Gardens and Buddhists

Open Garden, June 2023

The journey back from Devon was fine, and the following weekend was also fine - laundry, putting stuff away, recovering, and I was moved by the fine weather to start the ritual attack on my garden. After mowing the lawn and basic pruning I thought I'd have a look at the paved area round the back, and was dismayed to find weeds growing as high as my shoulder. All this plus brutalising the wisteria and dead-heading the rose will produce a full carload of greenery destined for the tip when I get a moment. Lola II was witness to some of this drudgery, as she visited in advance of a commitment she had in Birmingham.

I also visited a much nicer garden, owned by one of the Buddhists and mostly tended by her partner. It was part of the Open Gardens scheme a week ago, when there was torrential rain, but our afternoon in the garden was warm and sunny, and it's a really beautiful place. I even made googly eyed apple snacks for the picnic thanks to a random idea from Lola II.

Then it was time to welcome another Buddhist to stay at my house. This came about because last year I went on a retreat led by VG, and afterwards I wrote to him to thank him. I also said that if he needed any help within the team in future years I would love to support the retreat, and about six months later he messaged to invite me. Not one to pass up an opportunity, I asked in return whether he'd like to come to see our group, which he had helped to get started in 2003 when he was Chair of the Birmingham Buddhist Centre. So he did.

The next weekend was supposed to contain a retreat in West Wales for just the team supporting the Warwick Buddhist group. One by one the team dropped away until on Thursday we were left with just three people, who all live within 2 miles of one another. So we cancelled the 3 hour journey and spent the weekend together instead, meditating, walking and talking quite a bit about our plans for the group as well as going to the Birmingham Centre on Sunday. I fell asleep during one of the talks, and not because it wasn't interesting. At least it wasn't while I was driving.

And now I'm off to visit a few people on the way to camping at VG's retreat, and looking forward to it a great deal.