snowmash's cybergarden - spring edition

[madmouse]

hello

Brilliant that your weekend was busy in a good way TIANC and hope you have a good recovery from your exertions .

How lovely you were able to eat in the sunshine shodatin - impressively hot here too , apologies for lack of posting yet again but warmth slows me down and sends me to sleep !

Thank you for answering about your garden , very enjoyable . Peachy carnations sound gorgeous . Agree lavender is essential , cornflowers are so summery & I have never tried sea holly , which looks beautiful .

Yay for harvesting courgettes . Am terrible with them - sowed early , numerous plants as I have problems with viruses , slugs , flower drop , non pollination etc ... several plants have been munched but 1st courgettes finally on way . On the other hand , a pumpkin seed sown about 4 weeks ago is now an almost 6 ft long plant fit to grow Cinderella's coach

Hope upward is feeling steadier with regards to the intrusive thoughts . It would be lovely if you get a chance of an icecream in the sunshine this week .

Good to have news of your garden, hob, and am wishing you luck with the courgettes - you're obviously doing everything right for the pumpkin, and it's now probably grown to a cat-proof size. Am very pleased with eryngium; never grown it from seed before due to time required in fridge, but there are 18 through now and possibly more due, so I'd be happy to send you a few later.
It looked good in wedding bouquet for Sara Phillips (is that correct name, latest Royal to marry?)
Hope you and TIANC not over-tired while working in the heat today - I really only sat around then retired indoors when too hot.

Am frantically taking notes about all this horticulture. shodatin eryngium sounds amazing. Do you really have spare plants? I may beg for one if you really do have enough.

So great that you were out in this lovely weather. Sat out briefly here - but I think I've been overdoing it so I should really rest rest rest tomorrow. Oh well.

Hope everyone else has also been out in the sun - but sorry the heat slows you down so much hob. Hope you're just pleasantly sleepy from it, and not in too much discomfort.

Upward have you had the glorious sunshine too?

Hello TIANC, thanks for the iced and of course you're welcome to a few eryngium as soon as they're large enough to travel, or seeds to start your own. Am assuming they'll be big enough to plant out in Autumn, and hardy enough to survive winter, but will check later.

Will say goodnight now, and hope everyone sleeps well.

Iced is a great idea - is it hot everywhere else?

Blazing here!

Hope shodatin and hob are coping in the heat today.

Thank you shodatin, would love a plant - only if they really are spare, tho.

Greetings to Upward, and hope you're feeling well and rested, despite being too warm, and further greetings to TIANC with same good wishes, and of course I'll send you a couple of plants - I think that just one would be tempting fate....
Weather has been good here, warm enough to dry washing outside and my chores have been indoors, where it's quite comfortable, thankyou. It would be good to have some rain this evening, and a nice, fresh day tomorrow.

Thanks for all the reviving iced [tea]- why didn't I think of that in RL too !
What a lovely person you are shodatin offering to send us some of your eryngium . My neighbour lent another raised bed a couple of weeks ago & growing in it was this mind boggling plant that appears to be a variety of eryngium - greenfingered neighbbour doesn't know exactly which either but it's breathtaking that I meant to mention it to you So , I think I'd be greedy to say yes please to your kindness at the moment but will see if it flowers so I can save some seeds . < tries not to kill off new find >

Hope your enforced Proper Rest hasn't been too tedious , TIANC & you've had diaphanous - winged creatures to watch from your steamer chair ( nowt but winged ants & wasps here )
Hi upward feeling , yes , was very hot during night here - sympathies if you're suffering ? . Hope you've had lots of relaxation & some nice distractions today.

< places large bowl of cyber strawberries on our nicely - dressed table - upward's shopping trip prompted us all to go into town for a forage round the homeware & outdoor section > and puts out a second jug < floats a few raspberries atop elderflower water >

Am nit in not real discomfort ,thank you so much TIANC just very jelly , a feeling I fear we all know . Hope we've all been able to have some time outdoors today ( Her Magnifence is holding court out there , if ayone missed her earlier )
Have a letting agents' inspection in 10 days and still not finished spring cleaning

Hope madmouse, kizzie , pixie and butterpie are having good days

Home grown veg/flowers give so much achievement! :)

I have strong feelings of not wanting to see cpn, but that's probably counterproductive.

I hope nobody got caught in the rain showers.

Tis indeed an astonishing feeling to have the chance to watch something grow - gives me a " rush" like shopping but more worthy . I really , really want to stop blethering about all the time though - thank you so much for your elastic patience .

Is your cpn a fairly new to you or have you known her a while ? Having a CPN can so obviously cross the line from support to stressful intrusiveness and I would have found being in the care of one very hard , but as you have experience and are much more no - nonsense about these things than I am , am wondering if is there an issue with your treatment you feel uneasy discussing ? Or are you worried about mentioning any recent difficulties ? I know that plenty of posters on the MH board will be able to advise you .

Hope you are able to settle your mind about this and have a good evening and peaceful night .

Sorry upward , my brain is obviously still overheated - you say "strong" feelings so you obviously have clear reasons for the reluctance . You aren't worried that the feelings might be unreasonable , I take it ? Wish the issues could be resolved for you without your feeling you ' d like to avoid the nurse ..

Are there any other measures you could ask for if not happy with the type of talking / medication ? Am sure the others will have good advice x

PS rain clouds hovering and lovely and cool here now

I don't have much experience; I only gained a CPN in hospital. I am trying to pick apart the 'why' as there must be something as the feelings are strong.

Thanks for saying more eloquently the growing things bit. - I experiwnced that with the ward garden when I was in

Hi hob, and many thanks for the elderflower cordial, which I'll add to my list along with the now-and-again Pepsi someone requested recently. Last shop I got Ocean Spray cranberry cordial to try, which is impressive and lasts more than 3 days, but I do prefer elderflower, in fact I once made some very good elderflower champagne, quite by accident, and lost the last few bottles to explosions. (I can do a ramble too...)
Eryngium has some tall varieties and all seem to flower end of summer, so good luck with yours; it's probably a good'un, given allotment space, and I would be interested to hear what you get.
Upward, it's such a shame you're not feeling positive about the cpn, as they can be so helpful, I've found. I'm sure people would understand if you requested a different one, as it's an important relationship when effective. Or are you maybe feeling that you don't want to talk at present? Hob asked questions so I won't repeat, but I hope you'll give present cpn a chance to try and help you, if indeed she is new. Also hope you have a good, relaxing evening at the right temperature.

I don't think it's the CPN as I feel the same about the consultant. Not sure why as I,can only think of a time she was kind recently. Maybe or links with the other feelIngs I've been getting about responding to friends :s

Thanks for replying upward and glad cpn has been kind so far . Hmmm , I know I withdraw from contacting even good friends when stressed and - though it's a healthy way of conserving your energy it can obviously be a pretty strong signal that one's MH is temporarily below par - a barometer for some people I guess ? I think MH professionals take it pretty seriously as a sign of anxiety / depression , & sometimes of a blip in the management of other MH conditions .

Have a chat with your cpn and let her support you - you must have been looking forward to contacting your friends more easily so don't let this temporary reluctance get a grip at all ; you may need a little more help with this symptom .
So sorry - I meant you are experienced from different angles , rather than had had a cpn for a long time . shodatin's experience ( through helping her db I believe ) is very encouraging .

Am shrieking at the thought of all that exploding elderflower champagne , shodatin ... hope you managed to drink a few bottles too . The trong stuff looks hard to make < looks prim & pretends wouldn't try some >.

Thank you for encouragement for the erygium , and as I say I hope I don't kill it off Very excited that it may yet flower !.

Hi again upward, and thanks for explaining about the cpn. It may sound silly but I think some of the reluctance might be just because you're a bit fed up with people mentally pushing you with their questions and endless discussion of the subject of your thoughts and feelings. Do you ever just want them to go away or change the subject? Have frequently felt like this myself. My main experience of cpn was when I approached Cruse for bereavement counselling, and got female like me, but cpn as day-job and Cruse as volunteer. After umpteen years, we're just ordinary friends who can discuss anything, but our initial (professional) relationship was very difficult indeed, mainly because I was not only in a bad place but also simply exhausted.
Sorry for another ramble - it just occurred to me that you might need a break from being helped.
Time to say "goodnight". hob, story of another explosion will have to wait, and wish you luck with new plant. Night.

Ah bugger, have just lost long post.

But mostly it said, sorry you're having difficult feelings about the MH team, Upward, and hope you're having some success in unpacking those.

It doesn't sound at all unnatural to me, btw. Both because the MH team are associated with such horrid stuff and because the illness intrinsically generates negative feelings, no matter how much one's rational mind may disagree with them.

Doesn't make it any more fun having to manage such feelings, tho. Wishing you the strength to keep up the battle.

And agree with hob and shodatin that it's easy to become exhausted with all this. You've been working very hard...

Anyway, long past bedtime. Sleep well all, and there'll be another of those new day things tomorrow.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll think it over today.

Hope everyone had a peaceful night.

Morning all, with commiserations to TIANC for losing long post and good wishes to Upward* for some positive thoughts and feelings today. Take care of yourself too.

Hope you ' re not too concerned today , upward , and that none of us has melted into a puddle either ( hope *kizzie is OK - remember how much she enjoyed the last heatwave ) . Seriously everyone , hope no one's actually ill from trying to manage their tasks in these temperatures - I know no one likes to complain .

< brings extra ice to top up jugs of cooling cordial >
< adds pack of headache tablets to tray just in case >

Many commiserations for the misery of losing a long post , TIANC , even worse after busy week , & after hot day . Hope you've found pleasing amusements for rest periods .

Very thought - provoking advice on dealing with well - meaning helpers & difficult feelings involved . Sorry you met your Cruse / cpn friend in such painful circumstances , shodatin , & glad both your wellbeing & your relationship with your counsellor improved through your collaboration .

Still managing a stately bustle here ,"spring" cleaning , & delighted to find something I stored away carefully - the locket my Grandad gave my Gran when called up for WW2 , leaving her with 4 children in a dockside city . Fortunately he returned safely from Far East and with MH OK - bet you all have some tales of similar , hopefully with happy endings ( shodatin , a friend of mine is very proud of her father who was ac onscientious objector & did v dangerous duty in the Quaker Ambulance service ) .

Hope we all have a pleasant evening & drop into the cybergarden to be soothed by Moorish fountain