Childhood Seasons

Plants make me smile as they reappear during the year, evoking memories of childhood in Canada. Gentle snowdrops in harsh weather; mittens. Tough plantain on the lawn as the Quebec snow melts away; hands bare. Childhood glee at seeing my grandmother’s garden full of forget-me-nots was overlaid with sadness as I attended her funeral. Aunty Betty gave me tea in a primrose tea cup and my cousins took me for walks in bluebell woods, holding hands - happy again. Fluttering birch leaves meant long hot summers, and rowan berries meant back to school. Gathering crab apples for jelly making with Gran and quince fruit with Mum. Oak and acorns, and I’m a teenager. Colourful maples signaled winter snow would soon return. The Christmas Rose plate reminds me of festive treats, though it was years before I saw real ones.