Roamin' In The Gloamin'

Oberon is a Roamin' in the Gloamin'

Roamin' in the gloamin' wi' ma lassie by ma side,
When the sun has gone to rest, that's the time that I like best,
O, it's lovely roamin' in the gloamin'!
—Lauder, Sir Harry (Hugh MacLennan)

"...The stillness and freshness of the air the mysterious blackness of the hills the startling white flashes of the little pools looking as though they had absorbed light from somewhere and were loath to part with it.."

..."faded Gradually was darkness spreading over everything and as the darkness spread the stillness and sweetness of the gloaming made itself felt.

Auld Lang Syne: Selections from the Papers of the "Pen and Pencil Club."

By Pen and Pencil Club, Pen and Pencil Club, Auld lang syne

Published by printed for private circulation, 1877

Original from Oxford University

Digitized 25 Jun 2007

176 pages

Oh, to be out roamin' in the gloamin'

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Amongst the hundredfold things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving is that my lassie Oberon is on the mend and in 3 more months, after being on limited off-leash exercise, she will be finally back to her full activity metal plates, pins, screws and all.

Symbolism of Ferns

The fern in Christian iconography is a symbol of the life and humility of the hermit because ferns live in shaded, half-hidden locations

The fern is also associated with magic, fascination, confidence, shelter, discretion, reverie and a secret bond of love.

Here are more pictures of ferns from in and around the Garden Brae

Genius Loci, Hermits and Homelessness

Homelessness - what has that to do with gardening and garden design? How does it connect to the Genius Loci of creating a timeless garden of beauty?

"Achieving a connection between culture and nature has become increasingly difficult in modern society. This difficulty extends from the vast gulf separating "nature" from the human visions of progress growing out of the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. Brian Black, Department of American Studies"

The issue of homelessness definitely informs the Genius Loci of where I live. How will it inform my garden design? Is the spirit one of paranoia - high fences, gates, walls to keep "them" out? Somehow I feel the spirit of this locale is more one of understanding, respect, sharing. This is Lotus Land mild and moderate climate and gentle landscape that lulls you into days of wasteful dreamy do-nothingness of the laid back Lotus Eaters. So we will see how this plays out in my garden design.

Hermits in Lotus Land or Squatters in Mill Hill

Squatters were found living on the otherside of the hill I live on. Parks employees had the tough job of cleaning the debris from the sites. During all the hiking we do we have never seen the squatters, or park employees for that matter. But we stick to the trails to avoid damaging wild flowers. Here are some pictures of Mill Hill beauty (in case you are tired of ferns - I am not).Here in Lotus Land, the nickname of where I live (more on that in future blogs), it is one of the top 20 most expensive cities in the world to live. Rental vacancy hovers around 0% and has for decades. The climate and the people are generally mild (hence Lotus Land and us as Lotus Eaters -BC Bud may have something to with that, too) so the homeless population is large for such a small city.