Fittingly, the first day of the meteorological summer arrives with dramatically reduced temperatures, followed by rain. This doesn’t seem to bother the frog that scuttles across the lawn and leaps into the pond or the bees who are back in town, albeit in smaller numbers than usual. The absence of the sun and the promise of rain bothers me not one jot. I’m just glad I’ve woken up for another day here on planet earth. And at least what I have seen in our little back garden is real, unlike much of the dross I have seen on the internet this morning.
My partner’s gardening genius has awoken my interest in what’s real and most mornings I take a brief walk around the garden just to see what’s happened and what’s happening. And there’s always something happening, whether it’s the aforementioned bees touring the beautiful plant arrangements she has created, pond activity or any number of visitors, all of whom are welcome except the destructive slugs and snails.
Digging up much of the lawn for growing plants, and digging the pond, were among the best decisions we ever made. Shoving a lawnmower up and down the garden is easy enough, yet it seems to be a waste of time and energy and generally pointless, apart of course from the wildlife unkempt lawns can attract. She who must be obeyed has already thought of that, with various ‘wild’ spaces, bee hotels and myriad bee-friendly plans.
I have been quite depressed and anxious in recent weeks and the garden and my ADHD has been in overdrive. Whether sitting in it or simply walking around, I have enjoyed some peace in an increasingly ugly and chaotic world. There is so much hate in the world, a short walk on the wild side sets me free, takes me to a better place.
Away from the AI slop of the internet, a world in which it is increasingly difficult to separate truth from fiction, our back garden is a little piece of heaven just a step away. Unlike Strawberry Field(s), everything is real and that alone makes me feel better about the world.
