Frosted rose 'Zepherine Drouhin'

Wishing You a Better Year.

garden photography

None of us will be able to forget 2020 – the strangest and scariest of years. Here in the UK we are still keeping our heads down and trying to make the best of very restricted lives. I am especially aware of how lucky my husband and I have been. We have stayed healthy and we don’t know anyone who’s had Covid. (And I really hope it stays that way!)

We’ve also felt very lucky in having our garden this year. It has felt like a place of safety and refuge, especially during the first lockdown here. Although we are not yet of an age where we’d be particularly vulnerable to Covid, it seems that you really can’t predict what the effects may be on an individual. The possibilities of complications or long-term health effects has made us very wary of catching it.

Being able to spend time in the garden has been vital to our well-being this year. Seeing the garden as somewhere away from Covid, where we were not going to catch it, nor pass it on, was a great reassurance and comfort. There has been plenty of work to do in it, which has been a great distraction from the troubles of the world outside. It has also given a feeling of purpose to spending so much time at home. And the warmth of summer allowed us to appreciate how good the garden was as somewhere to just relax. Knowing that so many of our friends were also staying safe in their gardens was another reassurance.

But, of course, not everyone has a garden, and some who live in flats may not have easy access to outside space either. So I am very conscious of how lucky I am. And watching the bees, butterflies and other insects that have visited my little green space has felt quite special. It also gives me a feeling of responsibility – I can try to make this a better space for nature and a refuge for all sorts of little creatures. That makes my garden feel valuable and gives meaning to having to stay at home.

I hope that you’ve been able to find safety, comfort and something to help you cope with all the problems of Covid this year. And I hope that 2021 will be a better year for everyone. May you and yours stay happy and healthy and have the very best New Year.

Frosted leaves of Alchemilla mollis
Frosted leaves of Alchemilla mollis

29 thoughts on “Wishing You a Better Year.”

    1. Thank you Liz! We’ll play it safe until we’ve had our inoculations. Hopefully next summer will be very much better! Enjoy your summertime – and I will enjoy your summery photographs! 🙂

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  5. Thanks for sharing your wonderful images Ann, they are always a treat. Let’s hope next year develops into something better and more positive for everyone, albeit slowly I imagine. Let’s hope for some good gardening weather!

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  7. Happy New Year Ann! Nice sentiment in your blog. I think most of us who have a home and yard to seek refuge in are happy to have such a place during this past year. Wishing you and everyone a better year to come!

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  8. I think a lot of people have sought virtual sanctuary in your garden and enjoyed your flowers. I know a few people who had Covid but we weren’t in contact with any of them. It has been a year like no other, still working but seeing no colleagues in person since March, not being on any public transport, going shopping or to town since then. Very surreal. But the vaccine is starting to roll out now.

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    1. The idea that folk might find a little bit of virtual sanctuary in my garden makes blogging feel very worthwhile. I’ve been very happy to be able to escape and enjoy the wider outdoors via your blog. Hope they get everyone vaccinated ASAP – will have to be patient ’til then!

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  9. I live in a townhouse and have absolutely no gardening skills, but one of my neighbors, a fellow photographer, has an amazing garden that I have really enjoyed this year. Nature, in a broader sense, has been a place for of refuge for me. Even with travel restrictions, I have been able to find relatively isolated places to wander in the wild with my camera. Best wishes for a wonderful 2021.

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    1. Thank you Mike! Between the garden and photography I’ve been able to keep myself happily occupied at home. Nature has, I think, been much more valued by everyone this year. Hope you have a year that brings you health and happiness and plenty of good opportunities to enjoy nature and photography!

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  10. We are fortunate that you share these lovely frosted flowers, Ann. I too realize how lucky I am to live in a somewhat natural environment despite all the houses around us. 🙂
    Keep vigilant and healthy, Ann. Best of everything for 2021!

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    1. Thank you! Your comment is very much appreciated – it’s great to know that you enjoyed the photos. 🙂 Wishing you a New year full of health and happiness!

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  12. I love both these pictures and am glad you’ve had your garden as a refuge. The year has put our wild places into perspective too. A couple of the places local people have been using for exercise are earmarked for building on at some stage – it seems so tragic. We have plenty of hilly places surrounding the town where we can walk, but relatively few on the flat for older people or those who are not fully mobile.

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    1. It’s very sad that the places that older or less mobile people are able to enjoy are likely to be built over – once they’re gone there’s no way of replacing them. Unfortunately, those in charge of planning are often out of touch with how they’re affecting the lives of others (and wildlife).

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