Wider than the sky

~ Sam

After yesterday’s heavy rain and winds, the garden definitely feels less summery – apples have dropped off the trees much to the delight of patrolling wasps, there are blackberries ripening in the hedge, fallen beech leaves are scattered all over the back lawn and the air has that smell of damp earth, fruit and slight decay. Autumn. It’s coming.

David has resumed the mammoth task of cutting our hedges, chopping back a large briar rose laden with hips in the process and this inspired my vase today. Joining the rosehips are a few nasturtiums, marigolds and geranium leaves with reddening edges. The photos are taken with my new 50-mm camera lens (it was my birthday yesterday) and the vase is sitting on a beautiful tray sent by my brother and sister-in-law – the perfect Monday vase prop.

I was quite happy it rained all day yesterday as we had no great plans other than to go out for lunch. Afterwards there was nothing for it but to curl up on the sofa and do very little indeed. I managed to persuade my family to play a round of Rummikub (“Ok, Mum, but only one round…”), then I watched a film (It’s Complicated – undemanding and funny in parts), Fake or Fortune about some Henry Moore sketches (much more interesting than the show title suggested) and the new Sunday evening drama, Bodyguard, which had us gripped. It’s the longest I’ve sat and watched TV for ages and it was great.

My eldest returned home from Reading Festival today. He looks as though he’s spent five days in a field (which he has) and his voice sounds as though he’s been shouting and singing for five days (which he has) and he smells… not too bad, considering! He has existed on cereal bars, tap water, alcohol and cheap burgers so this evening we are having roast chicken, roast potatoes and all the veg, followed by a vanilla sponge filled with strawberries and cream made by my daughter. This is tripling up as a birthday, exam results celebration and welcome home cake.

Thank you very much for all the kind and generous comments on my previous post. You are a lovely lot and I am grateful for your understanding and compassion. One of my favourite Emily Dickenson quotes is “The brain is wider than the sky.” There is always something to learn about oneself, about others and about the world and by facing challenges, whatever they may be, we learn what we are made of.

Until next time, my friends. x

PS Thank you, as always, to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting the Monday vases. Do pop over there to see what she and other bloggers have found to share today.

21 thoughts on “Wider than the sky”

  3. Happy Birthday for yesterday, Sam, and I am glad you were able to spend it doing what you were happy doing (even if there was just one round of Rummikub!). The new lens captures the pretty blend of blooms and hips and leaves beautifully, so thanks for sharing it. Wishing you as big a sky as you would like

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  4. A belated happy birthday, Sam! It sounds as if you had a very nice celebration. It’s feeling fall-ish here too, which is all the more remarkable as fall is usually very late to arrive in Southern California. I wish we’d also get the rain you received but rain is a winter event for us so I shall try to be patient there.

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  5. Gorgeous colours, and a beautiful new lens, your photographs are lovely. Happy birthday for yesterday, it sounds like a wonderful day, my idea of bliss. Today’s dinner sounds delicious, I hope your eldest managed to stay awake for it. Wishing you a good week Sam. CJ xx

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  8. Pretty little vase and beautiful colour combination in the vase – sort of summer meets autumn. We aren’t allowed to cut the hedges on the farm until 1st September, which has been very frustrating as the crops were cleared early and the fields were dry to run on.

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  9. Love how you use the rose hips, and Nasturtiums are a big favorite of mine (is that ‘Empress of India’?), though they don’t grow so well for me. I loved to watch mindless TV with my kids when they were small. Actually, we still do when we stay together in a rented house for holidays.

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