Nur Jahan, Moghul Queen Part 2

“ …she erects very expensive buildings in all directions - sarais, or halting-places for travellers and merchants, and pleasure gardens and palaces such as no one has ever made before.” - Pelsaert

The Mughal period in India was one where culture and the arts were of great importance to the royal family and the ruling classes below them. Nur Jahan was fortunate indeed to have lived in this time and to have been born to a wealthy and powerful family. She was skilled in two languages, was considered an accomplished poet, designed and created clothing and jewellery, an art lover and collector, and she is famously known for her prowess as a huntress, her horsemanship and long black hair. It is quite understandable then of her great interest in architecture and garden making. Nur Jahan was quite fortunate indeed that her husband and emperor Jahanjir held many of the same interests. Together and apart they built palaces, mausoleums, and gardens.

The Mughal garden style was taken from the ancient Persian garden. A walled garden was built with two water channels that intersected dividing the garden into four quadrants. This pattern is called the chahar bagh or char bagh.( see Magic Carpet Ride)  Early Mughal gardens were set outside the palace or citadel walls, and in the case of the city of Agra, gardens lined the banks of the river Jamna. Gardens inside the palace were paved surfaces of stone with perhaps an ornamental pool and water channel. Unfortunately the earliest gardens no longer exist nor do any records with description.

Nur Jahan is known to have rebuilt the gardens of the Ram Bagh (Garden of Repose) situated on the Yamuna River in Agra. She was given the garden by Jahanjir who had inherited it from his garden -loving ancestor Babur. The design of the Ram Bagh differs from earlier gardens in that the main building is located on terraces that line the riverbank rather than being centered in the garden in the classical char bagh style. The char bagh is a garden divided into four quadrants by two channels of water that intersect in the middle forming a pool or a fountain. Water channels also follow the perimeter of the garden and link up with the two main channels. At the Ram Bagh the four gardens were set at a depth lower than the water channels for a few of reasons. The main reason was ease of watering the plants; water could be allowed to overflow into the gardens. Mughal gardens were often arranged in terraces with the main building or palace closest to the top. This is intentional, as the gardens were meant to be looked down upon, like a living carpet. And of course the third reason is that the garden was a place of refuge; a cool, shady green place to hide from the heat.

Ram Bagh

 Nur Jahan most likely maintained the beautiful gardens of the Ram Bagh. In its time it was known for its fruit trees of mangoes, tamarind and pineapple and vines of grapes and melons. Today, after centuries of war and a desire for more modern gardens, the Ram Bagh’s original character has been lost. ‘Gone are the glowing parterres, carpets of colour – “the roses and  narcissus planted regularly in beds corresponding to one another” – such as were spread to delight the eyes of Babar or Nur-Mahal. Winding drives and meaningless paths now replace the charming old formality, while the baradis on the riverside terrace are disfigured and modernised. There remain only the terraces, fountains, and narrow watercourses, with their tiny, carved water-chutes, and the old well from which the garden was supplied with water from the Jumna.’ 

A minor garden built by Nur Jahan is the Moti Bagh (or Moti Mahal) that also lies on the eastern bank of the Yamuna River. It was typical architecturally for the time with parterres filled with fruit trees and flowers.

Her most famous gardens in Agra, again on the Yamuna River, were the tombs of I’timaduddaula for her deceased father and that for her husband Jahanjir at Shadara, both which still exist. It is not known how much direct influence Nur Jahan had in the construction of Jahanjir’s tomb as she was exiled almost immediately on his death. However, the design of the mausoleum was taken from the I’timaduddaula.  The I’timaduddaula garden was walled with false gateways on three sides. From the main gatehouse is a straight drive with orchards planted on either side. The garden was in the typical char bagh style with the mausoleum on a raised platform in the centre of the four water channels.  Four tanks (large pools that acted as reservoirs) “were on each side of the central platform, each of which contains a small fountain, and there are angular channels that carry water to all four corners of the small enclosure.” At one time its avenues were lined with cypress trees and the walks spilling over with scented roses. The four parterres would have been filled with brilliant flowers considered worthy of worship. Each one of the four parterres would be represented by a single flower in great abundance like the tulip, violet or rose. Other flowers they may have used were poppies, lilies, anemones and red cyclamen. Imagine standing from higher ground looking down on such a colourful display.

I'timaduddaula with waterless channel

The couple spent thirteen summers in their beloved Kashmir. They travelled on elephant over the Himalayas, along with their large entourage. Here the land was not flat as in Agra but mountainous, with verdant valleys dotted with lakes. In Kashmir they looked to use the natural beauty of the place and took advantage of its views by creating terraced gardens. Lakes, waterfalls and streams were made part of the design.

One of the smaller mountain gardens is that of Darogha Bagh (Lalla Rookh’s garden). Darogha bagh “juts out into the lake with its burden of terraced walls and slender poplar trees, like some great high-decked galleon floating on the clear calm water.”

The most famous and secluded garden on Dal Lake is that of Shalamar Bagh which was originally built by Pravarsena ll who reigned in Kashmir from A.D. 79 to 139 (or so the legend claims). I will desist with the glowing flowery quotes here to point out what is of most interest to us. Shalamar is divided into three areas, an outer public garden, the emperor’s garden and the zenana garden for the women of the harem. The zenana garden was the climax of Shalamar with many fountains and watery arcades that were lit up at night. Here the hand of Nur Jahan is seen. Each of these gardens was its own terrace, from lowest level to the topmost level. Nur Jahan was allowing the public into a usually very private place for royalty only. The royal gardens were no longer for pleasure alone; the new Mughal garden had imperial duties as well and the intention was to make a statement to all about the emperor’s power and place in the Mughal world. The outer public garden allowed Jahanjir to receive the public and other high officials even at times when he was at leisure.  The zenana gardens at Shalamar stood as a symbol of women’s transformation. Here, women were not required to wear the veil and no longer represented a morality. This was Nur Jahan’s doing.

Another garden and our last is the royal garden of Achabal in Kashmir. This garden predates the arrival of the Mughals and was an orchard garden for the Sultans of Kashmir in the fifteenth century. The site of Achabal was built around a powerful mountain spring at the base of a forested mountain. Nur Jahan laid out new gardens in 1620 which consisted of four ascending terraces in the char bagh manner. The main feature is the spring whose water is collected in various canals with platforms and pavilions built over top. Pools with fountains are prominent in the design found on the terraces. The garden was laid out with many walks and shaded by fruit trees of apple, pear, plum, apricot and cherry. Fish ponds existed during this time too. Today the gardens of Achabal are much reduced in size and have undergone some renovation due to decay. However its location and site is still unparalleled in beauty.

Achabal

Nur Jahan was a rare woman of her time. She was immensely talented and had a mind that could rule an empire. Along with Jahanjir they celebrated the arts and were deeply involved in creating  beauty. Nur Jahan was involved in the creation of eleven gardens to my knowledge. These were not small gardens but royal gardens built on terraces, surrounded by running water, a home for palaces, pavillions for shade and rest, orchards of fruiting trees and brightly coloured flowers to thrill the eye.

Nur Jahan, Moghul Queen - Part 1

Of all the women I have researched and written about so far, the story of Nur Jahan is the most complete, the most reasonably well documented, and plenty has been written about her. In the first part of this post I will focus on the life of Nur Jahan with reference to the gardens.

From Wikipedia: The Mughal Empire or Mogul (also Moghul) Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power in the Indian subcontinent south (India Pakistan Bangladesh) and from about 1526 to 1757. The Mughal emperors were Muslims and direct descendants of Genghis Khan through Chagatai Khan and Timur. At the height of their power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they controlled most of the subcontinent.

A woman living during Mughal times did not have the freedoms that many women have today. As a member of royalty even a Mughal Queen lives in the harem with all the other women who attend the emperor. These women include female family members of the emperor, concubines and other wives of the emperor, ladies in waiting, serving girls, entertainers, slaves, and female guards for the Queen. The women lived their lives in the harem and did not leave unless, for example, on pilgrimages and visiting other family. Women came to the harem through marriage, birth, appointment, as purchases or gifts.

There are many stories about Nur Jahan and her husband the emperor Jahanjir. Some have their basis in fact but many were hearsay and can’t be verified. It is said that Jahanjir first saw Nur Jahan in the garden and fell in love with her on sight when he was still a young Prince Salim and she was still known as Mehrunisa (or Mihrunnisa, there are many variants in spelling). She is supposed to have been a beauty, as well as charming and intellectual.

Nur Jahan was born into a noble family from Persia. Her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg and her mother Asmat Begam along with other family members were leaving Persia after the family suffered a reversal of fortune to find a better life in India. Mughal India was at this time open to receiving new immigrants, and was tolerant of other faiths and clans. The family joined a caravan but were robbed of their valuables by bandits while traveling. When they arrived in Kandahar Asmat Begam gave birth to her fourth child, a girl whom they named Mehrunisa, “the Sun of Women”. The family reaches the city of Fatehpur Sikri where Mirza Ghiyas Beg is presented to the Emperor Akbar and is given a post in the court of the emperor. 

Little is known of Mehrunisa’s (Nur Jahan) early life. She would have learned about the arts and literature of her heritage as well as her family’s new country. She would also have been instructed in her religion, Shia, and would have learned to read the Quran. When young, Mehrunisa learned to sew and embroider. She loved all fine arts, wrote poetry, and was adept at cooking. During her life with the Emperor Jahanjir her achievements and contributions included literature, architecture, gardening, dress designing, decorating, hunting, and shooting. She was most certainly an intelligent, cultured woman who also eventually enjoyed the fruits of power and who had the desire and ability to run the country while her emperor husband Jahanjir was ill.

Mehrunisa was married to Ali Quli Istajlu in 1595. Like her, he was another Persian immigrant with a noble background. Ali Quli Istajlu was a soldier of war who became famous for shooting a tiger single-handedly while in the employ of Jahanjir. When Jahangir ascended the throne, he appointed Ali Quli Istajlu the title of Sher Afghan. The couple had a daughter, however the marriage did not last long as Sher Afghan was killed in 1605. The death of Sher Afghan changed Mehrunisa’s life. She was appointed to the service of Salima Begum, the widow of Akbar (Jahanjir’s father) and she was now to live in a small room in the harem.

It does not seem to be known with certainty how Mehrunisa came to be known by Jahanjir. Maybe it was an encounter in the garden before her marriage to Sher Afghan. More likely they met in 1611 during the celebrations of the Nauroz, one of two annual holidays celebrated at court. Jahanjir is reported to have fallen in love at first glance and they married two months later on May 25, 1611. He bestowed on Mehrunisa the title of Nur Mahal (Light of the Palace) and later Nur Jahan (Light of the World). It is worth noting that Nur Jahan was 35 years old with a child when they married. Women of this age, widowed with children did not expect to marry again; they were ‘old maids’. Nur Jahan most probably was an extremely beautiful woman to be so fortunate to marry a second time. As it turns out their relationship was one of great love. 

Nur Jahan was not the first Mughal queen who created gardens.  Many of Jahanjirs female ancestral relatives created gardens in the areas of Agra and Kabul. Jahanjir himself was a great lover of gardens and he had gardens built in his name alone as well as with his queens.  Nur Jahan's involvement elevated the garden from a place for parties, celebrations, art displays and meditation to a place where court business could take place. With this change gardens became more elaborate and refined in design; the intention was to make a statement to all about the emperor’s power and place in the Mughal world. 

Nur Jahan's Mausoleum - photo credit

 

The world for royal women in the harem began to improve and expand. Prior to this time the only reason women could leave the harem and travel was for religious purposes such as visiting shrines and making pilgrimages, accompanying men on military and diplomatic campaigns and to visit family outside the court. Such travel was always accompanied with a retinue of male family. These confinements began to ease with Nur Jahan's involvement. Women began to be allowed to leave the court for reasons of pleasure – by today’s standards they could behave like tourists and see the sights and partake in social activities previously unknown to them.  Travel became more commonplace and Jahanjir helped to make this more pleasurable for all by adding allees of trees on frequented routes, and adding buildings as rest stops for the comfort of the women.

The couple were both totally enraptured with gardens. Jahanjir had made gardens before their marriage but the two of them constructed many gardens together and apart. In their earlier years together the couple had gardens constructed in the area of Agra. Agra is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River with the surrounding area being flat. Agra suffers from extremities of climate with scorching hot summers, chilly winters and occasional monsoons. The couple also traveled further north to the valleys in the Himalayas to the area known as Kashmir. While the climate of this mountainous region also has highs and lows, it was the beauty of the area that attracted them: mountains and valleys, rivers, lakes and waterfalls, and especially the great variety of flowers of the region. Nur Jahan introduced many plants from Kashmir such as the Blue Kashmir Lily, now immortalized in the Taj Mahal. The flower as art was incorporated into the designs of many of the gardens she created.

Blue Kashmir Lily - Nymphaea nouchali

Jahanjir was a lover of life, an aesthete. He was not at his best in the political world like his father Akbar and his grandfather Babur before him (both great gardeners). He loved the drink and the opium like his brothers did. This constant consumption of wine and opium wreaked havoc on his body and made him very ill over the years, shortening his life. Fortunately for him he had a wife, a queen of strong character and intellect, who was endowed with the skills necessary to fill in at court when he could not. Jahanjir passed on the affairs of the state to Nur Jahan and it was she who ruled much of their time together. Criticisms on her character and her rise of power were a constant during these times. These criticisms continued after her death by historians or biographers of the time and of course later as well. Regardless, she was given the power by the emperor and she took it and used it as she felt necessary up until Jahanjir died in 1627. He was buried in Lahore in the garden of Dilkusha, a garden created by Nur Jahan. Nur Jahan was exiled to Lahore after the Emperor’s death. Normally she would have been able to stay at court as a widow, however there was much politics involved (which I have spared you all along). She spent the rest of her life in Lahore until her death in 1645. She was buried in a modest grave near Jahanjir, in a tomb decorated in geometric and floral patterns she designed herself.

Garden History online

I wish I could say that I have many posts ready for your reading pleasure. The truth is that for the last while it has been difficult to get the ideas and information down on paper. Do not count me out - the blog continues and the posts will resume.

In the meantime, I stumbled upon an online course on the history of the ornamental garden. It is taught by  England's garden historian and author Toby Musgrave. This online course starts in January and runs for 4 weeks. Part of the course is taught with video tutorials and the other part consists of downloadable notes.  A course this short will not be able to cover a lot but it will undoubtedly teach me many interesting things and will be a great refresher for my memory and who knows, maybe offer some inspiration.

It appears the garden history course is taught every month. However that is not all. There are many courses offered online at this site My Garden School from basic how to's to more advanced techniques of gardening. If you want to know how to grow plants on the vertical they offer that too.

Here's the link if you want a look: My Garden School.

So do keep in touch. You will not be disappointed.
Happy Holidays to all.

Patty

Jeanne Baret (1740-1807)

“Without casting any aspersions on the naturalist for having retained her for such an arduous voyage, I want to give her all the credit for her bravery, a far cry from the gentle pastimes afforded her sex. She dared confront the stress, the dangers, and everything that happened one could realistically expect on such a voyage. Her adventure should, I think, be included in a history of famous women.”

Nassau-Siegen

How does a young woman of about 24 years of age end up as a botanist’s aide on a French naval ship in 1766? During the voyage Jeanne sees a world that no peasant girl would ever think to imagine filled with wondrous lands, fascinating marine animals and unknown plants that she collects on behalf of the king. She faces great humiliations, physical labour bordering on slavery and rape. Hers is an amazing and yet difficult story to hear, but unfortunately we never hear from Jeanne directly about her adventure and must rely on the journals of others.

Jeanne was born to peasant parents in Autun, France in the Loire Valley. They were illiterate laborers who took any field work available such as sowing, tending and harvesting crops and other plants. Jeanne grew up in this small farming society where the furthest anyone travelled was only the next town. Somehow she learned to read and write and began the age old profession as an herb woman. Herb women supplied male operated businesses in towns with the roots, seeds, leaves and plants that held curative properties. They supplied druggists, physicians, dentists and male midwives (an eighteenth century development where upper class women chose men to help with the birthing process). Sir Joseph Banks, today one of the most renowned botanists, was not averse to paying herb women for their knowledge of the plant kingdom. Using herb women as teachers endowed Banks with more knowledge than his contemporaries and brought him eventual fame and wealth.

This is how Jeanne met the older and well–to- do Philibert Commerson, a botanist, who like Banks, wished to learn more about plant properties especially after being bitten in the leg by a dog that was believed to have rabies. That they met and became lovers is only the first of many details I must gloss over. Commerson was married. When his wife died shortly after childbirth he gave his son to his brother in law to care for and then installed Jeanne in his house as housekeeper. After moving to the great city of Paris Jeanne became pregnant with his child. Upon realizing that Commerson had no plan to marry her, Jeanne left the baby with an orphanage in Paris. It was in Paris that Commerson received plants via the Jardin du Roi (Garden of the King). Here they both dissected exotic and unusual plants into seeds, leaves and flowers to study. While Jeanne used her herbal knowledge to see similarities between these exotics and her native plants she also picked up some working knowledge of the Linnaean classification system which would help her while out at sea.

In 1765 Commerson’s friends at the Jardin du Roi told him of a three year expedition that the French government was looking at undertaking. The French had just lost their Canadian colony to the English and wished to improve their situation by attempting to find the elusive continent of Australia. This voyage would require circumnavigating the globe. This voyage would also require a renowned botanist to collect flora and fauna with the hope of finding plants that would be commercially viable and prosperous to France. Commerson desired to be part of this expedition as it could bring lasting fame and financial rewards, and it would be his for the asking. But there was a problem – what to do with Jeanne? Women were strictly prohibited from being on board French naval ships. However, he was allowed to bring as assistant to help with collecting and preserving the plant specimens they found. And so a plan was formed: Jeanne Baret would become Jean Baret or Baré. 

Why Jeanne agreed to this idea is not known. Was it even her idea? Was she so in love with Commerson that she was willing to risk so much? Already we may question her motives remembering her lost child, no marriage, no status, still a peasant girl after all. Perhaps the lure of new worlds and plants to discover was all she desired.  Now she was cutting her hair short, dressing in loose drawstring trousers and roomy tunic and binding her breasts to her chest with long bandages. The bandages on their own would make her situation at sea uncomfortable as they restricted her breathing especially when she needed all her breath to climb hills and carry equipment. They also caused dermatitis which must have been very unpleasant during a three year voyage.

Two ships made up the expedition lead by Captain Louis Antoine de Bougainville on the larger ship La Boudeuse and a smaller ship the Etoile captained by Francois Chenard de La Giraudais. ‘Jean’ and Commerson were offered the captain’s quarters upon the Etoile which proved to be a godsend for Jeanne although the intention was to provide enough room for their supplies and future plant specimens. It was not long however into the voyage that there were suspicions about Jeanne’s sex. The other sailor’s on board never saw him using the head to relieve himself, he never undressed in view of the rest of the crew and he carried a loaded pistol. Jeanne faced many difficulties early on including one night when she was forced to sleep with the rest of the crew below deck and needed the pistol to protect herself from assault. Later when crossing the equator all new initiates in the crew were required to undergo a baptism of sorts, usually done in fun. Jeanne, being an assistant to the botanist would be part of this baptism which in her case turned out to be closer to a hazing. Commerson began to realize that he needed to better protect his assistant.

When on land Jeanne had a somewhat easier time away from prying eyes and felt more secure. Her work with Commerson was extremely labour intensive. She became known as ‘the beast of burden’ carrying  the days provisions, the pistols, and a field bag in which were optical instruments, papers for pressing specimens, magnifying glass, telescope, compass, and a mesh net to capture insects. Commerson’s bad leg, similar to the oozing ulcers that King Henry VIII endured, would erupt from time to time and the possibility of gangrene was great. This left most of the collecting to Jeanne, who was directed to plants and locations by Commerson as he sat quietly while she climbed along cliffs to procure specimens. It was on one of these stops that something caught her eye. An evergreen plant in the tropics (they were now in Brazil) with colourful bracts in hues of reds that grows long bean-like seed pods, she found what would be named Bougainvillea after the captain of La Boudeuse. However it would be Commerson to give the plant this name in an attempt to ingratiate himself with the captain of the naval ship. It is thought that Jeanne noticed this plant not for its colourful bracts but rather for the seed pods that resemble beans. As an herb woman she would find a similarity with these beans and beans back in France. The red hues of the flowers would signify a plant that could draw out poisons in the blood while the green and black seed pods represented the necrosis accompanied with gangrene. It is likely she was hoping for a cure for her lover’s leg.

Bougainvillea

Commerson’s attempt to ingratiate himself with the captain backfired. Bougainville had Commerson arrested for bringing a woman on board. Jeanne was brought in for questioning and managed to placate Bougainville with a story of being a eunuch. While Bougainville did not believe her he allowed the story to spread, partly perhaps to ease her life on the ship but mainly because he would have to keep her on board with a false story to protect himself from being penalized. Jeanne was necessary to the recovery of commercial plant specimens; Commerson was not well enough to do the work alone and finding a capable new assistant was impossible. If the expedition failed Bougainville would have failed in the navy and government eyes.

As they circumnavigated the globe Jeanne worked in heat and humidity and cold almost freezing temperatures collecting plants. The ships encountered bad weather and had much difficulty finding places to dock where they could restock with water and food. The latter part of the trip they were all on starvation rations and not in the best of mood. They found Tahiti in April of 1768. 

Here there are discrepancies between the various journals of Bougainville, Vives (the doctor on the ship) and two others. Bougainville claims that the discovery of Jeanne’s true sex was made in Tahiti while the three other journals point to the island of New Ireland. It is clear that something bad happened to Jeanne on New Ireland and while not specifically mentioned in the journals rape is the most likely event. It is known that Commerson treated Jeanne with opiates on that fateful day and that she remained in the cabin for one month thereafter. Seven months later Jeanne and Commerson were released from the Etoile to stay on the island of Mauritius, a French colony. Jeanne was seven months pregnant.

Jeanne did give birth to a boy who was once again given away –not a surprise there, considering the traumatic event the precipitated it. Despite his failed attempt at procuring commercially viable plants for France, Commerson was able to find his way into high society in Maurtius. He and Jeanne continued to work together on new plant findings.  One such trip took them to Madagascar where Commerson was intrigued by a shrub, ten feet tall with glossy leaves and profuse white blossoms, and gave it the name Baretia. He believed he had found three distinct species and named them B. bonafida, B. oppotisiva and B. heterophylla. It turns out that the genus has more than 50 species, which have since been renamed and are now placed in the genus Turraea of the family Meliaceae. It is believed he chose this plant to name after Jeanne because it resists easy identification with leaves of different shapes on the same plant.

Jeanne relied on Commerson for her livelihood as without him she was penniless and had no way to return to France. They lived together in Mauritius with Jeanne tending the house, and the collections which totalled almost 6,000 specimens and her sick lover until his death in 1773 from dysentery as well as a broken ulcer in his chest. Jeanne eventually married a French soldier passing through Mauritius and within a year they moved to France. Nothing more is known of her until her death in 1807.

Solanum baretiae

In 2010, a newly described plant species was christened Solanum baretiae in her honor. Biologist Eric Tepe, with the University of Utah and the University of Cincinnati, named the newfound species after hearing about Baret's unsung work. He thinks it’s what Commerson would have wanted since he had already intended on naming a similar plant after her. ”I have always admired explorers, especially botanical explorers,” he said. “We know many of their names, and they all have endured hardships in pursuit of interesting plants, but few have sacrificed so much and endured so much as Baret,”

If you wish to know more about Jeanne Baret I recommend reading "The Discovery of Jeanne Baret" by Glynis Ridley. It is where I found the majority of the research for this post.

 

“But how was it possible to discover the woman in the indefatigable Baret, who was already an expert botanist, had followed his master in all his botanical walks, amidst the snows and frozen mountains of the Strait of Magellan, and even on such troublesome excursions carried provisions, arms, and herbals, with so much courage and strength, that the naturalist had called him his beast of burden?”  

Bougainville

A Much Appreciated Versatility Award

I am truly pleased and honoured to have received "The Versatile Blogger" award  from T.S. at Casa Mariposa.  It could not have come at a better time with the February blahs at my heels.

It seems that there is a ritual involved with this award which is to bestow it on fifteen other bloggers whose blogs I enjoy. Also I am to tell you 7 things about myself. 

So let's start with me:

1.  I never realized I liked 'history' so much until I began this blog.

2. I read quite a lot, and not just biographies on ladies of our past. I am a huge A.S. Byatt fan, love the Lord of the Rings and some science fiction.

3. I have a certificate in horticulture and do my best to use it well in my garden of just under one acre.

4. I have mostly had cats as pets, some goldfish and turtles when a kid.

5. My husband and I used to enjoy camping but now a comfy hotel room has its lure.

6. I am a real art and craft admirer and have a knack for knowing which piece is of the highest quality.

7. Macaroni and cheese is still one of my favorite things to eat.

   I happily bestow the Versatile Blogger  award to the following wonderful bloggers:

Jennifer @ Three dogs in a Garden for her wonderful cottage garden. She manages what I aspire to.    

Bom @PlantChaser who shares an interest in history and his magnificent plant macros

Carolyn @ Shade Gardens for her native plant suggestions and inspiration

Charley @  365 Things I love about France for helping me live in France from afar.

ts @casamariposa for her fun and humorous posts - Thanks again!

Denise in Japan for her wonderful bird photos

Donna @gardenwalkgardentalk whose 'magazines' are truly amazing

Diana @elephantseyegarden for showing me parts of South Africa I may never see

Julie @ TrulyUseful for her myriad of ways of helping one understand social media and for being a great librarian

Helen @ Masteringhorticulture who knows way more than I do and has a knack for making the science of plants easily understandable

Rob @ ourfrenchgarden who has a beautiful spot in the French countryside and who is presently tackling building stone walls

Helen @patientgardener in Malvern Hills whose trials and tribulations I can sympathize with as my own