3rd september 2011 2nd letter

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Dear Monty,

'The Glory of the Lord has risen upon thee' just listening to Messiah by Handel.

I looked at the garden this morning after watching GW last night- and it looks scruffy and without merit in comparison with your garden !!! Then in my jealousy I said to myself- well that Monty Don and Sir Roy Strong can afford to have 'proper' gardens....I thought this despite hearing you say that it can be as joyous having a small patch as rolling acres! Then worse than this I thought huh, 'Jewel' garden that's very pretentious naming a garden in the first place !
Oh see how I slide into a mean spirited mindset....then after feeding the chickens, the clouds lifted- the sunlight breaks through just for a moment and lights up my'Italian' garden...and little jewels appear...new cystus flowers just opening....literally like small jewels in amoungst the green...and the rose beyond....scruffy roses...scruffy beyond !- but jewels.

I too have a jewel garden and I can see what a privilage it is to have a small scruffy patch of ground...with robin song, frog croak and chicken cluck.

Here endeth this mornings lesson. Amen.

Cheers Monty,
Paul the deluded artist and gardener.

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