Meeting in the middle
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We are at a crossroads with the seasons. Some days are warm hinting at the hot summer to come and then we crash back into the depths of winter where the temperature drops by many degrees. These wintry days feel colder than they were in winter as we have adjusted to the spring warmth. There is wind as well. It seems stronger than in previous years, coming from different directions, blasting the garden hard. When it blows we discover a new whistle around the windows which adds a strange haunting feeling as the wind hits the house. We hunker down, waiting for it it pass, which it eventually does. Rain usually follows these windy blasts, clearing the air, bathing the garden. The Spring Equinox is near and winds always come with it. Daylight savings is also upon us. We can then stretch our legs, embrace the extra light in the evenings and watch spring unfold further. The growth of perennials starts to take shape form and the garden turns to a lush vibrant green of new growth.
“Today is the best day of the year. There is no other calendar day that is such a cast-iron, sure-fire cert to raise the spirits…. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like or what actually happens, the gift of an extra hour’s light at the end of the day is prize beyond price. Today stands like a see-saw in the calendar balanced exactly on the fulcrum of night and day, and then tomorrow gently rips towards the light, spilling the days down into sunshine”
Monty Don, “The Ivington Diaries”
I spend a few hours in the garden, my body aches as a result. It is a good kind of ache. While I gardened it was warm and it felt delicious to feel the sun on my skin. I planted out a bed, stole more of the lawn and then thought how a garden can look more bountiful just by increasing the size of a flower bed. I add to the collection of pink flowers already planted. I love the contrast of a pink against a fresh mid green leaf. Today I add salvias, larkspur, thyme and heuchera as well as some echinacea and chrysanthemum. I add a hollyhock which I have grown from seed - I am dubious about what it will grow into, as the seedling looks nothing like a hollyhock. It is more than likely I mislabelled the seedlings, I am sure time will reveal to what it is be. What I plant seems to be a rinse and repeat of things I have planted in other beds but I know they work and they all play a role whether it is to provide food for the bees or beauty for my eye. I can’t wait to see it grow into itself and be humming with life.
My book. My book that I have not mentioned in a while is still quietly being created. It has been a journey in understanding how to create a book just as much as it’s creation. I am learning about the different phases of creating. This is all new to me so as I create I am taking note of what my journey is like, I guess in a way to trust the process and to not freak out when it doesn’t feel like it is going well. There was a pause, perhaps longer than I thought but in hindsight much needed. I handed what I have created so far to another. I needed some space and I needed someone’s else eyes to see what was there, most importantly if there was something to merit carrying on with the journey, and there is. I knew I needed to work on areas and I knew it was far from finished but I most importantly needed to know what I was creating was of value to someone other than myself. So I will sit and pull the pages that need work apart and mix them with new words and thoughts and see what comes of it. I have no end date. I have no deadline. I am just enjoying the moment and understanding what this creative journey looks like for me.
The yellow which has been such a vibrant part of the garden is beginning to fade. The daffodils, of which I have planted many, are starting to turn. The first round of pots that I planted way months ago are now stalks of bronzed dried flower heads, dying back to rebuild for next season. I collect up the second batch to placing them together in a group, admiring their collective swaying in the spring weather. I must photography them more before they disappear completely. The daffodils growing in the lawn are still abundant but will soon fade. In their place I start to see blue in the garden. The rosemary is flowering offering little pin pricks of blue. Little pockets of creeping catnip flowers, another blue for the eyes. Then there are pinks, odd tulips planted and long forgotten reappear, so sharp and bold in colour they remind my of candy. I can almost taste the over flavoured berry taste of a boiled sweet in my mouth when I look at them. Blossom adds a softness to it all and then the ranunculus are warming up. The first is beginning to flower while the rest are tight buds waiting to reveal their beauty.