Friday 15 June 2012

Rain Did Not Stop Play In Valley's End.



Rain? What rain? Oh, I see, that rain; the sort that falls incessantly, for a week or more at a time, and leaves the underfoot sodden and causes a growth explosion overground. It also turns every view into a soft-focus chocolate box image; green, oh, so green, in a myriad of variations. Is it possible to get so used to it that you greet every stray shaft of sunlight with astonished delight? I believe that the drought has now officially been called off. All it needed for the heavens to open - and stay open - was for the water companies to impose stringent bans on consumers on all forms of water usage, always excepting their own wastage of vast quantities through burst pipes. I daresay they'll find a way to increase prices shortly due to an over abundance of water.


But this is not a post about the weather, although it's hard to get away from it. It's a post about being busy. Like I said in the previous post, lots of nice things happen in summer and the past week has been delightfully busy. There's been gardening, of course, in spite of the weather. Every unexpectedly dry hour, particularly during the long, light evenings, saw me happily ripping out knee high weeds by the barrow load; the compost heap is growing. Gardener's preferred day is Friday, Thursday was predicted to be slightly drier, so we brought our working morning forward - it's no longer a full day, neither of us can now put in an eight hour shift.


Just look what the rain has done to my Nevada rosebush. I have never seen it flower as profusely as this. Each bloom is as large as a lady's handkerchief. (You know what I mean by handkerchief,  the sort of delicate piece of material we used to carry before the advent of nasty but efficient paper tissues.)


 I'll leave a description of some joyous social occasions for another post but there was a wonderful thing that happened to me on a visit to the hospital, of all places. During an eye examination a young and pretty Polish nurse practitioner was taking my details and uploading them into her computer. We chatted a bit about living away from home - we foreigners tend to do that - in between questions, when she stopped, peered closely at the screen, ceased typing and said: "there's a mistake about your age here." When she told me what it said, I assured her that there was no mistake. "No," she said, "that can't be;" she shook her head. "Yes, I can accept that you are over 50, but . . . . . . ."  I let her flounder. She swivelled her chair round, looked closely at me and said, quite seriously: "You obviously take very good care of yourself".

There you are folks, it helps not to go back to nature. The reason for my obviously shiny exterior was possibly that I had been for a facial treatment as well as a body massage during the week. They also say that rain keeps the complexion bright. On the other hand, I got a lift to the hospital in a very beautiful car, a £70.000 Audi (when new) by one of the community car drivers - I couldn't drive myself on this occasion because eye drops made my sight extremely blurry. The driver had stopped by our house the previous day to make sure he had the right address. I saw the car and promptly decided to put rubber boots and jeans away for the day and wear a rather smarter outfit. And ear rings!

I love it when things come together, don't you? And that was only half the week.


52 comments:

  1. oo got to ride high class...and thank goodness for the rain, though you are right they will find a way to make you pay regardless...smiles...love the flowers...and taking good care of yourself...smiles...

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  2. Your flowers are magnificent!!!!

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  3. Nothing better than someone being shocked by your age! ;)
    Those roses are fabulous!! Love that pink blush and the golden center.
    It certainly does look lush-lush-lush over there!
    Glad you're keeping busy, you young thing, you! ;)

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  4. Glad that things have come together for you this week. And that beautiful rose... oh I am jealous. I yearn for a rose garden.

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  5. Any excuse to get glammed up, eh? Good for you! Your photos, as ever, sooth a townies soul. ♥

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  6. OK, so I missed an apostrophe. It's a long time since I got out of bed this morning. I'm allowed to make mistakes...

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  7. What a delightful conversation. Perhaps I should be out in the rain for a back-to-nature facial! The rose closeup is exquisite and I admired their abundance and your capture of those greens in your photos. Wishing you even more happy days ahead.

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  8. Our local leaders have been on a mission to decrease water usage to prevent the reservoir from drying out. The mission was so successful that water rates were increased because after a time we were not consuming enough water to meet the costs. They'll get us either way.

    Lovely greens. And what a fun conversation. Did you go over it in your mind, with pleasure, several times?

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  9. Looking at that photograph I regret not growing Nevada - I had always thought of it as rather a sparse performer and passed it by.

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  10. I am proceeding straight away to:
    1. pull barrow loads of weeds
    2. get a facial
    3. get a massage
    4. put my face in the rain, often (which isn't too hard around here).
    What a nice thing to have happen! BTW, I am a fan of handkerchiefs. I have a little collection of them from when I was very little. My mother always made sure we had them.
    ;)
    Meanwhile, I'm glad your drought is over. Your roses are just spectacular!

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  11. If rain is good for the complexion, then mine should be perfect! Such a nice thing for her to say, and I'm sure it's true that you look nowhere near your age! :-)

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  12. Funny you should mention gushing broken pipes during water restrictions. Your water company and ours (and all the ones in the world) must be related. Our big dry has ended too. It's been raining and storming here for more than a week now. I feel as soggy as the ground outside and my scalp has started to itch. No hanky sized flowers in my yard though, sadly. Seriously, hanky sized? That's HUGE! I assume you mean lady hankies and not man ones. Oops. I might be showing my age here.

    I miss getting my monthly massage. The world ends when your favourite therapist moves to another area.

    Hugs to Benno x

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  13. I'm not familiar with the Nevada rose, but it's lovely! Does it have fragrance?

    If I thought the nurse practitioner would make a similar comment to me, it would be worth a trip! What a lovely thing to hear!

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  14. Friko, I also love that luscious green that can only arise after lots of rain.

    Your roses are beautiful. Yes, I know about ladies' hankies, and have some examples in soft linen embroidered long, long ago by a great auntie.

    Now, on to the benefits of pampering oneself. They are many, and might be even more effective on those for whom pampering is a bit of a novelty. Or not. Only continued pampering will help solve this scientific query.

    xo

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  15. A facial and a body massage. You folks do know how to live the good life. I have never had a facial...unless it was one I gave myself and had a massage only once as a treat from hubby. I think I am Missing out on life.

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  16. a very nice confluence of events, I'd agree!

    As Saturday is my birthday, I'd also agree that it is sweet when folks seem genuinely surprised at the high number...



    What lush country. Thanks for sharing the green balm of it, Friko



    Have a GREAT Weekend!

    Aloha from Waikiki,
    Comfort Spiral
    > < } } ( ° >

    > < } } (°>

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  17. Your Nevada rosebush must just GLOW after the sun's gone down and everything's twilit, doesn't it? I do love the landscape photos.....looks very much like what I love about HERE.

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  18. Great to hear you, so bright and bubbly, spirits not dampened by the weather.

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  19. You are looking as lush as the garden, Friko. Meanwhile, here in CO, it's been dry, dry - you can imagine my skin. I'm just hoping I only look my age and not OLDER!

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  20. Friko, your Nevada rose is splendid! Is that beautiful view near home? Looks like the rain's brought some blessings...

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  21. Beautiful pictures, as always! And what a nice compliment indeed.

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  22. Hello:
    Your rose is an absolute joy. As too is to be mistaken about one's age. And of course water prices will now rise, corresponding to the levels in the overflowing reservoirs.

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  23. Frico, your roses "large like lady's handkerchief" are lovely! I'm glad you look younger, and please, take care of yourself!

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  24. Friko, you don't look a day over 46.

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  25. I love the flowers too!!
    Hugs
    SUeAnn

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  26. Love the images of your lush and beautiful countryside. And - you made me laugh when you described the car you rode in....Sounds like a great week!

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  27. ein schönes lebendiges Post, das ich gerne gelesen habe. Was mich immer wieder fasziniert, ist Dein Blick für jedes Detail in Deinem Leben und in dieser Welt... Schön! Auch ich wünsche mir, dass dieser ständige Regen aufhört. Wenn Du meine kleine Wiese sehen würdest, würde Dir sicher unwohl werden. Leider kann ich nur samstags draussen arbeiten und leider erledige ich die Gartenarbeit nur sehr ungerne...mmmh!
    Dir alles Gute und ich wünsche Dir Sonnenschein!
    Renée

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  28. so beautiful and I love the rose. it's already so hot here that gardening has come to a complete halt til fall. and what a wonderful complement. all I hear from my grandkids is...granny you are old. thanks dear, I didn't realize that.

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  29. Your post says you had a very good week. Good for you. Nothing like a shaft of sunlight to brighten your spirits. I have been very happy to see the sun this week and will cool temperatures. Of course it won't last...probably. Our July and August are hot and dry, just what those prairie flowers love.

    Yes, I like it very much when things come together and everything works like a charm. I would sing, if I could. Dianne

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  30. Good week in spite of the rain, it's bad today isn't it?
    I have enjoyed catching up here.

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  31. What a nice compliment! Congratulations, Friko!

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  32. Sometimes, life really is great.

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  33. A serendipitous sequence of events, I would say. And that Nevada rose is a beauty (Yup, I do remember actual handkerchiefs, too.)

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  34. I let her flounder. Hahaha. Oh, everything about that situation is delicious.

    If life has to be busy, wonderful that it is delightfully so. Wishing more coming together for you. ~Mary

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  35. Delighted for you Friko! and those roses!! I forget I truly do how delicious a multitude of roses are.

    Here our side-of-the-road lupins are bursting forth in magical colours.

    And yes, I believe the nurse. And a massage works wonders!!

    XO
    WWW

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  36. Oh boy, I guess I'm one of those "back to nature" people... never had a facial in my life, and massages only for my aching back, many many years back... I haven't even colored my hair for quite a while and let it grow, and get all kinds of compliments for that. Hm...
    I enjoyed your post very much, and wonder how "drought" is defined in England. The meadows look pretty lush to me. Green is a color we only have in winter...

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  37. It's raining here too. Pouring. The birds sit in the feeder to keep less wet. And just as I think my flowers are beginning to look nice, the rain flattens them. I think it's time for some socializing and fun like yours.

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  38. You are blessed with that lovely skin that comes from the English climate! And how satisfying that the nurse practitioner not only noticed but said such sweet words to the ear.

    Your Nevada Rose is incredible & since I still have some of my Grammy's crocheted edge hankies, it is easy to picture the size of the blooms...we only have basic Therese Bugnet shrub roses (our cold winters are not kind to most) and they too are putting on quite the show for a change.

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  39. Friko, your roses and countryside photos look great. I know all of that rain can be annoying but the beauty that follows it is great! - Dave

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  40. Friko, I love that Neveda rosebush. They are just exquisite, just like a lady's handkerchief. I would love to find a rosebush like that for my garden.

    It is all that gardening that makes you glow. It is keeping you young even it does seem that you feel it more than you once did.

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  41. You're far too busy and interesting .... and interested in everything .... to look old !
    And earings are very important .

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  42. Hello Friko

    Your roses are spectacular.

    I loved the image of the cows at rest too.

    Continued good wishes for an even better new week

    Helen

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  43. Your Nevada rose bush is amazing – such a treasure. I only see that many roses when we go to the Smith-Gilbert gardens – although with our trips we have not been there in a while. Aren’t nice little compliments great? Yesterday we went for fish & chips in Arbor Town and it was very noisy. We got to talk to two gentlemen there and somehow told them we came to Memphis to celebrate both our 45th anniversary and Father’s Day. The gentlemen could not believe my age – and that made me feel good. Everything is green here too – while on the Mississippi yesterday afternoon we got soaked by a strong storm, but it’s nice to look at the lush grass.

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  44. Dear Friko, yes I, too, love it when things come together. And I also loved the way you so wryly told the story of the Polish nurse and your age. Ah, Friko, you have a gift. Peace.

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  45. Would type more but am dashing out for a facial and massage.

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  46. How you make me smile with delight -- and a bit embarrassed my poor "farm" (as I call my herb and paltry flower garden)leaves much to be desired in the weeding department! But I must say, all that gardening must do quite well for you -- that and the facial! I think I would have been floating on air!

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  47. What gorgeous pictures! Is that beautiful yellow thing in the first a laburnum?

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  48. Hi Friko - such a very typically half a week in the life of ... delightfully told - I can quite see it all .... your rose climber is quite glorious in its profusion .. Nevada Rose .. I must remember its name.

    That must have been a fun experience being closely examined for age!! Better than wear and tear .. and that Audi - sounds rather nice .. I think I'd take that trip again.

    Our hose pipe ban is still in place .. but such is life in the nether regions of the south east ..

    Cheers Hilary

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  49. How did I miss this?! What lovely, lovely pictures they are, the first one in particular. Is that laburnum? And the roses are just oh-so-gorgeous! Rain does make everything shine and glow.

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  50. I love the humour and the joy that I sense hear. And the snaps are magnificent. Friko's World is awesome!! And I'm glad the rain is not a deterrent because I sort of have a thing about gentle rain.

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