Finally, flowers are blooming.  The world is beginning to fill with colour again replacing the grey left behind by winter.  I think the arrival of summer lifts our spirits after a long cold winter, and spring this year as well!

As we drive around, we see the beautiful front yards that home owners present, not only for their own pleasure but also for the pleasure of those who walk and drive past their homes.  Just as a little aside, one time when I was staying with a cousin in England I mentioned something about her back yard.  She told me in no uncertain terms that it was not a yard but a garden.  The next time we were out she pointed to an area where there were dustbins and such and told me, “That’s a yard!”

The gardens are all so different.  Usually, they have carefully mowed lawns. Some are full of a vast array of flowers.  Some have perfectly shaped shrubs. Then there is usually one in each neighbourhood that celebrates the arrival of dandelions surrounded by something that is supposed to resemble grass.  I think that front gardens reflect the image that the owner wants to present to the rest of the world.

The back yards which most of us don’t see is where the gardeners can show their true spirit.  Lots have pools that have to be worked around.  For some, there’s a few years of sand boxes and swings and slides that hold a prominent place until the children of the family outgrow them.  Maybe twenty years later these things will once again have a place as grandchildren arrive on the scene.

This is where the gardeners go wild.  Trips to a favourite garden centre result in trays of flowers of every size and colour.  Some of our selections are old reliable, like petunias and impatience.  Others are selected because of their names I like snapdragons because of my fondness for dragons.  Blue lobelia are great because of their colour.  I have one long planter with Disco marigolds.  After my pug Disco died I spotted the different varieties of Disco marigolds, and each year I buy those for Disco’s planter. Gardens give a great deal of pleasure for those who view them.

It has been nice enough lately for Suzie and I to go down to the lake in Whitby for a walk.  We meet a lot of people who are walking their dogs and often stop to chat.  On Monday, the town workers were driving around emptying the garbage containers and putting in new garbage bags.  I didn’t see that the garbage containers were overflowing, but a lot of garbage was strewn around on the grass.  I guess some people expect others to clean up after themselves!

Another thing that I talked to someone about was the bike riders along the path and boardwalk.  She mentioned how hard it is to hear cyclists (some who are riding pretty quickly). She was right.  Why shouldn’t cyclists have to have bells that they ring as they approach walkers?  Perhaps signs should be posted to tell them to ring the bells as they approach dogs and their walkers.  There are a lot of people who walk (many who aren’t getting any younger!)  There are also a lot of kids who spend time by the lake.  They don’t always watch where they are going.  Just a simple bell sound would alert us to watch out for the bikes.

I hope everyone has had a good start to summer and enjoys a lot of days of sunshine.

 

About the Author

Linda Calder is a retired teacher. She likes to write and enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys going on cruises, taking pictures and scrapbooking.