The Sweet peas are doing just as I asked them to do – climbing nearly all the way up the arch, smelling delicious and framing the back part of the garden.If you look carefully, you can just see a horse in the back field and, on the table, the broad beans which I had just picked for our meal tonight.

Sweet pea archway

This afternoon, in honour of National Cream Tea Day, we had splits with Jam and Cornish cream in the garden. The rain of the day had stopped and the sun came out lighting all the raindrops in the grass like tiny diamonds.

Split with Strawberry jam and Cornish Cream

When I came in, I found a message with a lovely poem waiting for me. The poet, Steven Fanning,  wrote these beautiful words when awaiting the birth of his daughter.

Through Seasons

Found you in the fading springtime
When the summer sun rose once more
Waited for you since the autumn
A vigil chilled upon the shore

First life upon the autumn tide
Through four long seasons yet to come
Immersed so deep, the pool within
The longest wait for summer sun

Spring’s gentle zephyr kept at bay
No carpet of leaves leads you in
These seasons pass you softly by
No winter chill on your fair skin

Soon it passes and you’ll arrive
The seasons coax our time away
When water gives way to the air
We’ll meet then, on a sunny day

The poem came with these words which, I am sure you can imagine, pleased me greatly.  “Hi, Mrs S, I saw your blog, containing lots of poetry and it reminded me of the anthologies we wrote in year 9. I remember you really encouraging me to write (and I know I wasn’t exactly a dedicated student!), however I kept writing poems on and off over the years and thought I’d share one with you…I wrote this before my daughter was born.”    I just love it when students I taught years ago get in touch.