Visit to Stellenberg Gardens

 

           Above image is not of the Gardens mentioned in the article

Visit to the Beautiful Stellenberg Gardens – 

Sunday 6^th November 2011

These tranquil gardens were open to the public on Saturday and Sunday last week. As I buy most of my plants from their nursery and because Caroline Magowen, who is now their head gardener, helped me sort out my little garden when I moved in here 11 years ago, I decided to pay them a visit. These gardens, about a kilometer from my home and almost next door to a house owned by my father’s brother, Edgar, in the ‘70’s, have always been a favourite spot of mine.

We were blessed with a glorious sunny day after a week of inclement weather.  I strolled through the ten different sections of the gardens and although there were many other people doing the same thing, I was filled with peace.  It was in fact, like walking through a stately “home” with the many rooms divided by neatly trimmed hedges and some walls; with water features and majestic trees including many old oaks.  There was a pathway of green moss, running between some graceful trees, in one section, definitely the home of fairies! The lawns were so lush and soft that, had I been younger, I might just have rolled down one of the banks, so inviting were those slopes!

The “Medieval Garden” is actually a most interesting vegetable garden with four sections and a fountain in the middle. Companion vegetables and herbs are laid out in rows, some straight others diagonal, and there are fruit trees as well, all looking lush and healthy, much of it ready for picking.

I especially enjoyed the “Garden of Reflection” which is planted in various shades of green, with a hint of blue and three “black” ponds made of slate, in which the water was so still the surrounding trees were perfectly mirrored.    As I walked slowly, deep in thought, I suddenly found myself at the entrance to the “Cherry Walk” and the trees there were heavy with the most beautiful clusters of pink and white blossom. What a sight!

I could have spent the whole day there, but unfortunately, I had other commitments. I will look forward to a return visit next time they open the gardens to the public.

 

Rosemary, wearing my gardening hat this time!

1950's version of an E-Mail

                               Long ago and far away, in a land that time forgot,
                               Before the days of Dylan , or the dawn of Camelot.
                               There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me,

                               For Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born,
                               Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was porn.

                               We longed for love and romance, and waited for our Prince,
                               Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one's seen him since.

                               We danced to 'Little Darlin,' and sang to 'Stagger Lee'
                               And cried for Buddy Holly in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               Only girls wore earrings then, and 3 was one too many,
                               And only boys wore flat-top cuts, except for Jean McKinney.

                               And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see
                               A boy named George with Lipstick, in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               We fell for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh, so nice,
                               And when they made a movie, they never made it twice..

                               We didn't have a Star Trek Five, or Psycho Two and Three,
                               Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,
                               And Reagan was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.

                               We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T,
                               And Oprah couldn't talk yet, in the Land That Made Me, Me.
                               We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,
                               At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.

                               For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,
                               And Elvis  ;was forever in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               We'd never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,
                               And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson , and Zeppelins were not

                                              Led.

                               And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkees lived in trees,
                               Madonna was Mary in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               We'd never heard of microwaves, or telephones in cars,
                               And babies might be bottle-fed, but they were not grown in jars.

                               And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and 'gay' meant fancy-free,
                               And dorms were never co-Ed in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,
                               And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.

                               And hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea,
                               And rocket ships were fiction in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               Buicks came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks,
                               And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.

                               And Coke came just in bottles, and skirts below the knee,
                               And Castro came to power near the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               We had no Crest with Fluoride, we had no Hill Street Blues,
                               We had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea

                                 Or prime-time ads for those dysfunctions in the Land That
                                           Made Me, Me.

                               There were no golden arches, no Perrier to chill,
                               And fish were not called Wanda, and cats were not called Bill

                               And middle-aged was 35 and old was forty-three,
                               And ancient were our parents in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say,
                               And now instead of Maybelline we swear by Retin-A.
                               They send us invitations to join AARP,
                               We've come a long way, baby, from the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans,
                               And wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines.
                               And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be,
                               Long ago and far away in the Land That Made Me, Me.

                               If you didn't grow up in the fiftys,
                               You missed the greatest time in history,
                               Hope you enjoyed this read as much as I did.
                               If So, Share ....

Places I have and have not been

Guest Post by Unknown Author - 

    We found this on the Internet, Author was not indicated. If you know who the Author is please let us know. It is BRILLIANT!

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not!

I have been in Deepshit many times; the older I get, the easier it is to get there.