Our lives are short and full of sand
which shifts and trickles through our hands.
No longer can I take for granted
That tomorrow we shall not be parted!
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We fill our buckets on the beach
with dreams and hopes we try to reach
But sorrow knocks on every door
The shifting sands are here once more.
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These grains of sand like hairs are numbered
but bronzed and lazy we do but slumber.
Unaware that days like these
Will disappear upon the breeze.
S. Jones
These daisies come up every year and sometimes are just a little too prolific, but I like things I can get a lot of so I put up! with the profusion. Can you see the bee on one of the flowers? Last year it was hover flies and I got stung twice on the arm on two separate occasions. I’m hoping that won’t happen again this year because I’m allergic to stings and bites and suffer miserably.
Here is the hanging basket just outside my back door. The nasturtiums aren’t flowering yet, but they will be soon I think. Just as soon as we get some sunshine.
On Sunday last, Larry cooked a tasty barbecue. We had steak and lamb chops. Next time I fancy doing kebabs of some sort so here he is making an addition to the grill to cook kebabs on. Does anyone have any good recipes for kebabs? I’m new to barbecues and could do with some help please.
Jim’s runner beans are all up, even the ones in the pots. Last year was a disaster to start with and he had to replant the lot. Then in the second coming (so to speak), they did so well that he had the best year for runner beans ever.
Here the ferns and in front the tomatoe plants. To the right is our camellia.
We had lots of beautiful clematis flowers this year. This one is called ‘The President’.
Last year I took care to spread around lots of the white nigella plants. We are rewarded this summer with some lovely specimens. Common name is ‘Love in a mist’. So romantic, don’t you think?
The sweet williams are just starting to flower.
and we have lots of bright red poppies.
Lots of joy in the garden isn’t there.
Oma
Well, maybe it’s a little warm…? just a tad? Anyway, a knitter has to knit and a crocheter has to crochet and a spinner has to spin and a scrapbooker has to… you get the message. I do all of that so I’m always busy. Plus I love to cook and sew and read. I just worry that I won’t have enough time left on this earth to finish all the things I want to do. Anyone else feel like that?
Recently I became a grandma (Oma) again, to little Sam. Here is his picture again. I didn’t think you’d mind seeing it again while I wait for some new ones! As I look into his dear little face, I realise that I won’t be here for all of his growing up. I may make it till he’s 20 or so, if I’m lucky. That’s a sobering thought and while I’m on the subject, I won’t get to see the new King or Queen, to be born today, get on the throne either. All of which is why I must make the most of every minute of every day. That does’nt mean running around like a (fill in your own simile here), but it does mean getting into perspective those things which really don’t matter all that much. I must treasure every day and each visit from my beloved sons and their families because none of us knows how many more days we have. When we are young, we don’t think about those things too much, but as we get older, they fill our thoughts more.
So let me sit back and crochet my blanket, ready for the cold, winter winds…
Let me enjoy my roses in this delightful cottage garden.
But most of all, let me give thanks for my family and friends, near and far and that means YOU!
ps: Everything went very well this week, with the arrival of my husband in England. I know you are looking forward to hearing how he is getting on, but my feet haven’t touched the floor with so much to do and arrange, so I will come back to that in a future post. Suffice to say that he says ‘It’s like being three years old again! Everything here is different!’
Oma
England is enjoying some spectacular weather at the moment! Yes, I did say that. Unusual, I know, but we have had hot, sunny days for a while now and more to come. Is it a coincidence, I wonder; that my husband is arriving from Tennessee next week? Is he bringing his weather with him? I rather doubt it because where he has been staying for a few weeks in South Carolina, there has been thunderstorms and heavy rain every day. Perhaps he’ll bring those too.
I have been preparing the cottage for his arrival. There are lots of differences to life over here. I wonder how he will cope? What will he notice first? Our lack of air conditioning perhaps? The birds are different here. They look different and they sound different. There are no mocking birds, humming birds or cardinals. Instead we have blackbirds, who sing so very beautifully, wood pigeons, little English robins and tiny wrens. I’m just thinking of my own garden now. With two cats, the birds like to keep away. We have no cicadas or poisonous snakes and our butterflies are smaller. There are no fireflies either.
From my own observations I can say that the trees are different. Ours are not so tall and they are more gnarled looking. We have miles of hedges. Did you know you can tell the age of a hedge by the number of species of plant and tree in it?
We drive on the left hand side and there are many, many roundabouts. We are allowed to park cars on the side of the road so driving becomes a bit like an obstacle course.
We have double-decker buses. Ours are painted turquoise. We use public transport a lot because our petrol is very expensive. Because I am over 60 I travel free on the local buses, whether they are in my own town or someone elses.
I don’t pay for my prescriptions because I am over 60 years old. Our National Health Service is free at the point of use.
Time for another picture:
I am more than excited about L’s arrival and have been ‘nesting’ for a few weeks now. Only a few more days now…
Is it a coincidence that bees love the colour lavender?
Oma 