.
I first noticed Nuthatch in the garden during the last weeks of Summer. I have been stalking them ever since. To get an image has been virtually impossible, that is until today.
Dressed in a green jumper, skinny jeans and a green bobble hat I sat amongst the vegetation. This is not a good look I hasten to add. Raindrops dripping down the back of my neck, I sat for twenty minutes. My limbs aching I was about to give up when the Nuthatch returned. I managed to get a few images...............not perfect but at least you can see the bird on the feeder.
It is great to have Nuthatch in the garden. The pair are with a group of Blue and Great Tits.
I am hoping when Spring arrives they will choose to stay in the garden and breed.
I went to a meeting yesterday in the village hall. A planning application has been put forward to build 300 new homes in the village. The turn out was good and the vast majority of people were against the build.
Why? The village is situated on a flood plain. Headcorn struggles with drainage and sewerage, at this time there is no plans to improve the systems if the homes are built.
We had two inches of rain last night......the images show my garden this morning. More rain is forecast for the week ahead, so the situation will only get worse.
I am no academic but please let common sense prevail......are the council not aware of climate change. Where were they last year when the worst floods for hundreds of years hit Kent.
I realise more homes are needed.....but please please please not on the flood plains.
I remember the first time I saw a hare in the wild. I was walking across fields with Gramps and Pincher the dog. I thought it was a rabbit. Grandfather delighted in telling me the difference between the two.....also the legends attached to the hare.
Since that time they have fascinated me. Sadly they are in serious decline..........I have not seen one for a long long time.
When I saw a hare for sale in a shop window, I had to go in and take a look. I loved the sculpture .....I knew it would be perfect for the house. Mr P and I no longer buy Christmas presents for each other......for no other reason than as you get older there is little you truly need. So, if we see something we truly love, we buy it........in short this is my Christmas present from Mr P.
This piece will be treasured for a long time.............
.......and the mist thins to reveal the southwest......a shining wheat field, speckled with brilliant blue cornflowers and red poppies. There are picnic baskets spilling the remains of the labourers food. One field has been scythed, except for a single tussock. A heat haze blurs your vision, and in the rolling landscape you sense a shining figure. The men are standing back in a group from the last swathe of grain and one by one they throw their scythes to cut through it. As the last scythe flies, the air shimmers and the grain is sheared like the head of the solar king, crowned with wheat. As the bright stems fall among the poppies, a huge hare bounds from the stubble and disappears across the fields. The heat haze turns to mist which obscures the scene, leaving you with the bittersweet taste of sacrifice and harvest.....the dance of life.
The path of Druidry...................Penny Billington.
Have a good weekend
The fallen leaves beneath the Maple look so beautiful I am reluctant to clear them. The carpet of gold is a wonderful addition to the Autumn garden but .........
it is a job that needs to be done. Tools gathered I set about my task. The weather is perfect for such a job.....blue skies and a chill in the air. For me, this is so much better than a workout in the gym :)
Leaves are gathered and taken back and forth to the copse. In a year or two, leaf mould, to spread around the woodland borders. I am so locked in the moment I continue working..........I had only meant to clear the leaves nearest to the house, but sometimes the mood is right.
Before I know it twilight.............that time between the setting of the sun and the coming of darkness - the perfect time to be alone in the garden. Sounds magnify, I hear the birds, Tom next door calls "Mummy"......I can smell smoke in the air and rotting apples. I do so love this garden.
I am reluctant to go in....one last capture, one last moment. What a beautiful end to the gardening day.
The bride looks far away. I wonder what she was thinking....................
We all had the most amazing four days in Yorkshire. The weather was perfect. Everything went according to plan. I could not have wished for more.
Time to wind down.....the village of Mojacar still enchants me. Time to step back to a bygone age, to slow things down. A perfect end to October.
Coming home and finding Japanese Anemone still in bloom is such a joy.
This is my most favourite Autumn flowering bulb. Abyssinian Gladiolus is such a, fragile looking, beauty. On my return the borders are dotted with these pretty flowers.
October has been a busy month. I have loved every moment but now it is time to play catch up. The garden is a mess. Leaves, overgrown grass, untidy beds mean a busy time ahead.
A lot will depend on the weather and I must say it is not looking good today......drizzle and windy conditions.
I do so hope you are all well and have had time to enjoy your garden...........
