Precious moments.

There is a quietness about her these days. She is so very tiny. I wonder how she stays so strong. We sit in the copse and speak of childhood days.....I hold her hand, I listen. She seems to need to tell me things. She asks about the garden.
She tells me she is proud of me, how pretty I look....a mother always thinks her child is beautiful. There is no love, like a mothers love. We leave the copse. I feel peaceful.......

I see Poppi running towards us. She hugs her Great Grandmother. I hold Mum, to steady her, so that she can enjoy this moment.

The garden is so dry. Yet, everything is so beautiful.

Perhaps it is just that I love it and have a need to do just that.

Mum and I slowly walk the garden. I pop my pretty sun hat on her head.

She laughs and the cockney sparrow puts on her 'posh voice' and puts her nose in the air, as she tries to walk with some elegance. I smile.......my mother has always been able to laugh at herself. I love her for that.

We sit at the table with the rest of the family. Mother made some cakes, she makes wonderful cakes.

I gaze across the garden......my thoughts are far away. It is a wonderful journey we walk with our parents as they age. They have so much to tell, things perhaps, that we did not know. I am spending more time with them.......quality time.

I awake each morning in gratitude for the blessings of another day, for each is a precious gift and a priceless opportunity to live, to laugh and to love.

Sunday safari

These days, are golden days.

Time to dream days.

Or sit by a pond and reflect days.

Feel the warmth of the sun, on the back of your neck. It has been a long cold winter.

A walk in the woods alone, perhaps,

or maybe with a friend.

Time to give someone a hug. Show them you are pleased to see them.

Or just time, to sing your little heart out.

Or make a bonnet for Easter........

Whatever you choose to do, be happy.......life is good.

Happy Sunday safari.

Down on my knees......

As I walked into the garden this morning I disturbed the heron.

He had been taking fish from next door's pond. Such majestic birds.

Tulip 'Lady Jane' has just come into bloom. Getting down on one's knees to weed the borders, is the perfect opportunity to view the garden close up and personal.

'Shirley' is such a lovely colour. I added the bulbs to the garden during the winter.

Snakeshead Fritillary have petals chequered in purple and cream. It is an easy meadow plant. Elizabethan ladies used them to decorate their dresses.

Epimedium 'Versicolor' is beautiful. You really do have to be down on your knees to appreciate just how lovely she is.

They adapt well to dry shade and seem to enjoy being planted beneath shrubs.

The leaves are evergreen and tinged red when young.

This is an absolute surprise. It has taken four years for Erythronium 'pagoda' to bloom.

Had I not been weeding, I think I would have missed this little bloom.

After pottering amongst the borders for a couple of hours I took a walk into the copse. The rabbits were enjoying the warmth of the day. I have not seen 'the old boy' for quite a while. I wonder if he survived the winter.......

A bee fly caught my eye. Fascinating little creatures.

They take nectar from flowers. Forget me nots seem to be the favourite today.

Hope you are enjoying your garden as much as I am.....have fun.

White flowers, just cannot resist them.

White flowers in a garden, give me a feeling of complete peace.

They bring about a feeling of calm.

I find them restfull, they help me forget the stresses of everyday life.

I love the way they glow in moonlight.

They are just pure heaven for me.

This is one of my favourites at the moment. The water hawthorn, little boats floating on the pond, surrounded by duckweed and bubbles. You can grow this beauty in a water-filled tub. She will flower until the first frosts. On warm days she fills the air with the most beautiful fragrance. Insects are drawn to her in large numbers and some drown trying to reach her (poor things).

This little beauty lifts my spirits each time I walk past......happy April days.

The joy a garden holds....

I sat in wonder as I watched the seagull, chase the heron, in the skies above the garden.

It is good to be still, to be at one with mother earth, and to feel the heartbeat of this garden.

I sigh when I discover the abandoned duck eggs in the bog garden. To be truthful, it is not a good place to nest....the ducklings would be vulnerable. I shall think about fencing this area next year. It will give the mallards a chance to breed here. I feel so honoured that they stayed for a while....they left a message.....the garden is a haven for wildlife.

I have located six bumblebee nests, I have marked each one.......they need to be protected. I am thrilled numbers grow here.

I am in my tenth year with the garden. I knew there would be a turning point for me and today it came. Silently, it crept up on me, as I walked through this magical place.

I have read numerous books on wildlife gardening. My collection is vast and fills an oak bookcase, BUT experience is the greatest teacher of all.

I have watched small creatures pass away and seen new life begin.

I have had successes and failures. I have laughed and cried.

This gardens runs through my veins and touches my very soul.

I love every part of it....including the stinging nettles that support the local butterflies, giving them a chance to breed.......

Here they will not be destroyed by the councils tractor that cuts the verges within an inch of their life. Mowing down the wildflowers that the wildlife depends on.

I sold ten plants yesterday......a chalk board at the gate called to a lady as she passed by. She bought nearly all of my 'king size' navy blue sweet peas. They have an amazing scent....I am sure she will be pleased.......

Sunday safari....ancient woodland.

Britain's woodlands wake from their winter slumber this year to a reprieve.

Plans to sell 258,ooo hectares of government-owned forests - a fifth of all woodlands in England - have been scrapped.

More than 500,000 people signed a petition opposing the proposed sell-off,

forcing the Prime Minister to abandon the consultation over their future.

Fears that the open access to these forests for walkers,

horse riders and cyclists could be lost,

that biodiversity may not be protected,

that forests would be sub-divided, or even chopped down,

prompted widespread condemnation.

Riley and Poppi are fortunate to have ancient woodland at the bottom of their garden.

In a few weeks the woodland floor will be carpeted with bluebells and other wildflowers.

Long may it remain so.........happy Sunday safari.