Bring cheer to the street

Why not make an arrangement for passers-by, says Peter

- Peter Seabrook

DURING the hot summer of 1976, I met a Canadian cultivating what he called ‘Friendship Gardens’ on the sidewalk (‘pavement’ to you and me) in front of his house in Toronto. It was not until he started cultivating and planting flowers out front that he got to know his neighbours.

I’ve noticed how there are a lot more people walking up and down our street since the imposition of lockdowns. When I am out there cutting grass, trimming the hedge, weeding borders and so on, many of them would stop and speak.

It was with this in mind that some of what would have been my indoor Christmas decorations have this year been moved to within sight of the street. Currently, as I write, we are not allowed to have visitors, and folk who have had to self-isolate since last March have had a pretty lonely existence.