February 14, 2010

Leisure

Posted by Barhi under Other
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My mother always used to quote the first two lines of this poem, but didn’t know any more.  It drove me mad so when I had to learn my own choice of poem for an exam as a teenager, I went out and found it.  Funny thing is that I still only remember the first two lines, but I love the whole poem.

W. H. Davies

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare. 

 

February 13, 2010

Jewels – Hellebores

Posted by Barhi under Gardeners Diary
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Another jewel in the winter garden is the Hellebore.Hellebore buds

Who would guess that these buds would in the matter of a few days turn into something like this?

Double Hellebore

The only problem with hellebores is that they bow their heads down and so there are only two ways to see them in all their beauty.  I love to hold their heads up to look into their sumptious beauty and then let them return to their downward view of the ground until the next time I want to stare into their faces. 

I cannot bear, this early in their life, to cut them off to show them in a bowl of water, though this is what I do if the odd one is knocked by a dog.  It is almost as if the dog knows that I want to spend more time staring into their beauty.

 

February 13, 2010

Jewels – Cyclamen

Posted by Barhi under Gardeners Diary
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At this time of year there is a distinct lack of brigtness in the garden, but if you have planned for it, then there can be some real jewels to be found.

Under the willow, I have planted the cyclamen that I bought last year.  Their wonderful cerise flowers sing out in the dull day, demanding your attention.  

Cyclamen may be low growing, but at this time of year they are a real pleasure.  When there are more flowers demanding your attention, they might just get lost is the chorus, but now they have the chance to be stars.  It is amazing that their fabulous twisted buds unfurl into such bright jewels.

They are planted away from the normal canine paths in the garden, but don’t seem to suffer at all from the odd misplaced paw.

 

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