Old rose

This rose must be one of the oldest plants in our garden - it was very well established when we bought the house 40 years ago, and though it has years when it doesn't flower at all, it has produced a good collection of blooms this year. It is over my head - about 5'6", I think, and I neglect it shamefully. The flowers all came out while we were away, and when the sun came out in the late afternoon today the garden was full of its scent.

I was reminded powerfully of the times I used to walk with the pram from the council house where we first lived in Dunoon down to our new house. We got the keys about 6 weeks before moving in and used the time to have necessary work done rather than live with a toddler among paint and woodworm control. I would sit in the garden and marvel at the scented privacy of it all - it's small, but there is an old wall on one side and a thick hedge on the other - and feel thrilled to think that it was mine. 

It's good to remember these moments, and scent is a potent trigger.