What Did You See In The Garden Honey?
Inspired by the incredible beauty of Spring and the consolations of nature in the face of life's ups and downs Alice adopted The Grandmother's Garden as an emblem. The idea that the wonder of nature is an antidote to the fallacy that we can control everything is very soothing - we can relax our grip, whatever nature gives us will be incredible.
A Grandmother's Garden embraces nature, rather than trying to control it, an experienced woman throwing seeds onto earth, accepting whatever nature gives. Unpretentious, it is rich with hardy, useful, low maintenance plants. It could be a sun-filled balcony or a rambling jungle. It is a garden of memories, stored in our collective unconscious. Our grandmothers offer narratives that accord meaning and organisation to experience and a stable and ongoing sense of identity. Their gardens tell us that we can't control everything and happiness lives in ordinary moments.
One of the most widespread cultural motifs, from the Garden of Eden to Islamic Paradise Gardens, gardens offer sanctuary from the harrowing state of the world, or just other people. The vitality of the earth itself is a source of renewal and creativity. If you let simple pleasures in, you will find release. It is a place of growth, sowing new seeds, taking care of things (weeding and watering) and exploring the jungly corners of our minds.
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