Wednesday 1 September 2010

Gardening inactively.

I've a habit. A little behavioural tick. I take forever to get ready in the mornings, needing at least an hour to simply potter before actually starting to prepare for the day. The main reason for this is I simply love standing in the garden early in the morning with a cup of tea in hand, not doing anything other than listening, watching and maybe a little pootling about. I generally don't even have breakfast till just before I leave and I love my food, it's just I'm drawn to being out there with tea and a fresh mind.
Now I could say it's because I have my best inspiration in the morning or that it helps to plan what needs doing in the garden at that time but the truth is it's just nice to be able to do nothing.
Being a self employed gardener means I get to see many different places and experience working in the variety of styles they include, whether they're rambling old cottage like or showy pristine designer gardens. However I rarely just get chance to relax in a garden without the need to feel like I'm actively doing something. Now I know that one can weed and prune while still finding it a relaxing time and many people use gardening as a means to switch off from daily stresses, but I was reminded that it's also about simply being in the garden and appreciating it's atmosphere.

At this time of year as the Summer gently folds into Autumn there's a whole list of jobs that appear, from getting your bulbs in for Spring to clearing leaves, however I'd like to add inactivity to that list. You see gardening is as much about the present state of the garden as it is about how you want it to look in the future, we garden not to get it to a finished state but because we enjoy the process. If we see it as a dance, the reason we dance is to dance not to get to the final step, in rushing about preparing for the next season or even the next week we can miss the enjoyment of the moment.
This morning when I went out it was cold and fresh, I could see my own breath for the first time this side of the year and the lawn sparkled with dew. It felt as though you were watching a moment in time as only an hour later the sun has got into it's stride again, the sky becomes a rich blue and you can feel the day busying up around you. I'm sure if I'd gone out with the thought of doing some work I'd have missed many elements of the moment and it's those elements that for me make the garden such a special place.

Autumn is a season of preparation for the coming winter, after the joys and energy of Summer it's the chance to unwind in the garden before it gets too cold for all but the hardiest garden potters. Yes there's a myriad of jobs to be done as always and the days are indeed getting shorter but a cuppa and a quiet dwell doesn't take too long and nothing quite sets you up for the day ahead as a little time out in the morning.

Just you, the garden and blissful inactivity.

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