May: The End of Spring, the End of an Era

Everywhere looks lush and green after a few very wet days. Time to catch up. All the shrubs and small trees are in leaf, and the oaks and copper beeches are more leafy than branchy. From my table in the office I can see a ‘strategically’ (luckily) planted crab apple with deep red blossom. The blossom has been abundant this year and I have been surprised by the sheer number of flowering trees we seem to have planted over the years. By the gate a big Prunus ‘Kanzan’ bought as a bargain for £1 some years ago stands with gaudy pride like a blowsy tart.

Our much loved dog, Boyo, was put to sleep ten days ago. It doesn’t feel like home any more and we miss him terribly. G says he misses him less when we’re in the garden because latterly he preferred to sleep indoors while we gardened. He’d earned that after years of ‘helping’.

We’ve always had dogs since we met nearly 30 years ago. He will be our last. All the new found freedom, after caring for him and all his extreme eccentricities holds little consolation and neither of us seem to know what to do with it yet. We’re getting on, keeping busy and hoping we’ll feel better after a while.