Quietly Content; I am old but still with it - plus one;) Do I ache? well my knees tell me something as I swing them out of bed in the morning but that soon disappears. I have my family around me; - plus 2 but I would be fairly happy to live on my own, with the present state of my body unimpaired.
So yesterday was a day in which being alone excelled. First I baked bread, then I made the German potato cakes I love, alongside apple puree which compliments them. Cleared the kitchen table, and laid out my latest quilt, checking the three layers. There are two ways to attach the three together, one is just laying them one on top of the other, stitching the sides together and then binding them round the edges. Quilting afterwards, the second way is to put the three layers together, one inside out. Sew up the three sides and then turn the bottom layer over to its right side. And yes that last has seen a few failures, my spatial awareness as always 'up the creek'.
My mind is always busy as are my fingers, knitting a jumper whilst listening to an audio book. I also ordered some tops for spinning, there is a huge choice out there in the dyed world. So many creative people, young and old.
Someone said on a forum when another young person wrote asking if there were any jobs around. She said something that startled me, why don't you start your own business, how many have thought that when looking around for a job.
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| George Harrison of course |
My interest in gardening was also given a spark this morning. Did you know George Harrison was a gardener, in his youth he bought a huge run down Victorian House with about 30 acres of land, some of which was a terribly over run garden. This place was called Friar Park near the town of Henley. This house had been brought by a Sir Frank Crisp in the late nineteenth century, a wealthy lawyer and the gardens had been developed with a huge rockery.
Rockeries are a thing of the past, they were built to emulate the high mountains slopes of say Switzerland, and many an Alpine plant has died a sad death in an English garden. But those thrusting Victorians as the botanists sailed round the world capturing new and exotic plants, never let much stand in their way.
Crisp built an enormous rockery, tumbling waterfalls no less and at the top a representation of the Matterhorn mountain. Imagination is what we lack in today's world, the rich in this country fleeing our shores and taking their ill gotten gains abroad where there is less taxing 😎 bless them!
I'm off track as usual. To return to gardens, George and his wife Olivia restored this slightly crumbling mansion and its garden over the following years. George had introduced a couple of goats to eat the wilderness away but of course not only did the goats eat the bad stuff they also ate the good stuff as well. So there is no record of what Crisp planted. But it has been brought back to its own glory.
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| Patthana Gardens |
I love gardens but the garden I have been following on F/B belongs to someone in Ireland called Maher, they are the Patthana gardens. The use of colour and then the soft shadings of gray and that soft yellow of grasses so beloved of this time of year. His partner is the photographer and obviously captures the gardens in their 'golden hour', morning or evening.
So listen to Hare Krishna and remember when the world was in a slightly more innocent phase or at least was not bedevilled by social media.
Two more photos of happy family on holiday this week! The restaurant was called "Wrinkled Stocking" and was in Holmfirth I think
George looked like Jesus, but in a cooler climate.
ReplyDeleteThe ceilings of my childhood home were high and so the built in wardrobes did not reach the ceiling. There was space enough for the young me to sit cross legged on the top of one wardrobe and chant Hare Krishna. As a thirteen year old going through puberty, I don't think I found any kind of inner peace, so I only chanted once. I was under the influence of a school friend, Morag Moran, who had an older brother at Monash University and he was involved in the late sixties or early seventies Vietnam war protests and a supporter of Mao. I was even given my own copy of Mao's Little Red Book. Gosh, have you stirred up some memories.
Yes Andrew, George was a good lookalike, all that long hair. Glad you went on a memory journey, though sitting on top of the wardrobe meditating conjures up a fascinating picture. But as you learnt early chanting did not lead to peace of mind. Still meditation is still going strong.
DeleteGeorge was my favorite Beatle back in the day. I would go to the Beatle's movies and scream "George" while the other girls were screaming for John or Paul. I'm realizing that was 60 years ago and how the years have flown by.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and her boyfriend are having a rock garden and pond built in their backyard. It will have waterfalls and fish in the pond and plantings all around. Her boyfriend's brother works for Aquascape Ponds and Waterfalls and you can Google that to see some of their work. Luckily, they are doing most of the work themselves so it won't cost so much...
George was handsome but both John and Paul were always in the limelight. George had been interested in gardening since young and he and his wife must have had a difficult time bringing the garden under stewardship.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see your daughter and co are building a pond, my two ponds were for frogs and newts, plus all the marvellous insects that a pond attracts. Running water in a garden is a very soothing experience but needs an experienced hand to build the necessary 'tumble' of water.
I might be utterly wrong but I am thinking that the two people snapped at Holmfirth are your daughter - whose first name I do not know - and her partner Andrew. If I am wrong, you are welcome to correct me but please don't shout.
ReplyDeleteI never shout, yes it is Karen and Andrew messing around at The Wrinkled Stocking tea rooms, my daughter always demands tea and cake when out.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that George and his wife must have had quite a tussle restoring that vast challenging garden, but I dare say they had a bit of hired help.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a penpal in Holmfirth. Gosh, that's a whole lifetime ago now.
It is probably good when you can start measuring your life 'in a whole lifetime away' means you have grown old gracefully. Gardens that have been neglected always inspires people to find out their history and try and reproduce them once again.
DeleteWow that photo of the garden you have shared is wonderful. I would love to wander round that garden, what a feast for the eyes.
ReplyDeleteHi, lovely to see you back. I think the gardener is a painter for he uses a colour palette of reds, pinks and oranges with great effect against the softer tones of grey and cream.
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