💗 The Two Roses

In another life, when my children were small, I made an apple tart one Saturday for after tea, as my husband loves them, and was complimenting me on how it tasted. He was curious as to what age I was when I learned to bake and who taught me. My mother of course I replied, she made the most amazing pastry, really light and thin and the apple filling was so sweet and delicious especially with custard poured over it. It was our Sunday treat.

We ended up having a long chat about what our mothers taught us to do. All sorts of things, from sewing, cooking, and cleaning to good behaviour. My husband said, for him basic things like dress himself, brush his teeth and manage his pocket money!

This is 13 year old me in Edinburgh the dress was red with navy buttons my Mam made it. I had just come out of little woods with a red pair of skoll sandals unheard of here!!

Decorum was a word my mother used a lot. If you didn’t know how to behave with good manners and common courtesy according to my mother, you had no decorum. It’s a great word, it’s not often spoken nowadays but I love it!

💗 My Mother Marie

💛 My Mother in law Joanne ~ She had 8 children with no pain relief. She taught me to be grateful that I lived in a time where there was good maternity care.

But what we both agreed on was, that our mothers taught us to be kind.

Following that chat, we decided to buy two climbing roses to honour what they taught us.

Last autumn, I was listening to a gardener talking about pruning roses, so I took her advice and I cut them right down. They are both creepers so there was about a foot on show when I was finished. Then I had a bit of a panic attack! Had I destroyed them cutting them back so ruthlessly? Would they survive the winter? But that was what the gardener advised, be ruthless!

However, here we are in June and the two roses are blooming, better than ever, and the flower heads are much bigger than they normally would be. I’m delighted as they give so much pleasure, the sight of them and the fragrance. When I look out the kitchen window, I can see them, reminders of our mothers, the two roses Marie and Joanna, legends both of them!

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