When Bill’s Uncle Cecil came back to Canada after World War I, he brought his English war bride, Agnes. She didn’t bring a lot of stuff but she did bring a wee pot of white violets from her garden in England. The violets flourished in her Russell, Manitoba garden.
Over fifty years ago Bill visited his aunt and uncle, and brought a clump of violets to his dad’s garden near Wiarton. When we bought our farm at Big Bay the violets moved again. Now we have them in many places in the gardens. I always think of Aunt Ness when I see the pure white blossoms standing out so strongly from the dense green foliage. Lovely to look at, no perfume at all, but the story always warms my immigrant heart.