Change, despair and hope

Change has come!

Change that I am most grateful for — I moved house 11 days ago.

I’m still waist-deep in boxes. With that change has come chaos. Chaos that I will try to push through after I’ve finished the cup of tea I just made, and after I’ve finished looking through some pictures of my plants. I will breeeeaathe and focus on small wins in the hope that come Sunday, I will be able to ‘see the wood for the trees’, both figuratively and literally. The solid wood of some pieces of furniture, in their right positions, properly utilised and looking good. The solid wood of the trees growing on and around my allotment plots too, not to mention all of the other plants and their leaves, fruits and flowers.

This is my first post in over 3 weeks! Not at all like me. I have had little time to get to the allotments during the move. Only 3 times in the past 2 weeks — so not like me! Those were fleeting visits to water the plants in my greenhouse, support some of my tomato plants (had to leave a few to their own devices) and pull a few weeds from around them, as well as to pick up some items of garden furniture.

I looked away for a few (too many!) days and WHAM!, my white-flowered Leucanthemum vulgare daisies had BURST into flower!

Leucanthemum vulgare on my plot. The sight of them really brightened my chaotic day!

The other plants that I saw were OK 4 days ago, but I am afraid of what my absence may have done to my potted Gardenia jasminoides ‘Crown Jewel’ plant, which is (was?) due to bloom soon. Gardenias like moist but well-drained soil and fairly high humidity. Please be alive. I had some overgrown beetroot, carrot and onion seedlings in shallow trays. I don’t think they’ll have fared well at all … Ah well. On a positive note, it has been quite wet of late, so hopefully the other plants that are planted directly in the ground will be OK. Fingers crossed! If not, there’s always next year …

I suppose that’s gardening and LIFE for you - change, despair and hope, sometimes at the same time! I have to accept that I can’t do it all. We all know how stressful house moves can be. My moment of truth will come when I go to the allotments tomorrow morning. Until then, I crack on with my unpacking, buoyed up by the warm memories of the plants in bloom and fruit that I captured just before my near hiatus. Pure joy!