Open Gardens and... a Bear

I've never been to an open gardens event before so when I saw one advertised last weekend I couldn't resist giving it a whirl. The sun shone and ambling from garden to garden was like one never ending summer's day.

I was a little nervous at first but the hosts were so friendly and I soon felt at ease. When I asked permission to take photos they all seemed so thrilled in my interest. I can't imagine how many hours some of them put into their preparation.

There were some wonderful examples of my favourite flowers, many of which are purple.

I've never seen so many alliums. These were our favourite.

I love seeing gardeners encouraging wildlife into their city spaces

and growing their own produce. These were grown by a charming old gentleman in his eighties, recovering from an operation. Gardening fills his hours between Sudoku and crossword puzzles. How lovely to see strawberries uncovered unlike some that are caged off. He openly encourages birds to feast here.

There were some clever ideas like this geranium ladder

and touches of humour - we couldn't be further from the sea here in the Midlands.

So the bear... well, you couldn't miss him...

This fifteen year old bear, was carved from a single piece of oak by a traveller and was delivered in an open truck (lying backwards so the flies wouldn't get into his eyes!) He's named Moreton after his birthplace ( a layby in Moreton-in-March in the Cotswolds). So handsome!

The last garden we visited backs onto our local woods and was stunning. 

Each garden was different but they were all beautiful because they were loved. My favourites were the bear, the magnificent alliums in the smallest (lawn-free) garden and the neat rows of veg in the allotment garden. 

Indoor Gardening

I've noticed that the coolest minimalist homes often have plants to break up empty spaces.

Plants look so fresh against plain backgrounds, especially white, and add a little character. My ideal indoor plant would be a huge seventies style cheese plant or a tumbling spider plant but I haven't really got the space so instead I make do with standard house plants like this one (I've no idea what it's called).

I suppose if we can bring nature inside we can also let our indoor plants experience life outside, can't we? At this time of year in the UK (if it's 15 degrees or more) it's OK to pop your indoor plants outside (in the shade at first) to expose them to maximum light and also to toughen them up a little. Tough love, eh?

Joining in with Lou's Nature in the Home over at Littlegreenshed.

52 Weeks of Happy (37/52)

My four summery happies for Jen's sweet series over at little birdie.

♥ Singing in the Community Choir
♥ Strawberries and blueberries with porridge at the weekend
♥ The smell of British strawberries
♥ Pimm's with strawberries - of course!

Be happy xo

Minimalist Monday: Finding a Calm Space

I've come a long way since I first became interested in minimalism and simple living. I've decluttered for England, downsized and tamed my shopping addiction. But I must admit I sometimes get frustrated that I've still got too much stuff and too many commitments. 

I've realised that there are times you have to accept that simplifying and making changes in your life takes time and that sometimes you simply don't have the time to focus on making these changes. 

My fascination with minimalism and simple living has always been about creating a life where I'm quietly content with what I've got, where experiences give more pleasure than material possessions and where relationships are more important than status and outward success. Decluttering, downsizing and less shopping have all helped to me to begin to achieve a life like this.

So my wardrobe may not have reached minimalistic perfection yet, my home is not always quite as ordered as I'd like it to be and my diary is often over scheduled. Yet I feel different. I know I will do more decluttering and I hope I can continue to simplify my commitments. But in the meantime, however busy I am, I can still find calm in my life.

Since I've spent less time shopping and seeking happiness through status I have much more time for simple pleasures. A favourite song, reading, an evening walk or visiting a friend all give me so much pleasure and quiet happiness than shopping ever did. I have nothing outward to show for these things (other than photos and words) but they are much more longer lasting than most things you can buy in a shop.

I still like the odd shopping trip, especially with my Mum, but I'm equally happy wearing my jeans and six year old converse standing in a field of buttercups. A happy calm place where I can just be.

Finding calm moments in my week is just as important and beneficial to me as decluttering my home. For me minimalism isn't all about continual order and elimination it's about enriching my life through simple pleasures. 

How about you? Where's your calm space? 

Sweet Song Thrush

Simply glorious. What a weekend of weather here in the UK. In Staffordshire we awoke to cloudy mornings but were surprised and delighted by warm, sunny afternoons and evenings.

A weekend to get outside - we went to an open gardens event and a nearby farm participating in Open Farm Sunday. More photos of these later in the week.

In the evenings we drank Pimms and tested Mojitos (well someone's got to) for next weekend's Great Gatsby Evening. Tonight we got it right. Practise makes perfect...

But this was my highlight. This sweet, sweet Song thrush waiting for its mama at the farm we visited. I was enraptured to see this youngster, a species in decline.

Hope you've had a good weekend, whatever you've been up to.

Rediscover, Renew, Refresh

I've rediscovered the joys of running.

Early this morning I pulled on my forgotten running gear and my sadly ignored of late running shoes and stepped out the front door. I ran, I cleared my head, I frightened the little wild rabbits and I arrived home renewed and refreshed. OK, so I can feel a general ache just about e v e r y w h e r e but that's better than feeling sluggish and out of shape.

I was in a fairly regular running routine before I started blogging in September and for various reasons I stopped. I have found it so, so difficult to get started again. I'm not blaming blogging, but sometimes it can be hard to balance everything and adjust to new commitments. 

Can I incorporate a little running into my life? I think I can... now I've started again.

Happy weekend everyone xo

Walking the Hedgerows

Following Lou's challenge to forage among the hedgerows I found billowing waist high cow parsley, bright buttercups, bluebells and more. But I also found a stray lilac tree and picked a sweet smelling branch. Slightly off task, I know, but I couldn't resist. I've put just one head in a narrow vase on my desk. I love this shade of light purple and its fresh green leaves against the aqua of the vase. And the smell is divine...

52 Weeks of Happy (36/52)

Joining in with Jen's project over at little birdie. Finding happiness in simple things each week.

Yay! Summer has arrived in the UK and all the late spring plants have been putting on a sprint finish. Poppies, peonies and alliums have brought splashes of colour to our gardens. I noticed the first nasturtium bud in one of my pots at the weekend and by this evening it had opened fully.

This morning I received a parcel from San Francisco from my late friend's daughter. It contained a CD of photos from her life and another CD of her favourite songs. The thoughtfulness of this and the reminder of my loss brought tears. This evening, as I've been browsing the photos on my laptop, my tears have been replaced by a surge of joy and happiness. Happy for such a thoughtful deed, happy for such a beautiful friend and happy for the wonderful memories that photos and music can bring.

Be happy xo