I am essentially an introverted home bod type of person. While I do go out and socialise with friends and family I also need time to myself to recharge my batteries and rediscover who I am. Today has been one of those days. I have been given a quite random day off from all three of my kids, the house is my own – apart from the dogs and cat – and I have absolutely no pressures to be anywhere or drive anybody anywhere for the whole day. I have also been lucky enough to have a day of wall to wall sunshine with very little wind – I live on top of a very big hill, other people have a breeze? I get a gale force wind  – and over the last few months my poor garden has been very much neglected. So, today has been mainly a ‘be kind to me’ day when I just pottered around pleasing myself.

Cue the music of Spandau Ballet followed by Kenny Rogers playing quite loudly in the conservatory so that I could hear it in the garden, my version being sung out alongside them (luckily, no sign of any neighbours to hear my tuneful voice) and what started as just get some secateurs to trim back the brambles that grow through my back fence from the field behind turned into a mammoth digging over and compost mulching of two flowerbeds, planting of anemone and crocus bulbs, get rid of a small tree/bush that the previous owners had planted in the most ridiculous place and it was half dead as a result and replant some lavender plants that I had grown in pots and they needed more root space. They are now firmly ensconced into one of the flower beds and more about them later.

The kindness of others towards me has come to the fore today. On being so pleased with my accomplishments of this afternoon I posted a picture on my Facebook page stating to ‘ignore the desk that I need to get rid of somehow.’ Within minutes a friend had offered to do a tip run for me next week. I am always amazed when others offer me help. I have been a single parent for 15 years and as a result, tend to be overwhelmingly independent, I rarely ask for help and never ask twice – if it’s not done the first time, I just walk away. I have been told many times that I shouldn’t do this, that I should ask more and remind people because they forget, but that is so hard when it is generally easier for my quiet self to just get on with a job in my own little way. This offer though, totally out of the blue and unbidden, has put a big grin on my face and an appreciation of just how kindness can have the effect of raising someone’s spirits, even if they are already in a good place.

Back to the lavender though. I originally planted it last year to help the bees – score one for the planet again! – and I did take great pleasure sitting in my garden attempting to take a photograph of a bee in action, they are speedy little blighters, and I eventually got there.

This year though, I wanted to do some more with it, and also thinking of the project of kindness to others, so a quick browse on the internet taught me how to dry the lavender so that I could use it for some special ideas I have planned for a few weeks time.

And while I was about it, a further browse showed me how to dry some rose petals that I can also use. These particular roses were from a bunch that I was given as a thank you last week so extra special and a gorgeous colour.

In a couple of weeks I shall move onto stage two of this particular plan and meanwhile I shall continue to enjoy the absolutely heavenly scent that is currently filling my conservatory from these drying plants.

I guess what I am trying to say in this post is that even when you don’t see another human being for a whole day it is still possible to both give and receive happiness. I have been in my element today and I have made preparations towards making others happy at some point in the future. I have also been offered a favour that I would never have asked for in a million years, and I have been brave enough to accept, also a failing of mine usually.

And the sun has been shining….

Today is always a good day. x

Anita. x