Tales From the Gardens: Part 1.... In Which we Meet our Narrator
Ever wondered what a Gardener’s life is like at Riverhill? Below is a little festive treat from our newest member of the team, JJ.
JJ joined the team earlier this year and it has been really heart warming watching him fall in love with the gardens…or maybe it’s not just the gardens…read on to find out how his first Riverhill Season has been.
Full disclosure; there isn’t too much gardening in this one, but if you like dogs and cake then you will have much in common with our writer!
“It is not often you have to wait 43 years to find a kindred spirit who shares all the same interests as you...but in Troy Rogers I have discovered a companion who has a passion for the great outdoors, food, regular tummy rubs, and food.
Indeed, it has now got to the point where various members of staff are becoming increasingly jealous at the amount of time we spend together, and are yearning for the days when they had the pleasure of Troy’s undivided attention.
But I digress...the Riverhill family has embraced me warmly into its bosom like a hand-knitted Himalayan sherpa hat and I feel fortunate that I can look forward to driving up the hill three times a week to be greeted by friendly faces and a serene scene of horticultural delights.
When I walked up the steps for my interview (with a great sense of trepidation) I was greeted by a very serious Sarah who had her “game face” on (and what has now become known as the “interview dress”, I shudder every time I see her wearing it). The questions were much tougher than I had anticipated, but I somehow managed to bungle my way through.
Once we left the interview room and I was shown the grounds and told the history of the gardens and their restoration, Sarah became much softer and warmer. This is the soothing, holistic effect of the Riverhill gardens, something I am fortunate enough to experience every week.
On my first day in the job, I was asked to assist with the dismantling of the Queen’s jubilee decorations. At the end of an exhausting but satisfying day I made this entry in my gardening diary, “At 8 o’clock I was taking down Union Jack bunting, and an hour later I was cutting a laurel hedge. You did say you enjoyed variety in your interview”.
Since then I have helped set up an obstacle course with hay bales, carved pumpkins (very badly, and in spite of my best efforts to avoid doing so), helped a young girl find some mushrooms for her fairy garden at home, and been treated to Ed Roger’s spaghetti bolognese during a weekend working session. To say he was not shy with the red wine would be an understatement, but that is by no means a criticism or complaint.
Occasionally I find time to perform some horticultural duties.
“You’ll keep fit working at Riverhill” everyone said before the commencement of my duties here. This is true to a certain extent, but they (and I) had not made allowances for the copious amounts of cake that festoon the Green Room every week. The shortbread that Chris, one of our many excellent and dedicated volunteers, bakes on an almost weekly basis is incomparable. And just the thought of her lemon curd cake sends my salivary glands into meltdown.
Talking of salivary glands, there was an incident a few weeks ago where my canine companion, Troy, had an infection of the salivary gland which resulted in a badly swollen eye. It should be noted that although Troy did look somewhat down in the dumps (and also temporarily took on the appearance of a pitbull) he did not at any point lose his appetite. That’s my boy.
When I asked Sarah (who has now been demoted to no.2/3 on Troy’s list) about Troy’s health, she updated me and asked me in for a cup of tea and a catch-up where we spent a jovial half hour discussing dogs, vets, and my expanding waistline.
And that is truly the essence of Riverhill. It is a place where plants and people coexist in a mutual harmony, where the need for immaculate upkeep of the grounds is usurped by a concern for others, an atmosphere of convivial companionship and where you can discover a different sense of humour (or a previously unknown plant) around each corner. “
