Thompson Nursery

We went to Thompson Nursery to get some food for Sue’s rhododendrons and her little lilac. She also bought a clematis for her Portland garden—an idea she got from Monty Don’s garden show: you can be a collector of clematis. This is her eighth. The nursery is lush and well cared for, sitting by this pond at the edge of the forest. After errands, we returned to the seaside, to Gwynn Creek and more wonderful rocks and tidal pools. Then we hauled out a ladder so she could get up on the roof and clear the gutters. She tells me she has loved being a Householder in this life. I look on like a friendly alien, having never owned property nor wanted to.