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"She seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if she had surprised a butterfly in the Winter woods"
(edith wharton)


Sunday 1 March 2009

autumn long shadows & the sacredness of gathering rosemary.

today March 1st, the autumn crocus bloomed!
I haven't much felt like blogging the past week or even visiting blogs.. sorry. Today the day was such a glorious day and both Joe and I knew we had to get out and put our hands in the earth. doing manual jobs which will take our minds of what is happening ... we both know that we must get on with life, we both know that we must laugh and be jolly even though one of our bestest relatives is dying. That, is difficult..but there was much to be done.

the tomatoes have finished. I harvested my last lot this morning to make a napolitana pasta sauce for dinner tonight.. using my own basil, tomatoes and welsh onions. After gathering the tomatoes, I got to work scrubbing the stakes and painting them. I painted red & purple today, tomorrow I think I will paint aqua and yellow. I love how the stakes stand out in my garden adding brightness all year round. As I painted, I thought of Paul and how he use to paint our home for us. He is a master house painter and never tired of me constantly changing my home, using colours that I am sure made him think I was crazy. He always accommodated my outlandish ideas of mixing sand in with paint to achieve a rough sandstone look on my walls. stippled other walls for me or sometimes ragged them. He even painted over my 'mistakes'.. whenever I decided to paint myself. Of course he complained but I know that secretly he loved it!

as I gardened, a kookaburra sat nearby, watching for worms. I think the Kookaburra who I call Jacko, was sitting with me as a comfort. He reminds me of my dad. I chatted away to him as I gardened and the little fellow turned his head this way and that as if he knew exactly what I was saying.

autumn has arrived... hanging the clothes out yesterday, I noticed those long shadows of autumn. that turning in the air - feel. And even though it was quite hot and humid.. they were still there. the choughs are back to... I heard them in the afternoon... a haunting call. One that reminds me of cool evenings, soup and gathering sticks. I absolutely adore autumn. it is my very favourite season of all. The crickets chirp in the late afternoon, another sign of autumn approaching. The rose hips too, signal autumns arrival. such a vibrant colour. I wonder if I could use these somehow in my cooking. tea perhaps? The mornings are cool and there is a slight cooling in the afternoons... autumn is definitely on the way.

and to finish my day, I gathered a large bunch of rosemary and placed in a vase in my kitchen. a sacred Sunday for me.

And a very happy birthday to Sr. Kathryn.. a special woman in my life.. xoxo

*thankyou for your continuing prayers, thoughts, candles and support for Paul. This will keep him wrapped in a cocoon of love xo*

23 comments:

Everydaythings said...

we pulled out all our tomatoes and capsies today and even an old palm that had gone pot bound and withered. Was a gardening sort of day even though it was hell hot here!
I liked your autumn post!

Unknown said...

What a glorious description of autumn and your garden. I felt as if I was there.

For us here although it is very cold I can feel spring in the air and it feels soooo good.

I add my prayers for Paul and the family.

Genie Sea said...

Hugs sweetheart! Let your lovely garden heal you.

My prayers are lodged with you.

Genie Sea said...

Hugs sweetheart. Let your lovely garden heal you.

My prayers are lodged with you.

Deedee said...

What a beautiful day you've had. It sounds like heaven in your back yard. I can't imagine having a kookaburra so close by! Hope you can continue to find comfort in nature.<3

Tori said...

Enjoy your beautiful Autumn! It is my favorite season. It's months away for me! I get to enjoy the beauty of Spring and Summer for a while, though. =)

Paula - Buenos Aires said...

Autumn is starting to show here too.
Continuous thoughts for you and your family.

Serena Lewis said...

What a beautiful and relaxing post, Robyn. I wish we had more obvious signs of autumn where I live in Queensland. I remember the Fall in Wyoming though and that was magnificent! Maybe I just need to pay more attention and look out for the subtle changes here.

love, light and peace,
serena

Sheila said...

When we were children we were given rose hip syrup every day. I believe it is a good source of vitamin C. I'm sure you could find a recipe to make tea from them. I am looking forward to getting into the garden, but must be patient. a few weeks yet I think.
hugs
xx

Wendy said...

I like your description of autumn. Can't say it's my favourite season, though. Spring is for me - and we're not quite there yet.
Hugs and prayers for you and your family in this difficult time.

amelia said...

I have only ever read about kookaburra's and only hope to see one in my dreams.Your garden sounds like heaven on earth.

Thinking positive thoughts for you BIL and family.

Anonymous said...

Lovely post Robyn. It's feeling a little Autumnal here too and it's raining. I can hear rain falling softly on the roof as I write. Wonderful for our poor parched garden.

I've even noticed a few leaves starting to turn on the Maple and Willow trees.

Lisa said...

Hi Robyn
I haven't been online much, and just read how badly things are for Paul. Please know that my prayers and a candle here are added to the others.

This is a beautiful post, full of life and change in the midst of sadness and death. All beautiful things come to us in such ambiguous and mixed circumstances.

Kathryn Knoll said...

It's good that you are celebrating life. When my friend was in her last few months of life, people who came to visit and celebrate joined in a little activity of decorating dancing clay figures that I had made. They were festooned with bells and beads and feathers, ribbon and shells. We hung them from the ceiling in her room so she would see that instead of mourning her leaving us, we were celebrating new life that she would enjoy. It made us all feel just a little brighter to celebrate life together. Thanks for your love and well wishes on my b. day. I make it a habit to celebrate for at least a good 8 days! Hugs, Sr. K

A bird in the hand said...

As I scrolled down, I recognized the Kookaburra even before you named it. I've been learning a lot! Gardens and gardening can really connect you and give you strength.

I love the rosemary photo.


xxoo

gma said...

I know that Autumn feeling where the light changes and shadows are a denser hue. I too have been away from blogging...having been ill. Please know I have been thinking of you and yours with love. The Rosemary is lovely.

Julie said...

I very much enjoyed your sortie outdoors. I am glad you are enjoying your autumn days.

Sheila said...

Love the photos of your garden Robyn.
Rosemary smells wonderful doesn't it, it's one of my favourite herbs.
The idea of painting the support stakes in different colours is terrific, how creative you are.
Thinking positive thoughts for Paul, and hope you are all coping best you can..
love and hugs
xxo

Anonymous said...

Rosemary for remembrance - remembering good times.They are lovely times that you have described Robyn.Remember also the good times that YOU give to the people who love you, with your bright tomato stakes, and crazy paint schemes.Kathryn is right in that there is also celebration in sadness.I salute her clay dolls idea. How wonderful. We should all celebrate each other's lives. We are all so precious, and we forget that. I admire your strength in this.For what it's worth Robyn, kookaburras have always appeared to both friends, and myself, in times of uncertainty, and have always been a messenger of reassurance....in hindsight the journeys ahead were easier than anticipated, with much support. xxx

linda may said...

G'Day Robyn,
So sorry to hear about Paul, and so hard for you and Joe and family to cope with. Give Paul all the love and time that you can, while you can. He will be waiting for you in a better place, doing all the stuff he loved doing when he was able and well. Yeah, sounds corny I know, but that is the way I like to think about it.
I love the ebb and flow of the seasons. Part of life eh! I like that garden stakes being painted brightly idea of your's too. Probably something I would not get around to following up on though, seems like all I manage to do lately is go to work to pay the bills.
Rosemary to me is a symbol of remembrance for Anzac day.I cook with mine a lot though.

Fire Byrd said...

Lovely evocative post Robyn.
I'm getting excited about the appearance of the sun, which in a sheltered spot I can feel the warmth of on my back. I live high above sea level in the hills, so my daffodils are nowhere near out, but the snowdrops and crocus are putting on a real show.
Keep your spirits up, I know it's such a tough time and I'm thinking of you.
xx

Kim Campbell said...

You're other post was lovely. Keeping your friends in my prayers.

Annie Jeffries said...

Hello Robyn. It feels very peaceful here today. Keeping Paul in my thoughts. Blessings, Annie