Miss Shand's Wheel Barrow

We had torrential rain two days ago, and it brought down the delphiniums, some peas and more. The baptisia australis, with it's heavy bounty of seed pods, just couldn't support itself.

I usually use Miss Shand's rusty and humble wheel barrow for light garden tidy up. She was a senior neighbour with an senior garden.... eventually, she couldn't manage it, so, some days I would help her out. Miss Shand would sit in her kitchen chair outside, point to what needed doing with her cane, while I knelt to the task. Later, we inherited some of her garden tools, including the wheel barrow above. Two old trowels have her initial on one and her sister's initial on the other, carved in the wood handle. I remember a story about her sister "D" losing Miss Shand's trowel and after that, they had their initials put on their garden tools so neither could blame the other for any loss))).

The Barrow has just about lived it's life and Miss Shand is gone now about fifteen years. The memories though, are still here to cherish.