Celebrating (2)

As this was an extra special day, I didn't do any gardening this morning, but set off with D and Jess to enjoy someone else's piece of paradise :-) We were visiting Craigieburn, which is on a hillside to the east of Moffat. There is a lovely story behind the present garden, which you can read here. We met Janet, the owner, when we were wandering around, and had an interesting chat.

As you can see, well-behaved dogs are welcome at Craigieburn and Jess enjoyed her visit almost as much as we did. I bought three plants in the nursery - a LIgularia japonica, a Veronicastrum virginicum and a  Thalictrum delavayi. 

Of course I couldn't get away without doing any gardening at home - the grass needed cutting and tomorrow is forecast to be wet, so I did the mowing while D cooked the tea.

So many nice phone calls  :-) 

And a poem for this lovely day, by Christina Rosetti:

My heart is like a singing bird

                  Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;

My heart is like an apple-tree

                  Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

My heart is like a rainbow shell

                  That paddles in a halcyon sea;

My heart is gladder than all these

                  Because my love is come to me.



Raise me a dais of silk and down;

                  Hang it with vair and purple dyes;

Carve it in doves and pomegranates,

                  And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

Work it in gold and silver grapes,

                  In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;

Because the birthday of my life

                  Is come, my love is come to me.