Now that our first Poetry festival has come and gone - a huge thank you for the wonderful feedback our committee has been receiving - I can once again return to a more contemplative lifestyle. For me this will mean retracing a gentle rhythm to my day and allowing for much more time to rest in the Beloved. What better season than now, like nature itself at this time of year, to retreat and be still?
Winter is my favourite season in McGregor.
I love the fresh, exhilarating crispness in the air and at the same time the
warm sunshine. I particularly enjoy strolling unhurriedly through the resting
gardens contemplating what needs to be taken care of. Of course the outer world
frequently reflects what needs to be done in the inner one. We all need time to
rest but also to take stock. Winter brings the gift not only of gentle
reflection, but patience too. Spring and summer will inevitably return but
until they do we have the opportunity of sitting in front of a blazing fire,
sometimes with our loved ones and sometimes just gently with ourselves.
‘At
the back-end of time
Leaf-
fall of lives, dwindling of the great tree
To
the acorn of forests, returning
To
the nothing of all that is,
The
seasons, the leaves, the loves,
Song
to its source, soul to its star –
Winter’s
recollection of worlds to be’
(Kathleen
Raine)
For those of who also enjoy strolling
through your wintry gardens, here are a few tips from the gardener at Temenos.
This is the time to scatter your Poppy
seeds if you want a carpet of red and pink and mauve in the springtime. The
bright yellow and orange of the Calendulae will be rewarding you at this time
of year if you already rediscovered the delight of ‘old fashioned’ flowers like Dahlias and Zinnias.
(These two will also give you a carpet of colour a little later in the year
after the poppies have faded). Three other brave souls that will grow through
the winter are Cabbage, Swiss chard and Leeks. The latter I leave to flower in spring
and summer, a joy few gardeners are willing to wait for.
And here is a tip on pruning which I got
from a wonderful book called the Art of Mindful Gardening by Ark Redwood. If
you follow his easy formula, which you can apply to most plants and trees, you
will have no problem convincing your friends (including yourself) that you know
what you are doing! This is known as following the 5 Ds. Look out for the Dead and Dying, the Diseased
and Deformed. And become aware of Direction. Enjoy applying the art.
Wind
blew, branches fell
God’s
hand busy at pruning
That
which was long dead.
