gardening
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Growing joy
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life. One of the simplest things I do that brings joy in my life is stepping into my garden everyday. It’s by no means a paradise; I’m far from being a competent gardener. I struggle to keep up with the endless weeding, and I’ve… Continue reading
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A few of my favourite things
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness? I like this prompt. I spend (or rather waste) so much of my time worrying about everything under the sun, that I often forget about the simple pleasures present in my life. It’s always good to be reminded of them. Some of my everyday sources of… Continue reading
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Growing something to look forward to
This year, after sixteen years of being completely engrossed in one of my favourite hobbies, I decided to let it go. I stopped gardening. My mindset – which has never been on an even keel – was particularly mired by depression this year, and I just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to come up with fresh… Continue reading
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Letting go
Something shifted within me this year. After many years of focusing on my garden – mulling over what plants I want to grow to achieve my vision of a tranquil sanctuary I can escape to – I decided to step back. I let the garden go, both physically and mentally. Some of this letting go… Continue reading
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Growing hope
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn. As someone who struggles deeply with depression, anxiety, regret and gnawing thoughts of “this isn’t how I wanted my life to be”, I’ve taken Audrey’s words deeply to heart. I’m growing a garden. A bit chaotically, but the soil has been tilled, plants… Continue reading
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The first (and last) time I heard an owl
This used to be the backdrop to my small garden. Planted decades ago, a line of oak, ash and horse-chestnut trees created a beautiful natural screen between the houses on my road and a local primary school. Bursting into life every spring, and dropping a mountain of leaves every autumn, these tall majestic lifeforms were… Continue reading
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Plants having friendships
Did the murder of a street tree cause my garden plant to die too? Were they somehow connected – even dependent on each other – despite them being many yards apart and two totally different species? It’s an oddly coincidental moment of simultaneous death that I’ve been pondering for a while now… At the back… Continue reading
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Bitter nightshade
I initially came across this plant in our driveway back in spring 2018 and was immediately struck by the curious design and colouration of it’s flowers. For some reason they reminded of turbans – no idea why though… Being ignorant of practically every plant species growing in and around my garden, I sought the aid… Continue reading
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Year’s end
It’s been quite a while since my last post – sadly reflecting the lack of time and opportunities I’ve had to spend time in my garden over the last few months. Winter is now here and my patch of earth is currently in a muddy, cheerless state with withered autumn leaves still strewn over the… Continue reading
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A little big thing
So, my first post… It should probably be something meticulously planned and constructed. A proper introduction to myself and my intentions with this blog really. But I’ll save that for another post and instead jump straight in with a discovery from yesterday. It’s a very little thing really, but to quote Robert Brault: “Enjoy the… Continue reading