In February of 1952 King George VI died and was succeeded by his daughter Elizabeth. We are now celebrating the Jubilee marking 70 years of her reign, a breathtaking and extraordinary milestone. I too will be celebrating in less than a week when my own ‘Jubilee’ birthday takes place, having been born in the same year. This is proving to be quite a difficult milestone to absorb. They say you are only ‘as old as you feel’, and although there are days when my arthritic hands ache and I feel about a hundred, I can’t bring myself to feel more than about thirty five when the sun is shining and the garden looks a treat.
GARDENS
I would like to show you some of the gardens which have influenced my life, beginning with the one at a house in Buckinghamshire called ‘Berwyns’ where I was born. My mother hated hospitals and so both my brother and I came into the world at home. This first photo, taken at least ten years before I was born, shows my father in uniform standing in the garden of ‘Berwyns’ under a magnificent cherry tree. In the background you can just make out a lovely lawn and roses trained to grow up wooden stakes. One of my earliest memories is of this lawn, and my father mowing it with a terrible old pre-war mower which was so noisy that I used to run and hide when he started it up!
We moved from ‘Berwyns’ to a house in Little Chalfont where my brother was born in 1957. This garden was my father’s favourite, and also his passion. We children grew up playing in and around the trees and shrubs, inventing marvellous games and stories and practicing tennis, cricket and croquet on a sloping lawn which didn’t really work for ball games! The photo shows my father and brother mowing, the former using the same thunderous old mower from 'Berwyns', while my brother pushes a 'Suffolk Punch', purchased to take over from its predecessor which eventually ended up in Ransomes' museum.
Many years later when I moved to my tiny garden in Devon, I crammed as much into it as I possibly could. Over the years some beautiful shrubs and roses matured, and by the time we left I felt I could do no more to improve the little plot.
Now we live in Tavistock, and regular readers of this blog will be quite familiar with my garden as I always post photos. I can't resist showing you some highlights of this month, though! First: fruit, and this year for the first time we have more than a couple of gooseberries ripening. I think this is because I moved the bush into a better space where it has more light and air, and is not swamped by the redcurrant - which as you can see is already well into what looks like a bumper crop for a few weeks' time.
My herb bed, which started out as a tiny triangular bed before I got the hang of 'large gardening' has grown huge, and the fennel (right) which is thriving will completely dominate it in a couple of months' time! In the background you can see the redcurrant, and many raspberries promising another good crop.
The next photo gives a view of the main garden in a burst of sunlight a few days ago, showing a great deal of promise and also achievement after seven years' hard work!
BOOKS
I have a couple of recommendations for you this month. The first is a real brainstorming murder mystery by Anthony Horowitz called: 'Magpie Murders'. My review on Goodreads says simply:
'An outstanding 'whodunnit' which is structured like a layer cake - and just as indulgent!
Highly recommended.'
The other may not suit everyone, but I can't stop recommending it: 'The Windsor Knot' by S J Bennett. I've said: 'Although this book is based around the year 2016, I found it very appropriate to read in this Jubilee year 2022. And it's a brilliant, witty, well-paced and well written story. I absolutely loved it. Everything about it is cleverly done and polished to perfection. I recommend this to anyone feeling a little low and in need of a good, cheering book. Five stars. Would I read it again? Definitely!'
As this blog marks a milestone, I pondered whether to select a 'favourite book of all time' from my lists... but I couldn't choose one! I suppose I can only recommend one which I re-read whenever I feel particularly low, and it's probably rather dated now. The book is by Dick Francis: 'The Edge'. I personally think it stands the test of time extremely well.
THE REST
That's it for now. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and for following my blog. Can I recommend to you a new blog about birds and nature by someone rather closely related to me, and who I thank for the final photo at the end of the piece:
Sharp's Shots
Finally, as 'the birthday' approaches and I also ponder the difficulties which lie ahead for all of us, I think this little verse from William Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale' sums up my philosophy and all that needs to be said.
Jog on, jog on, the footpath way,
And merrily hent the stile-a:
A merry heart goes all the day,
Your sad tires in a mile-a.
William Shakespeare
The Winter's Tale [1610-1611], IV, ii, 133
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