I was reminded earlier today that having the opportunity to grow at least some of my own food is something that I should be grateful for: thank you Shakti for your comment.
So much to value in the garden
It’s easy to moan about the slugs and the rain (or lack of it), to despair when something doesn’t grow, or the chickens eat it, or because I don’t have enough space to plant all the things that I want to, But that simply doesn’t get you anywhere in life… as Johnny Mercer once wrote you should ‘accentuate the positive‘! So I thought that I would make a little list of (a few of the) things that I am grateful for in my garden:
Having space to grow some of my own food
The joy of eating crops that I have just harvested
Collecting warm eggs that have just been laid
Knowing that what I’m eating has not been exposed to pesticides
Feeling close to natural cycles
Knowing my hens are happy
Eating strawberries straight off the plants, still warm from the sunshine
Storing potatoes and squashes for the winter
Feeling the soil on my hands
Composting… making waste material into something useful
Leaving the soil better than when I found it
Being able to find fresh herbs even in the depths of winter
There are so many I could add, but I’d like to hear some from you…
The Snail of Happiness 
Andrea
/ September 24, 2013It doesn’t matter how many times I do it, collecting warm eggs is always a pleasure.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 24, 2013I also like the fact that they are different enough to know who laid them!
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Paul Magnall
/ September 24, 2013I agree with the “Leaving the soil better than when I found it”. Most of our garden is on an old cinder tennis court that had been left to go wild for 30 years, any soil was dusty and the cinder sits on top of clay so getting good soil from that has been a real challenge and a joy!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 24, 2013The whole of our garden had the soil stripped before we bought the house… our raised beds have made an amazing difference!
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Kirsten
/ September 24, 2013I haven’t grown anything yet, but having some outside space to potter around in after a day at the office is pure bliss!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 24, 2013Pottering is an under-rated activity… it gives you lots of time to think and plan too.
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The toymaker
/ September 24, 2013We have a line of pumpkins ripening on the conservatory windowsill. Every year when that happens I can’t stop smiling. 🙂
We ripen them there to avoid the mice burrowing in and leaving nothing but the husks.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 24, 2013A great image… I certainly wouldn’t like to find a mouse in my pumpkin!
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The toymaker
/ September 24, 2013No. Last year i had a huge pumpkin and thought it would be great for soup – lots of soup. Went to pick it up and fell straight over as it collapsed as i touched it! Out shot a mouse. Couldn’t believe he’d eaten everything and it was hollow with less than a half cm skin!
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Jo Ann
/ September 25, 2013This is a great post. To be mindful of what we have, as opposed to what we don’t have. Simple pleasures are always the best.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ September 25, 2013Glad you like it. I think it’s something we are prone to forget.
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