A green rest

I’ve been resting my eyes alot lately, mostly under the duvet in bed, but also, in the lush green foliage that is everywhere at the moment.

Usually, I am all about the flowers, fidgety for my garden to get onto the bright and blousey stage. I remember a segment on gardener’s world last year from a garden that was almost entirely foliage and I just didn’t get it. Yes I love and know the importance of texture and different shapes but I thought it at least needed some white flowers.

But at the moment, I’m finding calm and rest for my brain in green. The yha room we stayed in at the weekend had huge floor to ceiling windows looking out into lush green Cumbrian woodland. So I deliberately chose the bunkbed where I could see it from my pillow. Perfect for afternoon rests. The ever present song thrush was the cherry on the top. I just sat and gazed, not even looked, just let my eyes gently rest on the haze.

Water is of course crucial to this colour scheme. The dry spell of late winter and early spring which at least enabled my plants to get going without the army of snails that usually decimate them, has now been pushed aside by April showers in May. As well as nourishing the roots, the rain cleans everything so even under grey skies the green shines out. Even the rivers become green, not from some evil invasive weed but a reflection of its canopy.

Today I sat on the resting arm of an old tree under its umbrella of green leaves fluttering in the wind, masquerading as butterflies. And I felt calm.