Gardening Group
“A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot” (Thomas Edward Brown 1830-1897)
So surely a churchyard must be even lovelier – and certainly ours has a rugged charm, even at this time of year when the wildflowers are going over into seed and it may be thought to be somewhat lacking in tlc. Actually the gardening group, who met today, have only missed two sessions but hasn’t it been a lovely spring, and hasn’t everything grown! The churchyards are designed as Nature Conservation Areas which means we have to be gentle with our gardening at any time so this is the year of the bug, the beetle, the caterpillar and the bee. They must be very grateful to be left alone. But nature needs a helping hand from time to time and we were glad to get back to work – to do some weeding, pruning, sweeping and watering (and it rained as it often does when we plan a gardening morning). Not that the graveyard’s been entirely neglected: wer’e grateful to the work Jeremy has done clearing a way for the Infant School returnees to get to their classrooms, to Camden for cutting the paths so they could see where they’re going, and to Andrew and Joe for clearing the gutters on the Columbarium – not a nice job. I still remember holding the ladder while the then vicar, Philip Buckler, scraped maggots and beetles out of the drain onto my head. Some memories just don’t fade.
Brown finished his poem
“Not God? In gardens? When the eve is cool?
Nay, but I have a sign;
“Tis very sure God walks in mine.”
Absolutely!