Eos is lying in the sun. Helios is at right angles to her. I can hear the circling sound of seagulls alongside birds in the garden. There is the repeat under tones of the ice cream van music mixed in. It is a sound of many layers. The light is gorgeous and I hear a thunk as a bee hits the window before successfully escaping outside. The washing is on the line. Chores are done. Ragu is simmering on the stove. The green waste bin was filled on Wednesday. The seedlings I started are starting to sprout. Little beginnings of hollyhocks and poppies are emerging. It is becoming a daily delight to see who is new to the scene. It all feels right and good. There is the suggestion of throwing off wooly jumpers and hunting out t-shirts. The sunhat is found. The day holds so much promise. This sunny weekend is what I have been waiting for. We were going to do our first hivechecks of the season and I want to be outside embracing it all but after some time outside I realise that the little niggle in my throat, the heaviness in my chest and the one too many sneezes means that I might actually be sick. I rue this and wish for other things. It is too sunny and warm and I want to garden. Instead I make another honey, lemon and garlic drink, find a corner of the bed in the sun alongside senior Airedales and start editing old photos of garden seasons past. It seems all I am capable of. I do love the journey down memory lane and how each year there is something different to see and how the configuration of the flowers change and the next year there is something new. So while I recover from my snuffles enjoy some photos from garden years past. These are some of my favourites.
