Monthly Archives: Nov 2022

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Yesterday we were busy doing the garden jobs at our property as we prepared before the thunderstorm. Who knows when or where? 

I was sitting down under the cherry tree near the house’s side door and delighted my hard work in the rose garden paid off. The roses displayed beautifully and showed many colours; oh ahh, how sweet the smell floating in the air!

“Come out here where the roses have opened. Let soul and world meet.” – Rumi.

This is the only rose garden that won’t prick my partner when he does lawn mowing anywhere. He loathes the thorns of the rose shrub, but he does like the rose displayed. This is why I planted box hedges around the rose garden but leaving two gaps by the rabbits love sunbathing inside and allowing our dogs to run through box hedges. Yes, dogs wreak these gaps but the only way I can walk inside the rose garden and do light weeding or pruning the hedges around on both sides through the gaps.

“Life is like a rose garden — watch for the thorns and keep the pest dust handy” – Anonymous.

I may get one more rose – seeking the rose called ‘Blue Moon.’

Sadly our nearest Rose nursery centre, I have known them for many years and bought several climber roses for the field, is closing after more than 90 years. It was called Roach’s Nursery. Mike is the third generation to own and run Roach’s Nursery after his father – Lon retired. This family has exciting tales to share here. Mike’s grandfather, Thomas Bartholomew’s parents, emigrated from Ireland in 1847 to Hamilton East. The family had eleven children, and the late Thomas established Claudelands nursery in the back of their family house in 1921. After the war, Mike’s father and two uncles took over the ownership of the nursery, which moved to Clarkin Road, Hamilton, Matangi Road, and Newell Road in Tamahere. The final place was Schollum Road, Eureka.

“Smell the roses. Smell the coffee. Whatever it is that makes you happy.”

Rita Moreno

Yesterday late morning, I went out to do a quick shopping for one Deaf elderly chap who is 90 years old.

By the shrove, see a beautiful rose shrub showing the display of white-yellowish roses out in the bleak, cloudy morning. A rose shrub is a perfect place by the ramp of the house in the long driveway, bringing a welcome greeting to anyone to visit him.

Earlier late winter season this year, he asked me to prune the rose because his late, Deaf elderly brother was no longer there to do the pruning. I pruned, removed the old, worn branches and finally trimmed to tidy up the space for the air circulating inside the rose shrub.

Voila, he was delighted to see blooming now while his sister travelled to see him over the weekend. She was pleased with the fabulous display and took rose cutting home, where she placed it in the vase.

Last weekend I visited another Deaf CP elderly man, 71 years old, and he told me that he was busy doing a weeding in the front side long strip garden under the window the day before I saw him. He was pleased to see his flower shrubs starting to display under the window where he could look out from the room. Oh, what a fantastic result to show off with his proud work!

I recalled several years back when he asked me to get flower shrubs for the bare garden so that nothing would grow there. I bought several iris bulbs, a violet creeper carpet from our garden, and two more shrubs from the plant centre.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu

Looking at them, I meet weekly routines, and they often throw their requests at me for their needs or to ask for something they saw on the news from the television news programme. It is about bringing together and having conversations in sign language so they feel included on cold dark days. It is the essential key goal for our lives to ensure everyone is okay, the need of daily basic necessary things around home and garden.

Today is a rainy day, and I have two jobs to do and face the wet weather I loathe. There is nothing I can do, and I will continue to outshine the dark, gloomy day for one person and possibly teach a small ‘turn up’ audience for the class at the library.

This photo below is a perfect reflecting to look out from the kitchen window each day, but not today.

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller