"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Work & Rest ~True Gifts

 Sun dial in our Blue Bottle Garden. We bought it many years ago especially for this garden and placed it in the bed of thyme. It is surprisingly accurate if you situate it according to the compass direction of north to south and it is a sunny day.
 The garden really does look sparse after severe weeding and culling of plants, but the bare bones of the garden are pleasing to me. The white-framed window to the middle right of the photo was once our living room picture window. It was cracked from side to side after a very big earthquake we had in this area a few years ago.  After removing and replacing it into our herb garden I am still happy with it there and have my plans for it later.
 Bright green plant in the bottom center is a lilac bush.
 Blue bottle tree , blue bottle markers, blue bottles. ( I see a theme here .)
 Sage
 Lovage
 Oregano
 Bronze fennel
 Chives
 I ran out of scalloped bricks to line the herb bed, but the herbs in this bed ( shown above ) were all transplanted from the old beds. I did not buy any new pots of herbs because the herbs I have are doing very well, they just needed a good weeding and placing into different spots of the garden that will benefit them.
 This shows where the herb garden ( Blue Bottle Garden) is in proximity to our house. I can look out of our bedroom window and see my herb garden , a delight for me every morning.
On the other side of the hedges out of view of Blue Bottle Garden,but in full view from our living room, is the fountain with the two doves my husband & I bought to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. How appropriate for us to watch hummingbirds court and bathe in this fountain, and swallows and  sparrows check out the birdhouse above the fountain as a possible new home for them and their young. Our Blue Bottle Garden brings us much joy. We sit together in the garden and watch the parakeets in the aviary, the hummingbirds at the feeders there, enjoy the herbs in our cooking, and from our living room watch the drama of bird life . We truly believe if everyone had a small patch of land to garden and a small window to observe the everyday blessings of their endeavors, this world would be a better place. A little bit of work that satisfies the soul and also gives a weary body the need for rest and a true deep and restful sleep . Blessed and peaceful sleep , a true gift from God.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Kathy, I adore your sundial, fountain and bottle tree. I can almost smell the fragrant herbs. How wonderful that you have a view of this area from the window. I will always cherish the flower garden beneath my mama's bedroom window at Nalley Valley. I would like to wish you and yours a blessed Easter. xoxo

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a lovely post! I enjoyed seeing and reading about your 'blue bottle garden'. Look forward to more posts about this lovely spot.

Thank you for sharing you very peaceful place. It must be a real joy to walk around, taking in the sights, scents and sounds.

Happy Easter week ~ FlowerLady

A.K.W. said...

Nice pictures!

Amy

L. D. said...

I really like your garden areas. The blue bottles are wonderful to see and I am sure you enjoy them out side in the sunlight.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Love the blue bottle trees. I grew Chives once, they went to seed and went all over. :)

LeeAnn at Mrs Black's said...

Your home and garden are so lovely! That looks like a wonderful sundial, and I love the blue bottles in the herb garden. So pretty! x

Antiques And Teacups said...

I LOVE the sundial, and your wonderful herb garden! Blue is my color, so this is awesome!
Ruth

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Kathy, this is a delightful post, visiting your garden. Where do you get all your blue bottles? I've never seen so many! It's getting warmer here although we're still having frost. Today was spent outside (ignoring mightily the inside work!) and it was all joy. Just had a wonderful time...God, me, dogs, horses, cats, guineas...a wonderful time!

Anonymous said...

Love your garden spaces and the special 40th anniversary gift that you can enjoy seeing out your window!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Oh my! You have done all the things I need to do..and soon before the heat sets in. what a beautiful home you have. I always dreamed in living in such a house. Maybe in some other time.
Love and hugs,
Mona

Connie said...

I enjoyed seeing the photos of your garden areas, Kathy. Those blue bottles are so bright and cheery!

Theresa said...

What a beautiful garden! Ours is running a little behind this year! Gotta get busy:) Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

As someone who likes themed gardens, one including blue bottles and other things in this colour sounds, and looks great. I thought the window was a solar panel until I read what it was.
A good day of gratifying gardening does make one feel good and it feeds the soul. I had my first today and now we're facing more snow - but not for long!
Happy Easter.

Tea in the Library said...

I love the idea of a themed garden. I am looking forward to some milder temps and cleaning out the herb garden. Wishing you a blessed Easter.
Philippians 1:3-4 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Such a beautiful post with the pretty pictures and inspiring words! Just love it Kathy!

Lilac Cottage Homestead said...

Love the garden!! Can't wait to see it when it is full grown!!!!

goecker said...

Reading this blog, I saw the post bottle
tree. This weekend, my husband made one too - thanks for this great idea.

Amber said...

Oh, I love your garden space! Love the bottle tree!