Contentment

The other day I spent time with my friends Brian and Marian who showed me what contentment meant. We all lead such busy lives that we often don't have the time or inclination to sit back and reflect on our lives. I went to see Brian's sheds in his garden as I was going to write a piece about garden sheds. He told me that the wooden garden shed he bought to replace the original one was demolished by the great storm of 1987, was now being used as storage for his beekeeping equipment. I looked in it and it smelt of honey and beeswax - it was a lovely old fashioned smell of wood, wax and sweetness. Then we moved on to his current 'shed' which is the garage because he needed more space to store larger items for his beekeeping,(honey jars, beeswax and candle making containers), an old beehive, his garden tools, his work bench which comprised woodwork tools, drills and other tools which I was not familiar with. The shed garage had a cooker and a trunk freezer in it and various furniture. The furniture was used to store Items which previously belonged to Marian's grandfather such as a ration book, old papers of historical interest and other odds and ends. It seemed to me that the garage shed was also the place where Brian spent a lot of time because it was his space. His own space where he pottered and mused and worked...every man needs a shed and this was Brian's private place and what a wonderful place it was. It epitomised Brian and what he is - his work, his life and his beekeeping hobby.

Apart from his shed, Brian showed me his greenhouse where he and Marian were growing their vegetable seedlings and other plants. It was a well tended greenhouse which he was very proud of. Everything was in its place, waiting to be planted out when the season was right. Every thing in the garden seemed to tell a story and had a history of its own - the vegetable patch, the apple trees, the garden shed, the greenhouse and the summer house. All these add up to tell a story of Brian and Marian and their contented lives, in a cottage where they brought up their family and where they spend many happy hours in the garage shed, in the greenhouse, in the summer house and in the garden; planting, weeding and tending their plants and vegetables and enjoying tranquility and calm that go hand in hand with the way they lead their lives. The many birds and wildlife that visit their garden daily join in to celebrate with Brian and Marian a life of contentment. A way of life that does not ask for much. This was seen in the joy and delight when Marian and I sat in her summer house watching the beautiful contours of the apple tree in blossom and listening to the quiet as its blossom fell gracefully on the grass, blown down by a gentle breeze. Aaaahh!