Marigolds! I heard the delighted voice calling out, seemingly from the hedge on the other side of the road.
I was walking the dog (Rosso) on the way to our usual exercise spot in the field, and pondering how many inane tasks I could find to do when we got home, to delay the necessary 'getting stuck in' to writing my latest book. There was; cleaning the oven (does anyone actually do that?), rearranging the fridge contents into alphabetical order or even the long awaited culling of Facebook friends who were no longer (friends).
I am aware I have more time on my hands now I have reduced my caseload, but unfortunately my mind hasn't quite yet caught up with the fact that I can slow down and take time to enjoy the simple things in life. However today I was curious and wanted to find out more about the voice.
Was this a permanent hedge dweller? Maybe a walker who had lost their footing and needed help?
I bribed Rosso with treats to persuade him to stray from our usual path, and crossed the road to investigate.
'Hello?' I offered, to what I could clearly see now was a woman, standing in the ditch and working really hard to clear some of the wild Hops that had self planted there. "I do this every year, it's like my own little garden. And look - there are Marigolds!" She pointed to beneath the fence and sure enough growing by the side of the beck that flows through the village, there were several confident, sunny orange flowers in the middle of the wild, overgrown 'garden'.
We stood for a while pondering the joys of her discovery and enjoyed a conversation about our mutual love of our own untamed, natural gardens.
Rosso became impatient so we continued with our walk. I reflected on the joys of time well spent in slowing down, doing nothing very much, and the pleasure of meeting the woman in the hedge.
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