“ lovely !” She said then asked, pointing to an emerging bloom nearby
“What’s the little yellow rose called? “
I checked and smiled when I saw it
“ That’s a new rose, a gift from a friend,” I replied, it’s called Winnie”
And indeed it has a species name of Golden Winnie and was a kind gift from my friend Colin after the old girl had died.
This was its first flowering
“Flowers like this one should have a plaque saying just how important they are” Mrs Trellis mused “ The next tenant of your cottage will look after it accordingly “
She looked thoughtful
So many things we keep have the same personal resonance. A drawn postcard of me dog walking from a friend, a hand made hand painted cheese board, a crocheted blanket, a Spanish lamp, a framed piece of an OS map, a rainbow heart….things without formal provenance…
….just things……
She pointed to a poppy head, in the flower bed near to my front door
“What does any of this stuff really matter? Look at the poppy, beautiful and delicate and it will gone tomorrow”
I looked at the poppy
And realised she was right.
Just like us, in the grand scheme of things. Here today, gone tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteOy.
-Kate
Yes indeed ….we really don’t own anything
DeleteNothing is permanent and the sooner we grasp that concept and go with it, the happier we can be. I adore the Ice Cream and the Winnie. Lovely John.
ReplyDeleteI think we all would like to be immortal in some ways
DeleteThings to ponder on .... love your ‘ ice cream ‘ rose and the gift of the Winnie rose was so thoughtful. What a lovely chat with Mrs Trellis. I don’t think that any of our ‘things ‘ have monetary value but they all have meaning and stories behind them …. Far more valuable. XXXX
ReplyDeleteI think it’s the meaning that I would like to think goes on
DeleteMrs Trellis is a treasure too.
ReplyDeleteA good friend to have in the village
She s a vital old duffer
DeleteYour blog and your photos help make them all last a bit longer as now I have memory of it stored (for a while at least) in my mind! Lovely! xx
ReplyDeleteEverything is cashed on the internet
DeleteA reminder to take things as they come and wring every drop of enjoyment/ fulfilment we can out of life.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you today when your hospice sent me their summer raffle tickets. I bought one of the goat t shirts for a friend (which is in continuous wear rotation I might add) and now I buy the raffle tickets when they send them to me as well. Amazing how your blog has connected us. I live in Peterborough and you are in Wales, yet I know all about the goats and your hospice.
Good to hear from you John as always :-)
Thank you Steph xxx
DeleteThe rose comes back year after year. Perennial. Like you.
ReplyDeleteAhhh thank u
DeleteI love the roses and that poppy ... all so beautiful and there to enjoy for however long they remain with us [you]!
ReplyDeleteI guess I’m thinking about how long we have things and how long we have people
DeleteExactly ... we cherish it all for as long as possible ... things and people ... they come and go and we love them for as long as we can!
DeleteMrs. Trellis is so often right! She still sounds worried that you might leave.
ReplyDeleteShe is
DeleteA particularly lovely post today, John! Carpe Diem!
ReplyDeleteThanks muchly
DeleteAs Robert Burns wrote: "“But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flower, it's bloom is shed; Or, like the snow-fall in the river, A moment white, then melts forever.” These are some of my favourite lines of his. Still we can enjoy what we can while we can
ReplyDeleteI like that quote too…..
DeleteGorgeous roses, John, and with meaning to you. Yes, we are all just tenants; be aware that everything will change, but while you are where you are, be the best gardener, friend, nurse, householder you can...x
ReplyDeleteDo the best you can with what you’ve got
DeleteThe roses are beautiful, but it is the memories and connections that make them special. xx
ReplyDeleteI m just worried those memories will fade with me, no one to carry them on
DeleteYour book should be of great help with the memory of you.
DeleteRight it all down we will all remember you.
Write .. mercy me.
DeleteWe surround ourselves (if we're lucky) with things that bring us joy. Or contentment. Or simply fond memories. We're here on this earth so briefly that a poppy blooming only for a day, appreciated for its cheerfulness, matters. Antique stores and thrift shops are filled with items that mattered to someone once upon a time. Occasionally they're handcrafted items later generations have no interest in. I buy those, because they give me joy. Someday my sons will sell them off to others who'll enjoy them again. Someday, if you leave them in ground, your roses will be enjoyed by others, too. An established rose can live 100 years or more, even untended.
ReplyDeleteNicely putxx
DeleteMrs Trellis is very fond of you John-I'm sure she wouldn't share her spiritual thoughts with most people- I like her x
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful conversation with the lovely Mrs Trellis.
ReplyDeleteYour roses are exquisite and am glad both have such meaning to you. I read on a UK blog of a rose called Betty's Smile and wish they were available across the pond as I'd get one in tribute to my amazing sweet MIL.
Wishing you a peaceful, pleasant, and fun shift tonight.
Hugs!
As well as being cute, Mrs Trellis is wise. What a great combination! What a woman!
ReplyDeleteLife always goes on but the memories are there for us to cherish. Sweet Winnie lives on.
ReplyDeleteI do miss her
DeleteAbsolutely right. Our treasures will mean nothing when we are gone. I like the idea of a plaque for thatrose.
ReplyDeleteI do too, like the ones you see at National trust gardens
DeleteThese special things are special to you which in and of itself, makes you special as well.
ReplyDeleteThere to enjoy the poppy and the roses and Mrs. Trellis all at that particular time and to no other are those things and that time as special as to you.
I think surrounding ourselves with things that have meaning enriches our lives. I've never understood people who just "decorate."
ReplyDeleteNo, I,dont …some people are happy with the look,of the hour
Deleteand that's why we have to enjoy all of the moments.
ReplyDeleteAnd we need to remind ourselves to
DeleteI love Mrs. Trellis.
ReplyDeleteYou do know that the moments that matter make up our memories, don't you. Thanks to her comment, you may think of that poppy for some time to come.
ReplyDeleteAnd it will always remind me of her
DeleteWe have a new Rose bush which is flowering really well. Mrs Trellis is right, it flowers one day, and all the petals are on the ground by next morning.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely conversation to have. I like it when a conversation with someone stays with me and leaves me thinking. Get some little plaques made for those roses, it will make them even more special.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Winnie Rose - such a worthy memorial for a lovely creature still missed terribly.
ReplyDeleteNice
ReplyDeleteaccounts management services
accounting services
accounts and finance
bookkeeping
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Bollocks!
ReplyDeleteContext is what gives things value to us. And how we can convey that to others. I love the plaque idea!
ReplyDeleteSome people would say that impermanence is exactly what makes everything, including the poppy and Winnie and the roses and the heart and our very own lives, beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYes, things may be gone tomorrow, but today it made all the difference in the world to see the first Golden Winnie flower. Small moments of delight. Worth remembering.
ReplyDeleteYour so right Mary !!!
ReplyDelete