In a garden . . .

"Oh Adam was a gardener,
And God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees.
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray
for the Glory of the Garden, that it may not pass away!
For the Glory of the Garden, it shall never pass away!
~Rudyard Kipling

I love gardens. The county I live in, Kent, has always been known as and called, "The Garden of England." And no small wonder . . . it is filled with beautiful green trees, lolling green hills and Orchards filled with every apple under the sun, not to mention, pears and cherries. Indeed most of the country's strawberries come from Kent. Supposedly it is the county in England that gets the most sunshine and the least amount of rain, although to be sure it sometimes feels the opposite!

This morning I want to talk about knees though . . . something which we all have, but not which we all use. Not all knees may be beautiful, but they are all so very useful . . .



When there is a weed to dig out of the garden . . . the only way to get it out is to get down on our knees.

While out walking, you very well may catch sight of a rare and unusual plant . . . again you will see it best . . . on your knees.



You may drop something small and tiny onto the floor and not be able to find it . . . you will more than likely have to search for it on your knees.

You want to give thanks for your many blessings . . . or to ask for help when all in your world is going wrong . . . the best way to do this is . . . on your knees. People of many faiths sink to their knees in worship and prayer.



The ultimate act of humility and love.

Where would we be without our knees . . .

We had the Young Women over last evening for a summer Barbeque. Thankfully the weather co-operated for the most part and it didn't start to rain until a bit later in the evening. We started out our time together with a dip into the pool to cool ourselves off. It was ever so much fun and very refreshing! Afterwards we feasted on burgers and hot dogs, buttery corn on the cob, and this delicious salad! We topped off our evening with bowls of broken meringues, yoghurt and strawberries as we settled in to watch "The Emma Smith" movie. Now, there was a woman who understood everything there is to know about getting on your knees!!!

All in all, we had a wonderful evening and I think the girls really enjoyed themselves. I know we did!



*Greek Salad*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

I just love Greek Salads. Filled with the delicious flavours of summer . . . fresh crisp lettuce, ripe summer tomatoes, crispy cucumbers etc. all enhanced with a tasty vinaigrette. This is fresh and exciting!

For the Vinaigrette:
6 TBS extra virgin olive oil
(Use a good quality oil)
1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 heaped tsp of dried oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:
1 head of Romaine lettuce (Cos) torn into bite sized pieces
3 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese



Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then set aside.

Place the onion in a bowl of ice water and allow to sit for ten minutes, before draining well and patting dry with some paper towels.

Combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and olives in a large salad bowl. Toss to combine. Drizzle on the dressing. Toss again. Sprinkle the Feta cheese over top and serve.



Speaking of gardens and weeds . . . I got rid of some of the glut we have of courgettes at the moment by baking some lovely loaves yesterday. Check out the recipe here, on The English Kitchen.