Most mornings this weather I’m in the garden around 6 am, still in my nightie. I collect the tiny flower heads from my chamomile patch and place them on a rack to dry. There are around a hundred new flowers every morning and they have to be picked individually at the precise moment when they are in full bloom in order to capture the maximum therapeutic benefits. Early morning, once the sun has warmed the blossoms, is the best time. The task is slow, painstaking and calls for keen eyesight and a firm but gentle grasp. Three weeks in and I might just have enough for a pot of chamomile tea to share with you.
Is it worth the trouble? I think so, particularly during this crisis. The activity slows down my heart rate and breathing. It’s helps me untangle knots of anger, fear and sadness. Surrounded by the bird song, listening to the bees, and sheltered by the canopy of trees increases my wellbeing.
I’m so grateful for a space to cultivate. It’s been with me since childhood, this desire to grow plants and to tend them. It is a basic human need we often fail to appreciate.
Please take a look at the work of the Lemon Tree Trust, enabling refugees to create gardens in the camps.
Is it worth the trouble? I think so, particularly during this crisis. The activity slows down my heart rate and breathing. It’s helps me untangle knots of anger, fear and sadness. Surrounded by the bird song, listening to the bees, and sheltered by the canopy of trees increases my wellbeing.
I’m so grateful for a space to cultivate. It’s been with me since childhood, this desire to grow plants and to tend them. It is a basic human need we often fail to appreciate.
Please take a look at the work of the Lemon Tree Trust, enabling refugees to create gardens in the camps.