WEP Challenge for August

I'm participating, for the second time, in the WEP challenge.

WEP? Write, Edit, Publish. 

Hosted by Denise Covey and Yolanda Renee, all the information, rules and timing etc, can be found here and it may not be too late to sign up if you hurry.

Entries should be 1000 words or less, mine is considerably less at just under 500, and the theme for August is Gardens.

Saying goodbye to the Garden

They were sad to be leaving the home they had lived in and loved for sixty years, but the time had come to move to a smaller place. Joe could no longer manage the care of such a large garden and Hannah could no longer climb the stairs to the second floor.

On this final early morning, for the very last time, they held hands and strolled through their gardens as the sun rose, tinting everything pink and gold briefly, then revealing the rainbow palette they had planted so long ago.

The front yard had been transformed from a weedy patch to a cottage garden very similar to the one Hannah remembered her grandmother had. Every pretty plant was scented to attract bees and butterflies, who would then, hopefully, continue buzzing around to the side yard where a small forest of fruit trees and grape vines awaited pollination. The delicate blossoms of apple, cherry and plum trees promised a bountiful harvest. In years past, many jars of jam had been made and sold at county fairs, school fetes, garage sales. 

Walking through the backyard, they heard the gentle tinkle of the fountain, watched the iridescent dragonflies darting among the dewdrops. They each remembered the many other walks they had taken in the past, when moonglow shone gently on the rosebeds and stardust sparkled in their eyes. Hannah remembered Joe bringing home the first rose cuttings, given by his best friend Darryl when Joe had helped with the pruning one year.

The cuttings had been mostly reds and pinks, but the rosebeds, which curved around the edges of the large lawn, now showed off a sweeping vista from whites, to creams, to yellows, into the softer pinky yellows, then came the pinks and reds. 

Oh, the parties that lawn had seen! 

Christenings, birthdays, weddings, almost every family milestone had been celebrated here.

A favourite spot was the junction of south and western fences, where a raised bed had been filled with evening primrose, right where the moon would shine as it rose and the blossoms would glow; Hannah and Joe had often lingered at the dining table to watch as the moon lit that corner so beautifully.

Further along the south fence, a three-sided structure covered in star jasmine hid the garbage bins and the small shed where the gardening tools were kept.

As they rounded the last bend in the path, their thoughts lingering in the past, they heard the crunch of tyres on gravel. Their oldest daughter, Zoe, had arrived. Time now to load the suitcases into the car and head on to the pretty retirement village near Zoe's home.

As they drove away, their last sight was the large For Sale sign attached now to the front fence.

FCA = Full Critique Acceptable
tell it like it is. Like it? Love it? Hate it?