We don't have a dishwasher - our previous one "died" just before we moved here 6 years ago and we've not yet replaced it. So I spend a lot of time standing at the sink looking out of this window while I do the washing-up. One of the first things we did in the garden was to make a flowerbed outside the window so I would have something interesting to look at, and I really appreciate it every day. So far this year I've enjoyed hazel catkins, witch-hazel, cornus, snowdrops, daphne flowers and now hellebores and aubretia.
And I get to spot quite a few animals and birds while I wash up - pheasants, partridges, moorhens, blackbirds, robins, dunnocks, great tits and blue-tits, various finches and once a woodpecker. I watch rabbits and hares - once a young hare even took up residence in the flowerbed for a while, and occasionally Mr ( or is it Mrs?) Fox - a magnificent creature, but not a welcome sight when you're a henkeeper...
This morning it was a tortoiseshell butterfly and some fat bumblebees working over the Aubretia flowers.
Maybe one day we'll get a dishwasher: but if we do I think I will miss my washing-up sessions too much...
A little quiet time in the day to stand and think and take in your surroundings can be a very good thing indeed. What a lovely flower bed!
ReplyDeleteAren't you lucky you get to see it all don't you? It's a busy time of year out in the garden. I love watching the birds and up until this year we had a family of foxes living next door it was lovely to see the baby foxes jumping around in the grass.
ReplyDeleteWell I normally hate washing up Gillian but somehow you've made it so appealing!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see all those animals! At least you have things to take your mind off washing the dishes! I agree with Ally too, you've made washing up sound so wonderful! LOL
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post :) ... ok, I'm not getting rid of my dishwasher but you did make me think maybe I'll wash up by hand sometimes and check out what's happening in the garden :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely post, Gillian. With heart and hands—it perfectly express the title of your blog—hands and heart working together, whether in the act of creation of keeping is always a good thing. Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteoops...creation or keeping I meant, but you probably got that ;)
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