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I don't know about other gardeners but all my gardens have been filled with memories of loved ones. My bird feeding activities are a homage to both my mother and my grandmother, both bird lovers, who taught me the difference between a sparrow and a dunnock and so on, when I was knee high to a magpie.Every morning when I feed them, part of me is saying 'hello' to those two dear women. Sweetpeas remind me of a dear old man, Terry, who taught me, along with my grandma, how to wring much joy out life from the simple things like grubbing about in the soil. I always plant sweetpeas as my annual homage to a wonderful old man, marigolds and other cottage garden plants are for Grandma, clarkia, scented roses and broad beans are for Mother - it was a running joke that if I was around, the broad beans rarely made it to the pot because they'd be down me straight from the pod and I know she planted them soley so that I could scavenge or should that be scrump (ing) them? And she could pretend to be exasperated. When I am in my garden I feel at one with generations of the women in my family of whom it was a standard family joke that the most common view of our women was their backsides sticking up from a flower bed as they were weeding or planting. It makes me happy, simple as that.
Oh Kezsmum, that's brought a lump to my throat.
What a wonderful thing to read. My mum is still alive and I take her totally for granted. I can so see myself remembering her in the future through the garden as she too is a keen gardener (or was before old age frailty took over) She in her turn always remembers her father through gardening as he was a complete Whizz (first generation) in the garden.
As well as humans, we can remember loved pets too. My lovely cat Sally is buried in our garden and I always say hello to her as I pass the spot. I planted a lovely clump of daffodils over her which are just showing this year now.
Thank you for such a beautiful posting.
Cheers
Pipit xxx
Couldn't agree more. All my birding activities are in rememberance of my dear Dad, who was a very keen & extremely knowledgeable naturalist. I have inherited his garden, his feeders, his bins, his camera, his many photos, his telescope, hisbird books, 'his' birds & his passion for & fascination with wildlife. It's an honour & a pleasure to keep the tradition going. Every time I ask for ID advice it is with a tinge of sadness as I remember that I can't ask my Dad any more, but also a little hope that he would be proud of me for wanting to learn more every day.
Beautiful story Kezmum,really touching.
My late mum and dad taught me and my siblings so much about wild-life and gardening.They adopted Crows/Rooks and Jackdaws, usually orphaned, and we looked after them in our aviary.We'd walk through the fields teaching them how to fly and feed.We always knew they would return to the wild but we still cried when they left us.Seeing those birds here daily gives me wonderful memories of those days and how much laughter there was.While other folk thought birds in the house were unlucky ,my mum was usually nurturing sparrows and anything else that was brought to her
Dad on the other hand gave us each a row in our garden where we grew our own vegetables and salads and it was fab eating something we had made ourselves, so exciting.
We also had rabbits, a border collie dog, cat and a budgie because my dad believed caring for them would make us more responsible as human beings.
Eeh hey, being out doors whether it is our garden,fields,parks or coast always brings my mum and dad back .
Wonderful times :0)
An optimist sees the beauty of the complete rose.A pessimist sees only the thorn .
Your post, Kezsmum has brought back many childhood memories. We had an unmarried aunt who lived with us all
her days and the garden was her pride and joy. I remember an old urn on a plinth filled with tumbling nasturtiums in
summer, sweet peas - my mother's favourite - an old variety of a pink rambling rose that was so sweetly scented
and little clumps of campanula which our tortoise used to munch his way through! My aunt also used to keep a
small patch of daisies on the lawn for me to make daisy chains.
And pipit a few years ago we sprinkled the ashes of our cat in the garden and planted a New Dawn rose there. It has
thrived and I always remember him when I pass the rose.
Regards
Claire
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom" - Wlliam Blake
clare b said: I can't ask my Dad any more, but also a little hope that he would be proud of me for wanting to learn more every day.
And Pippit, I have moved so often that what I do now is plant a pot for my loved ones and loved pets. My husband's Auntie Cissie has a pot, my brother loved Shakespeare and lived in Canada so he has a pot called The Verona with tulips called 'Toronto' in it and that stands beside a statue of Pan, because Peter played the flute. Several dogs and cats have their pots and each time I leave 'their' place I take some of the soil where they're buried and all these pots have all year round 'interest' if I can manage. Auntie Cissie's has hyacinths at the moment, becuase I gave her one in bud when a stroke rendered her practically helpless and she loved watching it grow, come into flower and scent her place in the communial lounge, she died more-or-less when the flower faded. Although tinged with sadness these memories are also joyful and as with Cissie and her hyacinth it reminds me that it's not the plasma telly that brings me the most joy, it's a wren, spring and the natural wonders.
I'm keeping on, sorry, not sure why I'm so contemplative today, perhaps it's spring and the anticipation we all seem to feel at this time of year. Kezsmum
What lovely parents you had Sheena, thanks for telling us about them - made my day, your story and the others.
What a lovely thread - and how much all the memories start flooding back when I look out of the window at my garden: full of different plants and trees which remind me of people and places. I, too, learnt a lot of my gardening from my parents and grandparents, and also learnt to be observant of Nature all around us. Thanks for your great postings.
What a beautiful post, Kezsmum! I owe a lot to my parents and grandparents too, for taking me out on walks in the woods and to stately homes, for teaching me about the plants and trees (Dad not so much: he's never lived down saying "Look at that lovely magnolia!" to a horse chestnut...) and letting my sister and me run riot in the garden, playing "wood elves", digging drainage channels in the dark and shady back of the garden under the holly tree making dens and rope swings, and making up stories about the "good" birds and the "evil" thrushes and gulls whose appearance would lead us to run, screaming into the house. My Grandad in Germany was particularly knowledgeable (he taught Mum all her foraging skills which is why we'd go mushrooming most weekends in the right season) and used to spend hours watching the birds at his bird table with me, teaching me their German names and making silly songs up about them. If I could have one wish, it would be for him to see our rather unusual house and garden. I think he'd love it, and I like to think he's up there somewhere looking down. I hope he's proud.
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Kezsmum said: I don't know about other gardeners but all my gardens have been filled with memories of loved ones. My bird feeding activities are a homage to both my mother and my grandmother, both bird lovers, who taught me the difference between a sparrow and a dunnock and so on, when I was knee high to a magpie.Every morning when I feed them, part of me is saying 'hello' to those two dear women. Sweetpeas remind me of a dear old man, Terry, who taught me, along with my grandma, how to wring much joy out life from the simple things like grubbing about in the soil. I always plant sweetpeas as my annual homage to a wonderful old man, marigolds and other cottage garden plants are for Grandma, clarkia, scented roses and broad beans are for Mother - it was a running joke that if I was around, the broad beans rarely made it to the pot because they'd be down me straight from the pod and I know she planted them soley so that I could scavenge or should that be scrump (ing) them? And she could pretend to be exasperated. When I am in my garden I feel at one with generations of the women in my family of whom it was a standard family joke that the most common view of our women was their backsides sticking up from a flower bed as they were weeding or planting. It makes me happy, simple as that.
Hi Kezsmum,
That brought happy memories where we lived as children, our mum used to do a fruit & veg plot in our garden and grew all the vegatables you would have , although we have a small garden, I grow flowers andd seelings (not as good as mum) sadly she is no longer with us .
Best wishes
Jennilien
J