Welcome to my Perching Post.

What are your Favourite Things?

'Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens...'

Lines from one of the all-time favourite ‘feel-good’ films, ‘The Sound of Music’. Happy images to cheer you up when you’re feeling a bit blue.

Woman walking along road — Feeling a bit blue?

There’s nothing wrong with the occasional flight of fancy. A day dream, a whimsical moment, whatever gets you out of a slump and into a more cheerful frame of mind. It might not quite be the weather for ‘warm woollen mittens’ but August, notionally a month of high summer, draws to a close. Whilst the weather might not have been what we would expect for the time of year there are still some wonderful things to enjoy, whether we’re at home or out and about.

It’s often the small things that can make us smile. A brief (and welcome) overnight shower left raindrops glistening on flower buds and petals in my garden. They shone like jewels, even in the damp, subdued light.

Raindrops glisten like jewels on green leaves — Raindrops glistening like jewels

A walk along a local lane brought sight of emerging autumn fruit – sloe berries and blackberries. A spur to make some jams and jellies perhaps… Or perhaps you might enjoy the view of a field where the harvest has been gathered in.

Time to have a go at making that bread recipe you’ve always thought looked appetising. There are few aromas that beat the smell of freshly baked bread.

Person holding loaves of freshly baked bread — Enjoy the aroma, feel and taste of freshly baked bread

So whatever your mood – go on, make a list of your favourite things. And enjoy them.

‘When I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don’t feel so bad…’

Raindrops sparkling on a pink rose — Raindrops on roses…

The excitement of a Summer of Roses

July is a time of high summer (usually!) and one of the joys of this month is the glory of the rose. Both cultivated and in the wild they bring colour, fragrance and a sense of sheer exuberance and celebration.

Roses over a doorway leading us into the heady days of summer — Roses open a door to the glories of summer

A fossil of a rose found in Colorado suggested to archaeologists that roses have existed for over 35 million years. Roses are renowned for their resilience – the world’s oldest living rose is believed to be 1,000 years old. Growing on the wall of the cathedral of Hildesheim in Germany its existence has been documented since AD815. Legend has it that the rosebush symbolizes the prosperity of Hildesheim; as long as it flourishes, so will Hildesheim. In 1945 allied bombers destroyed the cathedral, yet the bush survived. Its roots remained intact beneath the debris, and soon the bush was growing strong again.

Wide open beauty - the thornless rose Zepherine Drouhin — The thornless rose ‘Zepherine Drouhin’

As well as their beauty, fragrance and powers to soothe mental health issues after flowering roses bear hips and these are rich in Vitamin C. Childhood memories of jars of rose hip syrup may well spring to mind – a daily dose was recommended as a way of getting sufficient vitamins.

A full blown Gertrude Jekyll rose — Fragrant rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’

Who knew that as well as being internationally renowned roses are also space travellers? In early space research the miniature rose ‘Overnight Scentsation’ was sent into space as part of research into how low gravity affected a rose’s scent. It’s good to imagine and hope that early settlers on Mars might well grow these beautiful plants…

Relaxing and enjoying tranquility brought by roses — Roses aid relaxation and help restore inner calm

Red roses are well known as symbols of love but other colours have significance too. Pink roses represent admiration and grace; yellow roses bring joy and cheer; white represents purity and innocence, and orange roses are harbingers of energy and zest for life.

Massed roses to bring joy — An exaltation of roses!

Whatever your own preference, I hope you can enjoy and revel in this wonderful season of roses.

A Nightingale sang…

Walking along a leafy path a few days ago, spring birdsong providing a musical accompaniment, I was suddenly aware of a different mellifluous tune. Immediately and delightfully recognisable I identified it as a nightingale. More usually heard singing at night – their song is so much more noticeable then when other birds are asleep – this noon day bird was carolling his heart out. Enough to lift the heart and cheer the soul.

Nightingale perched on branch — Nightingale – unobtrusive to the eye but spectacular in song

Nightingale song is beloved of poets, musicians and almost anyone with a sensitive spirit. In 1924 the musician Beatrice Harrison was practising her cello in the garden when she became aware of nightingales singing around her. She persuaded the BBC to record this wonderful partnership and the resulting recording went as viral as was possible in those days. Public reaction was enthusiastic and Beatrice received over 50,000 fan letters – some simply addressed to ‘The Nightingale Lady’.

The poet John Keats is well known for his ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, slightly melancholy but with those beautiful phrases that speak of ‘tender is the night’, ‘magic casements’ and ‘thou light winged Dryad of the trees’. I thought of those phrases later that same day when I leant from my window in the small hours of the night and heard again the nightingale singing his bubbling joyful paean – this time accompanied by a distant tawny owl.

Spring bliss indeed.

New spring growth on trees in springtime — Blissful new spring time…