Sundays can be a funny day when you are on your own. In North Wales they can be dead sort of days if you let them, with little to do and little to talk about.
I'm sat at the kitchen table finishing breakfast.
It's fat club tomorrow so I've had my usual 2 eggs on dry toast. George is waiting impatiently for the left overs and is tap dancing on the kitchen floor.
Scotties tap dance when they are excited.
I'm debating on whether to see another movie . I saw In The Fade yesterday and haven't had the energy to review it . It was a German movie about a fairly unsympathetic German housewife (Diane Kruger) and her reaction to a Nazi terrorist attack on her family.
Yes, not a bag of laughs ....anyhow I digress.
As I sit here, I can see a hand written card open on the table inside the card is a small parcel of kitchen paper that sort of hissed when handled. It was filled with tiny, button black flower seeds
For those that can't read fine print this is what the card said
" To John,.....when I bought my first house in Sheffield you gave me a packet of aquilegia seeds. So cutting them today, made me think of you.........Ruth"A kindness repayed and remembered, I thought.
I had sent the tiny gift of seeds in 1990
28 years ago!
What a thoughtful gift from Ruth. So much more personal and meaningful than anything she might have bought in a shop.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Fade.
ReplyDeleteI felt it was a bit uneven . She was excellent in it though
DeleteEach uneven layer was held together well though.
DeleteAgreed although I thought the court scenes and the sudden acquittal a bit much to take
DeleteI thought it built up well. The sudden acquittal was exactly, to me, how it was meant to be, sudden and a shock to all. I thought it worked.
DeleteIt never came to these parts, God alone only knows why. Without entirely giving up hope it does seem it's chance has been and gone. :-(
DeleteI love George’s new hairdo!
ReplyDeleteLX
Firstly, 1990 cannot possibly be 28 actual years ago - that is ridiculous! Secondly, is that photo of aquilegia? If so, I have no idea what certain flowers in my garden are, as I have been calling them aquilegia! Percy Thrower I am not.
ReplyDeleteThey come in hundreds of varieties some much more muted than others ut the " grannies bonnet" shape is roughly the same
DeleteI've done some research - mine are astrantia. It does begin with 'a' I suppose.
DeleteThey couldn't look more different ! Lol
DeleteI know! I feel a right chump! I shall plant some aquilegia and name it John Gray, in your honour. lol!
DeleteWhat a lovely gift and wonderful way to return a beautiful gesture. The flowers that come from those seeds look gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of gorgeous, George looks very sharp and stylish with the new hair cut!
33£ well spent
Deletewhat a sweet gift!
ReplyDeleteWell, dear John, some people never forget. And that is a good thing unless it's bad.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time I too had some "Aquilegia" (different variety to those in your pic). They were dark purple, almost black. What I loved was that they stood tall, seemingly fragile, elegant, their bowed heads nodding with that slight breeze you get close to the coast even in summer.
As to Sundays ... look upon them as the holiday of the week, the one day when it's perfectly ok to meander and, best case scenario, no one will hold you to anything. On which note I'll now switch on the washing machine.
U
Aquilegia come in all colours and shapes . They fill every crack in a cottage garden
DeleteBowing their heads, lovely. Maybe that’s where they got their common name ‘grannies bonnet’ from.
DeleteWhat a nice gift. Sowing and reaping comes to mind. If you are going to watch foreign movies, this French one came with high recommendations. I like the look of it from the trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34WIbmXkewU
ReplyDeleteI watched this movie on line , I missed it at the cinema
DeleteI recognised much of what the film tried to say.
Strangely enough Ruth was a nurse on the spinal injury unit I then worked on. And she married a ex patient who was paralysed from the neck down
Ruth is obviously one of those special people who is strong and true to be counted on and does not forget a friend..how lovely to have your friendship valued so.xx
DeleteWhat a lovely gesture both from yourself and Ruth. I love aquilegias even though they are so promiscuous!😀
ReplyDeleteSundays can be pretty quiet here too. I had great plans to go to a place called "Jardin Secret" about 41 km from here but I've been sitting here reading for the last 3 hours so probably won't go either. Sometimes doing nothing isn't a bad thing really is it. Shame you're not closer, we could have a natter!
ReplyDeleteWeave has been talking about how she handles her Sundays too.
ReplyDeleteShe always can teach us all something
DeleteI put it down to experience.
DeleteWhat a thoughtful and beautiful gift. Sundays are hard days here also. Today I will stay outside and do yard work. My brother and the rest of my family try to do there things for me but today I need to keep busy. Sending hugs
ReplyDeleteI am not going to comment the flowers, don't know anything about them. Nevertheless it's a very thoughtful gift and they look nice on the picture.
ReplyDeleteLike George, what a lovely dog. You can see him thinking.....
Have a nice relaxing day today, I have a 5 hour drive home awaiting me
ReplyDeleteNow THAT'S a gift!
ReplyDeleteHave been thinking of you while I removed all the lumpy stuffing from one of our dog's many beds, washed the cover and cut cotton wadding to restuff it when dry. I hope the rest of your day is good, we are all thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteThank you.....I think
DeleteAt least you know it’s Sunday .... I never know what bloody day it is !!! XXXX
ReplyDeleteIf you plant those lovely seeds, you will have to stay in your little cottage in order to see them flower. (hint, hint . . . )
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely gift! Kindness repaid. I cannot believe that 1990 was 28 years ago. Where has the time gone!
ReplyDeleteOur little one, not a Scottie, does a tap dance when she notices the morsel possibility thingy. She waits, watches, taps . . . I cave . . .
ReplyDeleteThere was a time for me, that friday eve was hollow . . . empty . . .
Ruth made my day . . . I like her . . .
And you . . . I love your zest, heart, giving . . .
I ache . . . for you . . . for sundays . . .
How very kind and thoughtful .. Time does have a way of zooming by without being noticed. I am sad for you for leaving your wonderful home and happy for you to be leaving your sad home .. it will be a Great Adventure, as my husband used to say ... go out in the world and discover something ! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel guilty because, although Paul likes them, I pull them out due to the fact they go berserk and I can't control them.
ReplyDeleteOh how I long for any plant, especially flower, to go beset on me. Your sincerely black thumb in Melbourne
DeleteGeorge is a handsome chap. I don't tap dance for food, but I do wiggle my toes when cake is in the offing. x
ReplyDeleteOne of the nicest things about that gift may be it's getting you outside to garden and let nature turn your day around. I cannot count the days that just staring at beauty, listening to the wind and bird song, sometimes reading an uplifting chapter in a book while I do that, made me think lovelier and happier thoughts. May whatever does that for you be available in abundance, Mary
ReplyDeleteI've just been weeding the front garden of its burnt flowers and weeds
DeleteWow, 28 years....what a ovely gift! I did that with small red hot chilli peppers - besides using them in dishes they are also considered to be good luck - I planted a few seeds from a bunch I'd receive from a neighbour and returned a new fresh bunch to her.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Maria x
I've just spent an hour in the garden ....very therapeutic
DeleteThinking of you John xxx
DeleteWhat a gorgeous surprise, and after so many years Ruth still has offspring to harvest seed from! As to patient George, I never picked him for a tap dancer.
ReplyDeleteIt's his little feet!
DeleteGo and see Mamma Mia II!!!Apparently even Bjorn Borg was singing along at the premiere! If I was there, we could've gone together! What larks we would have!!!
ReplyDeleteMy sister tried to get me to go last night but I don't think I could have faced the saccharine
DeleteYes you can! Get going!!!
DeleteYeah! Get going! Sing,laugh dance and maybe cry! I can't wait to go see it xx
DeleteAnd now it is Sunday morning here in Florida and even though I have someone to share it with I can feel the Sunday blues creeping over me and taking me in like a damn sticky spiderweb. Sundays are just not good.
ReplyDeleteWell we'll just have to make em good x
DeleteI've had 2 months of Sundays alone so far - there could be 20 years,that thought scares me
ReplyDeleteChin up dearheart x
DeleteIt does get better .....honest xxxx
DeleteYou have drawn to yourself the most wonderful people, which says so much about you.
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe that 1990 was 28 years ago, the year my daughter was born. I love aquilegias, they remind me of my childhood, as they were the only flowers that grew in our garden and my Mum was told they were weeds by the neighbours. The gift of seeds was very thoughtful, and a very pretty variety.
ReplyDeletewe call those flowers columbine. there's only one variety, all yellow, that will grow down here in the gulf coast Texas heat. I love trading plants from the garden and so nice that Ruth sent them round full circle.
ReplyDeleteI had a wonderful surprise gift on Friday. My dear friend (who is also a widow) took me out to lunch. She got there before I did and told the server to be sure to bring her the check because I'd recently lost my husband. When the server brought our food she said the bill had been paid for by another patron. We had no idea who it was. We both intend to "pay it forward" the next chance we get.
ReplyDeleteHow mysterious
DeleteThose flowers are beautiful! Are they a perennial, or do they self seed and come back every year like that? My cat sits staring at me and waits on the floor patiently when I have cereal so that he may lick the remains of the milk from the bowl. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteThey self seed and totally take over
DeleteThat's a lovely gift - they say the best way to keep a plant is to give (part of it) away! Have you been taking cuttings before you move, something from your garden, or something you've always fancied in someone else's? Last time I moved house the removers went pale at the sight of all the pots!
ReplyDeleteWatch this space
DeleteWhat a thoughtful gift. Like Veg Artist, I hope you can take seeds and cuttings from the cottage to plant in your new home.
ReplyDeleteAny idea yet where you might be moving? I'm sure many wonderful new adventures await you there!
That was a kind deed (both ways round!) I have never liked Sunday's whether I am with people or on my own.
ReplyDeleteLovely gift.
ReplyDeleteLove George's summer hair cut.
cheers, parsnip
He comes alive after a haircut
DeleteHow thoughtful! You are lucky to be in the thoughts of so many nice people
ReplyDeleteCome and live near me and I will give you seeds, cuttings and all manner of things grown from pips and stones..... Or start a B and B and I will bring them as a gift when we book a room.
ReplyDeleteMy spare room is only six feet wide
DeleteSunday's can be weird, a really good day relaxed but just productive enough to be satisfying or long, slow and annoyingly meh.
ReplyDeleteFlower seeds from friends are a beautiful gift, returning a favour from years ago even more so ❤
28 years too
DeleteI've got some aquilegia,they change colour each year.My astrantia seem to be a bit weedy but I love them x
ReplyDeleteYeah, Sundays can be either lovely or lonely, depending on whether a person wants to be sociable or alone. My mother and a couple of other elderly ladies always go to either lunch or supper together and that breaks up her day. Otherwise she is climbing the walls.
ReplyDeleteWe call aquilegia "columbine" here, same as Ellen Abbott (above). It is a lovely delicate flower but I haven't the right conditions for it. Front of house is too sunny and dry, back is too shady and wet. Or maybe it's just that I'm a bad gardener as I don't get around to deadheading.
It was lovely of Ruth to remember you in this way.
It was wasn't it?
DeleteI reccomend you go and see Mamma Mia 2, it is very uplifting.
ReplyDeleteMy sister loved it, but her taste in films is shite sometimes
DeleteSo many of us have that Sunday feeling. Hard to shake it off even when retired and every day can be used for whatever you want to do.
ReplyDeleteAt one time all the shops were closed on Sundays, now they're all open, making Sundays no different from any other day. You can do and go wherever you want.
It's just another day in the week.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do John, move or stay. I should think it'll be a wrench to leave the village but of course we don't know your financial situation or what you feel you need to do. Hug your furry people and take care of yourself.
It's doesn't quite feel the same
DeleteJohn, I don't know if this will help but when I moved into my house I had a boyfriend, we were seeing each other for a couple of years. The plan was that we would move in together. After a year of him just visiting I realised that he was stringing me along and it wasn't going to happen so I ended the relationship.
DeleteI had made the house as comfortable as I could, for the two of us, but then I had no interest in it and removed all the decorations, ornaments and suchlike. I had no emotional connection to the house, didn't want to be there.
Eventually after recovering from the traumatic separation, it got messy, I slowly started taking an interest in the house again, and was determined to make it my house, how I wanted it. Twenty years on, I love my house.
A perfect gift. From you, and from her.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely columbines! I love the way they dance in the breeze, looking like so many butterflies. What a lovely gesture from your old friend. I'd like to chime in too - that you have the opportunity and the means to stay in Trelawnyd where, like Cheers, everybody knows your name. Take care.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of butterflies , the buddliea is now blooming and the garden is filled with butterflies
DeleteThat is the sweetest thing ever. Blessings on you, Ruth! Love to you, John.
ReplyDeletexoxox
Wasn't it lovely x
DeleteYou're right about the tap dancing. We had two scotties when I was a kid and they both did exactly that.
ReplyDeleteYes I thought parsnip would pick up on this as she has Scotties
DeleteMy earliest memory of a pet was brief before my father took him away was of a Scottie. My grandmother didn’t like dogs and did nothing overtly offensive toward him, but he knew. She wore felt slippers in the evening at the sink after dinner and washed the dishes. She felt something warm on her foot, looked down to see him peeing on her. Communication!
ReplyDeleteLovely sentiment to be shared with the flower seeds after so many years. Clearly you have lasting relationships with people. They care about you.
I still occasionally have that weekend or Sunday feeling I noticed after my husband died over a decade ago. Just seemed to creep up on me unexpectedly sometimes, for no particular reason I could fathom. I had to indulge the feeling at times but it did pass.
John - one of my favourite flowers - lovely picture. I find mine always revert to one colour after a year or two.
ReplyDeleteAs to Sunday feeling - hard to break through I find. If all else fails I go for a walk - you could do worse - can you manage all the dogs at once? I envy you the sea nearby.
How lovely x
ReplyDeleteThe beautiful yin and yang of friendship through flower seeds. George is so cute and I like his "hair cut".
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ReplyDeleteLove George and his tap dancing :)
ReplyDelete