Sentimental Objects

Flowers provide such fleeting pleasure but what a pleasure it is! I walk around the garden every day to feast my eyes on whatever is in bloom and sometimes bring in a few to enjoy close up. Even in Winter a few flowers or some bright berries can lift the spirits, so the aim in the garden is to always have something to see.

The beginning of May is a time filled with promise. Weeks ahead of us with glorious colour, fresh new leaves, blue skies and birdsong. As I write, a blackbird is singing nearby. A lovely sound.

Lots of green in the garden now. The Spring bulbs have mostly finished except for a few tulips and daffodils and the leaves have to be left for six weeks before I can remove them. Bit scruffy after a while but patience is rewarded when they return next year.

A few treasures are pleasing me, here and there, despite the green blanket. Here’s a selection.

The strawberries are flowering so there will be delicious treats in a few weeks. Meanwhile the blossom is very beautiful and so are the leaves. It will be important to keep them watered now especially with so many dry days.

Last year I had a bumper crop of strawberries and I’m still using them from the freezer. Stewed with a little sugar and eaten warm with vanilla ice-cream, or cold with greek yoghurt. Mmm! Delicious.

In the vegetable garden I have sown more seeds. Radishes , salad onions, carrots and basil. I have French beans, runner beans, courgettes, outdoor cucumbers and squash just peeping through the surface of the compost and little seedlings of kale, sprouts and lettuces looking fresh and promising. It’s such an exciting time of the year.

We have four Acers; the Japanese types which don’t grow very big. I really love them with their graceful dipping branches and elegant shapes. In Spring and Autumn they develop glorious colours and right now they have fresh, delicate leaves.

New sights are a delight in the garden but indoors I’m very sentimental about old possessions. Some people enjoy the novelty of new things. I understand that. It’s very stimulating to have something fresh which brings a new experience, but for me, the older the better.

If I have had something I like for a long time the pleasure increases. Although, in reality, life can turn at the blink of an eye, the continuity of keeping a treasure for ages is very reassuring. It makes me feel everything will be alright.

Simple everyday objects are included. I love my wooden cooking spoons, colanders and jugs, just as much as other more expensive objects. Especially if they’ve been handed down.

Of course having such an attachment to objects can lead to misery if they are broken. Mistakes happen and you have to make the best of a bad situation.

Sometimes, though, other kinds of mistakes can lead to new discoveries. When I made my apple and cinnamon squares one day I forgot to sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the apples. To my horror, I’d spread the cake mixture straight on top. What on earth could I do to remedy the situation? Not much, I thought, so in desperation I mixed the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkled it all over the top of the cake mixture and popped it in the oven. I dreaded the end result.

When I removed it from the oven I found the cake had baked perfectly with a delicious crispy sweet topping. In fact, it tasted even better than the way I had always done it. So, it seems, mistakes can lead to surprisingly good discoveries.

My knitting yarn and needles have been put away for a while. I completed the second teddy and knitted it a little dress. I’m hoping some little children will be delighted when I pass them on.

I felt I’d had enough of knitting for a while, but then I was a bit lost without it for a couple of days. It’s so nice to have a little project on the go which you can pick up at odd moments. Plenty more to do though. I might do a painting.

Another week over and a new one ahead. I hope you stay safe and well and enjoy your time. With you again next week. Bye for now.