18 April 2022

garden in April

If someone were to ask me what kind of cause is sufficient to live for in dark times, the best answer I could give would be: to take responsibility for the survival of something that matters deeply. Whatever that is, your best action might then be to get it out of harm’s way, or to put yourself in harm’s way on its behalf, or anything else your sense of responsibility tells you.

Dougald Hine

I am too tired to write down what is going on in my mind, the debates and arguments between my inner voices about war and peace and how to justify stocking up on arms and history repeating or not, about the strange weather patterns and the decrease in birdsong. We have booked extremely expensive flights to a country that has yet to open its borders to visitors, it's still a while before we hope to travel but we are either sinking a ton of money or shall be the luckiest, happiest we have been for years. And so right now it has become almost unbearable to look at my far away daughter's face on my phone screen with this uncertainty.

Tomorrow though we will be on the road for four hours to visit my father. I made his cake this morning, packed the Easter chocolates and while I made a short list of what to get ready early tomorrow morning, he calls with instructions on when and how and where to park the car. 

Here are some garden pictures.

peppers and tomatoes waiting in the greenhouse

various veg waiting too, also some early strawberries

tomatoes, they will stay inside, the thing behind it is the solar heater panel

wild tulips

forget me nots under the hazel bush

one of the apple trees

corn flower

wild garlic

miniature daffs

woodland strawberries taking over


some of the pink tulips


potatoes are up, look how dry it is


12 comments:

NewRobin13 said...

I am hoping you can make your very long journey to see your daughter. That would be so wonderful. Until then, I hope your visit with your dad for the holiday is a good one.
Your garden is really looking beautiful and far ahead of our little greet starts here. Winter has returned. Cold rainy gray weather. Good for the forests that really needed this 10 days of rain.
Take care there.

Colette said...

Oh gee, you've been busy preparing for the gardening part of the year. Very impressive. Those woodland strawberries growing up between the cracks remind me that the life force is fiercely determined to have its way. Fingers crossed for the long journey happening. Family is everything. What kind of cake is "his" cake?

Ms. Moon said...

If there is anything which represents hope more than the starting of each year's garden and the blooming of the plants, both wild and the things we have tamed a bit, it is our children and our grandchildren.
May you be able to go and visit yours.
May your father have some inkling of the hope you have meant in his life.

am said...

I always look forward to seeing your garden. It's that time of year again.

Wonderful news that you and R have plane tickets for a visit to your daughter and her family sometime in the future. I didn't realize that it is a four-hour drive to visit with your father. That's the equivalent of driving the entire north to south distance of Washington State, assuming that one leaves very early in the morning and avoids being bogged down in Seattle traffic for who knows how long. I hope the best for you in connection with your father now and always.

Thank you for the introduction to Dougald Hine.

northsider said...

Great photos. Spring is finally here.

ellen abbott said...

Oh, I love your garden. Wild tulips! That's a new one to me and are the miniature daffodils jonquils? I have tried to get forget-me-nots established here, planted them several times as they are supposed to reseed and return but they never do. I guess our summers are too hot and too long.

I hope your visit with your father is as easy as possible. We didn't do Easter at my house once my parents built the beach house. We spent all weekends there and my mother wasn't about to cook some fancy meal when she could be sitting on the beach.

Joared said...

Hine's commentary does present the complications of life we ponder.
I'm impressed with all your garden plants and wish I was able to do more along that line.
I never knew there were miniature daffodils.
Have a good drive to your Father's.
Also, hope all goes well for your visit with your daughter.

beth coyote said...

wonderful wonderful garden pictures. It's so cold here, still waiting to put the peas in. spinach and lettuce are up and have to thin them. No hummingbirds..where are they???

37paddington said...

Beautiful garden. I hope your travel to see your girl comes to pass. I believe it will. I also hope you have a good visit with your father.

Roderick Robinson said...

Risking a ton of money for a villa rental in France. That's us, eight of us; we gotta have a holiday somewhere uncontaminated by hideous BJ. Interrupting fortnightly chemo sessions in order to enjoy the benefits of lolling by the pool while being served Leffe by my nearest and dearest. Interesting; the medics seem to approve of this.

Secret Agent Woman said...

I hope the visit to your daughter goes well. It's hard to have a child so far away.

Steve Reed said...

I love those wild tulips. I've seen that variety before but I didn't realize they were wild!