Taking Time To Smell The Roses

Taking Time To Smell The Roses

Back in the day when I was in full flow of theatre productions, cabaret performances and ballroom dancing (how on earth did I find the time to do all that - plus rehearsals - and still work at The Daily News?!) one of the monologues I loved performing was one of the Postscripts written by JB Priestley for the BBC.

It begins, "I don't think there has ever been a lovelier English spring than this one, now melting into full summer."  Living in South Africa meant I couldn't quite appreciate the nuances of the changing seasons in the UK, but the magic of his words transported me to another world, and I loved reciting it.

Once again, this year has proved if we didn't have the weather to talk about, perhaps we wouldn't have much conversation! but there are now more and more days when you can feel a warmth in the air, and you just have to stop and enjoy moments in the garden, and be grateful you can see, hear, touch, feel and smell things, like the perfume of roses on the breeze.

When we have had difficult days to get through, and worrying things to contend with, it's as if we are given a respite, when we can stop everything for a short while and go outside, literally and metaphorically to smell the roses.

We have a beautiful vermillion rose; a deep red rose, that produces flowers that are so perfect, they look as though they are made of silk; and a floribunda rose, "Blue for You," that keeps producing red-tinted buds that explode into a magnificent mauve.

A Red Admiral, sunning itself on one of Mum's sheets, drying on the line!

The wisteria this year was also magnificent, making a magical archway all along the side pathway of the house.

When Mum was still able to do the "twiddle" to get herself out of the chair and into the wheelchair, it was easy to take her out into the garden to enjoy the scenes and summer scents for a while, with the cats at her feet; it is more complicated now, because she has to be hoisted. Mum could indeed be hoisted into the wheelchair, and wheeled into the garden, but because we are not qualified to use the hoist, Mum would have to stay in the wheelchair until the carers' next call. That could work, but we would then worry that the carers might be delayed with an emergency at a previous call, so thus far, we have not risked it. As the summer progresses, I will try and organise an extra call, so that we can be sure of getting Mum back into the house before too long, and back in her chair for dinner.

On a day like today, you feel everything is possible! and I have been taking time to stop, step outside, and smell the roses.