I set out to try to write at least two pieces per month on my blog. Well we all know about good intentions and where they lead.
However, today is the last day of April and this will just meet the deadline. I have been following Jan Fortune’s Alchemical Musings and her latest contribution reminded readers how important it is for artists and writers to keep going in these days of unrest where there are wars and famine, poverty and suffering in so many parts of the world. Art, she reminds us, is important.
I would add that tending plants, nurturing seedlings, dividing pot-bound unhappy plants, awareness of the state of things in our gardens, verges and hedgerows is also important. It is important for our own well-being as well as the plant world.
Whne the world seems to be spirally down into chaos, when the political and economic news is pretty dire wherever we live, then for me the place to find solace is in a garden.
‘Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts‘ Rachel Carson
I came across that quotation in issue 341 of Resurgence & Ecologist (November/December 2023.) I keep backnumbers of these to refer to.There are so many articles worth keeping, quotations worth remembering and art work to inspire, that I can always turn to these when in need of reassurance and inspiration.
There are some places that I go to to when I feel my batteries need charging. My own garden is one where I can get lost in a more sane world as I spend time in either the green house or the different’rooms’ in the garden. There are wild places along the coast or up in the hills and there are some gardens which have an almost magical effect. Glenwhan Gardens, Dunragit is one such place. Here we see an area that has been transformed from moorland into a garden that transports visitors to a world where worries and fears fall away or can be seen from a more realistic and manageable perspective.
Life's a Beach 