OVER THE CENTURIES, PEOPLE HAVE WRITTEN endless words of wisdom about gardening, producing ditties and doggerel worthy of the best poets and humourists.
As a bit of light relief in these dark times, I have been in search of some of the best (and worst). How many people are aware, for example, of this anonymous observation, ‘Gardening: it’s cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes’? It seems perfect for anyone struggling with social isolation.
On a similar theme from ‘Anon’, who seems to crop up everywhere: ‘Hard work doesn’t harm anyone, but I do not want to take any chances’. Further to this, ‘Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years’. Or on a more ghoulish note, you might prefer ‘Gardeners are like doctors; they both bury their mistakes’.
Of course, not all quotes are witty, but give us a reminder of why gardening can be such a satisfying occupation.
Take this one, from Mahatma Gandhi: ‘To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves’. And Thomas Jefferson wrote that: ‘To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow’, which is something we all need to do at the moment. Speaking of which, there’s an old Greek proverb, which is a reminder of one of the most important things we can do for the future of our planet, ‘A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in’.
Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford
It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...
Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning
Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.
Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love
Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox has been trawling through some books to find words of wisdom from so many people about gardening and farming. Here she shares just a few.
Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto
For actress Vicki Michelle, Christmas usually means performing in panto. But, due the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be different. Vicki speaks to Rachel Banham about her plans for the festive season, her outlook on life and her fond memories of filming in East Anglia.
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.
TURNING 50
Here at Let’s Talk we recognise that our magazine is targeted at those aged 50 and older. So we hope we are always fair to our readers and to the older generation in general. But it seems many believe other media and businesses do not treat older people in the best way.
THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh
He is one of the most popular celebrities on television at the moment. He’s a comedian, singer, actor, personality and probably the best quiz show host doing the rounds. David Clayton looks back to when Bradley Walsh came to Cromer.
The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE
Claire Manion, of Norfolk-based Broadsky Astrology, looks at how we have always honoured the winter solstice, our shortest day.
PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow
In view of such uncertainty hanging over the rest of this year – and possibly well beyond – it was hard to come up with a suitable offering for December in his usual style, says Keith Skipper. So, he has decided to settle for a festive story set in 1951, that he wrote some time ago.
Friends
Readers of our short stories don’t have to have long memories to recall work by Anne Maxwell, who had a previous short story entry published in the summer.
