The Jewel Garden : A Story of Despair and Redemption
Monty and Sarah Don
This book offers insight into the fortunes of Monty and Sarah Don from jewellery entrepreneurs in the 1980s to entrenched garden lovers. It’s inspiring to read about how lows in life trickle out and gradually, albeit painfully, a way to live emerges. This living is rooted in the earth, working on it and with it, succeeding and failing without the human ties of guilt and blame, there is nurturing, joy and responsibility and most precious of all the recognition of small moments of joy, as one-time only gifts to be treasured.
A blackbird few from my blackcurrants a couple of days ago as I opened the veggie patch gate. We have bees making a home in our compost pile. Neither are even close to a gardening success, yet this summer these creatures have given a sense of completeness to the garden that nothing else could.
Gabrielle Barnby
Orkney, Summer, 2018
Books by Gabrielle Barnby:
The Oystercatcher Girl – a beautifully understated story of deception and forgiveness, love and redemption.
The House with the Lilac Shutters and other stories – utterly original story-making of a very high quality.
