The Gift Voucher

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

When I was forced to give up work last month, through ill health, the team at the After School Club gave me a gift voucher that could be used at any Garden Centre. I can remember at the time I received it (very ungratefully, looking back) thinking that I wished I had the stamina and the energy to even do gardening.

However, on one of my daughter's recent visits, she took me to a very large garden centre that I seldom get to, these days.

It was one of those garden centres that sells many other things....... crafts, books, gadgets to name but a few, as well as thousands of indoor and outdoor plants and things to do with gardening. There were also small pets, but although I enjoyed looking at all the rabbits and equipment, I left that department hurriedly.

I decided on a gadget to help people to be able to weed and do gardening on their knees. There are huge handles on the sides of this low stool so that I can lever myself up. It means I can now get up without great discomfort.

If its turned the other way, it is a sturdy garden seat.

And when it is not being used at all, it folds down flat.

This little stool has given me a new lease of life.

I have also used it to do things like washing the kitchen/ bathroom floor.

It seems to have been the perfect gift, so I am really grateful to the after School Club.

Spoilt For Choice

Photos are copyright of Maggie May.

I love to visit a garden centre and on this occasion I had only gone to buy something very small from the household section of the store.

However, I had my camera with me and took lots of snaps! I love to see lots of colourful pots lined up on a shelf but sometimes I am disappointed about how plants look in a brightly coloured pot! Maybe they are better off left on the shelf.

You can buy snap dragons by the potful!

Begonias by the tray load! Or if nothing grabs you, how about a hanging basket?

I managed to resist buying any extras this time!

A Perfect Mother's Day Weekend

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.

The Garden Centre.

This was the post that was supposed to go in just before the bad news! It is about a trip we did in the holiday!

When it comes to entertaining children and taking them out for a few hours, many things are expensive. However we decided to go to a local garden centre as I had a few vouchers to spend from a Christmas present. It was a sunny day, though rather cold but we packed sandwiches & took drinks. We looked all round the plants and indoor store where there was a little pet corner and a fish house. The children thought it was a bit like going to the zoo and they were happy enough looking at these things and then running about up and down the walkways outside.

When they were hungry the girls found a lovely double seat on chains that swung back and forth and they had their sandwiches there while swinging. Sam and I sat on a bench nearby and started on ours. While we were eating a robin came very close to us. "Quick take a picture!" they all said. By the time I put my sandwiches down & fumbled in my bag for the camera, the robin shot off out of range and went into a green house. I thought I might catch it later and sure enough the cheeky rascal came for crumbs right next to our feet, but every time I pointed the camera at the bird, he flew away. This happened many times and I never did get a photo of it.

It did occur to me how naughty we were taking our own food and drink, when the cafeteria was open and selling the same things, but "beggars can't be choosers" as we keep telling the children when they ask for lots of things. Besides they really liked the picnic and nobody challenged us.

The pots did look lovely but I didn't think my tiny garden could possibly take another one, so I bought another small ornament for another little niche. My garden really is so small and it really made me smile when I thought of my recent post on a Tag, when I popped a picture from a local park on the post to brighten it up and several people said they thought my garden looked nice! In reality, it would have been swallowed up several times in that picture of the grass & trees!

On the way out, I treated the girls to a pretty butterfly each (fridge magnets) that they have stuck on many different sites, but never the fridge! They seemed very satisfied with their trip to the garden centre and Sam & I enjoyed it too.