Walk in the Garden in May

Drifting along a new and adventuresome path, - learning as I go.

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After the Rain




Husband went out and took pictures of the thirst quenched valley, green and refreshed after a day of intermittent rain. Not just showers, - honest to goodness rain!!! April's parting gift to May....



He was a little premature in thinking that the precipitation had moved on. Soon the clouds gathered again, and we had another hour of rain in the valley and snow on the surrounding hills.

A little clear sky emerged to make way for a gentle sunset, reflected in a puddle in the back yard.








And in the sky a blue backdrop for sunlit feathery clouds.














The orchards and the green, green grass present a picture of spring beauty as daylight fades in the west, and the clouds gather once again in the east.















The forecast for tomorrow is for more showers, and one wonders how the river fares....

A Potpourri of Thoughts and Comments on this, the first day of May!






I woke this morning, conscious that this was the first day of May. Not only that it was May Day, but also as I awakened further I remembered from my childhood that if you spoke certain words on the first day of the month, before you said anything else - you would be favoured with pleasant days and good fortune all during the month.

Unfortunately I couldn't remember what the words were! My sister enlightened me (she is younger than I am, and hasn't had quite as much time to forget....) The words are WHITE RABBIT WHITE RABBIT. I caution you all to remember these words, and this practice, - we need all the pleasant days and good luck that we can accumulate in this frosty old world, by fair means or foul....

We went on to discuss another tradition from our childhood. We lived kitty corner from the Rectory when we were growing up, and the Rector and the Rector's wife were close friends. The Rector's wife informed us that if we were fortunate enough to catch the Rector asleep, and then to give him a small kiss on the cheek, he would be obliged to give the kisser a pair of gloves! No doubt this tradition has an English background, but my research hasn't revealed anything, so we just cherish this as one of the sweet remembrances of our childhood.



By the time I got to the breakfast table, and had caught a glimpse of the newspaper, and George Jonas's comments on the ridiculous aspects of present day politics, my musings had turned to what, in my simple mind, would be the Ideal Democracy.

In such a Democracy there would be two parties. The one, who through good ideas, honesty and trust-worthiness had won the most votes from the citizenry (who, I hasten to add, all voted) would be the governing party who would devise the minimum number of laws and regulations required to keep the country in good order.

The other party would exist to contribute constructive criticism, and harmony would prevail. Also politeness, consideration. honour and regard for each other.

After a decent interval the Parties would once again go to the polls, and if the constructive criticism seemed more reasonable than the laws and regulations of the governing party, then a contemplative and well informed citizenry might cast their ballots in favour of the parties changing sides.

One goes to the end with the sun in their faces. The other goes to the end with the wind at their backs. And the process of civilized governance begins again.

However, all this is innocent speculation, - perhaps even fatuous naivete. It appears to the discerning voter that Democracy has degenerated into the lust for power, - a race for the biggest piece of the cake, the biggest sphere of influence and that cooperation has given way to the desire for one side to hypocritically embarrass the other. It seems that even the most sensible of ruling parties can be drawn into a vortex of inane concepts, launched on a sea of silliness and maintained by what appears to be a pack of howling baboons, if one listens to Question Period from the House of Commons. Nothing more guaranteed to disillusion a voter with any sensibilities. The saddest thing of all is the lack of discerning voters!!!!

Luckily I had to go and prepare the porridge for breakfast, so these thoughts were replaced by mundane affairs of the kitchen.

Later in the morning we left to travel to a nearby town to go for lunch with a dear friend who is approaching his 100th birthday. Although I consider myself "aged" - and Husband is "aged" too, - neither of us is as aged, or has taken as good care of his health, as our good friend has. Nevertheless time is taking its toll and as we see him gradually fail we resolve to see him more often, and try to assuage some of the loneliness that comes to people who have lost most of their peers.

Apple Blossom Time

Almost the last day of April, and I go out into the cold april wind to capture the beauty of the valley in apple blossom time.

The sun is shining, and the sky is a benign shade of blue, but it is only April, up to her old tricks. The wind is sharp, and straight off the distant peaks where the snow has not yet submitted to the spring sunshine. The river runs fast and begins to turn murky, but it is saving its serious threats for when the weather turns warm and the streams from the high mountains race and tumble down into the rivers that descend into the valley.

That is the future - today the apple blossoms have passed the pink shade and are beginning to open into all their tender splendour and fragrance.

With them the dandelions spread a carpet of gold across the meadow, - beautiful in their own right, and so maligned. Poor Dandelions.

I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time - A song which Husband and I carried through the war years from the time we met until the May we were married - it could so easily have been I'll Be With You in Dandelion Time. But somehow it is not so redolent of romance.... Perhaps because the beautiful fragrance is lacking in the fields of dandelions, and even more because the apple blossom holds the promise of a bountiful fall harvest, whilst the dandelion can only promise a puffy white ball of seeds to blow away, and tell time by, according to ancient lore. Or if you are especially in tune with nature you might pick some tender new dandelion leaves for salad, for tea or for wine.

Pale little Dandelion/In her white shroud/Heareth the angel-breeze/Call from the cloud;
Tiny plumes fluttering/Make no delay;/Little winged Dandelion/Soareth away.

Helen Barron Bostwick [1826- ? ]

I digress here, - back to the fragrant tender apple blossom and its special meaning in our lives, - Husband's and mine.

The young are quick to believe and think positively, and it was my belief that we would be together in apple blossom time, although I'm sure Husband had many more minutes and hours of danger that might have caused him slight doubt. (an understatement)

Fate smiled upon us, and we were married in Apple Blossom Time, starting our lives together. Sixty two years later Apple Blossom Time is with us again, - still with its same magic.