that time should be
So rich yet fugitive a pageantry.

forsake it then and with us fly
Into the past where nothing now can die:
Where even the young and lovely, old and staid
Live on unchanged - of purest fantasy made.

Prologue - W. de la Mare
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

May CSI entry, such a beautiful Spring palette!!

Norah Through The Appleblossoms #70

INorah Through The Appleblossoms  #70
#70, used all colors
Evidence: flowers, wood, something woven, circles, distressing
Testimony: Documented Spring with the poem excerpt on the page. Then I chose to use the "roll-role-the roles you play" prompt. With this I've written about the role of women in the garden throughout time, and then about my role as a gardener. I wrote my words on the little "sc-rolls" and tucked them into the little basket.

The photo shows my garden "mascot" Norah, named after an inspirational woman gardener. Photo shows her through the frame of the blossoming apple trees.

Testimony: "Throughout the ages, gardening has always been an accepted form of self expression for women. From the humblest cottage gardens to the grandest estates of splendor, women have left their mark!
Oftentimes, the garden offered the only delight in the lives of hardworking poor women. And conversely offered solitude and peace to the ladies of the upper classes. Gardens fed the soul.
Over the years, many women recorded, painted, designed,stitched, and wrote about their private paradise. So many remain unknown to us. And then there are the more famous women who courageously established their place and made a name and a career for themselves. The greats such as Gertrude Jekyll, the illusive Norah Lindsay, the bold and quirky Vita Sackville-West, the sweet and earthy Elizabeth Lawrence, the refined Edith Wharton, and many, many more, still inspire and instruct.
My role as a gardener began at a very young age, poking around in the dirt as a child! When I finally had a piece of land to call my own, the real work began! I read as much as I could, learning about plant lore, design, soil and site conditions, organic methods,etc.,....so much to learn. I drew inspiration from the greats as well as the humble. I dug, planted, hauled barrows of manure, built walls, carved out paths...learning as I went along, editing as needed, always learning from my mistakes, there were plenty of those! To use the words of Miss Jekyll - " a garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness, it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust."
So I am the gardener, I have the calluses, the broken fingernails and cranky knees to prove it. But I am also the recipient of much delight, and every year when the fresh and lovely Spring makes its eternal reappearance, I feel blessed beyond measure."

Saturday, February 16, 2013

OUAS February Challenge

Peonies Perfect Petticoats
My entry for OUAS February challenge, the topic being LOVE, whichever way you choose to interpret it. I have chosen my love for the garden and specifically for my peonies.

I also made this layout for CSI #57, and used the five colors: teal green, light celadon green,  white, ballet slipper pink and dark pink. I documented a love story, and used as my evidence flowers, leaves, vines, birds, solid background and 10 layers.

There are snippets of the journal directly on the layout, and the full journaling is tucked under the photograph.

My full journaling reads:  "I fell in love with peonies, those overblown, luscious "roses of Spring," when I was a little girl. I must admit my love affair had as much to do with the fascination of watching the ants that crawled all over them, as it did with the huge deliciously colored strawberry ice cream blooms!
    When I grew up and finally had a garden of my own, the longed for peonies were brought to me by my Mother. Together, we planted a border, digging deeply and enriching the earth, setting the "eyes" exactly one inch below soil level. Planted properly, peonies are said to be immortal!
    Thirty years have passed. Every June I fall in love again with these faithful friends! I cut armloads of flowers for the house, but now I shake off those pesky ants! And then I arrange them into many vases to grace various tables. I continue to delight in peonies luscious layers, so like ladies petticoats! I reflect on their raspberry cream deliciousness until the morning I wake up to discover they have cast their petals all of a fell swoop onto the polished tabletops! And then I cut more....
    Mom is gone now, but her gift of peonies to satisfy my heart's desire, remains a lasting legacy......peonies truly are immortal!"

Of course I have used the beautiful sketch provided by Nadia!