Sunday, 30 October 2011

Simple Pleasures (Gathering Seeds)

Simple Pleasures is the name for my lovely lazy Sunday activities which are either free or exceptionally low cost. I share with you the things I do, at little or no cost, and which can be enjoyed, usually on a Sunday.

Lella Loves... Simple Pleasures

Today I visited a friend, at her house, and I had the pleasure of walking around her garden. She is very proud of her outdoor space and its ponds, the vegetable patch and a herb garden.

We sat by a pond and Little Robin soon came to visit. He knows she will always share a few mealworms with him. There were plants and pots everywhere and we soon got talking about cuttings and grafting fruit trees.

Lella Loves... Simple Pleasures

As we walked towards the chunky rockery and the herb garden, I saw her huge, billowy 8ft tall Fennel plant which was swaying gently in the breeze and it made me smile. The leaves are linguini-thin and silky and if you crush them gently, they will stir old memories of school days and aniseed balls.

Lella Loves... Simple Pleasures

Fennel seed heads are beautiful: architectural, and so delicate. It was an absolute joy to spend an hour gathering seeds and herb seedlings with her.

Lella Loves... Simple Pleasures

The little Fennel seedling is now planted in compost and the seeds have been scattered on a bare patch of good soil. I spread them all because it's good to remember the farmer's rhyme: One for the blackbird, one for the crow, one for the soil and one to grow.

Lella Loves... Simple Pleasures

We gathered Crocosmia seeds from huge 5ft tall specimens. These seeds are powerhouse balls of joyous blooms just waiting to be sown.

Lella Loves... Simple Pleasures

My friend, secateurs in hand, happily cut off several Clematis seed heads which, at this stage, look like an old dog's whiskers. I will hang these in a cool room and let them dry out as the seed will not be ready until the head is white and fluffy.

We had a good chat, a nice cup of tea and we fed the fish. I helped her to sort a few boxes in her garage. After all, it's give and take and I can't wait to sew all the seeds this week.

There were tubs of strawberries and their runners were the size of a man's hand. My friend is so sweet and so generous and offered me so many cuttings but I could not take them away as I have nowhere to plant them right now.

Such an enjoyable afternoon and all it cost was the petrol to get there.

If you have a few hours to spare and fancy trying something different every Sunday, I hope this post thread will inspire you. I have chosen Sunday as it is the best day for country walks or reading a book but you could set aside a weekday evening and keep those two hours just for you!

Many thanks for reading.

Lella  xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

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