Sun after rain

Nothing can be sweeter in the garden than sun after rain. Dryness is overtaken by life-giving moisture bringing growth and colour; even the birds seem to sing more beautifully early in the morning. The robins, tits , finches, blackbirds, woodpeckers and other winged friends visit the feeding stations gathering food for their nestlings. Bees visit the blooms gathering nectar, like the rest of nature doing what they are programmed to do from when their life began. The garden is a hive of activity and yet a place of rest and comfort. With friends and family leaving this earth for loftier regions, the garden is ever a reminder that life with its seasons goes on. We planted a small oak tree in the front garden yesterday. We will never see it reach its full glory but the mother oak standing in the back garden tells us what it will become — if allowed to grow. Like the rest of life, we never know what our small efforts might lead to in the future, nor do we know how we will be remembered. Does it matter? Some people seek immortality through what they leave behind. The trouble today is that what WE are doing to the environment is nothing to be proud about. What indeed is our legacy to future generations? I look out on my garden with joy and yet with sadness too.