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64<br />
Award Winner<br />
Making <strong>Life</strong> Better<br />
by Angie Barker<br />
I have met so many<br />
people this year<br />
who now have an<br />
appreciation of their<br />
outside space, no<br />
matter how small<br />
or challenging their<br />
outside space may<br />
be. So much of what I<br />
have read and heard<br />
reinforces my feeling<br />
that we are designed<br />
to be close to nature.<br />
The countryside,<br />
parks and gardens<br />
have meant so much to people and the benefits of being<br />
outside in the fresh air are now well documented. These<br />
are benefits not only in terms of physical well being<br />
but more importantly, in these days of dealing with the<br />
pandemic, mental well being also.<br />
If there is one good thing that comes out of these<br />
challenging times it will be an appreciation of nature;<br />
plants, and wildlife, that we seem to have lost over recent<br />
decades. Gardening is now ‘on trend’, the new rock and<br />
roll, fashionable, cool or as my grand daughter would say,<br />
“sick”. (I’ll just explain that one to Hubby). The demand<br />
for allotments has soared and local councils report that<br />
waiting lists are long. Once thought to be the place where<br />
grandad did a spot of veg growing, an allotment is now<br />
a place where young<br />
families want to be<br />
together to grow<br />
food and flowers for<br />
the house. You don’t<br />
have to be an expert<br />
in gardening, it is<br />
not about knowing<br />
the Latin names of<br />
plants but simply<br />
enjoying what you<br />
have created in your<br />
own space. Doing<br />
the most simple of<br />
gardening tasks can<br />
transport you away from your worries, even if it is only<br />
for a short while, and that makes you feel better. Monty<br />
Don, the presenter of Gardeners World, said recently<br />
“gardening is not an exam – it is about making a lovely<br />
place and making your life better for it”.<br />
So let’s all look forward to enjoying our gardens next<br />
spring and start thinking about Snowdrops, Daffodils,<br />
blossom trees and other early flowering perennials like<br />
Hellebores, Aquilegias and Forget Me Nots. Suddenly life<br />
seems a bit better and more hopeful.<br />
In the meantime, very best wishes for Christmas from<br />
Hubby and myself. Look after yourselves and I’ll see you<br />
in the new year.<br />
Angie is a qualified awardwinning<br />
garden designer<br />
who will plan your garden<br />
to your needs from start to<br />
finish, supplying reputable<br />
contractors and the ideal<br />
plants.<br />
Call Angie now for your free consultation!<br />
Angie Barker Dip GD (Inst GD) BA (Hons)<br />
Garden Design For All Seasons<br />
Tel: 01942 522 405<br />
Mob: 07857 008 383<br />
www.angiebarker.co.uk<br />
Award Winner
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