Let me take you on a small journey to a lovely and enchanting garden that belongs to a very special and talented lady. My dear friend, Akiko, a gardener and artist, has turned her garden into a magical place. I always feel inspired when I visit there and am reminded of an Impressionist painting. Winding pathways meander through flower beds full of colour and scent, lush grasses, purple irises, poppies and peony bushes border along the pathways; roses ramble over arbours and gates and clematis climbs up fences and posts. Thyme and mint fill little nooks and crannies. No space is without colour. This truly is a place for gardener and artist. Thank you dear Akiko for being such a wonderful inspiration to all of us through your art and garden. Michelle
A Magical Garden - by Michelle
Morning dew like jewels glisten
The night now gone, the sun has risen
Warm licking arms of golden ray
Awaken dear garden this glorious day
Song of bird, lilting from the tree
Sky so blue, you set out free
Your home is apple, oak or fir
Your little ones, in nest they stir
Purple and yellow Iris I see
Tall spires of grass and peony tree
Orange, coral and fuzzy poppies grow
Sun on their face, their colours aglow
Red gate and pathway lie beyond
To a magical place where treasures are found
If you follow the path you might just see
The big grey owl who lives in the tree
I watch a flickering and lively sight
Hummingbird’s tasting honeysuckle’s delight
Along ground’s edge creeping woolly thyme
Bees dancing in clover, nectar divine
Red roses and white, pink, crimson hue
Clamber up and over, the clematis too
Its vine intertwined and reaching so far
Hang Royal velvet and soft purple star
The scent in the air is ever so sweet
Of rose, new grass and mint under feet
Lavender, thyme and rosemary grow
The kale and lettuce, all in a row
The pathway ends near the raspberry patch
Behind blueberry, strawberry in cage with latch
Beyond I see the red garden gate
Under rose and arbour, more treasures await
When evening casts it shadows of trees
Last rays shine golden on their leaves
Flowers glimmer and stand in last light
Tuck in their heads and say a good night
Morning dew like jewels glisten
The night now gone, the sun has risen
Warm licking arms of golden ray
Awaken dear garden this glorious day
Song of bird, lilting from the tree
Sky so blue, you set out free
Your home is apple, oak or fir
Your little ones, in nest they stir
Purple and yellow Iris I see
Tall spires of grass and peony tree
Orange, coral and fuzzy poppies grow
Sun on their face, their colours aglow
Red gate and pathway lie beyond
To a magical place where treasures are found
If you follow the path you might just see
The big grey owl who lives in the tree
I watch a flickering and lively sight
Hummingbird’s tasting honeysuckle’s delight
Along ground’s edge creeping woolly thyme
Bees dancing in clover, nectar divine
Red roses and white, pink, crimson hue
Clamber up and over, the clematis too
Its vine intertwined and reaching so far
Hang Royal velvet and soft purple star
The scent in the air is ever so sweet
Of rose, new grass and mint under feet
Lavender, thyme and rosemary grow
The kale and lettuce, all in a row
The pathway ends near the raspberry patch
Behind blueberry, strawberry in cage with latch
Beyond I see the red garden gate
Under rose and arbour, more treasures await
When evening casts it shadows of trees
Last rays shine golden on their leaves
Flowers glimmer and stand in last light
Tuck in their heads and say a good night
