Saturday 10 June 2017

In the garden now . . .

(I wish!)

The roses in the garden have begun to unfold their tender velvet hearted blooms, a sweet gift to us, the fairest and the best . . . crimson and apricot, ivory and gold. They lift their pretty heads in Todd's rose bed, and of course they climb the metal arbor which surrounds the gate which separates out patio from the grassed area in the back. By next year it will be totally covered . . . but for this year there remains a space still free, the very arch at the top of it. Oh how wonderful it will be when they cover the whole thing and we can walk through a golden tunnel, so pretty and fragrant . . .

"Round the arbours of remembrance 
Youths unfading roses climb, 
And the hidden seeds of friendship 
Grow between the stones of Time."

Thinking of roses reminds me of this little verse by Patience Strong . . . I do so love poetry as you know . . .

 

I have never met a flower that I didn't like . . .  even the dandelion has its charms, but I think my favourite of all the flowers has to be Sweet Peas. Delicate and dainty . . . beautiful and vivid as sunset skies . . . a mass of sweetness . . . like clouds of pink and crimson and purple butterflies.

"Sweet Peas, on tiptoe for a flight, 
With wings of gentle flush, o'er delicate white." 
~ Keats

Are they flowers, these moth-like things with brightly tinted wings of flame and cream??When we lived down South we had lots of sweet peas in the garden. Our soil was much better there.  Nothing much seems to grow very well here.  Our soil is very much like clay and we cannot afford to bring more soil in, and so now we mostly grown in pots.


Our Oriental Poppies always put on a magnificent show.  They are almost finished now, but when they are in bloom, they are gorgeous. Large and blousy with chocolate box centres . . . their petals look a little bit like ruffled up-turned ball gowns, or ballerina tutus . . . waiting to go on stage and dance.   When we have a bit of a breeze, they do dance, and bob their pretty heads in time to the rhythm of the wind . . .


"Through the dancing poppies stole 
A breeze most softly lulling to my soul."
 ~Keats

 photo 31767f6d8062eab8a52e0546be4ee0d5_zps99dbbb8b.jpg


Dicentra Spectabilis, or Bleeding Hearts. I love their dainty blooms. I do not like to think of hearts that bleed . . . but I do think these blooms are very pretty. They arch across the garden like a bridge weeping with delicate heart shaped blossoms that drip down along it's arch . . . to me, they look a bit like the back of a little girl's pig-tailed head . . . but then my mind is often filled with visions of little girls . . .

No other plant bears perfect heart-shaped flowers like those of the Bleeding Heart. If you press the flowers between the pages of a heavy book, you'll have papery-thin little hearts to adorn letters or valentines. If you turn a flower upside down and pull the two halves apart, you'll see a lady in a pink bathtub, or perhaps you'll see a white lyre with strings of silk . . .

 

I just love the garden this time of year when each day brings something new to delight.  We have Love in the Mist blooming at the moment also . . .  but our Foxgloves and Lupins, Hollyhocks and Delphiniums have never come back.  Our Hydrangea are also doing very poorly this year, and neither one of us has the energy to really see to any of it.  Perhaps next year will be a better year.  I think this autumn we will cut the hydrangea right back and see what happens.  The Lavendar is starting to bloom now however and the heather so all is not lost  . . .

Oh my knee was just terrible yesterday.  The worst yet.  It does not bode well for our Scotland trip.  We will still go, but I think Todd will be doing most of the walks/sight-seeing on his own.  I will have to bring my crochet and he can just park me on a bench some where while he goes off.  It's a real nuisance!  I was in so much pain yesterday with it, I could barely walk at all. Hobbling about like an old lady I was.  I hate to say it, but its a bit depressing.  There is so much I want to see and to do . . .

A thought to carry with you through the day  . . .

.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.° ˛°. . 
˛Be selective with your battles,
Sometimes peace is better than being right.
~Unknown  .° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

Spiritual Enlightenment


In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Orange Muffins.  These are really good.  I chose to add some dried currants to mine, but you could add raisins, nuts, or even poppy seeds.  Delicious!

Have a great Saturday.  It is bucketing down here and windy, so we won't be going very far.  Whatever you get up to don't forget!

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And I do too!


9 comments:

  1. Good morning Marie. The English garden is so very special and a treat to see. I am so sorry your knee is causing so much concern. Would your doctor be able to give you some stronger meds or an anti inflammatory for the time you are on holiday? I am so sorry that you are feeling miserable.

    God bless everyone. I am so tired and wheezy and am longing to crawl into bed. See you soon.

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  2. It feels like winter tonight. The day has been cooler and now it is pouring rain. Thank goodness my Will brought the washing in earlier this afternoon.

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  3. I hate that you are in pain..:(
    Can you take Ibuprofen? Just for the trip?

    Just so you can see and function well?

    Marie..this time of year in the garden is exactly as you have described it.
    It is a miracle.Of Nature..

    everything..

    I am off to Pin the muffins of course..when do you leave?

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  4. I love the gardens this time of year Suzan. We are lucky to live in such a temperate climate for sure. I wish you would feel better with your wheezing and tiredness. Glad that Will got your washing in. We have had a couple of really rainy days also. Love and hugs. xoxo

    I have been using the Voltaren anti-inflammatory cream on it Monique, but today has been the worst day ever. I actually had a good old boo hoo upstairs in my craft room about it. It's getting me a bit down. We leave in less than a week, so barring a minor miracle I will be well and truly hobbled during the trip. But I will try to make the most of it irregardless! xoxo PS you will LOVE the muffins!

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  5. One of the big things that changed here when I moved is the flowers. I used to have many varied and different ones that would bloom all the time except for winter when it snows and freezes over. I miss the roses and such but do not miss the work. Other than a few flower boxes, there are none coming up here and I think it will stay that way. Getting older means making some big adjustments.

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  6. I'm sooo sorry Marie, that ur knee is giving u so much pain!
    I will pray extra hard for u that it subsides fast, so that u will be able to enjoy Scotland fully!
    I've been praying alot for my daughter and she got 2 jobs, instead of 1 yesterday! Yay! Jobs are not plentiful around here now.
    Love ur flower garden also!
    Again, I can't stress enough how much gratitude I have for u, making the orange muffins that I had requested!
    I also will pray for Suze that she will feel alot better soon! xo

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  7. You are right Pam, when you get older you have to pick and choose what you are willing to expend your energy on! God bless your Sunday! xoxo

    Oh J, it was nothing. I enjoyed making them! Thanks also for your prayers. It seems such a silly thing to want prayer for your knee, but when it means you cannot move about then I think prayers are warranted! Thank you so much! Also for the prayers for Suzan. Prayers are always answered, but to our own good. Here's hoping! xoxo

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  8. I just wrote something and I don't know if it went or not. Sometimes, I write and my thoughts just disappear. If you get two comments; you can just publish one of them.
    Anyway, I loved the photos of the flowers; they are lovely. I would love a beautiful flower garden. However, we have clay soil too; so it is hard to grow things here.
    I am praying for you knee to heal quickly so you can enjoy that Scotland trip.
    Sending loving thoughts, prayers and hugs your way!

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  9. Thanks very much LeAnn! The mysteries of the www eh! I have gotten a brace for the knee and some inserts for my shoes. So far so good! xoxo

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