Our Rainbow Valley

Just around the corner we have our very own Secret Garden, the entrance is secured by two huge, black, old fashioned, wrought iron gates and the whole garden is surrounded by a high stone wall, probably six foot in height. As you enter through the gates there are two gravelly paths leading one to the left and one to the right and in front through an overhang of trees and bushes is an expanse of green hemmed in by tree lined inclines making it look like a valley. At this time of year the trees that dot about through the green are covered in pink, red and white blossoms the fallen petals surrounding their bases like confetti and the green is edged with wild garlic their little white flower heads bobbing a welcome in the breeze. The children absolutely love this place, here they can run off, play football, make hideouts or explore the slopes hiding themselves in the greenery. They make slides on the muddy slopes, climbing up using the tree roots for handholds so they can slide back down to the narrow ditches that lead the water that comes down off the hilly farm land out onto the A road that runs outside this magical haven.

As a girl I read the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne of Green Gables and the 7th book in the series Rainbow Valley  evoke a perfect childhood for me. All these books were about growing up in the country side, allowing you to live out stories from your imagination or rather Anne's, Walter's or Rilla's and Rainbow Valley a book about the Blythe and Meredith children playing their childhoods away in a sun dappled hollow provides a perfect distraction from real life, inspiring carefree and happy days with picnics and laughter.

It is often said that we don't give our children the freedom that we had as children, although I am not sure that I agree,but with more cars on the roads and busier lifestyles I concur that the childhoods our children experience are different from the childhoods we had. That is why I love our secret garden, it's an opportunity for all the children from the very young right through to our teenagers to be independent, to explore, to play and to be children without a parent "helicoptering" over them. They often play all together, the older ones leading the younger ones on exploits they couldn't accomplish on their own. In fact as a mum I rarely move from the picnic  blanket in its sunny spot where I catch up with the gossip,only being interrupted when our hollow legged children need more sustenance before running off again. I don't even really know what they get up to but by the time we head home they are tired, grubby and full of the adventures they have had.  Just think of the memories that they are creating and hopefully they will look back on these sunny days and smile................