Once Grandad’s Garden was lonely like him

Even if you’re surrounded by other people all of the time, you can feel lonely. I imagine that most of us feel lonely at times and perhaps that’s normal to some extent. But I imagine that many feel a crippling loneliness - hearing another human voice, or feeling another’s human touch can literally make all the difference. The idea that Grandad felt lonely was important to the story’s beginning; having a space to grow something and to imagine a future was also important and the ability to do this with somebody else, or with others, can be a joyful experience. Whether it’s a sunflower in a pot, or petunias in a hanging basket or runner beans on an allotment, watching something grow and being a necessary part of that process can be both nourishing and rewarding. Grandad’s garden was the place where memories were made, where he watched his children play - where he’d look out and imagine what he’d grow next year. Growing something with children too, can be very special - waiting and watching - the excitement of that first tiny shoot… Connecting with other human beings is so very important and if that happens outside, under the sky, in nature, with somebody else, well, that’s time well spent. Get out and grow together…