FLOWER FRIDAY - GOOD NEIGHBOURS!

I would have blipped my Helianthus, but did that last Saturday, so wanted something different.  Not too many flowers in our garden, so I took my secateurs and went out intending to knock on a neighbour’s door to ask if I could “snip and blip” his beautiful double Antirrhinums - or snapdragons, as I used to call them when I was a child.

However, as I walked up the front path, I saw Chris, another neighbour, who had been away recently and who was taking his son’s dog out for a walk, so took the opportunity to ask if I could “snip and blip” one of his beautiful climbing roses on the front of his house.  He said he would be happy for me to do so and then told me that a couple of years ago, he had cut this rose down almost to ground level and thought that was the end of it - but as most roses like a good prune, this one was no exception and it has been a picture all summer - in fact, for the last few summers.  Our kitchen is at the front of the house so we look out on this beautiful rose and it has been a joy and delight to us, so thank you Chris and Ruth. Now I can enjoy the roses from our window, the rose I cut and the lovely perfume!

Whilst chatting to him, I asked if his wife was in and he said she was, so I popped in to have a chat with her too and to find out about their holiday.  They go down to the south coast, quite near to where we used to go, so it was good to hear about what they had been doing.  It’s wonderful having good neighbours and even better when they are prepared to share their flowers.  We often share cakes, bread and vegetables with our various neighbours, and even share our garden recycling bin with our next door neighbour - we are so blessed!

“We become neighbours 
when we are willing to cross the road for one another. 
There is so much separation and segregation: 
between black people and white people… 
between Muslims and Christians, 
Protestants and Catholics… 
There is a lot of road-crossing to do. 
We are all very busy in our own circles. 
We have our own people to go to 
and our own affairs to take care of. 
But if we could cross the road once in a while 
and pay attention to what is happening 
on the other side, 
we might indeed become neighbours.”
Henri Nouwen

P.S.  Mr. HCB has gone off to cricket, so I have missed his input today - I preferred this over-exposed shot, but have put the original in as my extra - will ask him later which one he would have chosen!