How does your garden grow?

On a positive note, I'm linking this post with a new post, celebrating spring in the garden. And I'm linking up with Mammasaurus garden linky too.

 

Two sides of the same garden.

A metaphor for life.

My Mom was a keen gardener. A life-long devotee to rough hands, dirty nails and an aching back, she was immensely proud of her garden.

My parents thought that traditional, formal gardens were the only way to go. I am so different, mainly because I don't have any help in the garden. It's just me and the Boxers, and occasionally Mr B with the chain saw!

So I laughingly describe my garden as my 25 year project. I'm 7 years in to the project and I can see so much progress. For one thing, I have removed over 4 tonnes of rubble which the previous owner buried in the garden.

As I dug out the brambles, up came the broken tiles, old bathroom suites and rusty bed springs - I kid you not!

But, bit by bit, I have exposed the thoughtful planting of decades ago. The mature rhododendrons and camellias. The bee-attracting pieris and the established copper beech hedge. There are other delights too, including euonymus, elaeagnus, choisya, viburnum and sarcococca.

And I have added my own touches, the masses of wild flowers, colourful bulbs, my veggie patch, not to mention the chickens and dogs.

When Mom fell ill, I abandoned my garden, along with my job, to look after her. In the 9 months it took Mom to die, my garden became a jungle. Last year, I gathered all my strength and made a fresh start. I was pleased with the results, but some areas still remained bare. In the autumn, I grabbed a bag of 100 bulbs and planted away. I cultivated the wild flower areas. 

After all the years of hard work, my garden is growing very nicely. It's not quite what Mom wanted for our garden, but I know she would have been very pleased.

Photography by Lesley Beeton

Where does the time go?

Time flies when you're having fun. The older you get, the quicker the time goes. I've run out of time. And my personal favourite: time thief. I have been pleasantly indisposed of late. Not much time for blogging. Which is a shame, really. It seems that the last six weeks have just whizzed by; a whirlwind of Themba's diagnosis, the Jubilee celebrations, our wedding anniversary, not to mention a certain dog bite and a bee sting! Add to that Dad's surgery, work, and family visiting from Australia, and well you can see why I'm struggling to find time for blogging.

I'm not complaining, though. While I was recovering from the infected bee sting episode, I had time to catch up on reading some lovely blogs. I tried to comment on every one I read, so thank you for keeping me company.

The NGS open gardens for charity came to Shackleford at the weekend. It was a wonderful opportunity to see how the garden at Norney Wood has developed over the last year. It is also another chance to show some community spirit. The garden looked splendid, especially the new veggie garden, and the cakes were outstanding (even if I do say so myself).

Boxer back-chat

The Boxers meanwhile think all this activity is just fab, that us humans sign up for all these things for the sole purpose of dog entertainment. They are such lucky, happy dogs, trotting along where ever we go, hopping in the back of the car, ready for the next adventure. They had an especially happy walk yesterday evening. After a grey day and on-off showers, the sun came out, so we put on our welly boots and set off across the farm. The 'girls' were in the top field, grazing and lazing. The farm border collie ran across to make sure the Boxers stayed away from her sheep. We crossed two more fields, climbed over three stiles. I loved the way that Themba's tail could just be seen, bobbing above the top of the meadow grass. The happiest dog in the world.

And the time thief? There are plenty of demands on my time. I am learning to say 'no' to some things. And I don't need to make excuses, either. Time is a resource too precious to waste.

Things my mother never taught me

My mother was a fine woman. She was strong and jolly and independent. She was not a stay at home mom. She worked full time and I went to pre-school when I was just two years old. I loved it, I could do my letters and numbers before I was four. And consequently, the time for learning at my mother's side was gone long before either of us ever thought about it. In fact, we only talked about when I was well into my 30s and discussing stay at home moms versus career women. My mom never quite understood my reasons for not having children, I don't suppose I fully do either. When I was younger, it was because babies and research didn't mix, then it was because my husband works such long hours that I didn't want to be a 'single mum' bringing up babies on my own and being resentful. Now, life is a lot less complicated, with two lovely Boxer dogs and a widower Dad to look after.

I wish Mom had stayed at home with us. We would have learnt about things like baking and gardening, played word games, and gone to tennis parties. Oh, we did all those things, but not with Mom. We always had loads of friends, cousins and grand-parents on hand. In fact, the joke was that Mom never learned to cook because Granny never taught her - but she taught me. Granny taught me in the old-fashioned ways, a little of this, a pinch of that, stir it up with passion, and it will taste good. Nothing with any great finesse, but food from the soul.

Photo credit

Mom and I did discover a couple of things in common - our love for words and our love for gardening. Funny that, because Mom always considered herself to be far superior to me in both subjects. And she probably was, but I'm catching up. Mom would have loved to have blogged about her garden. I started my blog when Mom was ill and she never saw the tribute it has become. 

It's good to have a tribute to a loved one. It helps to remember the good times, and it's an evolving place to express your feelings. People who are interested will come to your blog. 

Oh, and one more thing - Mom had a clear sense right and wrong. Don't make promises you can't keep, do keep appointments, and always write a thank you note. On second thoughts, perhaps Mom taught me all the important things in life.

I've submitted this post for 'Celebrating Womanhood. Because Women Are Amazing'.

Celebrating Womanhood

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On banking, mice and lovely shoes

I feel grubby today. The day started normally enough - kicked husband out of bed to run the Boxers, then off for a swim, then a dash into town to catch up with the bank manager. He asked to see me. I think he wants to sell me something. He's a nice enough chap, just not very convincing. Perhaps it's because banking is so regulated now. You must have a stocks and shares ISA. OK, then tell me what you've got. I can't. I'm not regulated. Stare at sad man. I give you permission to tell me about the ISAs. I will try to send you a brochure. Then another sad man will want to meet you and ask you lots of pointless questions, after which I will probably say No anyway, because the initial charge is too high. He stares at me. Am I using all the benefits I pay for? Yes. Clearly, he is regulated to sell me insurance. And isn't this the problem with high street banks? Just stick to doing what you do best. Keep my money nice and secure for me until I need it to buy a nice pair of shoes. Don't be my stock broker and don't sell me insurance. I use specialist advisers for both of these. End of conversation. There was more to say but it is so boring, the Boxers fell asleep while I was recounting my story to them. 

Purple Fitflops, March 2012, Lesley Beeton

The Boxers did however like my new shoes. So obviously an impulse buy, my credit card didn't have time to protest.


Now, back to the garden. What gorgeous weather we are having this week. Everything is germinating in the greenhouse, everything needs watering. I'm watering from the water butts, but if we don't get rain to fill them up again can I fill them from the tap??!! Water rant.


The mice are enjoying the spread too. They've had quite a few of the broad bean seedlings, dug up nearly all the sweet corn, and nibbled on the courgette seeds. At this point it is me 4 mice 0. The war goes on...


The dog walker training goes on too. The Boxers are happily walking with her once a week in preparation for when they are in the boarding kennels. If only we could get them to jump in her van. Next time, we are going to sit in the van with a cup of tea and hope that the boys will want to join us.


And just because I can, this is the view from my office today. 

Sunny Surrey, March 2012, Lesley Beeton

Look out for a guest post coming soon from Christmas Pie Crafts.


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MOM'S GARDEN

One of Mom's very good friends reminded me this week of Mom's love for gardening. She loved flowers and she was as colourful as her garden. But Mom was also a gardener of people. She gathered her friends around her and helped them bloom. She cared deeply for them and nurtured the relationships, keeping in touch, remembering birthdays and important family events. In fact, Dad and I are struggling to keep this up with the apparent ease that Mom did. She had an incredible memory for names, dates and places.

And in the garden, Mom was no different. She had wonderful ways with plants and colours, and had two huge volumes of plant information. She was always on hand to pass on gardening advice to us and never minded getting her hands dirty. 

I have been a late starter with gardening, but I'm getting there and have learnt a lot in the last year. I have also learnt that special friendships, nurtured and cherished, will last a lifetime, but Mom already knew that.

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