December thoughts....

                                                                                       

“…what has the deepest and most permanent effect upon oneself and one’s way of living is the house in which one lives.  The house determines the day-to-day, hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute quality, colour, atmosphere, pace of one’s life; it is the framework of what one does, of what one can do, and of one’s relations with people.”
                                                                                 Leonard Woolf

 

This quote.....not by Vita, Virginia, nor Vanessa.....but by Leonard Woolf eloquently captures how at home I've become in where I live; the bay area, my Orinda house, and my northern California garden.  My small Silverado house and surrounding garden had a profound effect on me. They taught me how to dwell on a small scale.  How to accommodate for towering canyon walls and limited sunshine in my garden for at least three months of each year.  How to weather the extremes of heat, fire, frost, and flood.  That experience, that environment,  and the memory of that wild and undomesticated space will live with me forever. 

But day-to-day, hour-to-hour, minute-by-minute, this unique Orinda house and unpredictable garden is providing a new framework for my life: for what I do (and won't do); for my continuing relationships with close family; for evolving experiences with my curious, creative and imaginative grand-daughters; for creating interesting life spaces for new friends; and for old friends......keeping them close to the heart in deep and abiding love and affection.

Fall in my Orinda garden......

  “Here’s the sun out ….and all the upper twigs of the trees as if dipped in fire; 
the trunks emerald green; even bark bright tinted, 
variable as the skin of a lizard.”

                                                                                             Virginia Woolf

Fall has arrived in the bay area ....
and my Orinda garden.  
The Acer's are aflame with fall colors 
and a joy to behold.

"...Then the positive delights also of flowers and trees and innumerable
unexpected sights and sounds keep one perpetually happy."
Vanessa Bell

After a morning of dead-heading
iceberg roses, planting a burgundy
dwarf loropetalum by the steps,
and a white solanum along the
back fence....this glorious
and unexpected sunset .......
over the Berkeley hills.

Gathering at the Table

"When the last apple, the kitchen table, and the bread-knife have come together, it is felt to be a victory for the human spirit over matter. The milk-jug and the ginger-jar are transformed. These common objects are invested with the majesty of mountains and the melody of music."
Virginia Woolf




On Mother's Day Hannah, Jordan, Stella and Djuna gave me a common object---a book---but what a very special book...The Bloomsbury Cookbook: Receipes for Life, Love and Art by Jans Ondaatje Rolls. I am enchanted and transported by what I'm finding between the covers of this book. As readers, we are invited to gather at various Bloomsbury tables---simple but talk-fascinating breakfasts at Monk's House, leisurely lunches at Charleston Farmhouse, candlelit dinners at Gordon Square, and alfresco suppers at La Bergere in the south of France. This wonderful book is filled with over 300 recipes, quotations, letters, paintings, photographs and personal reminiscences of various Bloomsbury artists and writers. I'm of a mind to spend the next year inspired...reading through these pages and trying all the recipes. A heartfelt thanks to my family for discovering this gem and knowing me so well!

The Garden in Early May

“…there are plums, pears, figs, together
with all the vegetables. This is going to be
the pride of our hearts.” Virginia Woolf

Virginia and Leonard's Monk's House Garden, and the
wonderful Orinda sun exposure inspire me to try
different plants and different vegetables. Globe and baby
artichoke plants in the raised bed are beautiful. We had
our first steamed artichoke Saturday night. Also growing,
six varieties of tomatoes, zucchini, leeks, arugula, basil,
kale, spinach, broccoli, and red and yellow bell pepper.
A Japanese eggplant was planted, but disappeared. 
The local squirrel perhaps the culprit? The herb garden
is a delight, providing french tarragon, oregano, chives,
mint, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. The Eureka and
Myer trees are abundant with lemons and the Orange tree
is sending out the most heavenly scent in late evening
and early mornings. I am in agreement with Virginia.....
yes, our Orinda garden is going to be the pride of our hearts.

The Garden in Early April

"The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before." Vita Sackville-West........







Everything is so different here in Orinda
from my life and gardening in Silverado Canyon.
Different experiences, new acquaintances
(can I yet call them friends?), particular plants,
unique birds,micro climates, and yes....
frustratingly hard clay soil.

But what joy! I have apple, pear, plum, orange,
lemon and fig trees. I take absolute delight in the
extensive sun exposure and the opportunity to
succeed in growing tomatoes, spinach, kale, peas,
and so many herbs. I relish the cool shady places
to stop.............and rest.......... and listen to the birds.

The Garden in late March

"never has the garden been so lovely....dazzling one's eyes with reds & pinks & purples & mauves."
Virginia Woolf.






I am slowly and deliciously making
my way through a glorious new book--- 
Virginia Woolf's Garden: The Story of the Garden 
at Monk's House.

Well, it's really Leonard's garden....his creation.
He planned, planted, replaced flowers, removed trees,
built walls, walkways,and ponds..... made it his own.

Virginia strolled through, weeded some, and
thoroughly enjoyed the view. This quote
resonated with me, and I thought Virginia's words
were apt for my own Orinda garden heading
towards a full bloom.