The English Garden

Last summer a British friend recommended that I am slowly reading a book called, Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox. There is a section on gardens including garden rules. I learned all kinds of interesting things about the garden.

Today was a bank holiday and as we are still recovering a bit of jet lag I decided not to do school. The children ended up working in the garden.

 Bob is working to dig up some roots.

"The English all want to live in their own private box with their own private green bit."

Miss K is helping to get the pansies ready to plant. 

"Tiny scraps of land, which almost anywhere else in the world would be regarded as too insignificant to bother with, are treated as though they were grand country estates."

Digging out the weeds.

"Each house will usually have a minuscule patch of garden at the front, and a larger green bit at the back."

Miss K watched how Mel was planting the pansies and then she carefully dug her hole,

added some mulch and put the pansy in and filled in the dirt around it. 

"This is one of the most important garden-rules: we never, ever sit in our front gardens."

Carefully patting the dirt down around the pansy. 

"And it must also be said that even the average, bog-standard English garden represents considerably more effort than most other nations typically invest in their green bits."

Watering the flowers, of course after they did that it did rain this evening.

It was hard work. I am thrilled they had the opportunity to work, get dirty, and serve others.

Miss K went right to sleep. Hopefully she will be over jet lag and not come to my room at 4:00 in the morning wanting me to teach her how to draw a snowflake (that was this morning's request).

Bob was dirty and tired but proud of all the work he had done. The people we are staying with are thrilled with the work that they got done and have a bit more for him to do.

All the quotes are from the book Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox.

Beth