Credits -PIXABAY

                                         The  beauty  of spring

One of the  things  I find amazing  in life is the  moving  of the  clock  forward  and backwards during  summer and winter  which has a very  significant  meaning  that  many  people  overlook. Spring  will  start in March  and on the   29th  of  March  2026, Big  Ben will  be moved   forward as  spring will say  goodbye  to the harsh  old  winter  and many  people will  be returning to  work soon as the weather warms up. Winter is  a very  stagnant  time , as the  clock  is moved backwards , some animals and plants go  into  hibernation  and most places  are almost at stand still  with  some businesses  like the ice  cream  people resting  their  vans , as few  people eat ice creams  during  winter. Spring is a season of transition between winter and summer, characterized by warming temperatures, melting snow, and longer daylight hours. Nature awakens as plants bloom, trees sprout new leaves, and animals emerge from hibernation or give birth. It is a time marked by increased rainfall, growth, and the arrival of migratory birds.

But  as  the  plants and  animals stand  up  to  move ,  many  people  still travel  to  warmer countries during  spring to  rest,before  summer  starts. As the  clock is  shifted  forward on the  29th  of  March, many  people  will  not remember  and some people   will  actually  wake up by 4.00am  to  dress  up for  service  or for work  just to find out that they are the early birds  that had  to arrive  one hour  earlier before  everyone. Lots of birds  will come out  of their  hibernation homes  and many people  will leave their  sleeping beds. There  are significances to life in the  events  to  usher  human  into the  Spring  and   Summer seasons,meaning that  life  will move forward  as many return to  work  and  other  activities.Life  will  become business  as usual for  many  people. Spring is often associated with spring  cleaning ,planting flowers, and enjoying outdoor activities.It  also  signifies progression for  United Kingdom  with  all the other  countries involved with  the season  as the  economies  get  better,  as many people  return to  activities. Spring and Summer signifies  a  return from  sleep  to life,  hence  the clock  moving forward  and the Spring flowers and  leaves will return to beautify the country. The  waters of  spring will   water  the entire country  during spring  and many  businesses  will see improvements. That is the  amazing  thing  about life,so   each  season  share  life  events,that  reflect  their meaning  to  human.

These are  the wonderful events  of nature  which  make life  amazing  and  interesting. Many people  embrace  spring  with joy  and laughter  and the  people  that sell umbrella  have  business  boom as  many  buy  lots  of the  products  to protect  themselves from the  showers  of spring. It is a dicey weather  sometimes , as people have to juggle  life between  the   cold sometimes  the  rain and  the warmer weather . And  walking swiftly  inside the rain, becomes the  norm  of the day as  life moves  on away from  winter. Life moves  forward  indeed and for  the  elderly  it  reminds  them  about  life  as  younger people,  embracing  each  weather yearly,  moving  from winter  to spring  and back  to  Summer and it brings  beautiful  memories  of what  may have happened  to them  over the years . Spring signifies  a time of hope , as  we move into the  bright better  summer  days , without  wearing  our heavy  coats  and   clothes.Everyone  is looking  forward  to the clock  moving  forward  with  joy  and  anticipation.

Credits -Pixabay

Spring waves goodbye  to the winter  days

by  Chinyere  Nwakanma

Spring  waves  goodbye  to the  winter  days

Spring Returns ,Spring  Returns, Spring  Returns

With  springs on people's feet

As  the bird's  eggs  and the bird's  nests

Grace  the grasses  near  the  sea beds

And  the  daffodils

Spring  up  near  the  Streams

Spring waves goodbye  to the  winter  days

As the  spring days  return

Spring  returns  ,Spring  returns,Spring returns

As  the  women  wave  goodbye

To  the cold  waves  from the  sea nearby

Spring returns  as  tears of joy

Roll  down from  the trees  and the flowers

Tasty  and dried  from the  lash 

Of the  cold winter  who withered their petals

As they  laughed   to drink  from the  springs

Of  the  spring waters  of  the  springs

Spring  returns  with  the happy, clappy  children

Dancing to the music of  joy

Spring  returns  as the  clock

 Moves  forward and with the  news 

Of the  spring  blooming  flower's  move

Spring  returns  as  the  bright  flowers  wake

As  spring  wakes   them from  sleep  and slumber

And the women  leave the hunger

As the music blasts  on the  windows

Spring  returns  with  its  beauty

As  the  gardens  bloom  and the  petals  laugh

As  they soak the  water  of spring  and  breathe

As  their leaves  leave the  winter pains

Spring returns  as  life  returns to the  days 

Of  gain  and no pains

As Spring  awakes  the sleeping  flowers

And the  dying trees and  the flowers

Awake to fun  and laughter

Spring  returns and awakes  the  sleeping  men

And  women  wearied by the lashes  of  winter

Wearied  by the  days  of  struggle  and  scrapple

The  women  leave their  heavy  coats behind

The men  move on to  work 

Spring  awakes  us to life  and love

As  people  smile to a new  dawn  of  hope

Leaving the  winter  days  behind

Hoping  to hit  the spring gold

Spring  returns  with  a clap

As  the  clock  moves  forward

Chiming  tick tock, tick  tock, tick  tock

To great  talks  and  mouths  full  of laughter

As  life  goes on

 Away  from the cold winter  days and  to fun

Spring  waves goodbye to  the winter  days

© Chinyere  Nwakanma  and  Graceland  Books  and Allied  Ltd  March   2026

Credits- Pixabay

Big Ben Chimes  and  Britain  returns to work 

GRACEFUL

How   the furniture  and  Upholstery  makers are  making  our  homes  very  comfortable and beautiful

by  Chinyere  Nwakanma  

Thursday   05/02/2026   22:356 BMT 

All   labours  are  good  and no work  is  found to  be unimportant. I have travelled to lots of  places  ,where some people  see  some  jobs  as  not crucial  to human  existence,  but every  work  is profitable  either  for charity, leisure  or  health  and  for the  creation of wealth.  The   furniture  and upholstery  makers  are the  talented  men and women  who design  chairs , tables, beds upholstery chairs, dining  chairs, dining tables, cupboards  used  in kitchens and  the toilets  in our homes, offices, hotels  and  other places. They are the  unsung heroes behind  our beautiful  homes and  offices as  an empty  space  does  not make  a  home. They  are  the people  mostly  working in the remote  areas  of  the countries to bring  comfortable chair  designs  to the large shops  offices  and homes in the inner cities. They   work  very hard  to provide  beautiful  furniture  in our homes. Most   families  put  more of their budgets on  buying beautiful  and  durable  furniture  for their  homes. When one opens the  door  to the living room  the upholstered  chairs  and sitting places  bring  joy, especially  when the sofa  is large  and  have  comfortable  roomy spaces  to sit on. Sitting  on a comfortable  upholstered  chair is the  joy of every family  but to make a  finished  product  which  can be  found in  shops  such  as  DFS   ,Hammonds ,Heals ,Barker  and  Stonehouse, Soho homes takes  a little  while and hard work.

The  furniture  makes    our  homes beautiful  and without them our homes will  be  empty. They  make  beautiful  beds, sofas, racks, kitchen  cupboards, dining chairs, upholstery  chairs  and wooden television  stands. They  determine  the shapes and sizes  of the furniture  we  have in our homes, how much  we  pay   and how  we place them  in our  rooms. They  are the tradesmen  who make us to  work into a room  with  smiles. They  help us  to sit comfortably  when we are eating, sleeping  or working  from  home. Imagine  walking into  a room  with a very  beautiful interior  designs ,you will  be happy  and no  matter how  hard  the tasks before you are ,sitting  in   a  room  surrounded by beautiful  furniture  helps  people  to relax  throughout the  day. It makes people to have that feeling that  all the  work they did to get paid  to be  able to  buy such  beautiful  sofas  was  worthwhile. Renting  a  house  adorned with beautiful  sofas  is every man’s  dream. The most  important  aspect  of  a  home  is  the beauty  of  the  furniture   designs in it. The  ability   to withstand  pressure and  give the  body  balance and support.The upholstery makers build  furniture that  have  foundation full of comfort which have unseen internal components that give lasting support.

Some  people  constantly  sneeze  due to the furniture materials  as  some people    are allergic  to certain materials  , making  it a health  hazard  to use them  to  make  cushions  for sofas. These  are the  intricate aspects  of  furniture  making  which puts  human  safety and  health into  consideration  before  decisions  are  made about  the raw materials  to be used  for  sofa  designs. The  upholstery  makers  use   layered Cushion materials to  build  their  products, just to give  them  the most comfortable  feel. The upholstery  makers  use  materials   such as  feathers  to stuff  the  inside  to  make them  soft  and  cosy. They  use   natural  fibres  such  as   cotton, linen, and wool , which  are  found precious  because  of  their softness. They use batting, throws, and cushions to create additional  layers of warmth and cosiness. This involves  intricate  design knowledge that can only  be done  after  years  of trainings.

 Padded and upholstered surfaces help dampen noise, creating a quieter, more serene atmosphere in the home. Sitting on a   comfortably built sofa  could help reduce the   stress level  in the  home  as  storage  beds help to  reduce clutters  in the  home, stopping  the anxiety of  having  strangers  walk  into unkempt homes  while  visiting,  which  is  helpful to  the  mental  health  of  the furniture  users. Custom built   upholsteries   allow for personalized colours and textures that harmonize with the home's décor, making homeowners to have   a sense of  comfort and belonging. These are  the ways  upholstery and furniture makers create comfort in  the  homes through material designs, and construction of comfortable  and beautiful  furniture  that stands  the  test  of  time, bringing   joy to  the homeowners and  making them  to  come back  quickly to  the home after  a day’s  job or  while on an outing  to other  places.

GRACEFUL

How the dining  table became  a vital  aspect  of  the  family’s  day to day  living .

by  Chinyere  Nwakanma

Monday  12/01/2026  22: 15 P.M  BMT  10 mins

 Courtesy  Graceful-A  beautiful  dining  table  shows that everyone deserves  a  beautiful place to eat

The   way to a man’s heart  is the  food  and many people  do underestimate  the  vital role   the  dining table  or dining room play in keeping families  together and  happy. Meal  times are  vital for  family bonding.And the dining table and rooms   are  vital places for  every family to gather  and talk  briefly , about how the day went  after  coming back  from school , work  and businesses,before the  meals  are served , before having the meal brought out  from the  kitchen  to the table. It is a place where  kids  are taught  how to   appreciate  little things  by  saying thanks  to the cooks and meal providers.It offers  a place  of laughter  and close bonding  between family members.It is  a time  for families to  laugh together  after  the  day .Families  who eat together  stays  together,  because  meals  are some of the things that bond people together  and many  people  have beautiful  memories  of family  meal times at old age  , with people talking  highly everywhere  about  their mum’s sweet food.Of  recently  I saw  some of my friends, displaying exotic  meals  they cooked for several  occasions  on social media  and  everyone was beaming  with smiles at their great culinary  skills. Everyone  deserves  to eat good food  and every child  deserves  a  dining table  , where they  can eat together  with  other  members of the family making childhood memorable.Of recently  many women  I spoke  to,  told me that  they do  struggle sometimes  to keep  up  with the demands  of getting  the little children  to the  dining table.But I believe  that making family meals  memorable  is making sure that  people  eat  the healthy  alternatives of what they like that means that  people are not skipping meal  times, because  of  what has  been  cooked especially  the children.I  was  discussing with  some of my friends about  healthy living  and the dining  rooms  and   they told me  that they believe that  if people start  on time during  the teenage years to eat  healthy  ,it  does help  to prevent some of the diseases  that keep people down at  old age.AThis means that the dining table  is important when it comes  to how one feels  at old  age.Prevention  is better than cure , that is the reason  why what  we have on  our dining  tables matter  a lot  to  everyone.This means that the  dining room plays  a  very  vital role in our day  to day  lives.Good food  means   making sure  that everyone  is happy and no –one  is begged  to come for  breakfast, super  or dinner.Good family  values mean that  home planners  make sure that families have beautiful dining tables  at all  times.Dining tables  do  not always have to be expensive, but  a durable  family dining table  becomes , a  place  for family entertainments  and many  may  find it hard to  invite  their  friends  over , because  there are no  dining tables in their homes.Imagine cooking  something and  everyone  rejects the  food.That means  grumpy faces  coming into the  dining table and opening  the plates and quietly walking back to their rooms.And them  mums  running helter skelter to beg them to return back to eat.Not  seeing  everyone  happily eating at the  dinning table,  means that the  meal is not everyone’s  cup of tea.That means mum’s cooking  other  dishes for those rejecting the meals.The  wisdom in making the dining room  a happy place  starts  from making sure that  everyone  eats  what they love  and that is essential while planning a meal,so you have people  walking out greeting  the meal  planner, after  a happy meal  time, meaning that  everyone has been well fed.The  dining table needs  to be sturdy  and beautiful,just to make  sure that people  are not falling off their  chairs  at meal time. A  good  arrangement  of the forks, spoons   and  knives makes  the  the tables attractive. These are  what make the meal  time beautiful and memorable. And  there  are beautiful plates and cups  for the family  in the shops. No  matter  what one’s  budget  is ,there  are places  to get  culinary  for the  tables ,but  everyone  arranging meals  for the family has to bear in mind that people like eating with  beautiful plates, forks, spoons and knives. When people are served   with  beautiful good plates, they feel valued  and well loved.The dining  table cover  says a lot about the meal planner  and  colour  reflects  the value the family placed on meal  times.It is  great to make the family dining  place  a memorable place for  the family and  the children .Children  who are fed on healthy meals  in a beautiful  dining  place  grow  to become  happy  adults.

 Courtesy  Graceful- Images  are for  illustrative purposes-Meal  times  are vital  to family bonding

GRACEFUL

Good housekeeping  and the reasons  why every home needs a good housekeeper

by  Chinyere  Nwakanma

Monday 03/01/2026  03: 21 P.M  BMT  10 mins

                Courtesy- Graceful  Good housekeeping means  the  clothes  and bed linens are  constantly washed

Good housekeeping is not just about cleanliness. It involves all the aspects of tidiness, organisation, upkeep and  the safety of the household.

In this world where women are Jacks  of all trades and masters  of  all,   housekeeping  is the major work  of  a woman in the house  and  good  housekeeping  helps  to keep the  family happy and together. Imagine  everyone  coming back from school  or  work  to  see a very  dirty  house or   plates and sinks .They  will not be happy  but thanks  to the women that the  loos and the sinks  are  always    clean in the home. They  either do the cleaning by themselves or make   arrangements for  the loos to be cleaned by a cleaner.A  good home arrangement and organisation is good for everyone to make sure  that everything is in order  and in good place. Otherwise  the  home will   be filled  with the stench of uncleaned  toilet facility and kitchen  left overs  or unwashed  plates and pots.The Kitchen  sinks with  unwashed plates  do  not bring joy to the family members. Everyone likes  to find the sink clean  and the toilet buckets  fresh  and white. And when  the toilet buckets  and sinks are  sparkly cleaned  with the  bath basin and showers that  is part  of  good  housekeeping.

                                                                 Courtesy- A  Cosy  living room is great  for the family

If you visit  a laundrymat  it is mostly women driving in to make  sure that the clothes  and the bedsheets  are clean.Making sure that the home is clean  at all times requires  looking out for  little  drops  of  things  like  pins hazards  that  can cause harm or litters that will make the home untidy.It involves  checking the  cupboard  regularly to see that  cleaning supplies  are  enough, food condiments  are enough   in the kitchen for  dinner super  and launch.There  must not  be shortage of drinking water  or juices  to keep everyone  hydrated.Checking the  emergency  medicine   cupboard supply  is necessary  and  having   regular  checks  to make sure  cleaning  abrasives  and medications are out of the reach  of the children if necessary.There  must be enough  disinfectants   and air fresheners  all the time  in the house.Exterminating rodents  and  cockroaches and  flies  where  necessary  shows that  the  housekeeper is on top of her  game.Making sure  that everyone’s buttons or zippers  on the clothes  are  in place  during  laundry  shows that a housekeeper has an eye for details.Checking  the  shirt  necks  for stains ,clothes   for holes,  holes in the shoes  and making sure  that  shoes are  constantly replaced  with better  sizes  and colours is what shows  that  a housekeeper  is looking after  everyone.

With regular change  of toothbrushes and toothpaste  placed in proper cupboards and at the reach of everyone  is vital  with  the younger ones ,supervised during  washing up ,brushing of teeth and teaching them healthy and good grooming of their bodies.Making sure that no body goes out in torn  dirty  and worn out clothes  is necessary  .And  that  the beds  are well made  is great.There  is nothing  that stops  one from having  a bedroom that looks like  a five  star hotel  and it can be done on low  budget.That means that a housekeeper knows what is  good for  the family.Checking  up  the electrical  appliances in the home  and how they are  working  with  all safety  measures  reported  to the maintenance people  means that the housekeeper  is doing well.And  asking everyone to help out where necessary is the work of the housekeeper.Without that done some people  will  be buying piles of  clothes to meet up with the demands  of  dressing up every day   and looking good.Making sure  that the family  is  healthy and on  a  good  balanced diet  morning ,afternoon and night is the priority of   a good housekeeper  because  health is wealth.The housekeeper   makes sure that the home is  clean at all times,the food is tasty and that  everything needed  for the good grooming for the younger kids is supplied.Without that one will see kids coming to school with unbuttoned  shirts ,untied  shoes ,sandals and uncombed  hair.Making sure that  the home is devoid of any hazards .

                                                                         Courtesy  - A  beautiful bedroom is  great  

A regular  check of the fire  alarms  to see that they are working is necessary to  keep  the  home  safe. Sometimes the  fire  and smoke alarm might  not be working and people  may assume that everywhere is fine.A  good smoke  alarm  helps  to keep the home safe and the housekeeper  checks  the  smoke alarm  at intervals  to make   sure that they are working.A  good  housekeeper  will always check   for  signs  of insects or bugs in the sofa  or beds or cracks in the walls  and report it to the maintenance men.And then call the  pest experts or  buy  insecticides  where  needed.Good housekeeping is  a necessary part  of every families day to day  life  and having an eye  for  details is  what makes  good housekeeping worthwhile.One might not be a perfect  housekeeper but there  is nothing bad in  giving  housekeeping  the best one can.Most  very good  housekeepers  learn housekeeping from others  or over the years  by  working in the house. Housekeeping can bring joy to those doing it. Entering a home where  the beds  are  made very well  with  clean white  bedsheets and  everything properly  kept brings joy to everyone.A good aroma from the kitchen is the joy of  everyone ,a  soft bed, good  furniture’s, hanging wall designs  and beautiful up to date electronics  do  bring happiness when seen in a  home. A  clean sparkly beautiful  home is worth  saving for  with all the  ingredients  put together to make the  home cosy.

                                                        Courtesy  Graceful   -A beautiful  bathroom makes  a home

GRACEFUL

Best Gardens to Visit  in Somerset

by  Graceful  Online Team

Monday 15/12/2025 23:11 P.M  BMT

 Copyright : Graceland  Books  and Allied   Kilver court and Gardens 

Somerset is  a  county located in the South West of England, bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, and Devon, with its county town Taunton.It is  situated centrally and is known for its  green landscapes, hills like the Mendips and Quantocks, and coastal areas.It has  some of the   finest historic houses and award winning gardens  in England.  Barrington House can be visited because there  you will  see the  best  nature gives  and the  best times  to see these places  are  April  and October .The  town of  Hestercombe  near Taunton has  a history  with gardens spanning over  300 years while  Wells  and Bath has  some of the  finest  cathedrals  in England.

What  are the  most  beautiful  gardens  in Somerset?

The Walled Garden of  Cannington

It’s  location  dates back to 1138  and it was originally  built  by the De Courcy family as a Benedictine nunnery.As years  went bye , the place have witnessed a fascinating transformation from  a past with the stories of  the  ghosts of nuns  to its  present state  where it  was  refurbished  by  EDF  energy.The  walled gardens  have the botanical gardens, the subtropical walk,the Potager,the Fenery and dry garden and the blue  gardens  each garden space  with features that  make  it unique.

Forde  Abbey historic house  and gardens

This garden is loved by historians botanists  and garden enthusiasts  who visit yearly  to see the  beauty of the place.It is made up of the  gardens  and the house  .Its  popularity  means that it was nominated for the historic houses  garden  of the year award  2019,cementing itself as  one of the places  people  love. The Forde  Abbey houses  the  beautiful  Mortlake tapestries, with  over 800years  of histories  meaning that  generations of people  have walked inside the prestigious grand lived by ancient monks, visited  by philosophers  and politicians.The  Forde has a fascinating  histories  of ownership dating back to  Victorian  times. With  its  history  it is  great place to see.

Kilver  Court  and Gardens

The beautiful Kilver Court and Gardens is  a beautiful 3.5-acre oasis located outside the beautiful market town of Shepton Mallet, Somerset.The  place has a  touch and taste  of modern times with  its gardens, courts  and shops  housing luxury  brands like Mulbery, Toast ,Makers  and Merchants. There are co-working spaces  and luxury  dinning places  to eat  and the combination of modern and  ancient designs  makes  it a  classy  place  that one must see.

The Montacute  house

The Montacute house has beautiful Elizabethan Renaissance architecture and designs, with towering walls of glasses, glowing ham stone and surrounding garden. This Christmas offers  an opportunity  to visit  Montacute house with so many  activities going on. Montacute House Sings, which is running from 29 November to 1 January (except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)  presents different local choirs giving every visiting family  the entertainment they need  for this  seasons. While  seeing the gardens  or sitting down to  eat  ,you will have  a  beautiful time listening  to  life  songs from different choir groups from Somerset.

Hauser and Wirth Garden, near Bruton

The Hauser  and Wirth  garden  is named the Oudolf Field after the famous Garden Designer who created it Piet Ouldolf a leading figure of the "New Perennial" movement. Visiting here  gives  garden enthusiasts  the chance  of seeing the works  of this great great garden designer.

This garden  is a naturalistic prairie style garden  with  flowers  which flows smoothly from one area to another with colourful drifts of herbaceous borders and grasses.
 The top of the garden is the Radić  Pavilion designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radić which  is a huge work of modern artwork which looks like a spaceship, and fits in rather surprisingly with the landscape.
It  hosts a  gallery, shop and restaurant .It is  a beautiful place  for  visiting  families.

BARRINGTON COURT NEAR ILMINSTER

The Barrington court estate was  an idea  by  Colonel Lyle and his architect James Edwin Forbes. The Court House  is presently closed for repairs  but  the ground floor of Strode House remains open, and there are beautiful  garden rooms,  orchards  and places to see. There are houses ,estates ,houses, cafes with  exotic features to see while visiting the place.There are also  shops, book barn with books on different topics to read  while  visiting coupled with shops .These features make it a place to see  especially  during  summer.

The Bishops Palace Wells Somerset

The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens in Wells, Somerset, is here the Bishops of Bath and Wells  has been living for over 800 years .It has   medieval Palace, with its 14 acres of RHS partner gardens which is open  to the public to  visit  and see as part  of tourism journeys  to Somerset. There  are so many activities  going on there  throughout the year.It is a family friendly spot good  for  children  as there are provisions for plays in the  ground. There are  outdoor theatre , family-friendly crafting times , storytelling times , inspiring exhibitions and beautiful gardens at  the  Bishop palace  but you need to book  tickets  to visit  the place.There  are beehives of activities going on there  this Christmas  season.  There are  so many other gardens  that  are  in Somerset  space

The  Ford Abbey  Somerset  copyright Graceland Books  and Allied

Home and Garden 

Summer sums up the Somerset Gardens

by  Chinyere Nwakanma

Mon 15/12/2025   22.20  BMT  P.M

© Copyright -Graceland  Books and Allied  December 2025

I went to see the Somerset Gardens

Fresh  flowers blooming on a day of  a long   journey

Gone  to watch  the birds  singing

The  sirens blowing

Gone  to see the scenes 

Of the  beautiful  sceneries

 Of the  beautiful  Somerset gardens

As  I  sat   listening to the birds  singing

The Church  bells  nearby  started ringing

The flowers  blooming and the   bee buzzing

Welcoming  my presence with its  loud buzzes

I thought  that I will get a sting

From the buzzing bees

But all  I  saw was the bugs beaming

And  a  butterfly  flying  past

Flying  past  my  twinging  ears

As I took a  plum to eat

And then  sat down  to  think

How time flies  that I could now

Have    time  to reflect on my own

About  the years   gone bye

And   all my friends   who said   goodbye

And everything that   went   wild

As   I reflect   about   summer, winter and the   spring times

The   garden   chairs   holding my large frame

As   I   thought of how   I   grew  from the tiny fragile little  girl

To the  large  buxom old lady

I could not believe that   such   beauty

Could be found in Somerset gardens

As my curiosity quenching journey

Took me through lakes, through lights and through love

Through the grasses and the reflections   on the glasses

As   I  sat to reflect  on light refractions

How   did things  change   through the years?

Moving   past the countryside   on a journey

Of  curiosity

To see the beauty of the countryside

And   have   a reflection   on the years   gone bye

The   birds   singing, the church bells   ringing

The   echoes of the hummingbird singing

The trickling waters   and the Chiming bells

Of the Somerset church   nearby

Beckoning me and the locals greeting and waving

Beaming with beautiful Smiles

Eager tourists   wanting to know more

About the city and its  histories

As the Summer scenes sums up

The beauty and the story   of the Somerset Gardens

by Chinyere Nwakanma

©December  2025  Copyright   Graceland  Books  and Allied

GRACEFUL

GRACEFUL

Why  the  garden is  an important space  for  every  family?

by  Chinyere  Nwakanma

May 25 /05/  2025   16.36p.m   BST

Having a garden is  something  many people  see  as  a  vital must have on the list  when  purchasing  or  renting  a house. So  are other people   not interested in gardens  as  they  see  garden maintenance  as  an arduous  task . Gardening  is  a sport, a lifestyle ,  a  job  and  a hobby. Many might  ask me the reason  why I  consider  gardening  as a  sports. A  sports  is  an activity  that involves physical exertion and skills in which an individual or team competes against  one another or others for entertainment purposes.There have  been gardening competitions of  recently , to  find out  whose gardens  can produce  the best flowers  or  who can produce the  best  food of which  as   a garden  enthusiast  I   find very interesting. In the western  world , the tractors  do all the gardening, but in the third  world  farmers  still use their  hoes  and machetes  to  till the ground and  fill  them with seeds. Gardening  is  a  concept that show lots  about  sowing  and reaping,  of which  many of us  who  grew  up  in  recent   times do  not  actually  think about where the food   we  consume daily  comes from. Our  biology teachers do   keep our  imaginations  running  wild on  how the oxygen helps our crops to live.We pass through the gardens  and  just see the trees as  vital  aspects of nature and all  we want to eat is food.I  think the farmers need to be praised  for  giving us food , even though farming is  an enterprise, but only for  the diligent  considering that    you need to  wait for  harvest  time to  come,  before you  can  make  profits  by selling  the harvested crops.And in this  world of now ,now ,now  many   people see  farming  as  an enterprise, that  is not for them, because  the journey  of  getting  the seeds to become  fruits  and  processed food  is not  a journey  for tomorrow's payday .How can we embrace  farming as a profession  when we can  just   get a little nap?.For those who  cut our flowers  ,they  need to carry their heavy  machines with  fearful  blades, which  means that gardening is not a job for those  who are not strong .Without the gardeners there will be no posh  streets  and  the new  flower  designs  make  their job  vital  to this world. Entering  a  garden to have  some fresh  air is  part of   recreation. Some people  go to the gardens to  jog and  run.Family  picnics with pictures  taken  in the garden are  good  memorabilia  for future remembrances. We  have   lots to gain  by  embracing gardening  and   taking it up  as a hobby.Having vegetables  and saving on  vegetables  can be something good  for  the family  ,when  they  have vegetables in their gardens.This is  a  cost effective  way of  saving  on food  by having a little farm.There is  nothing  so nice  and   beautiful  as  waking up  to see  your own fresh tomatoes    at the  back  of your home.Gardening is  a  beautiful aspect of our lifestyles  because  homes  look more beautiful  when  the  front  house  is  adorned  with  exotic  flowers  with  flamboyant  colours .And for  those  who  like  having fresh  flowers  in the house,some of them  produce  natural  perfumes  that  are needed  to  keep the homes smelling nice.For those with kids ,gardens  are beautiful  spaces  where kids can  run around  when bored  with  sitting at  home. A beautiful  orchard  of  strawberry , tells  us what happens  before  the  sweet fruits  are  shelved  in our  stores  and  an orchard  of   fruits  is vital  to  providing  humans with the needed vitamins.Eating fruits  and vegetables  is  considered  as one of the healthiest way to live.Since  the garden spaces  do provide us with fruits  and vegetables, they are vital  to our  living  well  as  healthy humans.In a new world where taking a nap is the best concept , getting ones hands dirty is something the youngsters see as alien and many do not have any idea of the plants that give them the fruits on the supermarket shelves.The flower remains part of the beauty of London and its suburbs and the countrysides. And flower seeds are sold in shops for flower enthusiasts so many people do have flower pots to keep their homes beautiful.People selling flowers in flower shops make a living out of their investments on natural flowers.

Flower planting  is  a hobby  around the  world  today  

Courtesy   Graceful magazine

The  blooming flowers growing over  the   garden fence  make   a beautiful   view  from the windows

An orchard  of strawberry  showing how much is done  for the  fruits   to be on our  supermarket  shelves

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GRACEFUL

Home and Garden

May 21 /05/  2025   20.55p.m   BST

 Images are subject to  copyright©  Graceful online  I.S.S.N 26335557   Print  I.S.S.N  263355549