Unbought Delicacies: The Garden in the Clouds

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

The Garden in the Clouds

I've just finished this book, and can honestly say it's one of the best books I've ever read; superbly written, hugely entertaining, poignant, hopeful, optimistic, completely mad. Wondderul. One of only 3 books that have actually made me laugh out loud. Even if you're not actually interested in gardening, there is so much to be got from it - railway carriages and mountains, gates and beekeeping, human nature, joy and sorrow. Anything is possible. Read it.

4 comments:

Leanne said...: I popped across to amazon to read the reviews. it sounds fab- ive added it to my wishlist!

Leanne x; 23 May 2012 at 10:47
Quilting Cat said...: I rad this a while ago and loved it, also Propellerhead by him, not into hanglindig but it made me laugh.; 23 May 2012 at 14:25
greenrabbit said...: I just read this, having got it from the library, which was selling it off. I too enjoyed it, but would somehow have liked more background to his story. What was the point in it all?; 24 May 2012 at 08:52
MrsL said...: The point was to make the garden - against all advice, against all odds, against all 'good advice' I suppose. The book is about his unfailing determination that it could be done, and the passion and commitment behindhis goal. I'm not sure there was more background - they sold up and moved there is pretty much it I think!
One of life's inspiring books for me.

Website:

http://www.thegardenintheclouds.com/

I think it would make a very good film, in the right hands :)

MrsL
x; 24 May 2012 at 20:08

I have found such joy

I have found such joy in simple things;
A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,
A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,
The shelter of a roof above my head,
And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,
Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.
I have found such joy in things that fill
My quiet days: a curtain's blowing grace,
A potted plant upon my window sill,
A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;
A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,
And books I long have loved beside me there.
Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might
Tell every woman who goes seeking far
For some elusive, feverish delight,
That very close to home the great joys are:
The elemental things- old as the race,
Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Ideas for handmade gifts

Small knitteds - gloves, scarves, hot water bottle covers, hats, tea cosies, phone covers, little toys,,cushion covers, bags. Some of these can be felted/fulled for extra interest.
Edibles - chutneys and jams, pickles, nice teas in a vintage/retro tin, sweeties, toffees, mustard, home made wine and liqueurs, home dried fruits, ketchups.
For the home - trimmed tea towels, handknitted dishcloths, quilted wallhangings, small samplers, restored picture frames, pot pourri, lavender bags, covered coathangers, little scented bags for hanging on handles, framed photos of family,etc you've taken yourself, pincushion,needle book, scissor keeper, book of promises (eg babysitting, 1 hour's housework, the ironing, etc)
Bathtime - homemade soap, bath oils, bath salts, knitted washcloths, herbal bags for the bath, hand sewn toilet bags, trimmed hand towels, homemade lotions and potions packed in pretty jars and bottles.
For the garden - home saved seed in handmade decorated packets; homemade handcream, exfoliating soap, wheat bag for those digger's aches and pains!

Handmade books, personalised printed notepaper and envelopes.
Hamper of bits and bobs from the above lists, packed in a pretty lined basket.

I'll add some more as and when I think of them; These can be used all year round and easily tailored to the recipient - everyone loves a homemade gift. :)

Inspiring thoughts.............

I saw a man, an old Cilician, who occupied an acre or two of land that no one wanted.
A patch not worth the ploughing, unrewarding for flocks, unfit for vineyards;
he, however, by planting here and there among the scrub cabbages or white lilies and verbena and flimsy poppies, fancied himself a king in wealth, and coming home late in the evening, loaded his board with unbought delicacies.
Virgil

I had no theories to prove. I merely wanted to try living by my own hands, independently as far as possible from a system of division of labour in which the participant loses most of the pleasure of making and growing things for himself. I wanted to bring in my own fuel and smell its sweet smell as it burned in the hearth I had made. I wanted to grow my own food, or forage after it. In short I wanted to do as much as I could for myself, because I had already realised from partial experience the inexpressible joy of doing so.

Harlan Hubbard, Shantyboat: A River Way of Life

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Wednesday, 23 May 2012

The Garden in the Clouds

4 comments: