Every year my lovely Nan would collect up all of her garden gnomes and lay them out on her kitchen table. She would then clean them all up, scrape off any chipped paint and repair whatever damage that may have occurred over the cold, harsh English winter.
Once out of the 'gnome hospital', the re-painting would begin. Before long all of her gnomes would be as good as new and replaced in the garden.
Nan's garden was tiny, but this didn't stop her from filling it with all of her funny little red-hatted friends. My sister and I used to love spotting them, poking out from under the Hydrangea bushes, in between the Rose tress, standing in a pot with the Rosemary, peering through the window of her small shed...they were quite literally everywhere.
Whenever I see gnomes, I immediately think of my Nan and wish that she was still here.
A while back whilst out shopping I spotted a little gnome in desperate need of some colour.
Oh dear, if Nan were here she would be disgusted 'A gnome without colour!!!! whatever next?' I could just hear her saying. So, I bought him and finally got around to painting him last Sunday.
(he had to look worse before he could look better)
Almost there...
All Stanley (well, you have to name them don't you?) needs now is a coating of varnish, then he will be ready to live outside on our deck...hopefully he might do some tidying for me whilst he's there....
x
