Reflections

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What better place for reflection than this quiet corner of the garden at Penshurst Place, Kent?[/caption]

‘THE KISS OF THE SUN FOR PARDON,
THE SONG OF THE BIRDS FOR MIRTH,
ONE IS NEARER GOD’S HEART IN A GARDEN
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH.’

—Dorothy Frances Gurney

‘The holly and the ivy,
Now both are full well grown.
Of all the trees that are
in the wood,
The holly bears the
crown
Oh, the rising of
the sun,
The running of
the deer.
The playing of the
merry organ,
Sweet singing in
the quire.’

—Traditional

‘IN THE BLEAK
MID-WINTER
FROSTY WIND
MADE MOAN,
EARTH STOOD
HARD AS IRON,
WATER LIKE A
STONE;
SNOW HAD
FALLEN, SNOW
ON SNOW,
SNOW ON
SNOW,
IN THE BLEAK
MID-WINTER
LONG AGO.’

—Christina Rossetti

‘Our England is a garden that is full of stately views, Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues, With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by, But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.’

—Rudyard Kipling