One month on

Thank you so much for your messages during this difficult time. I have to say that I am finding it harder at the moment which I gather is normal. Steve was very much the centre of my life and any activity connected to stained glass and jewellery design is due to his generousity of spirit.

I have a table sale (Fun and Frolics Day) to attend on 20 September in Rackenford Devon (just up the link road from Tiverton) between 2-5 pm. Of course with the rain there is a small chance it might not happen but I'm getting the display together and adding some new jewellery items.

I am still mulling over what to do with Steve's blog. I have to say that I feel sick when I look at it for any length of time even though I know I will love reading it in years to come. One of the ideas I'm playing with is posting up images of the garden's 'restoration'. If you have any views on this, let me know.

For now I leave you with a few images I've taken recently. Some are a bit depressing and pretty much are a reflection of the devastation Steve's illness created. Others are much more uplifting.

Images explained

Top image: View from the office - well this is only the part of the garden immediately around the house. There is a further hundred metres of garden beyond those back trees. Happily, Steve's Dad will be helping me to buy in the equipment and muscle necessary to restore and maintain it. Of course the garden will need to be simplified in the lower sections but this is something that Steve and I discussed so I feel happy with what I'm planning to do there.

Second image: Socks dozing - Socks has taken Steve's death rather badly and is very vocal in the office which still feels like Steve's place. I'm having trouble tidying things up. I'm not very domesticated and also it feels like I'm tidying Steve out of my life which I can't really face.

Third image: Some jewellery - Dichroic glass pendant and very lovely one at that. Bought before Steve died. I have a small batch of artisan made dichroic glass cabs made into pendants to be added to my main site. You will notice that my Etsy shop is on vacation at the moment and will remain that way until I get a new credit card. No selling on Etsy for the time being but I'm sure I'll be buying supplies there as needed.

Fourth image: Clematis ?: I know that we bought this beautiful little clematis from Christopher Lloyd's Garden Great Dixter when Steve was well and the garden was looking wonderful. We planted it on a wigwam of bamboo poles near the hornbeam hedge but it never came up and we both had given it up for dead a long time ago. But here it is, scrambling on Buddleja 'Dartmoor'. I felt joy and then sadness when I saw this survivor. Sadly, I can't identify it in Steve's planting notebook so it will have to remain nameless for the time being.

Fifth image: Buddleja 'Dartmoor' with friends - this is my favourite buddleja. It has a lovely delicate weeping habit and long sprays of blossom and, of course, the butterflies and bees love it.

Sixth image: Frequent visitor - Deer, this year's young one. I'm not sure of the species though as they are quite small and I haven't seen a white flash on the tail yet. Probably a roe deer but don't quote me on that. This little one is about 3 metres from the lounge windows. They love bind weed leaves and so I don't shoo them away. It was interesting to note that they were much more nervous after I had done a token bit of grass tidying in that little lawn area so the scent of people even several hours later is enough to spook them.

Hopefully, I will feel a bit more inspired to update my blog in the near future.

Michele