It has been far too long since I engaged properly with this blog and also with the garden. Following the loss of Mum and Dad in September 2022 I retreated from a lot of things and my energy was taken up with grieving. There was not much left for anything else.

I did however plant a cut flowers patch last Summer which I enjoyed. I am also very grateful to my gardener Nicola who has kept the ball rolling and put in the hours tidying up when I couldn’t.

The thing about gardens though is that they continue to flourish and develop even when you aren’t engaged. That’s what makes them both a delight and also potentially a problem. If you feel that garden jobs must be done, because if not you have missed the window of opportunity , this can cause great anxiety. I had to learn to just let things not get done – there is always next year!

I remind myself of the Buddhist saying “Nature doesn’t hurry but everything gets done”. Nature certainly got things done and the garden looks great ( thanks again to Nicola’s sustained efforts). Watching the cycle of the seasons and the constant change reminds me that I can’t control nature, even if I wanted to, and some things will just happen despite my involvement.

For example, my last post here was about digging the ponds , and here they are now ;

Brimming with life and such a joy.

So I’m aiming to re engage and get the most enjoyment I can from this amazing space. Nature is a healer and I’ll use that to the fullest.