Grace, who sits under the Gingko Tree.

Grace, who sits under the Gingko Tree.

Hello there!
Thanks for stopping by;
Friday’s blog a private peek, 
so let’s step outside the kitchen door
and say hello to our new friend, Grace.
She was sitting in a shop in Josselin, Bretagne, 
and she just had to come home with us.
The moment I saw her, I fell in love with her.
Which is why she is named after my daughter, Grace.
The moment I saw her, I fell in love with her, too.
So she has a wonderful shady spot in the back garden, right underneath the old Gingko tree.
So every morning, when I go off down the path to work, 
I can say “Good Morning, Grace!”
Before I get sad here, 
pining for my little girl who lives New York
and sits under a blossom tree in Central Park, 
(which incidentally, is far too far away from home!)
let’s focus on the Gingko tree, with its wonderful leaves…
I took this picture at dusk, so you can see the fantastic shapes
Did you know that the Gingko biloba tree, 
also known as the Maidenhair tree,
 is the oldest-existing tree species in the world?
In the East, 
it is considered a symbol of 
longevity, hope, resilience and peace. 
It is the National tree of China.
Its fan-shaped leaves are found in fossil records that go back 225 million years – that’s the time of the dinosaurs!
And we’ve got one in the back garden!
Impressed yet???
Ours is very, very old. 
And male. 
We know this to be true, because the fruit which the female Gingko produces smells repulsive! And ours doesn’t, thank goodness, because it is huge! 
Another interesting fact: 
extracts from the Gingko leaves have been used to treat, 
what was it again…mmmm…
ah yes: dementia and memory loss.
It’s also good for fatigue apparently, 
so I’d better go suck on a Gingko leaf!
In the fall, the garden gets covered in a carpet of bright yellow gingko leaves. They are very beautiful. 
Time for a Gingko Stencil methinks….
Yes, where was I?
Little Grace. 
Look how tiny she is, sitting underneath the old gingko tree.
Do you have something precious which gives you joy 
whenever you see it?
Grace does that for me. 
And so does the little statue now.
I will see her and my lovely lad Mark in San Francisco next week.
It is his Graduation ceremony.
Long way to go?
Wouldn’t miss it for the world.
love to you,

53 thoughts on “Grace, who sits under the Gingko Tree.

  1. Beautiful Barb – I love Fridays blog – its one I look forward to very much – you have such lovely children and how damn wonderful that you are flying to the states to celebrate his graduation – I know how proud I felt when I attended my sons graduation a few years back in the City of London – it was a 'that's my son that is' moment – one not to be missed – when you see them dressed in their cap and board its a special moment – so you go and enjoy and feel immense pride in all that he has achieved. As to the tree – thank you for the education in it – very interesting – can you eat the fruit at all or is it one that is just used in those herbal remedies? Your statue – how lovely to call her Grace and give you a special connectivity every morning – I think we all have something somewhere that you see or touch that gives you a connection to someone special. So back to the tree – a stencil – oh yes indeed!!!! love Kim x

  2. Morning Barb, what a great blog post this morning, love your garden and little Grace, and wow isn't your Grace beautiful. Bet you are looking forward to seeing them both, you must be so proud going to Mark's graduation. Methinks I need some Gingko. Have a great Friday. Bx

  3. Good Morning Barbara. What a very lovely blog this morning! Your tree is fantastic…Colin used to have a bonsai Ginkgo which was actually quite old ….I don't think anything could have sat under that one! A ginkgo stencil would be smashing!
    My precious thing is of course my daughter Amy who doesn't live that far away from me but far enough that I don't see her every day and when I do its magical!
    Enjoy every moment when you go over to the states ….you will have another one of those precious 'Proud Mum' moments that no one can take away from you!
    Love and hugs xxx

  4. Good morning,
    I love your garden Geace, she is so sweet. Ginkgo tree in Japan become so large and love forever. Thanks for,the share. Happy graduation Mark,,,, congrats.

  5. Definitely not too far for such a special occasion, and not to far for your beloved children. My special memory things are a couple of small pen and ink drawings that Geoff did for me so many years ago when I was at college, when we had only just started going out. They are now protected in archival wallets and in a very safe place. Looking forward to that ginko stencil. Have a wonderful time with your children. xx Maggie

  6. Both your "little" Grace are lovely. You made a good choice when you bought the one which is now in your garden, it is stunning. Local artist from Brittany I suppose.
    I wouldn't mind you send me some of the Gingko leaves…..For the fatigue…. And will be very happy with a stencil……Lol!!!! Have a great day. xx

  7. Very very beautiful . my little garden brings me great joy every time I walk though it. very small but so peaceful. watching the blue tits feeding their young at the moment .The young must be just about ready to fly . thinking of my wonderful boys who have all flown the nest .love them all so much . Have a great day and enjoy your very special trip .xxp

  8. Hi Barbara. I can see why you had to bring Grace home from France, she looks lovely sat under your Ginko tree (thanks for the info, didn't know it was good for memory, or if I did I had forgotten! sadly not joking as one of the drugs I am on does affect my memory, one of the nicknames I get called is "Goldfish"! Aren't my family lovely 🙂 You must be getting so excited to be seeing your gorgeous girl and your clever son. How proud are you going to be? It will be one of those times when your heart is fit to burst with happiness. Enjoy : )
    I have several little bits and bobs that mean so much to me, one being a little A5 size piece of paper that our eldest son stuck some sticky shapes on making a picture of some flowers for me all by himself without me knowing and then gave it to me saying "I made this for you Mummy because you like flowers" He was 2 1/2 years old at the time! I have used it as my bookmark ever since (having had to re laminate it several times) He is now 27. So special : ) Have a great weekend. Take care.

  9. Hi Barbara, loved your story, hope you have a great time with your children, and enjoy the ceremony, it is the most touching moment, to see all their hard work rewarded, take plenty of photos and tissues!!!! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!! Love Carolyn x

  10. The Gingko tree stencil sounds fantastic , mother nature provides such wonderful inspiration. Have a wonderful time when you go to America , congrats in advance to Mark and Hello to Grace (stunning picture) x

  11. Barb I bet you are uber excited about seeing the children next week. I hope you have loads planned with both of them x

    I love your little Grace she is beautiful and so is your Daughter Grace. I look forward to seeing pictures of Marks Graduation (hopefully you will share).

    My precious little thing is my Daughter Skye she is gorgeous both inside and out and helps to look after me. She never complains about it either (I do not keep well). My little precious possession is a little stone cat that my Gran had and she called it yam yam (she thought that is what a cat sounded like lol and that's why she named it yam yam).

    Have a fabulous weekend Barb.
    Denise xx

  12. What a lovely smile on your new little Grace. One moment it looks serene, the next it looks cheeky and full of joy. Sure she will love it under your Ginko tree with it's beautiful shaped leaves. Noticed that you called Autumn, Fall which straight away brings an image of the glorious colours nature brings. But lets enjoy the summer first and Mark's graduation will be such a proud and emotional event. My children live 314miles awsy so each visit is precious and to be cherished. Xx

  13. You brought a tear to my eyes reading this ,you little Grace is Beautiful as is your Daughter, it's a mum thing with Daughters ,as Tara my Daughter is .
    Have A Super Super time next week with your Family
    See you soon
    Martine xx

  14. Both Grace's are beautiful Barbara. What gorgeous shaped flowers on the ginko tree, great idea for a stencil. I'm sure you'll have a fab time in USA with your two offspring but do remember to come home to us! Pat x

  15. Love today's blog, your garden is fabulous, I would love a garden like that. Little Grace is so cute, and she fits in perfectly under the Gingko tree. What a fantastic tree it is too, and a stencil of those beautiful leaves would be most welcome. My eldest, son Calum, will be moving out next month, I'm feeling very sad, but I know it will be good for him and it had to happen one day, hey!!! What a lovely time you have to look forward to, and a chance to make more treasured memories x

  16. Barbara, love both your Grace's – particularly the one under the blossom tree. I'm a bit horrified at the size of your tree. I have two that are only about 8 ft from my house! At the moment they are about 5 ft high, and only grow slowly, so perhaps it will be someone else's problem, given I am and OAP (hate that term). Like you, I love the leaf shapes and autumn colours.

  17. Lovely blog Barbara. Both Graces are beautiful. Congratulations to Mark on his graduation. Having no children of my own I have precious memories of my niece and nephew's graduations. They too live in America and so I don't get to be with them or my sister very often (thank goodness for Skype and FaceTime!!!) Looking forward to a Gingko stencil – maybe a stamp too? Have a wonderful time next week with both your children. xx

  18. I love your new Grace statue Barbara so beautiful as is your daughter Grace. Have a lovely time with your children next week and enjoy Marks graduation. How wonderful . My daughter and husband are precious to me and of course memories! Have a lovely weekend. Love Diane xxx

  19. Hello Barbara. Well, so many similarities! I have a ginko in the garden, only a baby one really – about 20 years old but still very delicate. I love it to bits. As I do my big girl who is working in Australia right now and who is also loved to bits. And I'm going to see her at the end of the year and I'm trying not to get too excited too soon. I have a rose in the garden called Sophie Perpetual and I say hello to that plant which has made my family convinced I'm mad. Probably true. Ginko stencil for the new club would be lovely. xx Margaret Col.

  20. Hi Barb,
    Your two Graces are both beautiful and I think it's lovely that you've named the statue after your gorgeous daughter. Love the idea of connecting with her every morning. I'm so pleased that you are going to Mark's graduation – how proud will you be! It will be nice for you to spend some time with them both and well worth the long trip. The idea of a Genko stencil is fabulous – the leaves are fabulous. That's one I will definitely have! Love Alison xx

  21. I love your little grace our children our so precious good when they are not around to have things around to remember. Them for us is trees our daughter we lost just loved trees so tree we have to remember Sandie still have three beautiful daughters. Have a wonderful time with Mark and Grace at Marks graduation how wonderful a very proud moment for you they are both a created to you look forward to seeing pictures and hearing all about it have a wonderful time xxx

  22. What a very touching blog this morning. Little Grace looks very at home under the gingko tree as does big Grace under the blossoms in USA. Children are a blessing and mums will always worry about them even when they are grown and flying solo living a life well lead. You will be bursting with pride when Mark graduates next week, enjoy being together, time is precious and all being in the same place at the same time is a gift.
    The thing that brings happiness to me is the love I get back from my girls.
    The idea of a stencil like gingko leaves sounds great, look forward to seeing this one. Joan x

  23. The statue is almost as beautiful as your daughter. Enjoy next weekend with both children – you must be very proud they are such independent, strong and individual characters – just the type of adult that the little boy with the birds will grow up to be! Maybe that's why it's your favourite stamp? Susan x

  24. Enjoy you special time with Mark, and tell him all your crafters send their congratulation and best wishes to him. What a lovely statue and to head off to work and back and be greeted by the smile on her face is lovely. Hope grace is enjoying her time in New York. xxx

  25. Lovely photos of both lovely Graces! You will have a fab time at Mark's graduation, a wonderful get together! My Son and Daughter, Michael and Sarah, always make me happy when I see them and extra special is my first Grandchild – little six month old Freya (Sarah's daughter) who is so gorgeous! xx

  26. This statue is lovely and the real Grace is even lovelier. Every moment spent with children is special, and even more so when they live a long way away, so enjoy your son's graduation next week, and meeting up with your beautiful daughter too will make it the best time. I can remember our son's graduation about 14 year's ago and how proud my husband and I were. He is our only child and lives in Australia now and we speak a lot, but time spent in his company is truly precious. I love the shape of the Gingko leaf and a stencil, and possibly a stamp featuring them would be wonderful Barbara. x

  27. Good afternoon. Barbara. What a lovely story this morning. That's is a lovely stayer and what a wonderful idea to call her Grace. You must miss your children so much. I miss my two eldest daughters and they are only ( I say only I wish it was less) 2hrs drive away. I must say what you told us has brought tears to my eyes. Have a fabulous weekend.
    Debra x. Ps. I emailed you a photo off a card I made my take on your secret garden. I hope you got the email

  28. I am impressed at your knowledge Barbara – fabulous – my daughters are my precious things – they're just so lovely! Can't wait for you to do a gingko stencil – sounds fab! Have a great weekend – hugs rachel xx

  29. I like the sort contented almost dreamy smile of Grace's. I can hardly wait for the stencil, the gingko leaves are such a fantastic shape —wow.
    Hope that you have a wonderfully exciting time in America. I don't think it's a long to travel at all. I would travel to the ends of the earth and back just to show my daughters and granddaughter how proud I am of their achievements, no matter what it was, is or will be.

  30. What a lovely blog post! My day is always made better by my cat. He sits so he's cheek to cheek with me and stretches his one arm out over my shoulder. It makes everything right in my world.
    P.S bought the countryside stencil – my first stencil and I love it!

  31. Just love your Grace with the round face, bet you stroke her cheek every morning which is what I would do. Have a great time in S.F. and don't forget to post a piccie of Mark at his graduation.
    God bless
    Jan x

  32. Lovely blog today. My family are my precious things including my dog (which is my picture). I love the gingko leaves and you are right that it would make a great stencil. I have visited S.F. a few times now and LOVE the city and the parks. Blow a kiss to the Golden Gate Bridge for me when you are there, it is my most favourite place. XX

  33. Little Grace is a perfect addition to your lovely country garden, and so beautiful. Thanks for sharing her with us all , have a good weekend …..Jo. X

  34. What a fabulous blog today, thank you do much for sharing your special things with us. I just love little Grace, your garden looks like a very peaceful place to be. The tree is fantastic and would make a great stencil. Whatever you do don't forget the tissues next week, when you see your beautiful daughter and your son in his gown you will need them, have a wonderful time and cherish every moment, fabulous. Take Care x

  35. Grace is a lovely little character, funny how a special little something (or someone!) like that can almost make us feel like we have company with us. I stumbled across your blog today and I think it is really lovely ~x~

  36. Lovely blog today, I love your little statue, amazing Grace and so pleased you get to see your children next week. It is sad when family live so far away I am off to see my sister the end of next week who also lives in America but aren't we glad we live in these modern times of planes and skype !! X

  37. I can see the appeal of your statue which looks lovely beneath the Gingko tree. What a beautiful picture of your Grace, she's very photogenic. Have a wonderful time in America. x

  38. A very touching post, lovely statue but the real Grace is just beautiful. You will be so proud of Mark, hope you got tissues ready, remember to take plenty of photos.. Gingko stencil would be ideal. I treasure my family the most, I am so proud of each of their achievements and now watching grandchildren making their way in life. My mum's eternity ring is also very precious I wear it every day. xx

  39. How lovely is she! And what a pleasure it must be to greet her in the morning. I have my own Grace to say good morning to as well-but she's my guardian angel.

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