Friday 27 March 2009

A Perfect Mother's Day Weekend

PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek



In England we celebrated Mothering Sunday (Mother's day) last Sunday. I am not sure if other countries celebrated it on that date or not.
I was fortunate to have my granddaughters come to spend Friday night and Saturday, along with their Dad and they returned home in time to be with their own mum/wife for the Sunday. My daughter also came over from the east coast with the grandsons and spent the whole weekend. We had a packed house and Harry and I were kept very busy.

On Saturday we decided to go and visit a lovely Garden Centre, where we browsed for much of the afternoon.
I helped the eldest grandson, Rick to buy a present for his mum. I had thought it was going to be hard for Deb this year as she didn't have her husband to organize present buying with the children, as he died the previous autumn. Rick is autistic so he really needed to have some help with present buying. Dean, the younger brother, had already managed to buy a small gift from a school sale and both the boys had made their own cards.

I managed to get Rick on his own and asked what he wanted to get for his Mum. He had no money so I knew I would have to buy a present! He spent quite a long time looking and then spotted a huge dragon ornament. It was breathing fire and had wings open. It was obviously too expensive and was getting on for a hundred pounds!
Rick understood that he couldn't buy it but was hankering after that dragon for a long time and couldn't take his eyes off it and talked about it for a while afterwards.
Eventually we saw some small garden ornaments that we could afford, as Rick was completely set on buying one of these and he eventually bought a small stone donkey pulling a basket with room for a little plant to go in the back. He was very pleased with that.
We all bought something at the Garden Centre. My son, Sam, concentrated on buying things to eat for planting in his garden and came home carrying assorted currant bushes as well as a small tub of pretty flowers for the girls to give their mum.

On our way out, we noticed these upside down plants in pots and I just couldn't resist taking a photo of them. I have never seen anything quite like them before. However I resisted the temptation to have one as there was nothing that I could have attached one to in my pocket sized garden.
It was lovely and warm over the weekend.... just like summer. This week the weather turned around and it is as cold as winter again. However I will remember that Mother's Day weekend as a really pleasant one, spent with my family, receiving presents and being taken to put some silk flowers on my parents' grave.
The love of a family for each other, is not to be taken for granted.
I feel I shall remember this particular one in years to come! Maybe I am just being sentimental.




Photostory Friday is hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek.

29 comments:

Jeni said...

I really do love hanging planters but like you, I have no place to hang anything like that from here. Rats!
I'd love to get one of the planters I see advertised on tv all the time now too -a planter with tomatoes or one with strawberries that hangs upside down! I'm gonna have to give that idea some extra thought maybe and see if the son-in-law can figure out a place where we could hang something like that! Then, if we do -set up a timer to see how long it takes before I kill it -which is usually the fate of most plants that come under my black thumb ya know.

Suburbia said...

Nothing wrong with sentimental. I'm so glad you had such a lovely weekend, those sorts of memories are very definitly made to treasure.

Irene said...

Oh, go ahead with the sentimentality, Maggie. For goodness sake, we all need a bit of that in this cynical world. I think especially grandmas should be sentimental around their grandchildren. It's almost a requirement for the job.

I looked at those vases and thought, what the heck? I still haven't figured it out, but I can't say that I like them and I'm glad that you did not buy one.

Indrani said...

I am glad you had a very nice weekend! Nothing like being with the family.
Those pots are really beautiful.

Casdok said...

Lovely to hear you had a wonderful weekend. Very interesting pots!

Nessa said...

Those pots are really cool.

Kitty said...

I think it's great that your weekend was lovely enough for you to remind yourself to remember it. That's a good sign I think, don't you? x

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great Mother's Day! Ours isn't until May, but it's so fun having my kiddos bring me flowers. :)

I love those pots! Unusual.

kayerj said...

what a nice granmother, family is the best--happy mothering day

Carrie and Troy Keiser said...

Sounds like a great Mother's day.Here in the US Mother's Day is in May.
The upside down plats are very interesting.

aims said...

Are those real plants in those pots Maggie?

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Wow, those are just so visually beautiful - I've NEVER seen anything like that before! And I adore the sentiment.

Akelamalu said...

At first I thought the picture was upside down! How unusual they are. Sounds like you had a lovely Mother's Day. My youngest son brought his two boys for Sunday lunch then my eldest son brought his two youngest children round for a couple of hours - I love it!

Rose said...

I'm so glad you had such a special day, Maggie May. There is no better present than just being able to spend time with your family. And I'm sure Rick was happy to have your help in buying his mother a present and proud to give it to her.
The hanging pots are interesting, but I keep wondering how that dirt stays in:) And how do you water them? Cute to look at, but I'd be sure to kill the plants inside:)

Wendy said...

Awww Maggie, family love is the best! I too get teary-eyed when I think of how fortunate I am to have a loving family.

We celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. So not for a while yet.

I am glad you spend such a good weekend. I can just imagine you telling your dear grandson, Rick that a fire-breathing expensive dragon was not a suitable gift for his Mom! Children are so sweet. But often so impractical - ah well, that's the magic of childhood!

Those upsidedown pots look intriguing! How do you water them, so the earth doesn't fall out?

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

A lovely weekend Maggie. I can just imagine you and your grandson choosing the right gift for him to buy for his mum. How are they all now? A x

Maggie May said...

EVERY ONE!
My picture is not upside down!
I didn't have time to examine the pots fully but they seemed to have a narrow bottom where the plants came out of the pot and they were watered from the top in the usual way.
I should imagine that you wouldn't be able to take the primulas out once they started flowering and spreading & I should think that they would have to be sacrificed to get them out of the pot and would definitely need to be hung up.
Yes the flowers were very real.
I like them in a very strange kind of way, but only when they are grouped together. One on its own would look silly!

Working Mum said...

Peculiar pots! Sounds like you had a lovely mother's day weekend. Hope your daughter had a good day and enjoyed recieving her presents from her sons. It must be a difficult day for her this year, as will Father's Day be. Good job she's got two wonderful parents to support her.

Marian Dean said...

Sentementalise all you need Maggie, we Granny's deserve the privilege.... I made that first word up!
We have just had a few days away seeing a new Granddaughter. It was lovely to see a new Mum and how she is coping. We came away reminiscing about her all the way home.

Love Granny

Anonymous said...

What a lovely day you had, Maggie. The kind of days that are remembered long after the flowers have withered.
I would not want to walk under those pots, very strange.

MarmiteToasty said...

Sounds like you had a lovely weekends, keep those memories safe, they will warm you one day....

I have never seen an upsidedown pot before and as much as I stare at the photo I still cant quite work it out lol

x

Casey's trio said...

How wonderful to have all your loved one's there for Mother's Day!

A Woman Of No Importance said...

I have never seen anything like those pots... You did well at the Garden Centre, achieving the right balance with the grandchildren, and I hope you felt cherished - It seems that way!

Mom24 said...

Those are beautiful, I've never seen anything like them. It's wonderful that you got to be with your family for Mother's Day. Lovely post.

Lavinia said...

Wow, I keep looking at those plants trying to figure them out...I think I'm a little dizzy by that exercise!

cheshire wife said...

Very strange pots. More of a Wordless Wednesday than Photo Story Friday!

Sounded like you had a good weekend.

Unknown said...

I LOVE those pots! What a great idea, I have a few places I could hang one or two, but I have never seen them before, darnit.

San said...

Maggie May, I'm glad your Mother's Day weekend was so special. Having a house packed with family--I love that!

And those upside-down plants are sweet too. I wouldn't know what to do with one either, but I enjoyed seeing your photo.

Here in the U.S. we celebrate Mother's Day in May.

A Mother's Place is in the Wrong said...

Dear Maggie, what lovely Mother's Day memories you will have. Me too, as I had a gorgeous day with Daughter, Grandson etc.. Aren't we lucky? M xxx