One of the sweetest parts of my day so far today has been my walk through the park with Papa Bear on his way to work. It was a little cooler this morning than it has been for the past few days, and the fresher air was very welcome. In the park there are many beautiful sights at this time of year, and some gorgeous scents, too. My favourite soft pink roses are out now, and just walking past them you can smell their pure and beautiful scent. I like to imagine that I am walking through my very own garden, when I pass them by!
One of the very loveliest scents however comes from the blossom of the lime tree (or linden tree as it is also known). These blossoms don't flower for very long, so unless we are quick, we miss them - and it is such a shame when we do, because their scent is truly wonderful. Citrussy, sweet, slightly musky, like a rose in full bloom, but with a deep, floral perfume that you could never re-create in a bottle. The scent of the lime blossom is really best enjoyed out in the open air, on a beautiful summer morning, when you can pass beneath the heavily-laden branches of the trees, and brush against the soft, drooping white flowers and enjoy the scent as it is meant to be - in its natural state. Today was a perfect day - there was a slight breeze, which really lifted and carried the scent as we walked, and all I could think of was green, peaceful trees and blue skies. A true scent of summer! Papa Bear said that if only he could find a perfume that smelled just exactly like the lime blossom he would give it to me, but I said that it was lovely just to enjoy it straight from the tree! When I got home, I looked up to see if there were any poems or pieces of pretty prose about the lime tree and its gorgeous blossom, and this is one that I found ...
Oh the scent of the limes on the linden tree!
How it brings the love days back to me,
How it wakens the memories of long ago
Of summer months with their sunlit glow
And the hum of bees in pastures green
And the purling of streams that wound between,
And sequestered haunts we used to know
When we were young in the Long Ago.
How it brings the love days back to me,
How it wakens the memories of long ago
Of summer months with their sunlit glow
And the hum of bees in pastures green
And the purling of streams that wound between,
And sequestered haunts we used to know
When we were young in the Long Ago.
This poem, entitled "Linden Blossoms" was written at the start of the 20th Century by a Czechoslovakian poet called Jeffrey Dolezal Hrbek. I wonder if in years to come, Papa Bear and I will remember the "love days" and "memories of long ago" when we smell the beautiful lime blossoms in the park. I'd like to think so - but that we will still be making new memories at the same time, too!
