The Grass is Always Greener.

I did not think anybody would be at all interested in what I ate, sorry Jerry. My daughter made a marvellous Thai Green Curry while I cooked fresh rainbow trout on the fire outdoors. The trout were stuffed with leeks and dill fresh from my plot and lemon. The only small problem was the string I held all this into the fish had a tendency to want to burn. Such is life.

Now while you think of that I am thinking of that fresh grown tomato, there is nothing to beat produce freshly picked.

This discussion reminds me of a beautiful little story of the young girl.

The little girl lived in a small, very simple, poor house on a hill and as she grew she would play in the small garden and as she grew she was able to see over the garden fence and across the valley to a wonderful house high on the hill – and this house had golden windows, so golden and shining that the little girl would dream of how magic it would be to grow up and live in a house with golden windows instead of an ordinary house like hers.

And although she loved her parents and her family, she yearned to live in such a golden house and dreamed all day about how wonderful and exciting it must feel to live there.

When she got to an age where she gained enough skill and sensibility to go outside her garden fence, she asked her mother is she could go for a bike ride outside the gate and down the lane. After pleading with her, her mother finally allowed her to go, insisting that she kept close to the house and didn’t wander too far. The day was beautiful and the little girl knew exactly where she was heading! Down the lane and across the valley, she rode her bike until she got to the gate of the golden house across on the other hill.

As she dismounted her bike and lent it against the gate post, she focused on the path that lead to the house and then on the house itself…and was so disappointed as she realized all the windows were plain and rather dirty, reflecting nothing other than the sad neglect of the house that stood derelict.

So sad she didn’t go any further and turned, heartbroken as she remounted her bike … As she glanced up she saw a sight to amaze her…there across the way on her side of the valley was a little house and its windows glistened golden …as the sun shone on her little home.

She realized that she had been living in her golden house and all the love and care she found there was what made her home the ‘golden house’. Everything she dreamed was right there in front of her nose!

As they say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

This blog is linked to my other.   Castles in the Sky

The Extra Five Minutes

I was walking along the coastal path and decided to cut off and head up through the woods taking the high route back home rather than the low one. I had a miserable start to my day. Determined to paint I had got ready a new canvas and set out some paints. I should not have bothered I knew I had nothing in mind and was merely going through the motions. So here I was walking. I had tried a sketch of a grandfather playing at the edge of the water with his very young grandchild. The two looked so happy. Another disaster. So here I was just walking.


Having left the coastal path I had to cut through the children’s play area. Just a few swings, a level area for cycling and a grass area for playing and running. The park was almost empty and yet it was a beautiful afternoon. The bench at the top of the park looks down and out over the river forth with its famous bridge. There was one man sitting on it so before heading up into the woods to the top path I joined him to enjoy a moment.

His daughter was running up and down the hill and tumbling with another lad. The father shouted to tell her it was time to go. “Can I have another few minutes?” she asked. “Well just five,” said the father. Five minutes later the same thing. Another five minutes. BY this time I was chatting away to the father he was so proud of her. Again it was agreed a last five minutes. I commented to him on his wonderful patience.

It was then he told me about his son. he had been killed on the road a short distance from where we were by a speeding driver. He said he had not given his son enough of his time and how he wished he could just have another five minutes with him. The same thing was not going to happen again. he was going to give his daughter all the five minutes he could.

“Anyway, I will tell you a secret,” he said. I have made allowances for the extra five minute slots up to four times he laughed.

I left them and took the high road through the woods. I have run this route often and walked it also. I has never looked as good before as it did yesterday. If I see that father again, I will thank him for the five minute slots he gave me also.

I wonder who I could give five minutes to this day. I know for sure no matter what happens, good or bad, I will find a slot to give somebody a smile.

 
Oh and I came home and did the sketch attached to this blog, first steps in painting again the lavender fields for my wife.
 
I will share it on the other blog: Lavender Fields Sketch