Happy Easter
April 8, 2012
I’ve been a bit dilatory recently with the blog, partly because I’ve been in London for a few days and partly because the garden is yelling for attention, with everything suddenly growing fast. We no longer have a gardener for reasons of economy. And also because it’s so difficult to find anyone who is at all competent or even interested. I don’t mean to bleat. I adore the garden and it’s the only exercise I take. Before I went away I took a photograph of the back door
which used to be the front door until the introduction of cars, I suppose they might have arrived in these parts in about the 1920s. When we came came in 1998 every time there was a shortage of rain you could l see the large turning circle for the carriages, carts and traps as a brown shadow on the lawn. Horse drawn vehicles of course can’t be driven backwards or be left to stand long but cars need somewhere to be parked so I’m guessing that’s the reason the house was changed round so to speak and the back, with its courtyard became the front. You can see that the lintel needs repair and it’s been on our list of things to be done from the beginning. But, being a romantic, I preferred to go ahead with the more exciting idea of transforming a rather dull lumpy tree-darkened lawn in front of it so this is what we did.
As a tribute to Easter and springtime I’m including a picture of the emerging wisteria, which is always rather fascinating as delicious colour emerges from silky grey buds
and the Simnel cake my daughter made yesterday.
I hope everyone is enjoying themselves as much as I am.
Victoria, thank you for sharing these lovely pictures of your home with us. And the simnel cake looks yummy!
Exhausted, I sought
A country inn, but found
Wisteria in bloom
Matsuo Basho (1644 – 1694)
Peace
And sometimes I am sorry when the grass
Is growing over the stones in quiet hollows
And the cocksfoot leans across the rutted cart-pass
That I am not the voice of country fellows
Who now are standing by some headland talking
Of turnips and potatoes or young corn
Of turf banks stripped for victory.
Here Peace is still hawking
His coloured combs and scarves and beads of horn.
Upon a headland by a whinny hedge
A hare sits looking down a leaf-lapped furrow
There’s an old plough upside-down on a weedy ridge
And someone is shouldering home a saddle-harrow.
Out of that childhood country what fools climb
To fight with tyrants Love and Life and Time?
Patrick Kavanagh (1904 – 1967)
Happy Easter 10 years on, in this dreadful year 2022. I hope your daughter has baked another lovely Simmel cake & you are well.