Wednesday 25 November 2015

Silent footsteps..........

 We are in our 15th year at the farmhouse.     I can remember the day we moved here, it seems like yesterday.     I am by nature a dreamer, a romantic......Mr P a practical man, who keeps me grounded.    I had always wished that one day I would have a large garden, a garden that I alone had planted.
 I never expected the dream to come true.........but come true it did.     A journey began that rooted the garden to me, and me to the garden.
 I had no real experience.    A little girl that helped Dad and Grandad..........oh how grateful I am to them both, for allowing me to get my hands dirty.    
 Both cottage gardeners, compost the most important addition to their garden....never buy a plant, grow it yourself.   
 Oh yes, no real experience, but lots of memories.    Rarely a day goes by, that I do not think of one of them and smile.


 I planted the Californian pine when we moved here.   It wasn't supposed to be this large but it has been a wonderful addition to the garden.    It attracts so many birds, for me a bonus.
I planted a seed two years ago, it has been a long time coming.
My father philosophy was "Let it alone, it will grow if it wants to"     Strangely I have found him to be right.    So often I plant something and forget that I have, then suddenly I notice the first green shoot.     My Father walks with me in this garden.   He spent so much time here.......teaching me the old ways......sitting together in the sunshine chatting about plants.
It is nearly three years since he passed away..........I miss him as much today, as the day he died but it does not hurt anymore.
I think of him with great affection and know I was so lucky to call him 'My Dad'

28 comments:

  1. It's a beautiful place, and I'm glad the local birds enjoy the tree!

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  2. Thank you Simon.............

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  3. Oh Cheryl, your garden is a magical + beautiful place. And you Father + Grandfather sound like incredible people to have learned from. I also learned from my Dad (still do) + my Granddad (albeit for too short a time).

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    1. Thank you Jandi. Lovely to hear you learn from your Father .........enjoy these days my friend :)

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  4. Your dad lives on because of all the wonderful lessons he taught you. Books are ok to a point but to have someone by your side guiding you with the knowledge they've learnt over many years is the best lesson you can ever have. You've been very lucky to have that knowledge passed to you by two special people and that's why your garden is such a triumph. I'm sure both your dad and your grandad would be very proud that you listened so well and put all you learnt in to practice.

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    1. What a beautiful thing to say....thank you Jo, that means a great deal to me.

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  5. My mum is always in the garden with me, as I get older I am using more of the plants she loved.

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  6. You really have a beautiful large garden and in this post with your memories to your grandfather and father and the beautiful autumn pictures it feels a bit like a secret garden too.
    I have the gardening spirit of my grandfather, he was always singing and working in our large kitchengarden, where my sis and I got an own piece of garden to experiment. I learned a lot of him and have sweet memories too.

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    1. I love your story Janneke....thank you so much for sharing it with me.
      I know, like me, you will pass all you know to your lovely grandchildren and hopefully they will learn as we did :)

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  9. Cheryl ... you have such a beautiful garden, and I so enjoy your photo's and your words.
    In this post your words are so special, and it reminds me so much of time spent with both my grandparents and parents ... and also a very special Great Aunt who adored her garden. What an amazing character she was, she taught us all a lot about gardens. I also learned to roller skate in her garden well her potting shed / come greenhouse... but that's another sweet story and memory.

    Gardens, plants, flowers can evoke so many memories - they are to be cherished as our dear family members are ...always in our hearts ... always

    Such a very lovely post, and I am so sure your Dad and Grandad do walk the garden with you

    Cherish those memories

    All the best Jan

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    1. Cheryl ... sorry for some reason my same comment came through three times!!!
      So I deleted the first two.

      Jan

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    2. I love the fact you learned to roller skate in a potting shed/greenhouse.........I just can't imagine how that worked Jan. Here speaks the woman that has absolutely no sense of balance :) My husband cringes each time I climb a ladder :)

      A lovely comment Jan, thank you for sharing your sweet memories.

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  10. What a loving and heart-felt post! Thank you for sharing your garden and your cherished memories with us. I like that little branch sprouting out of your red pot. Looks like it might become a miniature evergreen or a huge one like your Californian pine!

    Your Dad was a very wise man and so respectful of nature, it sounds like. He taught you well and your garden is a tribute to him and his philosophy. I'm glad your journey has softened for you as the years have passed. I understand.

    Oh, I meant to tell you - I have some medlar seeds waiting to be planted back here in my home! It never felt right to plant them at the other homes I lived in over the past 4 years, but now that I'm back - it feels right. Thank you, dear friend.

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    1. The tiny plant in the pot is a Californian pine.....it is around two inches high now.
      I put one of the seeds in a pot watered once and left it.......the result a tiny California pine :)

      I am sure you understand Wendy..........my little iris always remind me of you when they bloom in Spring...........Namaste.

      Oh how lovely......wouldn't it be wonderful if a medlar grew in your garden.........I would just love that.

      Love and light

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    2. Yes, thank you dear Cheryl for sending those seeds a few years ago. Every once in a while, I would take them out to look at, all the while wondering why I just could not plant them. Now I know - I was waiting for the right home.

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  11. I so enjoy it when you take us with you through your garden and memories. Gardens hold those most memorable meaningful moments for us. They help us hold on to the most pleasant aspects of life...which is love and nurturing. Warm hugs...

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    1. Thank you Lisa,
      What a sweet comment................what you say is true.

      Hope you are enjoying Thanksgiving with family...........thinking of you and sending a very big hug.
      One day I will give you that in person :)

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  12. Such a beautiful post, Cheryl. I'm sure your father's spirit shares the garden with you.

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  13. Aah you are like me Cheryl - with gardens we learn from our mistakes and isn't it wonderful to see a garden grow and mature and see the thing of beauty we have created. A lovely tribute to your Dad - I wrote a similar post whilst you were on holiday - it is good that we can talk about them without any pain only good memories.

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    1. I have so enjoyed watching the garden grow Elaine.....I have made huge mistakes but also had wonderful successes. All part of gardening. The rabbits now decide which plant stays and which goes. I have lost the fight with them.....they are here to stay it would seem :)

      Have a lovely week...........

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  14. Ahhhh, what lovely memories you have of your father and grandfather, how lovely that you gardened with them as a child.I was allowed to run wild as a kid, I think I was border line feral!
    Gosh, your hellebores are early! I do love the iris seeds and am amazed at the size of your Californian pine! Wow! I planted one too which is now romping away. I do loveto see trees growing from seeds, it's so rewarding isn't it? A lovely post, as always.xxx

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  15. Ahhhh, what lovely memories you have of your father and grandfather, how lovely that you gardened with them as a child.I was allowed to run wild as a kid, I think I was border line feral!
    Gosh, your hellebores are early! I do love the iris seeds and am amazed at the size of your Californian pine! Wow! I planted one too which is now romping away. I do loveto see trees growing from seeds, it's so rewarding isn't it? A lovely post, as always.xxx

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  16. Such a lovely post, Cheryl; gardens do hold so many memories. As a "farm girl," I often think of those who went before me, nurturing the land. Mostly, though, I think of my grandmother. I don't think I ever helped her in the garden, but I remember her tending her flowers, which must have been a joyful respite from all the cooking, cleaning, tending the chickens, and everything else she had to do. Many of her flowers still live on in what is now my parents' home. I didn't realize you had only lived in your house for 15 years--my, how much you have accomplished in your garden in that time!

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  17. Just stopping by Cheryl ... hope all is well.

    Take Care and all good wishes

    All the best Jan

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