I use a lovely quote in my 'Grandma's Garden' Talk which is - " God Gave us Memory, that we may have Roses in December". But this year we have no need of memories as we really do have roses in December. These, growing just outside my studio, I photographed on 1st December..............
...and not only do we have roses, but also a splendid array of fuschias, and nasturtiums continue to climb and blossom along the balcony rail ...... I even saw this week a bee supping happily from the remaining marigolds. And whilst pegging out the washing (which dried - quite an achievement normally at this time of year) I heard birds singing their hearts out in the nearby trees as if it was spring.
These past few weeks have left us with so many happy memories to take us through the darker winter days which inevitably lie ahead. We have had the great pleasure of having Kim and Martin, Sean and Julie, Jon and Zac, and most recently Jon, Sam, and Zac, all staying with us at various times. Kerry too had planned a stay with us, but was sadly not too well that week and didn't come, but we have been in close touch and are off to Langland Bay to visit her in a week's time. These family times are most precious to us - we consider ourselves lucky indeed to be able to see them so often - and though we miss Jenny and hers greatly, we have Christmas and New Year with them all to look forward to! It was SO good that Sam and I managed to arrange for Zac to meet his Great Nana - resulting in some lovely photos of the oldest, and youngest members of the family together. One for the Album!
Life has been packed full with Talks, and Concerts, and Lunches, and so much else, but something quite simple gave me a great deal of amusement lately. Fourteen lambs appeared in the paddock outside my window here a week ago, together with One Ram. He was obviously there to do the biz, and strutted about showing off his green painted chest. Each day we have noticed more and more sheep, the hussies, grazing contentedly, their green backsides signalling what they have been up to! A couple of days ago, right outside my window, the only sheep left unmarked was chewing at the grass, trying to pretend she had not noticed that the Ram was lurking nearby - but I could see that she had her tail up, and wagging slightly, when all the other sheep had theirs down. As I have so far never seen The Deed taking place, I watched with great interest. The Ram duly sidled up to her and sniffed around, and the sheep wiggled its hips provocatively, but the Ram decided presumably that she was not yet 'ready' and wandered off. The poor sheep's dejected body language at his rejection made me chuckle, and say 'aaahhhhh' at the same time - you could just see her thinking - 'So what have the other sheep got that I haven't eh?' I find myself searching daily for that particular sheep to see if the dastardly deed has happened, but so far no luck...... and then I stand back from myself and think ' what have you come to Yvonne, being so preoccupied with the sex life of one left-on-the-shelf- ewe ?'. It's age, you know!
