M......... is for Mindings

... for the Alphabet challenge.

First of all, thank you so much again as my heart from yesterday actually made it to the Spotlight, much to my delight and amazement. Twice in one week is unheard of for me so I am humbled.

It has poured with rain on and off all day, mostly on. I did manage a reasonably dry walk with the dogs although I didn't dally when I saw the shape and colour of the approaching clouds. As a result I am a bit short of blips for today but I wanted to put this one in my journal this week sometime, so today is the day.

An astonishing 20 years ago I planted a few daffodil bulbs in this overgrown, but sunny, side of a hillside where I walk almost daily. The bulbs were planted as a reminder (in Scots parlance "a wee minding") of a much loved golden retriever called Jinty so that I would always remember her at this time of year as I walked through the woods which she loved. Subsequently I also placed the ashes of my next retriever, Ceilidh, here too and planted snowdrops to mark the time of year of her passing. The daffodils have multiplied in those intervening years while the snowdrops have yet to become established and naturalise. Although there are clumps of daffodils beside paths elsewhere in the woods these are the only ones set amongst the forest debris, although they do not look out of place. Instead they light up the area so that they can be seen from a distance and every year in the springtime the sight of them always brings a special smile to my face as I walk. These flowers give other walkers pleasure with their beauty and brightness after the dark months, but for me they are totally special as they are my "wee mindings" of my former pals and fully deserve a place in my journal.