Digging up memories - a little quest

Good morning all and what a week we have had with the weather! My fence is looking in a rather sorry state so that is another job on the todo list!

On Saturday we took time out and had a few hours in a local town called Bury St Edmunds, it's a lovely town to shop in as there are lots of little independent shops, which you can spend ages browsing in. 

On the way back, Jay gave me a little bag, he had bought me a present. I know he is lovely! In this little bag was a flower printed tape measure a matching torch and this book. 

Now the idea of this little book is really a neat idea and I love it!

Even though I love this idea and can't wait to get it filled I do however have a little problem. The only person that I could give this too is my dad and I know that he will not want to fill it all in but hopefully will do a little bit. 

So this brings me to my little quest and it involves all of you out there that find a few minutes of your time to read my ramblings to help me. 

What I plan to do over the next few weeks is post 5 questions from the book and I would be very grateful if you could post your answers to the questions in the comments box and then I can transfer them into the book adding the date and your name in the book with your answers. 

You don't have to answer every question but if you do just the one it would mean so much. You all have so much knowledge and different ideas on gardening that it would be nice to have a collection of them. 

Right lets start as we mean to go on, here is the first 5 questions, your answers can be as long or short as you so wish as every little bit helps.

1) What are your earliest memories of your time in the garden?

2) What plants evoke memories of your childhood?

3) Where does your interest in gardens and gardening stem from?

4) What were the first plants you remember growing?

5) How did you learn about gardening?

So that is the first set of questions, I do hope some of you will join in, and following is my answers to the questions above, I promise to keep it brief!

1) In my grandparents garden we were free to run around and play through the fruit trees and bushes and also with pip the dog and the chickens. And our own garden had a big hill in the middle which we learnt to ride our bikes down but ended up crashing into the shed as we forgot to pull the brakes.

2) Gooseberries in my grandparents garden and Hydrangeas as our neighbour had one in her front garden and I always wanted to go and pick the flowers

3) Both of my grandfathers grew vegetables. One was very relaxed about his garden and would let us help and join in and the other was very rigid and we could only look, but he would pull a fresh carrot from the ground or pluck a ripe tomato for me to eat which is a taste that can never be forgotten.

4) The first thing I grew were radishes, my father and rigid granddad had turned our garden in to one big vegetable garden and me and my brother were given a small area to grow things in. My brother decided to grow the budgie seed! 

5) I learnt about gardening through my other grandfather, in the summer we would be weeding, cutting hedges, hoeing and even cut the grass with a Ransomes push mower. He taught us how to use numerous garden tools and how to plant seeds, pruning the fruit trees and bushes whilst talking and explaining to us the whole time as we were full of questions. Any food we harvested would be taken into the kitchen and we would help grandma prepare them for Sunday lunch. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post and I will leave you with this quote

"No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden" 
Hugh Johnson

Until next time x