One of my on-going memories from childhood, is the BEAUTIFUL GARDEN that my dear departed Mother created, at the rented house, of eventually half a century, before they took the house back to sell, from literally nothing!
My parents moved to BROMBOROUGH, WIRRAL in around 1965, a couple of years after they ‘tied the knot’ at Childwall Abbey in Liverpool! My Dad was born and bred in the PRENTON area of Wirral, and my Mum, over the Mersey, in Liverpool, after her Irish Mother and English Father moved there, just after the second world war!
MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, MUM & DAD ON WEDDING DAY and MY DAD’S PAINTING OF CHILDWALL ABBEY
CLICK ON THE PICTURE OPPOSITE ‘CRY FREEDOM SOUNDBITE 49’ TO HEAR EXTRACTS FROM THE BYGONE LOVE LETTERS OF MY PARENTS, IN THE DAYS WHEN FOLK STILL PUT PENS TO PAPER
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When my parents arrived at their new married abode, ironically and very synchronistically named ‘GREENWAY‘ 😁 my Mum set about transforming the ‘just grass and rubble garden’, with the advantage of a high privet hedge around it for privacy, into a GARDEN OF DREAMS!
It took her many many years mind and many trees planted, and she became an EXPERT on trees and shrubs, even down to memorising the LATIN NAMES for them all, it was quite impressive!
This was back in the days when it was THE SO CALLED LAW that when a woman got married and then became pregnant, she had to leave her job! Hard to believe now but that was the way it was
and in many ways it did make sense right!
She worked as a secretary at the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, in the Port Of Liverpool Building,
next but one from the Liver Building, on the Liverpool waterfront…
BEFORE they ruined it all with their modern monstrosities that they somehow like to call architecture… boy would she turn in her grave if she could see it now!!! It has to be said that before the original beautiful architecture was tainted by the modern excuses for it, there was very much a ‘Tartarian‘ feel about it, huh!
So the seeds of my Mother’s garden were sown and she was always there for us, the three children,
as she never worked again after we were born! Something that rarely happens these days,
and not because women particularly want to work, but because THEY HAVE TO!
Gone are the days when only one parent had to do the 9-5 toil whilst the other nurtured the offspring…
AND SO WE GET BACK TO GARDENS…
As my Mother had the time, once we had reached schooling (programming) age, she was given a few extra hours a day beyond the household chores, to spend her time as she wished, and because she was so very creative, she spend it reading, writing, going around second hand shops, AND GARDENING! The pace of life, although no doubt at times would maybe feel a bit hectic, was so different to these current times.
There were no screen at every corner and moment of our existence, only one screen in the living room corner that got switched on when the need arose, it has to be said my Mum was an avid ‘news‘ watcher and those broadcasts would be sounding out in our home morning, noon and twice in the evenings.
Back in those days, all words and pictures were believed, things were rarely questioned, disagreed with yes, but never seen as covert or manipulated, it was what it was, good or bad!
My Mother was very much someone always searching for the good in humanity, always feeling compassion for others and trying to help, that is why, back then, she believed in what she thought the Communist Party stood for, an equal fair life for all, as we now know much misguided, but she felt it for all the right reasons! Then she joined and campaigned for the Labour Party, again in those days it did at least vaguely feel that they were more for the plights of the working classes, again hard to believe these days…
Her favourite was TONY BENN, she loved him and read all his stuff…
Notable Quotes by Tony Benn
“There is no final victory, as there is no final defeat. There is just the same battle. To be fought, over and over again. So toughen up, bloody toughen up.” – emphasizing resilience in political and personal struggles.
“If we can find the money to kill people, we can find the money to help people.” – a critique of government priorities and military spending.
“I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly demoralise them.” – reflecting on societal manipulation and power dynamics.
“All war represents a failure of diplomacy.” – highlighting his pacifist and diplomatic perspective.
“What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?” – a framework for holding leaders accountable.
“Hope is the fuel of progress and fear is the prison in which you put yourself.” – emphasizing optimism and courage in social change.
“An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern.” – underlining the importance of empowerment and civic engagement.
“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.” – a humorous reflection on life and personal experiences.
“A faith is something you die for, a doctrine is something you kill for. There is all the difference in the world.” – distinguishing between personal belief and ideological extremism.
“It’s the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you’re mad, then dangerous, then there’s a pause and then you can’t find anyone who disagrees with you.” – on the persistence required for social and political change.
Tony Benn’s quotes span political critique, social justice, personal reflection, and wit, offering enduring insights into leadership, democracy, and human behavior. They remain relevant for understanding both historical and contemporary political challenges.
Easy to see why she liked him huh!
So she read her books and those of others and strived to help to make this place better, in whatever small way she could, even going door to door supporting CND (Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament) when putting herself out there was something she found hard to do!
GOOD ON YA MUM 🕊️
As her garden grew, SO DID SHE, forever the kindest soul I knew in most ways, though it must be said, what she did to the garden snails was nothing short of mass murder and involved road grids, poor wee things 😜
I’ve only ever ‘owned’ one house that I bought back in 1996! The main reason I bought it was because it was bordering on farmers fields (not always a good idea I now realise given today’s chemicals!) and it had a beautiful oak tree right next to it, that I named ‘Oscar’!
I took very much after my Mother and when we moved in, we then proceeded to plant many conifers and apple, plum and pear trees! I loved it but sadly, 16 years later, we had to walk away from a mortgage we would never be able to repay, so we did!
My only feeling of sadness was for my garden and my fears were realised a few years later when I saw the new owners had taken EVERYTHING down and replaced it with concrete, as is ‘the way’ in these times, the convenience of tarmac for the many vehicles, etc, etc…
So many people have so sadly lost their way and our true and pure connections to this beautiful land, shown by their ultimate preference of manmade concrete to the most gorgeous and green nature it has replaced…
Everything is sourced on convenience and the idea of ‘less work’ at whatever cost, part of this is due to the lack of free time most now endure, that said, my parents made many sacrifices to give us a nurturing life, some of my friends parents did the opposite and spent far less time with their families but had all the latest modern ‘CONveniences‘!
I do remember being jealous at the time, but in retrospect I can see how very lucky I was…
THANK YOU MUM AND DAD 😇🙏
SO…
Those of us who see the essential need to re-find those old ways will carry on trying to do just that, in every way we can…
THANK YOU for your beautifully sown garden Mum, it was still there last time I drove past 🌳🙏🌳
