Plans are....

not going to plan

I had planned to share other things with you today but life had other plans for me.

My day started at 3am with the sounds of littlest dog vomiting in the hallway. It is a sound I am sure would make an excellent alarm as I swear the sound of someone or something who you are responsible being unwell makes you move very fast.

Once things were cleaned up I was determined to go back to sleep. Unfortunately determination was not enough. Even listening to the BBC radio 4 failed to send me back to sleep. I finally gave up at 5am deciding the best way to save the day was to do some exercise. So there I was bouncing round the bedroom at 5 am.

I went to work early. Picking up a juice from the supermarket on my way. It has the word focused slapped on the front of it - here is hoping it worked.

I arrive at work. On my desk is a flower. A rose given to me by a colleague who had just left the job. We discovered before she left that we both like roses and I hope one day to photograph her garden. The rose smelt beautiful and just reminded of other things that weren’t jobs, early starts and sick animals (littles has bounced back by the way no doubt benefiting from a day of sleeping).

I finish work, stumble out and head to an appointment which is pretty much going to take up the afternoon. It is one of those health checks that one should do at my age but it ain’t the most fun thing in the world but you do it any way - yup mammogram time.

Things checked, I amble home in a delicate rain that the garden most definitely needs. It was not wet enough to not wear a rain coat but it was just rainy enough to get wet. It seemed a metaphor for the day. Neither one thing or another.

I get home and as I enter the garden I feel the most settled I have all day. I have entered my haven. A rose greets me at the gate. It’s magical scent drifting up, encouraged by the rain. My haven. My home.

As my day slowly winds down I am reminded how much my garden gives me, especially on days like today which becomes about other things. Other plans. When days are filled with chatter the garden provides me with a creative outlet. It provides comfort when I am ruffled. It provides me with space to breath. It also inspires me. This inspiration has lead me to build a lovely project which I hope to share with you in the coming months that focuses around the idea of the garden as a haven and a space to nurture. So stay tuned.

Time for a well earned cup of tea and maybe I can squeeze a moment in the garden with the camera. All I need is a moment.