Natures Music

From the images I have been posting, you will have gathered by now that it is a place of peace and beauty. The planted and the wild have come together in a harmony that seems to be working. Early days and we will see what the summer brings. It does look positive for now. The birds offer the music and when I sit and write or just enjoy a glass of wine, it is like a hug.

When we stop to listen, I always find it inspiring to hear nature's music. The rustle of the wind through the leaves, the buzz of a happy bumblebee seeking out the nectar from the onion and chive flowers, the distant call of a fledgling begging for food. A cacophony, well worth the time it takes you to hear it.

Friday night is Burger night and has been for almost 30 years. Most Fridays my family come over, not my whole family, some live in Australia and this little morsel of information is likened to a dagger through her heart. We do miss her and her entourage, it is many, we live in the hope she will be here next year.

If the weather is fair we do have a BBQ, burgers, chicken, sausages and the trimmings. It works and everyone adds their flare to their burgers. The Italian side of the family brings joy and a tempo which we enjoy, long live that tradition. The main course is always the wine, soft reds are the favourite, G&T do get a mention as does the odd IPA. You possibly wondering what everyone has on the night. The Middle-Smiths do enjoy their burgers and chips with bacon, Macdonald's cheese and a fried egg. She who must be obeyed has a little chicken, some salad and a mushroom, baked with garlic and cheese in the oven. I, on the other hand, have the full monty. Cheese bun with a thin burger patty, we do thick and thin, a slice of BBQ chicken breast, mature cheddar, lettuce leaf and fried tomato, covered with lashings of mayonnaise and sliced chilli. Chips on the side, the job is done.

My son does enjoy all of what I have, without the bun, I know, strange, but we love him and that is enough. He works for a building manufacturer in the New Forest and his daily commute to work takes him through quaint Forest villages and rolling hills. I dare say he has to avoid the odd New Forest Pony or deer. They manufacture walls, made from plywood and insulation, saves time on the build and are good for the environment.

I have always been very fond of classical music, it is timeless and enduring. I came across a beautifully played version of Spiegel Im Spiegel by Nicola Benedetti. Have a listen, really is worth it.

Nicola Benedetti: 'Music is the art of all the things we can't see or touch.

I dreamt of my son the other day, he still had the same eyes and the same scars, that smile and laugh through the tears. It is too late now to tell you that I love you but I will be with you, so every time I breathe, it will be me blowing you, me. Whenever it rains, that will be you keeping me sane. I do talk to you and I hope you are listening. You left us too soon.

I took these photos while on a walk at Kingston Lacy. A place to take time to stand and listen.