Recently when visiting friends in their new house, they made the comment that they had bought a garden with a house rather than a house with a garden.
It is true that the garden can be the focus of a living space and can be particularly important when you work from home and so need need to learn to prioritise professional and personal life.
It is all about quality of life - I work in a very nice setting, not only because I live in the foothills of the French Alps and can see them out my office window but because I can take a few minutes off now and then to spot the latest arrivals in the garden.
This morning I got an email from a friend who is off to the hospital today to get the prognosis on a brain tumour; not an easy situation. But her email was to order jam, she had a list of jam she wanted me to put aside for her over the coming months. This email filled me with an unexpected happy feeling - my little garden was a source of future planning for someone who had decided to continue no matter what.
Our garden is not only a source of relaxation for me when I take a few minutes away from the computer but helps put everything into perspective. The joy I get as I wander around on my daily inspection is just renewed every day. Today I picked the first round courgette of the season. In fact the first round courgette I have ever held in my hand. I spotted the first little green beans which have magically appeared overnight. I picked and podded some peas and dug up some new potatoes for dinner to be served with mint and chives.
And in fact the jam is underway. I made gooseberry jam yesterday, and with nearly 10kg of red and white currants picked, jelly and sorbet making are probably for later this week. However, what all our friends are waiting for is the blackberries that should start weighing heavily off their natural green arches any week now. And so life continues, and renews itself and gives us all these little moments of joy.