TLC & roses

Sometimes when you're under the weather what helps more than any pill is a good dose of TLC! Yesterday we visited my Mum & Dad for Sunday lunch & to collect middle son who had been staying with them for a couple of days. Eldest son was there too & my sister, her partner & my niece Joanna-Mai popped in, so it was really nice. My Mum has that special thing that only mum's possess that helps when you're unwell or hurting. Just as a magic kiss on a grazed knee always made things better when I was little, a big 'Mum hug' now still helps lots. It's that tangible mother love that envelops you in that hug that soothes & mends I think. As for my Dad, he's just amazing. He has Parkinson's Disease and although I'm sure he has his dark & depressed times with it, he never lets it show. He is always cheerful, always has a joke & is always positive & determined. He really is an inspiration! I came away feeling fully refreshed, topped up with TLC & with the news that eldest son is coming home from Uni for the Summer next weekend. Hurray!
Family were forefront in my mind as I sat out in the garden today quietly looking at the beautiful roses in my garden. Roses always remind me in particular of my Nan, who grew the rose 'Whiskey Mac' in her garden. A while back I planted a bush each in memory of my Gran & my Nan, & one's that seemed appropriate to all the female members of the family. A couple haven't survived for one reason or another, so I was thinking that I must replace them. My roses aren't perfect, because I don't like to use sprays on them, but they do hold sentimental value for me.


Oh, and a young ducklet named Chalk certainly enjoyed the dead heads. I don't know if it was the rose petals or the greenfly she was relishing!

Chalk rummages through the dead heads