Finding the chase and cutting to it

It’s a lazy, sunny Saturday in May and I have opened our patio door wide to shelter from the sun. The shadow from our sun shade is covering the settee facing the courtyard perfectly, so it makes perfect sense. Honestly.

A splash of light cloud drifts across the pale blue sky. There are insects buzzing round the lilac wisteria, pink weigela, bluebells, white mexian orange blossom, light pink clematis montana, and white allysum (related to candy tufts). Some things have finished already this year: the lily of the valley shrub has done its business by March, and the honey suckles (a red and a white one) won’t come in to flower much later, around the same time as the passion flower.

I love the colours, the image above does not do them justice, and it is well worth the effort to maintain the garden. While we live on a busy road, the courtyard is protected by the house, providing a welcome respite from the busy world.

Our courtyard is a good size, when the traffic dies down the bushes and trees provide a shimmering rustle in a light breeze. The weigela is mature standing at a good 2m tall, and the japanese maple is now well over 1.75m, providing a colourful red fountain of leaves while a brilliant red rose grows next door to it, the dark green leaves popping against the firey red ones. The flowers are yet to bloom but the buds show promise of pillar box red globe flowers as big as my fist.

The walls provide a resting place for butterflies and larger flies as the barbecue slowly loses its heat from cooking a couple of home made burgers served in home made baps which we cooked for lunch.

Various birds are enjoying the shade provided by many of the trees in our neighbour’s garden and the ones owned by the council on the verge. Some squirrels are frolicking along the same branches too.

I love these times, sitting doing nothing, and thought I would share it with you and as a reminder to myself when the winter is at its bleakest, darkest, and dankest. Late spring will come again, along with summer.

For me, this is why I look to curb my carbon footprint, my waste of food, use an electric car, cycle or walk. To keep this reflection of eden.