Summer feels like it has arrived.

 

What are you grateful for today? This summer has been one of the wettest in records where I live. It has meant that gardens were looking messy as they could not be cut and many flowers were being destroyed before they could even open due to all the pests and the rain. I did not realise until yesterday how much I have missed seeing the roses slowly opening their petals and the scent filling the air around me. Likewise my philadelphia bushes. This gives my most favourite smell but this year the rain was so strong that many flowers did not open and they just got knocked to the ground.

Yesterday, after a couple of days of sunshine, I looked out of my window to see two roses open against it. They seemed to have come out of nowhere. When I went out in the garden I had three Rose bushes either with opening flowers or buds swelling in the sun. I then went into my side garden and was able to see the lavender that I had grown from seed last year was also flowering. I quickly got my camera out and took some photographs, if only to prove to myself that something actually survived in my garden this year.

It may be that I have not had the summer that I was expecting. I have not been able to sit outside more than a couple of times and so far not had much fragrance to take note of ( although my honeysuckle did me proud). Yesterday I felt as if a lightbulb had been switched on as I looked on the beauty of all the flowers and felt such gratitude that I had the sight to see them all.

Today I saw something that looked amazing. This year my garden has been overrun by snails so I’d rather they took a walk but when I looked at my glass door to the garden there were three tiny see through baby snails attached to it. Usually we just see the snails once they are bigger with their shells on.I was in awe at how beautiful these babies were. Even though the bigger ones have eaten all my vegetables, with a little help from their friends, I still thought nature was wonderful.

I am thankful that I have a garden but even if you only have a window box  you can plant something to make you feel good when you look at it or you could grow some indoor pot plants. There is beauty all around us but sometimes we are blocked from seeing it. Open your eyes and decide what you are grateful for today.