Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray
For the Glory of the Garden that it may not pass away!
And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away !
Rudyard Kipling
Hello Andy.
The last verse of one of my favourite poems The Glory of the Garden.
I first found this when visiting Kipling’s home in Sussex. And because I help look after a garden in Maldon (Essex) I can very well appreciate the words. I particularly like the lines about weeding with an old knife.
Arthur Cox
My wife and I both enjoy reading your news.
Hello Arthur
Thank you very much for your kind comments.
Blanche was my oldest friend’s mother and I knew her as long as I have known him – some 49 years. She inherited from her mother a lovely Victorian villa with a splendid garden, and lived there for much of her life. She was also a great gardener – amongst many other things – and she too loved the Kipling. Her grandson read the poem at her memorial service yesterday.
Best regards
Andy