Imagine you grew some plants and nurtured them carefully, watering, pinching out, potting on, feeding. They were in lovely pots. There were flower buds and then flowers. Beautiful petals, opening carefully and slowly in the sun. You watered them some more. Every day. And fed them. The plants grew and the petals were all exquisite and there was fragrance and beauty and loveliness and all of the hard work was worth it AND THEN SOME BOYS CAME ALONG AND BOUNCED A FOOTBALL ON THE TOP OF THEM ALL AND THEN HIT THEM A FEW TIMES WITH A TENNIS RACKET AND KNOCKED THE POTS ABOUT A BIT WITH SCOOTERS. That is what my garden is like. I had a moment of going postal the other day, but sadly it has changed nothing. The plants are sad and flat. The urchins are ghastly. The dog is a beast. But this is how it is all meant to be, no? Everyone bursting with energy, fun to be had, outdoors all the time, happy, happy, happy. Me and my plants will try not to get in the way.
When things go quiet out there the butterflies return. There seem to be lots this year. They find a few blooms still standing. The marjoram is always popular with the pollinators, and so easy to grow. I just chop it back once a year. Couldn't be simpler. Low maintenance, lovely for the kitchen, adored by bees and butterflies. Every garden should have one.
School finishes tomorrow and I am bracing myself. It promises to be a humdinger of a summer. I shall try not to be too shouty about all the mess and the breakages. I think that when the children look back, these warm summer days are the ones they will remember. Hot, dusty afternoons playing in woods and by streams, ice cubes and fresh fruit, racing round on bikes and scooters, making dens and building things from wood, meals eaten late, endless sweaty evenings with midges and hazy pink light. That's how childhood should be remembered I think. And hopefully not too much of mother going beserk because someone trashed her fushia. I am a work in progress my friends, wish me luck.
Enjoy summer !!...love Ria ☀️☀️☀️
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful I had daughters lol You made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI think we're living parallel lives on opposite sides of the ocean. I only have one boy, but he seems like plenty, and the girl is just as destructive, sometimes more! But they are having fun and it's all good. They hardly ever hear me scream, only a little bit and they usually know they've deserved it. :)
ReplyDeleteI think I would go berserk too!
ReplyDeleteGood luck I'm sure they will be great. They are so long I get used to the new kind of routine and am sad when they end.
ReplyDeleteOh dear.. such effort and time expended only to be whacked into oblivion. I had something like that happen with a grandson. My Hosta had just opened up in all it's glory and I went onto the deck to see it had been whacked to death. After a short interrogation I found that the older grandson led the younger one THROUGH the garden and the youngest had a stick and he whacked the tender new leaves into oblivion. Grandma lost it a bit. :-) ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteI’m sending cyber hugs and lots of empathy. So much effort and so little gain. At least the butterflies brave it when all is calm. Hopefully tomorrow brings you happy sunny days with lots of fun memories of a wonderful summer. I’m wishing you luck. B xx
ReplyDeleteI am with you all the way. I am so glad my boys are now old enough to play football at the school pitch - on their own! Our garden is sighing with relief. My dear children are on their way to destroy granny's garden. I wonder how much damage they can cause in 10 days? Meanwhile, the dog doesn't fit through the cat flap with his cone and causes less damage in our garden. I hope the summer holiday shapes up as you imagine it! We are three and half weeks in, half way! xx
ReplyDeleteGood luck!!!
ReplyDeleteI was that mother, issuing dire warnings if flowers were flattened - looking back I wish I'd lightened up a bit! Now they're all teenagers there's very little kicking a ball in the garden. It sounds to me like you have the right approach. You're absolutely right that this summer could be the scorcher to remember (like I remember the one from my childhood in 1976) - I hope you have a wonderful one with lots of memories made. Sam xx
ReplyDeleteMy sympathies. I know that I would find it hard not to be annoyed and shouty. Good luck. xx
ReplyDeleteThe garden here is now safe from
ReplyDeleteBoys and balls, sadly the dogs have filled the void with their (equally plant-violent) version of football 🙄. Sending luck xxx
You can always grow more fuchsia but your boys will grow up and and not be at home forever. I still miss the hustle and bustle of having four boys at home... and funnily enough no longer have a desire to grow fuchsia! I think I need a marjoram though. Enjoy the summer holidays.
ReplyDeletehaha, you seem to have it right - a happy boisterous summer of fun is the thing that stays in a child's mind forever. I wish you well, deep breaths, I would imagine, are key :)
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, this was beautifully written. Hope your garden survives the hols, but happy memories are by far more important.xxx
ReplyDeleteHoping you have a summer full of lovely memories and few breakages!
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how childhood should be and for so many it isn't. To much indoor time under supervision. I wish Little B had the opportunity to just go out and play.
ReplyDelete