Life as I See It … with Flora Stewart, Assistant Head Gardner and Historian at Middlebrook Hall
Hi Flora, thank you for joining us to chat about life as you see it. We’re excited to hear about your work and why you believe that gardens are so good for us.
“Thank you for the invite, I’m looking forward to it!”
So can you share what’s the best thing going on in your life at the moment?
“Apart from my job, it would have to be the opportunity I’ve got coming up to work on a garden on a tiny Scottish island. It’s been abandoned for years and I’m certain there’s a story to tell. I can’t wait to get started and find out more.”
That sounds exciting, keep us posted! If you were allowed to find out everyone who was secretly in love with you at some point in their life, would you want to know?
“No, there’s nothing I could do about it. And I’ll let you know about the garden!”
Thanks for that! And we understand the first part of your reply. Okay then, in ten years’ time will you be proud of what you are doing now?
“I hope so, in fact I know I will! Part of my job is training volunteers and I love to see the difference that working together in a garden makes to their lives. We often have school visits too and it’s so inspiring to show young people how much fun they can have outdoors.”
That sounds so encouraging, we love it. Okay then, what does your inner voice tell you?
“That I should probably invest in better waterproofs. I’m outdoors every day in every kind of weather and eventually they all seem to leak.”
Sounds like a plan! What are your strongest beliefs about?
‘Opportunities for everyone to have the chance to experience time outdoors, whether that’s in a garden or somewhere else. For me there’s nowhere quite like it to soothe my mind or exercise when I need to, although I no longer run competitively.”
Nice answer. What is important on your to-do list but not urgent?
“My car needs a service. And a clean. It always needs a clean.”
Good luck with that! What have you done recently that made you feel great?
“My best friend’s wedding a couple of weeks ago. I was a bridesmaid and it was a wonderful, special day, for all sorts of reasons.”
Can you tell us more? It sounds like you had a lot of fun.
“I’ve never danced so much at a party and I had the best time. That’s it!”
Okay! What keeps you awake at night?
“Thoughts of family sometimes.”
Name something that you would really hate to lose.
“Can I say my steel-toe-capped boots? It took ages to find a pair that fit really well and they’re so comfortable.”
What’s something that no one knows about you?
“I’m not sure there is anything, my two best friends understand me so well. We’ve always been there for each other since the earliest days at high school.”
The joy of good friends, how lovely. What thoughts come to mind when you are relaxed?
“Have I watered the plants? Closed up the greenhouses?”
What do you need help with most often?
“Shopping for myself, I like buying seeds more than I do clothes. My friend Sophie is always happy to come with me.”
Is there anything missing in your life?
“My dad. He died two years ago and we miss him.”
We’re so sorry to hear that. Who do you admire in your life?
“Thank you. My brother because he gave up a professional sports career to join the church and that took a lot of courage. And my mum, for learning how to go on without my dad and adapt to circumstances none of us expected.”
If you were offered the chance to feel happy all of the time, would you take it?
“That’s a difficult one, because if I said yes then it would have to mean that my dad was still here. So the reality is no and I don’t know that the really happy moments would be quite so meaningful without some of the sadder ones.”
Do you believe that love has to be mutual?
“Yes. It must be tough if it’s not.”
What are you still learning about yourself?
“That I can cope with the stuff life throws at us. And that everything looks better when I’ve spent time in the garden.”
If the most challenging thing to ever happen to you happened again, would you handle it differently?
“No. When my dad died there was nothing we could have done differently, we were just trying to cope until we could do more than that.”
When do you underestimate yourself?
“When I’m trying to prune trees and can’t reach as far as I think I can!”
Where do you feel the most like yourself?
“In a garden for sure, and with my friends and family who understand me.”
And finally, what are you most excited to do in your lifetime?
“To share the joy of being outdoors and to leave a garden behind that others can appreciate in the future. I hope it might include a family eventually.”
Thank you Flora, for telling us about life as you see it. Good luck with the island garden, it sounds very exciting. You can catch up with Flora and the team at Middlebrook Hall through the usual social media channels. Check out Instagram for those brilliant lives they do.