on 10th March

we decided to turn our back on the traffic and face the other way

taking our deck chairs to the other side of the desire line

this is her view
and this is mine

As we sat

relaxing in our adopted garden

she told me of an article she’d read in the paper –

a review of Edgelands: Journeys into England's True Wilderness (Farley & Symmons 2011)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/mar/06/edgelands-england-farley-roberts-review

(the review was written by Marion Shoard

who, coincidentally, coined the term ‘edgelands’ in 2002

at the end of the review

a reader’s comment caught her eye…

Funny how those who sing hymns to such places don't tend to be in the socio-economic bracket that necessitates living next to them. How exciting a scrapyard must be when seen through binoculars from a mansion, slightly less so when you're stuck next to it because you can't afford to move somewhere nicer.

We mulled over this comment as we sat in our anyone’s garden

What about she and me?

Neither of us live in mansions

Nor do we view these landscapes from afar through binoculars

We sit in them

For pleasure

For relaxation

not because they are a novelty

As for me, right now – I live less than 200 yards away from a ‘wasteland’, an edgeland littered with traces of wild play

And

as a child I used to play on the slag heaps by our house

as well as the abandoned foundations of a building behind Aunty Dilys’ house

my earliest memories of out door play are framed in wasteland spaces

And

as I’ve grown

so has my appreciation

for these

undervalued landscapes

She, on the other hand, whilst clearly having lived near to so called wastelands

has no memory of wastelands

for her, every bit of wild land was an exciting place

special places to experience nature

they’re perverse nature reserves aren’t they…

always have been

always will be

nature appreciation is a free commodity

and beauty is in the eye of the beholder

regardless of socio-economic circumstances

if we value these landscapes, do they not become valuable to us?

Are they not useful?

Anyone’s garden is useful

at different times

for different things

for a couple of hours a week - it’s useful for us

Last year it was useful for butterflies

This year less likely so

Because all the budlea butterfly bushes have been cut down

That’s what’s perverse

Urban brownfield sites offer

A mosaic of reserves for nature

A mosaic of reserves wildlife

But only for a limited time…

March 3rd

facing into the sun
the sun on our faces
this is her view…


and this is mine



bitterly cold
blankets over our knees



we take in the delights of the garden
aurally, flute playing filters through the air
around our feet, shards of broken glass glisten


– the urge to sweep is strong!

at undetermined intervals we wander through the garden…

taking care not to step on the plants…

there are many reproductive structures in this brownfield garden
and
today
joy of joys
we discovered our first flower…
a coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

the ground is positively bursting forth with little purple sproutings

and buds about to unfurl



bitterly cold
back to our chairs
would that we could do some sketching – but fingers are numb and unwilling




to warm up - a flask of hot stuff and some cake…

sat here – like this – is the time when we notice how people notice us.

this ‘anyone’s garden’ is in an overlooked spot
on the corner of a road junction
not only that – there’s a public desire line thoroughfare through the garden
(of course this makes the garden a perfect spot for a respite)
because of its location we’re conspicuous to a number of; commuters, travellers, locals, and workers…
passengers on the top deck of a double-decker bus, in unison, do a double take…
police officers, patrolling in their police car, curiously peer
passengers wind down windows, stick their heads out, and gawp
some shout out to us – often inaudible due to the traffic hum
sometimes not so
“Are you alright? Is it a protest?
“No” I shout back “We’re just sitting here enjoying the garden”
we receive jolly waves
and partake in thumbs up gesturing and fragments of banter
“Why not” he retorted
“Enjoy it” they shouted
“Good on ya” he said

a second wander reveals more flowers blooming –
wavy bitter-cress (Cardamine flexuosa)



closer

closer still

in the brownfield garden
the anyone’s garden
the observers garden
there’s visual intrigue all around

lying in wait of recognition

In anyone’s garden – 17 feb 2011-02-27

given our gardening principles, there’s not a lot for us to do in terms of ‘gardening’
so we sit…
and enjoy our garden
and enjoy it we do
next to each other in deckchairs


This is her view




And
This is my view




so, quite contrary, how does the garden grow?
With tufts of grass
And cushions of moss
And mattresses all in a row –

It’s february – and fair to say that not much is blooming just yet
And we don’t quite know what the garden will beget amid the strange surface sealings of man-made fabrics….