Gardening
A small garden house out of town is a perfect get away paradise every weekend where you can garden to your heart's content. The moment I arrive, it's like stepping into another
world where work and stress just melt away. Despite the obvious hard
manual labour, (gardening is a physical activity), the exercise is healthy and you can reap the fruits in your own meditation retreat whenever tired.
Horses in the meadow
The garden complex comprises 50 gardens
In our garden community, we also do voluntary work in groups, six times a year, taking care
of the general gardens, the paths upon which many amble, just to enjoy the
serene atmosphere and garden views.
A Sunday morning visitor and observer on the path behind the pion rose buds :)
As a weekend house there is always something to be done. Its not luxurious, so no 'glamping'. One lives on
gas, low voltage 12 watts for evening
lights (not used yet as it's summer) and a sun-panel plus
transformer to charge the phone on 220v.
However, the point of leaving the city is to leave technology behind, in
exchange for or a wheelbarrow, rake, pruning shears and spade.
One can sleep there in season from April to October so you also need double supplies. But once settled, it's amazing how a short distance from the city, inside a park of peace with beautiful gardens, all modern life stress disappears and happiness doubles in supply! It must be all the fresh air, exercise, scent of the earth and everything that grows from it.
Willows on the canal around the complex
I spend the first half hour walking around the garden
inspecting what has grown or desperately needs attention or water and
finally later, open the back door and enter the house.
Flowers of every colour and foliage
The list
of creative things one can do in a garden is endless and in this
Volkstuin there are another 50 gardens so you can get great ideas just
from strolling around. It's a small community, you have different
neighbours than the city and you all have something in common. You love
nature and gardening!
My neighbour's artichoke plant which he grows only for the flower.
Being surrounded by nature of all kinds and taking care of it all is
awfully rewarding, not to mention being outside in the fresh air
constantly a certain kind of soul boost. Plus, where there are flowers
there are many butterflies and bees and the abundance of green is a
paradise for birds of all kinds.
Planted these dahlias in early may and they're blooming like crazy!
The most useful piece of equipment -? The wheelbarrow
Happy summer gardening everyone and no matter how big or small your balcony,
terrace or garden is, summer is nature's call for you to get involved!
