Musings

For the first time in a while, I managed a stroll down to the far end of the garden this morning. When we first moved here nearly 10 years ago I did the walk daily, eager to see what was new in plant & animal life. These days I can't cope with that - a sign of my slow deterioration. Still I can appreciate it from afar, appreciate the odd splashes of colour as the crocosmia, irises, escalonia, peonies etc come into flower. I can love the sense of privacy this private park gives me, enjoy the peace broken only by the sound of the birds.

On my way back I called out hello to a neighbour on one side. She stopped for a chat. I was quite shocked when she told me she'd got divorced last August (that goes to show how long ago it is since I last ventured so far up the garden) & was still having problems with lawyers & her ex.

I can't help feeling how privileged & grateful I am never have had to face that torment. Instead we are coming up to our coral (35th) wedding anniversary later this year. Like all couples we've had our ups & downs, but we've never seriously thought of going our separate ways. There's never been a question of not loving or being loved. And we continue to hope for a good many years together yet.

I'm hoping to venture into the garden to do a bit of clearing later today. My hand has now cleared up sufficiently. There remains a rather pale, scabbed area about the size of a 10p to indicate where I poured the boiling water, but that's all. Now it's just a question of having the energy levels, & the knees, to cope with the effort of gardening.