I garden, therefore I am

“If you have a mind at peace, a heart that cannot harden, go find a door that opens wide upon a lovely garden.”

Who would have ever thought that I would have developed green fingers. Certainly not the people who know me best! But I think I knew all along that I would get to this point. Everyone has felt that deep knowing at some point in their lives. Somehow I have always known that I was meant to get my fingers dirty and watch things grow. I think it was something that was always written into my soul and now that I have started, I am fully absorbed.

“The garden is a mirror of the heart.”

Make no mistake, it takes both time and money (both of which I have in short supply), but it takes patience and determination too (and I have that in bucketloads!). My garden will never be perfect, and there will always be more weeds needing to be pulled up. But I love it with a passion that still surprises me. Every now and then I stop and ask myself: seriously, this??

I recently dug up all the grass in my front garden and planted flowers everywhere. Every morning and evening I inspect them and enjoy them. I know it keeps me grounded and present and grateful.

“Gardening is the purest of human pleasures.” — Francis Bacon

My greatest pleasure this month has been my veggie garden. Most of it started off as seeds planted in a tray and they have grown into a substantial veggie garden! In my little veggie patch I have:

… tomatoes, beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, gem squash, lettuce, chillies, green peppers, rocket, cucumbers, strawberries, spring onions, chives and herbs (rosemary, origanum, basil, mint, parsley, coriander). And there is more on my “want” list.

Last week I made a vegetarian bolognaise with fresh herbs. Today Adam and I picked lettuce, chives and herbs for a salad (and he even ate the salad!). I can’t believe that I won’t need to buy prepackaged lettuce or tomatoes this summer. I can have a fresh salad whenever I want it.

This evening, just after the sun had set, I stood and watered my garden. Peaceful, quiet and perfect.

 ”One who plants a garden, plants happiness.”

Holiday in Brief

This is all I’ve got right now. Some photos I edited for my mom’s birthday. More to follow when time allows. Promise to bring you a full report soon. Promise.

it started simply enough…

It started simply. All I wanted to do was to learn a few words, but before I knew it, I was in too deep.

I never, never, never (ever) thought I would (ever) have even the slightest inclination to learn another language. I think I was scared off by Xhosa at varsity.

I thought language simply wasn’t my thing. And I was happy to leave learning another language to all the other nutters out there. Very happy with my English, thank you very much.

And then I discovered French…

and now… oh.my.word…

I am in deep. I want to learn more and more. I have even started to walk around the shops muttering to myself in French. 

I am a nutter.

Wednesday’s Joy Bubble

Photo Fest!

Right, I have edited my 500+ photos from a few weeks ago!

Click away now if you find photos tedious… ’cause there’s plenty coming!!

((p.s. GO Ghana… you beauts!))

(if you got this far… well done! and thanks for looking!)

WAKA WAKA!

Mzanzi for shorrrre!!!

Can you feel it?!! For the rest of my life I will remember waking up on 11 June 2010 to the sound of vuvuzelas blaring. What an incredible way to start the day!

It is here!!! A nation united. For real. I have never felt such a fever pitch of excitement in my life. The Rugby World Cup Final is the only thing that comes close.

We blew our vuvuzela too (check out the vein popping in the neck)!

Shapa Bafana Bafana Shapa!! South Africa is ROCKING!

It is time! It is Africa’s time!

Hola Bafana Bafana Hola!

Show dem South Africa Show Dem. Today we make the Circle Beega!!!!

Cupcakes

Adam (I provided guidance) made cupcakes on Mother’s Day. He did all the measuring and pouring and stirring.

He switched the oven to the right temperature and he sat and watched them get “tall”. He decorated them with much diligence and ate them with much delight and enjoyment.

It’s moments like this that mean the world to me.

Smell the Rain & Feel the Wind

#74 of 1001 Walk in the Rain

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it.
Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces.
Smell the rain, and feel the wind.
Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

~Ashley Smith

Puddles & Mud

Following on from my earlier post about the rain…

(forgive the archive of photos, but me and my photoshop – we had a passionate moment!!)

After the downpour, Adam and I donned our winter woolies and went in search of puddles (a Caroline inspired one-handed photo, hence the off-centre):

The monkey in full winter regalia – you would think it was 15 below!

We found a few puddles outside, splashy enough, but not what I was after… I wanted MUD!

Off we went to the vlei to look for MUD… and boy did we have fun!! Dirty, dirty mud + permission to play in it = heaven for little boys:

A Running jump

And yes, the pants were soaked up to the thighs and there was more water in the wellies than out!

And I got in on the action too. I was barefoot the whole time…

Gooey, squelching, oozing mud. Between my toes.

I was dreading having to do it. It was one of the things on my list that I really thought I could do without. But now I would tell everyone – take off your shoes and walk through mud puddles. Do it now, do it tomorrow. There is something primal and elemental about walking in the mud barefoot.

# 8 of 101 Walk barefoot in the mud

Getting Stuff Done

By  now most of you have heard that I have this little annoying list that I have promised to get through by the end of the year. Every now and then I re-read the list and seriously question my sanity. But it’s there and I’ll muddle my way through it.

I have been a little preoccupied lately and haven’t really had a chance to report back on how things are going with The List. I have been just a tiny bit obsessed with a girl who has a dragon tattoo. She also plays with fire and even goes on to kick a hornets nest. Distracted to say the least! But in between my eye-strain, I have managed to squeeze in a few to-do items. I realise that I need to kick into high gear if I am going to come close to finishing “The List” (insert suitable shark music).

#43 of 101 – Create Order in My Closet: I unpacked my entire closet, gave away half the contents and put it all back in neat piles. I discovered that I have 8 handbags that I no longer use. I also have 18 scarves I still use and can’t possibly part with. They take up about half my cupboard space! Who knew I had a thing for scarves…?!

#28 of 101 – Another Picnic: Adam and I took advantage of one of the last days of summer. We packed some sandwiches, some grapes and some chocolate and went off to have lunch outside. Such a simple way to make a little boy happy!

#34 of 101 – Donate Blood: I finally plucked up the courage to go back to donate blood. I went regularly before I fell pregnant, but could never muster the enthusiasm to go back afterwards. Even though I know it is for a good cause, and even though I have done it 15 times before, I still hate the whole process.  I hate the prick into the finger to test your iron, never mind the actual needle going in. I hate the blood going through the tubes, the little bag that fills up with your blood. I hate the feel of the needle pulling out. But I know that someone is going to benefit from my blood, so I look the other way and send lots of loving vibes into the blood and hope that it will help someone, somewhere.

#15 of 101 – Save Electricity – Turn my Geyser Down: Okay, so I fully intended to turn down the geyser myself, but I mentioned it to Dave, and he offered to do it for me. He roped in Adam to second him and they went about sorting out the geyser together. And every day since then, Adam has asked to go back into the roof – I am running out of ways to explain that it is not a good idea (he is not convinced, and thinks I am a serious stick in the mud). The geyser went down 10 degrees, and I can’t tell the difference. I could probably turn it down more – maybe next time I will go up myself!! (note the dirty, dusty face on the apprentice).