Sanctuary

I sat in my garden yesterday. The sun shone brightly. The temperature soared. I looked around at all the colours of the flowers and thanked God for my sanctuary. It was beautiful, peaceful, glorious sunshine and I felt wonderful!

I thanked God that there are so many shades of green, varieties of plant, so many colours and different wildlife. Amongst others, we have Great Tits, Sparrows, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Robins and, of course, some less desirables such as pigeons. There are squirrels, mice and a whole host of insects and gastropods. I don't appreciate creatures who eat my plants, but they all have their place in the food chain.

I moved into the front garden and there is a big difference - the wind is quite strong. It blows a breeze causing the plants and trees to sway. Different colours thrive in the front as we have a definite north/south divide with our home.

The sun can send temperatures towards 100 in the back and at those times, moving to the front of the house is a relief. Conversely, if I am cold, in the front of the house, I can warm up by moving to the back. Our sun room is a lovely haven when it's cold.

Such extreme differences, but both work together to balance everything out.

Jeany Pavett, Author of Life After Death: A Mother's Story