Nose-deep in a rose,
inhalation tumbles me
back
in time.
–
Small hands greedily
pluck rose petals
cram them into
jam jars
add water
and wait.
Next day
we dab on perfume,
glorying in the
short lived
scent
of summer.
Tag: garden
Crocuses
Today felt like spring and I spent most of it in the garden, tidying up, transplanting seedlings and admiring the spring flowers.
No social distancing was necessary between me and nature, which is just as well, as the robins kept breaking the 2 metre rule, hopping around my feet in search of worms.
And now I feel so much better after a day outside!
Winter sleep
New snow blankets a wall
which is the summer home
of one of the garden slow worms.
And right now, somewhere deep
in hidden parts of the garden
slow worms are curled up,
hibernating.
Do they switch off like a computer
one cool day in autumn
and switch back on in spring,
unaware of the passing of time?
Or do they slumber,
conscious of the seeping cold,
burrowing further below rocks,
pulling leaves over like a duvet
before sinking deeper into winter sleep?
And do they dream?
A summer memory
This new painting was inspired by my garden, which was a sanctuary during the last lockdown.
The garden is not quite so inviting now in the wind and rain, but it’s still full of autumn colour and wildlife.
I hope this brings some colour and a memory of warm summer sun into your day!
It took a while to paint, I started at the beginning of September when these colourful flowers were still blooming, and finished last week. It got interrupted by a painting of pikachu for my nephew.
Pikachu is on his way to New Zealand. He’s taking his time, I think the post is slow because of the pandemic. I’m hoping he hasn’t got lost and that my nephew likes him when he finally arrives!
Tea break
Sheltering from
the cool north wind,
I share this bench,
and the last rays
of summer sun,
with a dragonfly.
First flight
A blackbird, newly fledged,
zooms like a badly thrown pom pom across the lawn.
By some miracle it lands safely on a branch,
first flight complete.
Morning tai chi in the garden
It takes longer than usual
to reach the place
where there is just
movement,
birdsong,
and spring sunshine.
The calm beneath
the crisis
is here,
waiting.
Iris
Today I knelt on cold concrete, bowed my head,
breathed the perfume of the first spring iris
as if I was praying.
This moment
At the end of the garden
sipping beer,
the bench in early evening sun
still warm.
I read a new book,
Chinese mountain poetry,
a subject about which
I know little.
Centuries apart,
it seems we write
about the same things.
Then a sparrow chirps
in the hedge,
pulls me fully
into the present moment.
Always, and only,
this moment.
Garden newsflash….baby slow worms
As you may know if you’ve been reading this blog recently, there is news in the garden too. And usually it’s more interesting than the actual news.
Today’s breaking garden news, baby slow worms, curled like bootlaces under some old roof tiles. So small! I see adult slow worms in the garden occasionally, but never baby ones.
Here is one, it’s not a great photo, I was tempted to poke it so it unfurled, but the slow worm would not have liked that, so I didn’t!
Life in the Fresh Air 