Mrs 6000 is lucky enough to work in an amazing old building in a posh suburb of Cape Town. Not only is the building amazing, but it has a huge and beautiful garden as well. The garden has peacocks and our kids love to feed them.
Recently, while we were searching for peacocks to feed (this is actually harder than you might imagine), I found this stone plaque hidden in the undergrowth right at the end of the huge lawn:
It’s a poem called My Garden and I recognised it (yes, even before I saw his name at the bottom) as being by T.E. Brown – the famous Manx poet:
A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot!
Rose plot,
Fringed pool,
Ferned grot–
The veriest school
Of peace; and yet the fool
Contends that God is not.
Not God! In gardens! When the eve is cool?
Nay, but I have a sign;
‘Tis very sure God walks in mine.
My Auntie Belle used to have this same poem framed just above her rocking chair in her cottage in Grenaby – she too was a keen gardener. Evidently, she had a helping hand from up above, if Mr Brown was is to be believed.
Not much more to add here, save for the fact that it’s rather nice that Manx culture has permeated this far south.
For those who wish to read more, his collected works are online here.