MUSINGS FROM THE BOWER

First things first - so where is this bower? Does it really exist or is it a figment of my imagination? What actually is a bower? When I was small, I had a picture book of Sleeping Beauty, and she was lying amidst a tangled glory of roses, leaves, twisty twigs and convoluted vines. It was beautiful. Even at that tender age I could imagine the scent of the roses, and enjoy the patterns formed by the entwined leaves and branches. But my bower isn’t really like that that, it is much more basic, though still special to me.

My bower is in our (my family’s) tiny garden and made from trellis. The roof is perspex with trellis slats spread over for aesthetic reasons, so it is possible to sit out in the pouring rain and remain quite dry. Under the bower are two benches with comfy cushions, a fold out table, which can be used for meals, and a smaller table which gets used for flower pots and various other sundries. Clematis, passionflower and honeysuckle climb up the trellis around the bower, and at night small fairy lights twinkle from the roof. Hanging baskets are suspended from the sides, while nearby is a birdbath with a fountain and various bird feeders, so there is always plenty to see. Sometimes, if I am lucky, a tiny wood mouse will sneak out from her home under a paving slab to steal some of the fallen bird seed, while - as the bower is open-ended - the sparrows often hop through searching for crumbs.

However, this blog isn’t really about my bower, although I find it’s a lovely place to sit and muse, especially in the spring and summer when the sun is warm, the birds are singing and the bees buzzing. No, this blog is about – things. Anything, the things I think about and the photographs I take as I go about my life. Maybe it will be about the plants, animals and birds that frequent the places that I visit and my environmental concerns. Perhaps it will be about my delvings through the years as I try to rootle out my family history, or it could be about the dolls and collectables I see when I visit various antiques centres (I write books about the past and the various collectable items). Sometimes my blog will feature humorous incidents, odd anecdotes and traditional rhymes – in short, my musings. Maybe I should have named it a mish-mash of musings! A personal kind of blog, but if you feel that you would like to read it and to see the photographs, then you are welcome.

Sue