Summer has arrived in Portsmouth so today Donna, Joshua and I went for a stroll along the coast before heading down the sea to sit and stare. Portsmouth always has something to look at in the water and the sailing boats were out in force making the most of the sunshine and sea breezes.
What I loved at the beach is that Mother Nature is reclaiming it from a man made construction. Wild flowers and grasses are growing in clumps all along the beach and it makes for a lovely 'garden'. Plants have to be hardy to survive the salt winds and the shore is looking all the better for them. Joshua put his feet in the sea and I had some moments to meditate. It is a different tidal sound in Portsmouth compared to Arran as the waves are hitting the stones here and the sand on Arran. It is somewhat more dramatic here but that allows the soundscape to dominate as you plug your mind into it and just let go. In my experience you only have to do that for a few minutes and you feel instantly recharged. It is important to have recharge moments in your day. Our lives are so busy but we can all take a few minutes.
Donna made a really interesting point. She advised Joshua that they need to take in more open vistas that allow them to drink in the views and breathe in the fresh air. She is concerned that she spends too much time on her ipad and we know that Joshua spends too much time in front of screens so it was a point well made. There is so much that is of interest in Portsmouth and just inhabiting the wide open spaces is a useful reminder for all of us. I am fortunate because a big part of my life is spent outdoors but I am aware that it is possible to become very house bound.
After our exertion it was so time for tea and cake and so we went in search of it. You never have to go very far to find it in Portsmouth and Donna and I have good tea and cake radar. The tenth hole is a fabulous café that is very well frequented by the locals. You would have to see the cakes to believe them as they are huge. Refreshed, off we headed home via a little traditional greengrocers that also sells plants.
I sat in the garden this morning and watched bees and butterflies emerge from the neighbours garden and then miss out this garden because there is so little nectar. Having established a lovely little sanctuary space I felt Donna would benefit from a closer relationship with nature. She does have a lovely old fashioned English lavender spilling out from a wonderful lemon verbena and, of course, her stunning honeysuckle. I had already unearthed some pots to fill and so Donna and I chose some lovely flowering plants that we know the bees and butterflies like.
It is incredibly easy to establish an 'instant garden' with the use of pots and, of course, you can move them around. Donna's garden is laid to paving and deck so it is perfect for this type of garden. I am now leaving this lovely little family with some wonderful colour in their garden and somewhere where they can sit and appreciate the colour, fragrance and flying insects. As I finished the last pot a solitary bee arrived and proceeded to collect pollen from almost every bloom I had planted. One of the blooms is the very humble but very beautiful blue cornflower. At some stage Donna must have had love-in-the-midst in her garden and it has self seeded into the cracks between the flagstones. The cornflower will follow that example and so Donna will be doing her bit for native wildflowers.
Speaking of wildflowers I have just added Sarah Raven's book called Wildflowers onto my Christmas list. Sarah is a heroine of mine and our paths crossed a few years back when I was taking the campaign for wildflowers to a market town in Derbyshire. I had a sneak preview of her book and the photography is stunning. I read an interview with Sarah today and she is still working flat out and doing lots of good things. I see she is revising her book 'the cutting garden' and I have a copy of the first edition. If you are interested in flowers this is the bible for me. You can use it to design your own cutting garden and I rarely make a move in my flower growing without referencing it. It was Sarah who got me growing Cosmos so successfully which is such a lovely cut flower. I am hoping when I peer over the fence of my own cutting garden tomorrow I will see my Cosmos in flower. Donna now has Cosmos in one of her pots keeping good company with a stunning daisy and both will just keep flowering all summer.
So as I prepare to leave this little family I feel that things are improving and I sense a lovely summer ahead. I hope that I have helped to create a little sanctuary for Donna in her garden where she can find some peace. We all need a little peace in our lives. I am on the early flight in the morning so should be back on the island at lunchtime. I am so excited to see my family, animals and all my lovely plants. We are into strawberry glut season so it is time to make my favourite jam of the season and attempt this drying technique. But first I will hug my children and hold on longer than the boys would like. Too bad, mother has been away for over a week so it is important to get a catch up hug.
Until tomorrow. xx
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