...for a small embroidered lavender-cushion. The cross-stitch on the cover has the name of my newest great-niece, and the cushion is a little commemorative gift for her Baptism, which takes place tomorrow. It goes into a bag of gifts - she's also getting a book about Jesus (from the CTS - they have beautiful things for children), and there are various useful baby-things...
The lavender comes from Joe's garden. He lives opposite us and his garden is a joy. Every year he brings across great bunches of lavender, and I repay him with jars of home-made blackberry jam. We unite on neighbourly projects - he was a stalwart of the arrangements for the Street Party for the Queen's Jubilee, and leads the campaign to clean up the walkway that leads through to the main road and is too often used as a dumping-ground for rubbish (last week, a sofr - most weeks, beer-cans and pizza-boxes and greasy chip-bags. Oh, and dog-pooh...).
Earlier this week, Joe's lavender was still green. In the hot sunshine it has bloomed, and this afternoon I brought in a great bundle, scenting the kitchen as I prepared it for the christening gift...
Tomorrow morning I'll set off early to catch a Mass at Westminster Cathedral before hurrying on to a train to the west country for the family gathering. I've been asked to do a reading at the Baptism and I'm touched by this.
The years rush by as you get older- they merge into one another...it seeems such a short while ago that we were gathering for the baptism of this baby's father, on a happy morning in the early 1980s...just yesterday, but for him a lifetime ago, and now the next generation...
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1 comment:
Have you seen the lavender farm between Purley and Banstead right now? Bliss!
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