Footprint Six: Time Out

Today in South Africa is Human Rights Day:  a lovely public holiday.  A perfect day to consolidate, which is what I did.  It started with a cup of coffee, picking a few radishes, breakfasting on toast and home made marmalade, and finding new discoveries in the garden.  

This was followed by a walk on Dogs Beach with my dog, Skattebol.  She is a delight to walk with.  All she really cares about is her ball.  She shows little interest in other dogs.  There is nothing quite as enjoyable as throwing a ball for her, watching her run for it, and then turn with love and triumph glowing from her eyes as she runs back to show me how clever she is.

A small piece of kelp made it into the boot of my car as we left.  This will go into a bucket where it will decompose and become food for my plants.

The rest of the day was spent doing odd chores around the house, and consolidating where we are in the garden.  

My first pea seed, planted a week ago has emerged.  There is baby spinach in the background and on the left:

All three ginger roots are now protruding above the ground:

Here is the swiss chard and radishes planted a week ago:

Here are some of the carrots.  The carrots are the barely discernible green hairs:

And here is one of the pots of mustard greens:

What is a constant source of delight to me is that if anyone had said to me three months ago that the emergence of a plant from a seed, a sliver as fine as a hair, yet so much more fragile, would give me so much pleasure, I would have laughed, somewhat deprecatingly.  

Yet here I am, picking stray bugs and spiders out of my worm bin, gazing in awe at a plant, literally as fine as a hair, which has emerged from a seed smaller than the head of a pin, and being astonished that in a few months time it will be a carrot; experiencing delight when all three ginger roots planted are now growing, and making home made preserves and bread.


The shifting sands of time and experience make me wonder sometimes, this time with awe and astonishment, that life would bring me to this beautiful place of peace and surrender to Mother Nature.