It's the little things

This is my Dad's mum, Nanny S. At the tender age of 94 she is starting to slow down. She is starting to notice that it takes her much longer to do things. But doing things is important to her. They keep her going, give her a reason to get up in the morning.

One of her passions in life is gardening, she loves flowers!

A few weeks ago I called round to see her before meeting some friends for lunch and she asked me to open the gift I gave her for Christmas.

Nan finds it tricky to balance her wheeled walker, a bag of soil, some bulbs and a watering can, so just buying her a big bag of bulbs is not really very helpful. I can also tell you that it does not feel comfortable watching her precariously juggle the hose whilst holding onto her wheeled walker when she waters the garden in the summer months. But, she is determined to still do as much as she can and she does. Having to accept that she is not able to do everything that she once was is hard and frustrates her intensely. She has had to give up a lot of 'doing' for 'directing'. For most garden related tasks she now advises her gardener on where to plant bulbs and which bushes to trim.

So, when I saw the 'grow your own' pots, as I wandered around town before Christmas looking for inspiration, I thought they would be the perfect gift. They are a manageable size for her to plant herself, there is no big bag of soil to have to lift, although, her aim is a little off as her eyesight has deteriorated somewhat. And who knew, she even had a small watering can which was just right sitting on the side beside the sink. The plant pot is now stood in a dark corner waiting. Waiting for little shoots to starting poking through the soil, then it's time to place it in the light. It's the perfect size to sit on one of Nan's windowsills so that she can watch it bloom.