Summer garden

 

I have just got back from a wonderful trip to England and Scotland. We got to see my niece Molly graduate from her primary school and was so glad to be a part of that. The joy and sadness of long distance family!
 It rained every day in Scotland, but was a fantastic experience. Thanks to our good friend Trish Jones, who was our tour guide par excellence, generous host and she even found me a doctor when I got sick. We are truly blessed to have such a good friend as part of our life. This is a picture of a Great Blue Heron taken on the river behind Trish's home at Bridge of Allan.
 As I said it was a wonderful trip, with lots of wonderful memories and we traced both our family roots. All of which are Scottish on Wendy's side and also mostly on mine, much to my surprise.

 Summer Flowers in bloom, bee's everywhere.

I got home just yesterday and am still jet lagged but have spent much of the day in my summer garden. My daughters watered it while I was away, (thank you, thank you) but still, with this heat it was a dry place when I got home.
A garden in late July is quieter then spring. The birds are far less vocal, the burst of spring green has faded to a more sedate colour, but the garden is in its summer glory.

Purple Cone Flowers

My cone flowers are in full bloom, as is my bee balm, daisy's and butterfly bush. And the first harvest is in, tomatoes and my first purple carrot! Some of potatoes have all died back and I just picked the first of them. I will plant beans, peas and carrots in the empty spaces, so I should get a second harvest in the fall.

A summer garden also means that a lot of the work is behind you, its time to sit back and literally smell the roses. We live in a culture that doesn't encourage just sitting and looking, but that's what I did this morning. Just sat and watched and listened to my garden. One of the gifts of my sabbatical has been the time to sit and think and pray in my garden. I now know this patch of earth and its plants and other inhabitants in a much deeper way then I ever have before. That's the gift of sitting, watching and thinking. This process leads to questioning and learning  It is the same with the church, I have been so busy doing church that I haven't had time to ask the question about what the church should actually be in this time. I am still thinking about that, a lot. And my thoughts are leading me to a very different place from the current status quo. My research and reflection continue, and I sit in my garden and listen to what creation has to say to me.