pommepal

Changing Seasons : May 2022

Oh dear, what a difference a month can make. Last month was so tranquil. Enjoying the freedom that the lifting of covid restrictions brought. (we very seldom hear that word mentioned now!!!). Appreciating the restful time that autumn brings to the garden. Finding more time to spend with our art. 

But, life can change suddenly and unexpectedly. Suddenly our lives have been turned upside down.

Jack had a fall in the garden, which led to complications and a stay in hospital. I also had a stay in hospital during the month. Our family and friends have rallied around to help and we are both on the mend. But it has made us reavalue our life style. Sadly the garden is becoming too hard to maintain. It was ok when we could be out there on a regular basis, but this month we have had to face the fact that it is time to let go of this life style and make some decisions as to what we do next. Still lots of research to be done, it is a sad time to say goodbye to this place we love, but also quite exciting to think of the adventure ahead of us. So watch this space…

Meantime I have not taken many photos this month. It has been a very wet month, not torrential rain, but some rain every day until the last 3 days of May when the sun finally came out. 20220514_092104_3096x4128

A sure sign that winter is on the way is the flowering of the Snowflake Bush (Euphorbia Leucocephata)

I also have the cream coloured Poincettia which gives a wintery feel to the garden.

Looking around the garden seems to be cloaked in white. But just a few other flowers still radiate the glow of a sub tropical garden.

So we sit and ponder what the next few months and years have ahead of us.023_5184x3888019_5184x3888

This was not an easy post to write, but this monthly recording of the passing of time and how life changes is an invaluable way to keep a record that can always be looked back on.

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Thanks go to Ju-Lyn of “Touring my backyard”, and Brian of “Bushboy’s world” for hosting this monthly challenge.

71 comments

  2. Pauline, rather sad to read this post….but thank goodness the two of you are OK, and you sound positive about the way forward. Sending my very best wishes to you both

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  3. Yes Pauline your blog is there to refresh our memories of 24 wonderful years at Barwon St.
    My days of biking to the beach to catch the sunrise and a wave, before the lifeguards came on duty are in the past.
    My philosophy is to live in the now and clinging to things grasping and clinging causes suffering.
    We must go with the flow and already I am looking forward to the challenges we face.
    Behind the clouds the sun still shines.😎

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  4. So sorry to read this, Pauline, but seeing Jack’s positive comment- 24 years! -I can only smile and say happy new adventures. The white poinsettia and euphorbia are stunning. They will be missed, but I’m sure you’ll surround yourself with colour, even if it’s only your paintings or a few pots. Take good care of yourselves and keep us informed. Sending hugs xx

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  5. So sorry to hear the two of you have been in the wars, but good to hear you are recovering well and up for the next adventure and new horizons. More power to your positivity, Pauline and Jack.

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  7. So sad to read this, Pauline. So glad you’re both on the mend. One thing in this life that is certain is that nothing ever stays the same. The important think is to be able to roll with the punches. I live Jack’s comment. Positivity is the key as we grow older. Hugs and good wishes to you both. xxx

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  10. Oh, Pauline. this brought a tear to my eye. I hope you and Jack are doing okay now. Did you have Covid? I am so relieved you have friends who were able to leap in and help out. I hope that you and Jack will be having many more adventures yet. Take care, Pauline.

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  11. I’m thankful to read that your both doing so much better. While I’m sad to spread this and I’ll miss your garden as well, I think you’ll find new adventures and best of all will still be either together, which is the main thing. I look forward to the journey with you.

    janet

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  12. I do hope you and Jack are now both on the mend and yes, life is forever changing and at times there are those of us who must make difficult decisions as how to move forward in life…albeit, it will not be the same as it was. I know you will make a decision/choice that will be good for both of you. Perhaps, a very much smaller garden for you to enjoy…one that does not take so much work. I commend you both for what you have done for I have enjoyed walking with you through your garden. I do hope you will keep the photos posted on the site, in any case, for I would still enjoy looking through them. I, too, miss my gardening and I, too, will now be looking toward settling in another place. One that is not too much work but where I can pursue my art and writing. Do take good care and I am happy that I have come across your site. Also, if you can, I would still enjoy seeing your beautiful art work. You are both gifted people and to share that gift with others is a wonderful thing you do.

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  13. Oh, PP, this made me so sad. I love the garden the two of you have made and I know how much you love it too. Could you not just get a gardener? Good to know you are both recovered from the injuries / illness and the positive attitude you have. I had a tumble in the garden last week and still bear the bruises! They can be a bit dangerous if you’re not careful! I’m sure the two of you will make the right decision moving forward. Meanwhile thank you for sharing your beautiful piece of paradise with us.

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    • We thought about a gardener Jude, but they are hard to find, and very expensive. Also the house is 2 story and getting old, needing lots of maintenance. So time to move on. I can always look back through my blog posts to enjoy what we had. I think it will be down to a balcony now. We are both getting much better but waiting for final medical decisions as to what went wrong. Take care in the garden Jude, we rake so much longer to heal as we get older. Hope the summer is kind to you this year. Our rain has cleared and the sun come out, but now it is cold, 19deg, I can see you smiling. “You call that cold???”

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  14. Hi Pauline, I came here from Ju-Lyn’s blog and was also sad to read of your hospital stays. I’m wondering like Jude if maybe a gardener might put off what you dread. We did that for several years until Vince just didn’t enjoy it anymore. Moving doesn’t solve all your problems, but it does give you something to anticipate rather than dread later. I decided to let Vince follow his dream to live in the high desert and it was a time of joy in spite of having to leave my dream house and garden. Best wishes to you both as you make the hard decisions.

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    • Thank you Marsha for sharing those inspiring thoughts with me. Almost impossible to find a good gardener and they are very expensive. So time to make the change. Pleased to hear your move became a joyful time.

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  15. So sorry to hear you have both been in hospital, but glad things are improving. You will miss your beautiful garden, obviously, but I think you are being very sensible. One thing I learned from looking after my mother is that changes are best made before crisis point is reached. I hope I remember that when my own turn comes! Best of luck with the decisions ahead of you.

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  16. Oh! That is so . . . well, like you say, it is exciting! Goodness, that is a great attitude. Such changes are not so easy for some of us. Okay, maybe I should not say that; but I also know that you are an adventurous type.

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    • I will miss the garden, but time to move on. So many options to explore around here. Will be lots to write about in next months post. At least the rain has, at last, cleared up, and the sun has come out. Which makes looking around quite pleasant

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  17. I am so sorry to read this post, Pauline, and I hope you are both well on the way to recovery. You look as though you are, in the photos. When you do downsize, I will very much miss your posts about your garden which are always a delight to read. Even now, on the verge of winter, it is so full of colour.
    We have had a lot of rain also, and our garden has been waterlogged for ages. I’m thrilled that my bulbs are appearing as I thought they might have rotted.
    Downsizing isn’t easy. We’ve done it once (from 12ha), but failed to purchase something small, and we still have a large garden. I expect we’ll have to do it again eventually!

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    • I’ve lost count of the number of houses I’ve lived in Jane. It’s always exciting searching, but we hope this will be our last move. You have a beautiful garden and i know it is hard work, but does bring you so much joy

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  18. Guess what, Pauline you get to enjoy gardens without all the work associated with them. On a more serious note, I am pleased that you are both out of hospital and working yourselves through what you would like out of life. Not so easy when those curve balls hit you. Similar to a basketball that hit my nose yesterday while playing alongside women 20 years my senior!

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  20. Just yesterday I pondered where my soul wanted to be (craved to be) which is immersed in wrap=around forest and with a nice garden of beloved trees/ plants and vegetables in easy access to the house.. and i also realized that i am not 30 any more and to be practical about what might be a challenge in the future…

    Your post supports those thoughts – we know what we love and what gives us pleasure but we also know that sometimes it’s nice to have to be always maintaining what we have.

    Any earth-loving person would feel very blessed to have your gardens weaned into their hands.. there is surely an amazing energy there that even the most callous would feel – and for a sensitive person to be the next caretaker – oh, they would feel so grateful!

    You both will end up in a perfect place – the place will find you/summon you/ find ways to help you navigate the labyrinth and end up wherever that is supposed to be… hopefully the same will happen for me! sending you both my love, and may the rest of the year be nothing but good things – no more setbacks.

    love
    lisa

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    • Dearest Lisa, so lovely to receive your comments. Yes life can be challenging and always changing. Looking round our garden l knew the day would come we would have to move on, but knew it would be a sad day. Unfortunately the way the market operates around here more than likely the garden will be bulldozed and huge houses built on this section. C’est la vie!! At least I will be able to take my art with me. And I have all the photos and blog posts to look back on.
      So starts the next phase of our lives.
      You are blessed to be surrounded with the beauty of nature. Enjoy it while you can. I believe the next step will take care of itself

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      • NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Picture Lisa with eyes as big as helium balloons!) Noooooooo! They cannot raze that GPS spot of beauty – so positive, so important for the health of our planet…. so important to you.
        When someone said they were going to remove a beloved tree (that I loved) I replied, ‘Oh. No. That gorgeous tree? No!) and he said it was sick and had a bad heart and needed to ‘come down…’ and I said, ‘would you please warn me so that I don’t have to witness it?’ and he did. I got my things and walked to my truck and drove away — weeping and genuinely mourning the loss of a good soul. The really strange thing is that maybe it was my own grief that affected the landscape, but the landscape changed.. it turned more brown; it lost its natural beauty. Even four/five years later, there is still a negative void there, as if all of the surrounding trees and plants still mourn the grandmother/grandfather tree… If I were your neighbor, I would have to move from your neighborhood if someone came behind you and destroyed that poetic parcel of precious earth. Sorry for the long narrative – of course I support you both with your decisions, but I also join you, a partner in parting with a beloved garden of beauty. Of course new doors will open, new amazing things will happen, and the earth knows – and remembers – those who care for her. Love, Lisa

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        • I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that somewhere out there is a garden lover that will take over our patch of earth. If not I plan to move more precious plants to my sons garden. He loves gardens like we do

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  22. Amazing how life can change so quickly. I hope you and Jack are both back to good health and spirits. Although it will be wrench to leave your home and gardens, I am confident that both of you will find unexpected pleasures in whatever your new situation brings. Change does have its compensations! Best of luck and I will be looking forward to seeing where you land next.

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    • Thank you Brenda. Change can happen so quickly, but once the ball starts rolling it can be amazing where it takes us. I find it quite exciting to think about what is ahead of us.

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  23. So sorry to hear that you both ended up in hospital last month. I sincerely hope that you are both on the mend! You will both be facing a very hard decision, as you say, but your optimism for the next adventure will help you through it all.
    The snowflakes are flowering here too, and brightening things up no end!

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