Strong women do not necessarily approach stridently. Some slip in silently, yet conquer utterly!
JG, a dear friend, died in the summer of 2007. Her funeral service, attended by so many friends and well wishers, was a celebration of the life of a remarkable woman. Held in the parish church of St. Peter in the village of Peterchurch, Herefordshire on a hot July afternoon, it was a fitting tribute to a person of immense generosity and great individual style. Included in the order of service were readings from Psalm 90 and Wordsworth's 'Lines Composed Above Tintern Abbey', the latter beautifully read by the actor CG. Sir RS in 'A Remembrance' recalled for us some of the many of JG's eccentricities whilst three anthems, including Mozart's 'Ave Verum Corpus', were sung by the celebrated diva, MM.
But I knew JG best as a plantswoman, gardener and breeder of rare sheep and bantams. She was also, by profession, a picture restorer whose work was almost entirely with the National Gallery and the Royal Collection. She was the only person I have ever known who could accurately boast of a Titian in the tool shed.
At her home, Wellbrook Manor, described by Pevsner in 'The Buildings of England' as "one of the best surviving examples of a C14 hall house" she, together with her late husband, G, made an exceptional garden redolent with a sense of history and place. Always a joy to her, her yew hedges and topiary specimens leant to the garden the air of the antique. Her climbing and shrub roses, lovingly and carefully cultivated, were of the oldest varieties. Her box edged potager became home to all manner of unusual and interesting vegetables whilst from the orchard trees lines of washing floated over swathes of lavender. Forever one to delight in the absurd, she named a large border sited directly beneath the dining room windows and principally filled with Salvia officinalis 'Purpurascens' and Allium aflatuense as her sage and onion bed.
That she should conceive the idea, research and then execute a grass labyrinth within the garden was typical of JG's untiring interest in the past. I treasure the memory of the two of us, barefoot, traversing the circles of this most unusual of garden features one cheerless February day, in a steady drizzle! No Candlemas [February 2nd.] passes without my recalling the occasion.
It is a mark of her unselfish approach to life that she willed her estate upon her death to the Vivat Trust. She is sadly missed by all who knew her, myself included.
P.S. My picture is of Wellbrook Manor, Herefordshire, formerly the home of JG and now the headquarters of the Vivat Trust.
128 comments:
Dear Edith, That is a splendid tribute to a dear friend and it sounds as though she led a splendid life. Gardening friends in particular can live on long after their physical passing, in memories and in the magical spaces they create, like your friend's grass labyrinth - I never would have thought to go barefoot: lovely!
What a blessing that you were friends with such an interesting and lovely woman. Wonderful that her estate in now in a trust where it can continue to display her spirit.
Dearest E,
What a wonderful tribute to an amazing friend. Thank you for sharing some of her wonderful life with us. Gone, but not forgotten.
D
EH, what wonderful memories you have of your dear friend. I can only imagine the two of you in bare feet walking through a grass labyrinth! Wellbrook is a lovely place, and thanks to a quick google, I have now seen an enormous bed of alliums in her gardens. Wonderful!
Dear Cyndy, Thank you for your comment. You are so right that great gardeners do live on in that there are always memories of their gardens or plants that one holds dear long after they have died. And, as each season turns, so those memories come flooding back.
Dear Sherlock Street, Thank you for your comment. Her legacy to the Vivat Trust will certainly ensure that a building of great national significance is preserved and, also, that the estate will continue to be a living and developing enterprise for others to enjoy.
Dearest D, Thank you so much for your comment and how wonderful to hear from you! Yes, JG will live on for ever in my wonderfully warm memories of her and the happy times we shared.
Dear Edith,your special tribute to a friend such as this, strengthens my belief in how fortunate she was to have a friend such as yourself.
Dear FG, Thank you for your comment. The grass labyrinth was such fun....and amazingly calming with its gentle curves. Madness to walk it barefoot in February, however!!
Dear Alistair, Thank you for your kind comment. I am sure, Alistair that you would have been most taken with her collection of Old Roses.
Hi Edith,
What a beautiful tribute you have given to a dear friend. Her residence looks charming with all of the creatively formed hedges and greenery.
Eileen
Dear Edith,
Although a little sad as your wonderful friend is no longer with you, I so enjoyed reading about her and some of her life. She sounded an amazing woman, full of life with so much going on. I love the part that she could boast a Titian in her tool shed !! It sounds as if she filled her life to the brim with everything that she loved to do and, you can't ask much more than that.
I have just looked Wellbrook Manor up and it looks beautiful.......I love the topiary and that wonderful greenhouse that looks very well used, by your good friend no doubt !!
Such a lovely post Edith and a very enjoyable read. XXXX
Dear Eileen, Thankyou for your comment. Yes, the hedges were JG's pride and joy. She loved nothing better than sculpting the Yew into the most amusing shapes, often perched precariously on a ladder!!
Dear Jacqueline, Thank you so much for your comment. The Titian is no exaggeration, although the 'tool shed' is perhaps a rather fanciful way of describing a cavernous stone barn equipped with the most modern security devices. Quite a tricky procedure getting the mower out!!!
Dear Edith...what honor and adoration you give you friend, JG. She truly was a woman of substance. Her garden has everything I love, a historical presence with old roses, boxwood edgings, and a bit of onion and sage whimsy.
The first line of this post is so eloquent that I would like to add it to my long list of quotes, with your kind permission.
Thank you for sharing your memories of this splendid woman.
Have a wonderful day!
Dear . . . Dear Edith, I always feel like I am stepping into another era and way of life, when I visit your world. I love how you write . . . "Strong women do not necessarily approach stridently. Some slip in silently, yet conquer utterly!" Eloquently and succinctly put . . . embracing a dear friend. Lovely and Noble. As always I must google and learn from your posts. I enjoyed reading more about C14 Hall houses. "Walls of rubble and timber frame, roofs of stone slate. Built in C14 on H-shaped plan with crosswings at NE and SW ends." You have a special place in my mind . . . a place where I store this sort of interesting knowledge, which I shall call up again, when I am free to visit your England. I so enjoy reading about your friends gardens . . . your writing is so superb! ". . . whilst from the orchard trees lines of washing floated over swathes of lavender." What perfumed dreams from sheets hanging over lavender! What a sweet, soft memory of your misty day barefoot (the best way) with your friend in her grassy labyrinth. This is such a touching and beautifully written memorial to your friend, whose life seems to have been blessed and greatly creative. A true joy to read this.
Dear Teresa, Thank you for your comment. I should love you to include my writing in your list of quotations!!
Yes, her garden did seem to 'have it all'. A sense of tradition and yet with contemporary twists. It very much reflected her personality which is surely exactly how a garden should be.
Dearest Carol, Thank you so very much for your most kind and generous comment. I am certain that you should have so enjoyed meeting JG who had a freedom of spirit so very much how I imagine yours to be. Artistic, gentle and full of fun she was indeed a joy to be with and her garden was her playground. Your orchard, dearest Carol, looks very similar to hers except that she always had a clutch of prize Bantams roaming at will!!!
Your friend sounds like a remarkable woman. Although her Wellbrook Manor will not be the same without her, I'm sure her spirit is still strongly felt there.
Dear Willow, Thank you for your comment. Yes, I am certain that JG's spirit continues to walk the [always draughty] corridors of Wellbrook Manor and her beloved Yews will be there for generations to come.
What a wonderful tribute to your friend Edith. It is a rare treasure when such wonderful people come into and touch our lives and we can call them friends.At certain times things will happen that bring my mind back to recall something that occurred such as your walking barefoot with your friend and it brings a smile and a chuckle and lifts our hearts for just have having them in our lives.
Dear Edith Hope,
you write heartfelt warm words for your late friend and give us the possibility to catch a glimpse of her. As long as she is in your heart she lives on - and her garden and house will bear witness to her uniqueness. I feel for your loss of a friend.
Dear Edith,
A grass labyrinth seems like such a perfect place to wander with a friend. Thank you for sharing this story of JG's life and legacy. It's clear that you feel lucky to have known her--and for good reason!
Hello Edith, now I come to think about it one of the nice things about gardening is you can leave something of yourself behind when you've gone, not something I consider often when I'm weeding the cabbage patch, but true all the same. Kathy
What a marvelous legacy to leave for the future. What a grand lady she must have been.
Dear Edith,
What a beautiful tribute to your friend. She sounds like a very special lady. You have me wondering about the people you mentioned and the initials....... ;-)!
You must be a very tough lady to walk barefoot on the grass in February! It must have been terribly cold. We went to our garden for an hour yesterday. Even with my thermo socks on they were almost frozen!
Have a good evening!
Lieve groet, Madelief
Dear Edith,
I forgot to reply to your comment on my blog. So sorry! I am not going to use all those packages of seeds. I simply have not got the space in my garden. Somehow I always buy too much and forget that my freezer is still half full. So silly, but when I see those colourful packages with promises of beautiful flowers in the store, I find it diffult to resist them!
Lieve groet, Madelief
Dear Lona, Thank you for your comment. Yes, you are so right...it is those small, even insignificant triggers that often bring back the strongest and warmest memories of people and places.
Dear Britta, Thank you for your comment. There are some people whose impact strengthens with the years and JG was certainly one of those people for me.
Dear Charlotte, Thank you for your comment. I do not know who, what or where inspired JG to produce a grass labyrinth but it was [and I hope still is] a beautiful piece of living green sculpture.
Dear Edith,
What a lovely tribute you have written in memory of your friend...she sounds like she was an amazing and talented woman.
And you've painted such a rich picture for us...
walking barefoot in her garden and a Titian in her shed.
Her home and garden look enchanting.
Dear Kathy, Thank you for your comment. I do agree that the more menial gardening tasks do not always make one feel uplifted.....but one's legacy is surely ensured by the plants one has given away, the advice one has shared or the passion for growing things that one has hopefully inspired in others. Dear Kathy, you have almost converted ME to vegetable growing!!!
Dear Pamela, Thank you for your comment. Although JG could have found many reasons to be grand it was her self-deprecating manner coupled with her sharp intelligence which totally conquered everyone in her path!
Dear Madelief, Thank you for your comment. As a regular reader of my weblog, I am sure that some of the initials will be known to you.
I was much younger and infinitely more foolish when we attempted the February walk round the labyrinth. But, it makes me smile even now to recall it.
Dear Madelief, Thank you so much for your reply. Ah yes, I know the feeling of being seduced by seed packet photographs....fortunately [or unfortunately, perhaps]wet rot, neck rot, damping off and mould put paid to most of my attempts to rear seedlings....so now I have almost given up.
P.S. I forgot to mention in my reply to your previous comment that JG's house was FAR colder than her garden...even in February!!
Dear Hostess, Thank you for your comment. JG was an accomplished picture restorer and this work brought her into contact not only with the most glorious paintings but also an intriguing circle of friends. Life was never dull at Wellbrook Manor as she [as you] was a marvellous hostess!!
What a wonderful memory - to have walked barefoot on the grass labyrinth in February. She sounds like a wonderful and remarkable friend and this is a lovely tribute.
Dear Edith,
Your friend, JG, sounds like a very remarkable lady and a true Englishwoman. How brave do you have to be to restore a Titian? Perhaps you could write more than a memoir, for we need inspirational role models for our girls.
Lovely Edith,
I'm really sorry for the death of your friend. She sounds like the kind of friend who's loss would leave a gaping whole in one's life.
But I think *she* was the lucky one: to have a friend like you who could write such a beautiful eulogy.
Sarahx
sad news but a nice tribute
It would take a very special friend to persuade me to walk outdoors barefooted in February especially in drizzle. JG sounds a most special and accomplished woman and your words convey your loving memories of a dear friend. I am chuckling at what sounds a gentle sense of humour too with the aptly named sage and onion bed.
Dear Ginny, Thank you for your comment. It has to be someone special to persuade one to walk barefoot in the grass in February. JG was indeed such a woman.
Dearest Isobel, Thank you for your comment. You are absolutely right about ther Titian....just imagine breathing on the canvas let alone touching it! All her life JG was interested in absolutely everything and was particularly fond of young people. I aim to follow in her footsteps!!
Dear Sarah, Thank you for your comment. It is so true that some people really do leave a chasm in one's life when they die, but they also tend to be the people who leave such a rich legacy of happy memories and inspirational ideas. It is some consolation.
Dear John, Thank you for your comment. JG died some years ago now and so it is easier to recall and write about the happy times we spent together.
Dear Anna, Thank you for your comment. JG had a wicked sense of humour and a taste for the absurd....this did lead to some very interesting episodes....being barefooted in the grass labyrinth was a mere nothing!!
Dear Edith, this must be a most a memorable post for you, to reminisce about your childhood and the fortune of enjoying a friendship, especially one with a lady of many talents and great generosity. You two must have shared a great deal.
In addition to her plantings about the garden I know I would have loved the area of "unusual and interesting vegetables".
She would be most pleased to be reading your endearing words of friendship.
Edith, I am too dog tired to feel that my reading has done such lovely writing justice. What a loss for you! Unless I have missed it the Titian in the potting shed merits further comment!
I must reread when fresher.
Best Wishes
Robert
Dear Diana, Thank you for your comment. Yes, I am certain that you would have loved the vegetable garden which I suspect is long gone now.JG liked seeking out obscure, ornamental varieties and then presenting them at dinner where one had to guess what they were.
Dear Robert, Thank you for your comment. I do so hope that you will soon be tucked up warm in your bed. Too much work and too little play makes Jack a dull boy.....!!! Still, a good night's sleep and you will be a new man.....maybe!!
With February 2 just around the corner, it is no wonder you post about your dear friend today. For some reason I feel pulled back in time whenever I read one of your posts. Large old homes on large properties, not quite of times gone by but changing. And you are, of course, an enigma to me. Your life hints of many things and yet does not reveal.
Dear Patty, Thank you for your comment. Times are certainly changing and I do admire people such as JG who have the foresight to make arrangements which protect important parts of our heritage so that future generations may enjoy them.
I often do think that the times we live in are challenging and that earlier decades were somewhat gentler, so I find myself moving between the two as the mood takes....!!
Carolyn, What a moving tribute to your friend and plantswoman JG. I only hope that when I am gone someone will have such lovely things to say about me and such fond memories of time spent together (I can just picture you two in the labyrinth from your beautiful description). I was recently referred to as a plantswoman for the first time by b_a_g and am still giggling with delight. JG's life sounds like one well spent. Carolyn
Dear Carolyn, Thank you so much for your kind comment. From what I have read of your postings, the title plantswoman certainly applies and is well deserved by you. To me, the title is won by people who not only have a wide body of plant knowledge but also have a passion for plants which inspires others. I think that you and JG would have had much in common.
Of course I meant to say Edith at the beginning---how silly.
Your friend would no doubt be deeply moved by your beautiful tribute, Edith. I have a wonderful picture in my mind now of this strong woman I never met, a portrait that includes such whimsies as laundry floating among the boughs of the orchard, a cleverly named bed of onions, and *of course* a Titian in the tool shed (love this!).
One would think it would spell disaster to end up barefoot in February, no matter how fascinating the swirls of the labyrinth one traversed -- but that just shows how amazing the twists and turns of this labyrinthine life can be, to leave you with such an indelible and delightful memory of your friend.
aloha edith,
i was just finishing visiting my friend meredith when i saw your name on the comments and popped on over, happy to see you again for the new year...your comment about a titian in a tool shed brought a smile to my face and a wonderful thought about this remarkable person..happy gardening new year to you edith.
Edith,
You write about your friend with such affection, and such an interesting life to share with the rest of us. She sounded like quite a determined lady who certainly wasn't afraid to take on whatever interest took her fancy. Looking at her house in your picture reminds me of how there are so many treasures simply hidden within our own country that are never seen by the public in general, wonderful topiary! And as for her tool shed containing a Titian, well, although such work is not to my own taste, the lady did have such style. Wonderful!
Dear Carolyn, Welcome back. No apologies needed!
Dear Meredith, Thank you for your kind and generous comment. JG was certainly a woman of contrasts which meant that any time spent with her was never dull as one did not know quite what to expect. I think that this is a perfect way to live and prepares one for all the twists and turns that, as you say, life inevitably brings one's way.
Greetings Noel, Thank you so much for your comment and your kind wishes.I am pleased that you found the posting amusing.I can assure you that the Titian is no joke and it has always made me wonder just what exactly people do keep in their tool sheds!!
Happy Gardening Year toyou too!!
Dear Gary, Thank you for your comment. Yes, JG's yew hedges were her pride of joy...first watching them grow to maturity and then clipping them into fantastical shapes.
I am so sad that we do not share the love of Titian....such a master of controlling light with a paintbrush. I could strip all my walls bare to hang just one and gaze on it every day!!
As you well know, dearest Edith, dear friends are the beautiful flowers in our lives. I lost 2 remarkable women in my life this past year ... my heart is with you. What a handsome estate and delightful, creative, humorous and generous friend ... my kind of gal! Your treasured memories of JC will live forever.
dearest Joey, Thank you so much for your comment. I am so sad to hear of the death of your two close friends. Really good friends are so precious and not so easily come by as one gets older I find. One does not, perhaps, fully appreciate the impact they have on one's thinking until they are no longer there.
Dear Edith, I love the sentiment in your opening sentences. This is a such lovely tribute to your dear friend and fellow gardener.
Dear Edith, this is a most moving post, she sounds a remarkable woman. Thank goodness she left the house and garden to a trust, so that presumably its basic character will be retained. The reference to being barefoot in the grass reminds me how sensual gardens can be. cheers, catmint
Dear Jennifer, Thank you for your comment. I do think that it is true to say that often it is those rather quiet and unassuming individuals who can have such a devastating effect on one's life!
Dear Catmint, Thank you for your most kind comment. Yes, the Vivat Trust is an excellent organisation which will not only preserve the integrity of the house and grounds but also enables them to be rented out for holidays to the general public. This enables these historic places to be kept as living tributes to the people who have cherished them in their lifetimes and allows others to enjoy them.
Dear Edith, You were fortunate to know a woman of such substance. Your description of her garden is intriguing (grass labyrinth!) - since it now belongs to the Vivat Trust, does that mean it's open to the public for visits? As to your comment on my blog: *your* blog stats must be fascinating. If you do take a look at them, let me know what you discover. Regards, Barbara
Dear Edith,
What an elegant little story of your friend and her lovely gardens! It sounds like you were very much kindred spirits. Gardens are such restorative and centering places, aren't they? And special friends are one of life's best gifts.
Hi Edith, What a sweet tribute to a very dear friend and a fellow gardner. I enjoyed the photo of her beautiful home as well. Thank You for stopping by for a visit. Have a wonderfull week....Julian
Dear Barbara, Thank you for your comment. The Vivat Trust produces a brochure each year listing its properties and their openings. In general, it is intended that one books a house to stay for a holiday but I am not sure if any of the properties are open generally to the public. As the Trust has made its headquarters at Wellbrook Manor, the openings there may be different but I am sure that the Trust's website would provide all information.
I have just glanced at the STATS part of the dashboard and am already intrigued by the contents. I shall report further when I have found my way around!
Dear Carol, Thank you for your comment. You are so right in what you write here. Real friends are, in my view, to be cherished and it is not often that you find another person with whom one shares so many of the same enthusiasms.
Dear Julian, Thank you for your comment. JG and her house are, inmy view National treasures so I am pleased you enjoyed reading this. Your newly acquired cupboard will, I know, be transformed by you and I am looking forward to reading more!!
Dear Edith,
Wonderful tribute to your friend.
I had to do some catching up as I had missed a few of your posts.
Loved the Barbara Hepworth statue. I have been to her museum in St. Ives. Wonderful place.
My daughter had a birthday party at Alice's Coffee Shop while living in Brighton. Her and her girlfriends thought it was lots of fun.
All the best,
Ingrid
dear Ingrid, Thank you so much for your comment and for taking the trouble to read my earlier postings. I am so pleased that your daughter and her friends had enjoyed Alice's. How interesting that she used to live in Brighton.
The Barbara Hepworth Museum in St Ives is wonderful, I agree.
An interesting post and obviously a very interesting friend to have.
Something I wanted to add, Edith, is that I hope you're feeling okay.
You don't say how close you were. Just so you know, you're in my thoughts.
Sarahx
Dear Sarah, Welcome back and what a very kind thought. We were very close friends and although it is some 4years since she died, I miss her still.
Dear Barbara, Thank you for your comment. JG was an individual in so very many ways.
What a wonderful friend to have had - I'm sorry for your loss.
Dear Edith, thank you for sharing such a warm memory of your friend JG. Had I ever the fortune to have met her, I know I would have liked her immensely. A strong woman, an avid gardener, chicken raiser, and rare sheep breeder...she sounds very much like my sort of person.
Through these lovingly sculpted tribute posts you write, dear Edith, I feel privileged to get to 'know' your friends a little too. Such history in these stories! i'm glad that you share them with us.
Your friend must have been a unique and interesting individual. You wrote beautifully about her. The hedges in the picture are unique, and shows something of the person your friend must have been.
Dear Sarah, Thank you for your comment. Yes, JG was a very special person in very many ways.
Dear Clare, Thank you for your comment. Yes, I am sure that you are right. From what I have read in your postings, there are many areas of interest which you and JG would have shared. And a lively sense of fun too!!
Dear Jodi, Thank you for your kind and generous comment. I am so pleased that you have enjoyed reading the posting and am sure that you would have enjoyed meeting JG too!
Dear Masha, Thank you for your comment. Ah yes, the hedges......JG's pride and joy. They look wonderful!
oh dear edith what a wonderful, thougtful tribute to your friend. we should all be so lucky to leave our mark such as she did. i am so impressed with the photo. i enlarged it as much as i could. the hedges are amazing and is that a bird sculpture there too? i wish i could see the laundry drying above the lavender. oh my.
xo
janet
'Nor wilt thou then forget,
That after many wanderings, many years
Of absence, these steep woods and lofty cliffs,
And this green pastoral landscape, were to me
More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!'
I enjoy Wordsworth's poem so much, and perfect in context. What a wonderful overview of your friend's life.
She sounds like an extraordinary woman, and your memory of treading the labyrinth with her one precious memory amongst many. That she is still remembered with such warmth is an even greater legacy than the house and garden, I think.
Dear Janet, Thank you for your kind comment. Yes, the topiary hedges are indeed wonderful. JG used to take such pride in them and have such fun creating ever more fantastical shapes such as the 'bird' in the picture. The lavender under the washing was a lovely and practical way of scenting the sheets!
Dear Paul, Thank you so much for your delightful comment. What a perfect quotation. Wordsworth does indeed convey the essence of the English landscape and the words you have chosen so beautifully capture JG and her life.
Dear Janet, Thank you for your comment. A grass labyrinth is such a marvellous garden feature that I would instantly copy it if I had the necessary space. So utterly simple and yet beautiful.
Yes, I think that you are right in that if we are remembered fondly by friends then that is a great tribute to a life well spent.
Your friend does sound like the type of person of which many happy memories are made from knowing her. I love the story of you and her barefoot on the grassy labyrinth. It just sounds like the type of adventure two close friends would have on a wet winter day.
What a beautiful home and garden she had.
I want to life a life that when I am gone someone writes a tribute like this about me.
How beautiful.
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
Dear Catherine, Thank you for your comment. It is so true that only special friends can carry out the type of crazy activity that others would scoff at. Subsequently, I have always wanted to recreate my own labyrinth but have never had the space.
Dear Kristin, Thank you for your comment. Yes, I know exactly what you mean. It is somehow terribly improtant how one's friends might remember one......I suppose it is all to do with how good a friend one was in their lifetime.
It is sad that your dear friend is gone. She obviously touched the lives of many and left a legacy of memories and a beautiful home and garden as testament to her soul. If only all of us could leave the world with such blessings...
Dear Edith Hope,
Thanks for stopping by. Oh my goodness, my humble garden and then the story of JG? Who I WISH I HAD KNOWN.
I love learning all this and I smiled when I read about the laundry in the orchard sailing high above the lavender. Oh, and the names. What a wonderful sense of humor she had.
All joys to you,
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
Dear Edith, Bantams in the orchard, a clothes-line strung between trees, a grass labyrinth traversed barefoot ... with each image you paint a fascinating picture of your good friend's life. What wonderful memories you have. Your memories must be a great comfort.
I missed your brilliant postings while I was in hospital. I am home now and feeling well, so I'll post soon even though I know my writing can never be as eloquent as yours . P x
She sounds to be a National Treasure, and how fortunate the Vivat Trust is to have been given her house for the HQ. Splendid! Reggie
Very beautiful post! your friend sounds like a truly unique person, must be great to have meet her.
Dear Deborah, Thank you for your comment. They are special people indeed who leave such an indelible mark on the lives of others. I feel privileged to have been a friend.
Dear Sharon, Thank you so much for your comment. The sheets always smelled wonderful after having brushed against the lavender.....a perfectly practical and pretty way to do the laundry.
Dear Pamela, Thank you for your kind comment. I am so sorry to hear that you have been unwell and have had to be hospitalised. I do so hope that you are making a good recovery and shall look forward to reading your postings when you are fit enough to write.
In the meantime, take care of yourself and keep warm!
Dearest R, Thank you for your comment.JG had planned her legacy to the Vivat Trust some years before her death but I had only recently learned that her house had become the Trust's HQ. An idyllic part of the countryside in which to be based.
Dear Fer, Thank you for your comment. Everyone who met JG warmed to her instantly. She was always genuinely interested in the lives of others and had a very wide circle of friends.
Every now and then you read about someone and think "I wish I had known that person" and your post has left me with a longing to have known JG, as well as to know you of course!
I like the idea of the labyrinth too. I wonder if I could make one here?
Dear Elizabeth, Thank you for your comment. Oh yes, what a splendid idea......a grass labyrinth in your beautiful garden. Essentially a simple idea, although JG did much research in establishing the exact pattern of the labyrith, and it sits so easily in the landscape. DO IT!!
Wonderful post. Hope that her garden will be kept green as well as her memory.
Dear Edith, what a blessing it must have been to have a friend like JG but I am sure that she was as blessed to have you as a friend! I agree with your very first sentence on this post...so true!
What a beautiful estate she had...!
Oops, sorry there was a misunderstanding (My English is not always the best when trying to convey something..I only cut a small piece off the scone where there was no savoury and put the strawberry jam on that little piece... :)
Ixx
What a wonderful tribute to a lovely friend. An amazing life she lived, thank you so much for sharing.
Dear Dona, Thank you for your comment. What a lovely thought!
And, thank you too for becoming my latest follower. I am so pleased that we have found each other as I have such fond feelings for Italy and the Italian people and look forward to learning more from your postings.
Dear Ingrid, Thank you for your comment....and for clearing up my confusion over your scones!
JG was a one off, unique and cannot be replaced.
Dear Carrie, Thank you so much for your comment. I am so pleased that you have enjoyed reading about my wonderful friend.
One of my friend's sister-in-law died this morning, a week after giving birth to her fourth child. I don't know very closely who has died, other than my grandparents.
I hate thinking about my mother dying. I speak to her all the time and I think it'll leave such a looming hole in my life.
Anyway, sorry to gloomy up your day. Events this morning made me think of your experience with your close friend.
Sarahx
Dear Sarah, Welcome back again. I am so terribly sorry to hear this most sad news. My heart goes out to that family and to those poor young children without a mother. As you say, one's mother is so very, very important in shaping one's upbringing and sharing one's hopes and dreams. I do so hope that they will have the love and support of close family and friends.
What a brilliant memory, both of this wonderful woman and the 2nd of February! Edith, the way you describe her, I can almost sense and hear the two of you - walking in the grass, in the drizzle, moving farther along. Thank you for the window into that wonderful scene.
And, I think that I've just decided that I want someone to one day say of me that I was "forever one to delight in the absurd"! =]
Love, Katy xo
Dearest Katy, Thank you very much indeed for your comment. JG was an extraordinary woman of great intelligence, individual style and with a sense of humour which, I am sure, you would have much appreciated. Her house and garden, both quirky, reflected so closely her personality. Even after all of this time, I miss her greatly.
What a beautiful home and setting for your wonderful friend. I am sorry for your loss but glad you have so many fond memories. Her home is so lovely, and I hope the grounds are being well taken care to carry on her memory and love of gardening.
Have a wonderful week!
~ Julie
I just have to comment again...
I cannot explain! I feel very inspired! =]
Dear Julie, Thank you for your comment. I am so pleased that her house and garden are in the hands of the Vivat Trust since I am certain that they will look after it well.
Dearest Katy, Welcome back. I am always pleased to hear from you!
What a wonderful tribute Edith. Your friend would love reading all you had to say in the way that only you can say it.
You said she did the Topiaries herself? The bird is magnificent! How I would love one just like it up by the tall fir trees in my yard.
Dear RG, Thank you for your comment. Yes, JG loved clipping the topiary and became more and more adventurous with her creations. Your idea for one in your garden sounds such fun....go ahead!!
Dear Edith, I am the Trust Director of the Vivat Trust and continually regret not having met JG. Please do come and visit if you are in the area. Laura
Dear Laura:
Thank you so much for your comment. JG was a remarkable woman and I should be delighted to take up your offer should I find myself in Herefordshire, which sadly is seldom these days, again.
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