snowmash's cybergarden - spring edition

[madmouse]

hello

Morning all , was writing a goodnight post but fell asleep sat bolt upright
Hope snowmash slept well & shodatin enjoyed her early night.

Glad you & mousling are cold free ,madmouse, & really hope you uncover further reserves of endurance for these challenges ( oh my , I could enter that award for bad writing ) . I know you often refrain from posting as you don't want to "bring down" snowmash , but you're a massive inspiration on here during quieter times also.
Oooh yes , if you find an outfit you really like , we'd love to hear about / see it . Am envious of anyone whose self control allows them to wear a dress without a long billowy cardie

Ah , there was quite a bit of cloud billowing about here last night , so I couldn't see much up there either , but tonight should be clearer.

You are so lovely to say that , TIANC . I do hope to let people know what sort of groups are around to join / start up , & I ought to emphasise the non sectarian - & very down to earth - nature of the anti cuts coalitions / local uncut groups / events promoting cohesion etc etc , & how much fun it to orgainise events . So happy you may be able to revisit causes you haven't been up to in ages , as your voice will be a great asset.

Good idea , and for less regular thread people . Liked the way butterpie chatted to us the other night , & notice she's very helpful on other MH threads . Hope kizzie and pixie clan have a good day

eeeek , kizzie & pixie very regular indeed - see, me & my bad grammar again

Morning people, hope we all had a peaceful night and are facing today with serenity - even snowmash, who might have a consultant visit.

I missed the ISS too, light with cloud here - and the next viewable pass will be more than a week from now.

Another unbelievably sunny morning here.

Not sure where the idea of a dress comes from - I'm not the shape for a dress at all - overweight with relatively small waist and large bum.

Bought this to wear with black trousers

Love it love it love it , madmouse , thanks for showing us - same shape here , sorry we got mixed up . That print seems very appropriate for a church event. Have you been going to a group / class , or have you gone over the topics involved in confirmation during the course of your wider study & discussion? ( know you won't have time to answer today ).

Oops, thought ISS might stil be visible tonight , shodatin , & shame about last night up your way too. Excellent so sunny for you - here too, after a v cold day with gales ! good for seedlings - yours will have moved on by now.

Yes indeed snowmash, I forgot we're onto Tuesday already - good luck if consultant's round is today

Well I presented the rector (dh's boss) with a bit of a challenge as I am a mature Christian and a vicar's wife! So he didn't feel the need for me to attend a group or course, plus the course had already started. When he heard my motivation for confirmation - partially a formality as my confirmation as a young christian elsewhere is not really recognised (dh had to be re-confirmed before priesting) but largely a decision to move forward in faith after nearly losing both my faith and my life when battling through PTSD and the effects of childhood abuse - he invited me to tell him my story, of how I came to faith, struggled with big questions, nearly gave up, found grace and moved forward again. He called it a very powerful testimony and declared me fit to be confirmed

Thank you for such a moving and fascinating answer , madmouse . You obviously delighted the rector & probably strengthened his faith ...does your Church ever have members give talks , so you can encourage others with your story ? ( am sure you find ways to do that anyway )

Our Meeting sometimes persuades members to host an evening entitled " How I came to be me" about their life & spiritual journey so far . Very tearjerking & people tend to use music to illustrate periods in their life .
For membership applications , our ( elected via discernment ) Elders or experienced members chat to the "attender" to get more insight into her motivations etc.
So glad you felt able to reach back out to your faith & move forward in it .

or homemade lemonade waiting in summerhouse , plus oatcakes & veggies with hoummous or

Thanks for showing us your outfit, madmouse, I like it too, and more suitable than usual girly white dresses which were usual when I was considering confirmation. Thank you also for the details,as I'd never heard of people having more than one service and think the rector must have been delighted for you.

Glad to hear mouseling's recovered. I hope he enjoys the service too, or is he consided too young to attend? (Remembering little brother's clear, carrying voice in church "Why are you whispering Mummy? " at about same age.)

Love the outfit madmouse

I was confirmed in our local cathedral (very unusual) because hooligans had fire damaged our church. I was ecstatic and made it so special. not sure that was quite the right response to vandalism .

Hope youve all had a good day. Im really not sure about this working lark after all the bank holidays

Hello kizzie, hope you're managing being back at work and not too stressed.
I think your cathedral experience must be one of those silver linings we hear about, and how lovely to have that memory.

Hope things are a bit easier for you now snowmash, and that you might get to visit the cyber- garden. Am impressed that we have houmous and vegetables to snack on, that's a good idea, and reminds me I have some in the fridge.

I've a busy day tomorrow, so will say "goodnight" now, and hope all sleep well.
Hope you've not forgotten us snowmash.

Ooh, lovely outfit madmouse! Sorry, obviously still caught up in RW excitement when I said dress!

And wow to your confirmation class testimony. Such a very positive, meaningful affirmation of faith must have been inspiring for anyone attending the class as "just another step" in their church life (if indeed anyone in your class was).

hob I've been helping myself to your lovely eatables in the summerhouse throughout the day. Mmm, yum! I often don't have much to say, so lurk here quietly during the day, snaffling nice stuff!

snowmash, hope you also feel able to lurk, even when you don't fancy posting. If today was consultant day, hope it went well.

kizzie what a lovely silver lining, as shodatin says!

Night all, nice people.

Thanks TIANC but there was no class - this was just a one to one with the rector. The subject matter is way too heavy, personal and painful for a public testimony...

Hope everyone is ok. I'm back at work after all the bank hols and finding it hard going.

snowmash can you manage a two word message? Want to know how you are xx

Hi Snowmash - would be lovely to know how you are doing.

Hello to everyone else x

Sorry madmouse & TIANC , my fault - madmouse replied to my question about whether she'd needed to go to confirmation classes / debates , as we know she's already had long & comprehensive involvement with her Church . madmouse told us how the rector assessed her readiness for confirmation by going over her journey , some of which has been deeply painful , & he was moved & inspired ( my words , not modest *madmouse's ) .

I muddied the waters by mentioning that at Quakers , members occasionally share their "story" , often deeply personal - but I forgot to mention that some people obviously have to edit their journey very heavily....madmouse must despair when she takes time to share this stuff with us & I come across as so ignorant. I find it distressingly easy to almost "forget" how dark & non share - able some of the subject matter is when a person is as frank & forthright as madmouse is in a bid to help others . She reminds me of my dear Gran , who always said " Tell the truth & shame the devil " - not that she was religious - she spoke up quietly and decisively about her mother's beating her as a child & helped many others by so doing .
Sorry madmouse , thanks again for sharing that , and really hope your day of hard going lightens a little .
Apologies to TIANC who posted so thoughtfully on the topic but under the misapprehension caused by me.

Hope you slept well , snowmash , & that you do indeed feel able to lurk , if not post atm . We look forward to hearing from you when you can. Hoping the hospital's warm weather menu is a bit tastier than the winter food.

Hope work a bit more bearable today , kizzie. How exciting to take your momentous step in a gorgeous historic church full of atmosphere - bet you love visiting that cathedral.
( agree with you on the girly white dresses , shodatin , much as I love OTT clothes . at your little brother - hope mouseling can attend ).
Hope you have a lovely day ,TIANC, even if you need to mostly rest . I'll put out some afternoon snacks later.

Hope everyone has sun today . There's a new foal in one of the local fields & it's been practising running round its enclosure waving its teeny tail.
< off to find out why we haven't received our polling cards >

Oh 'eck, seem to be misunderstanding everything, madmouse. Really sorry. Still really impressed that you managed to share all that with anyone...

And hob, I'm more than capable of confusing myself, not your doing at all!

Hello kizzie, and to everyone else.

Thankyou very much for uncomplicated (not a fan TIANC.
It's just what's needed here at the moment, having had a tiring morning too flushed to concentrate and too dozey to remember to pick up my stick when leaving. I was actually feeling sorry for self, shuffling along, without realising I was without assistance to walk. Glad to be home again.

Oh shodatin, poor you.

Sooo know what you're talking about - you're tired/flustered, so you forget your stick, so you get more tired, and you have to go back for it = more tired...

Hope the busy part of your day is now over and you're getting some rest along with the soothing .

Thanks for sympathy TIANC! I was lucky, as a friend walked me to the car then ran back to collect the stick for me - I just had to stand and wait, feeling absolutely useless. I shouldn't moan, as I'm sure other people on this thread have felt exactly the same at different times.
Had a good Skype conversation with brother when I got back, which made me feel much better, mainly because he is now improving and happier than for a long time, which is lovely news. I just need to hear something similar from Snowmash.......

Many sympathies shodatin - hope you're feeling slightly steadier . Sounds a horrible experience. I ( me me me again ) usually do feel & look very flustered when out & about - people look alarmed at my dishevelment - & I only rarely need to use a stick , but am forever leaving it in cafes etc . You do not moan - the concentration difficulties you have to cope with sound such a pain. Glad your DB is feeling so much happier - his experiences seem partly to have inspired you to support snowmash
< waves to snowmash* - hope you feel up to dropping in soon >

Thank you so much for that , TIANC - at uncomplicated and

Hope kizzie , madmouse and pixie clan have had a good day .
Peaceful night all ...PS shodatin , I know it's too late really , but I refuse to give up on finding poached egg plant seeds

Dear hob, thankyou for sympathy, but please stop kicking yourself! You do have a right to your opinion without considering yourself to be self-centred, and I can't believe people look alarmed at your dishevelment - hey, I'm so ego-centric I don't even notice if people are looking at me or not.

You are right about experiences with little brother; I was so horrified that he thought no-one cared, and realised how easily it could happen.

Glad you're still looking for the limnanthes, so am I but of course am usually driving when outdoors, not examining gardens. Am sure they will germinate at almost any season, and seeds will be available very soon (I hope).
Will say goodnight, have to go to bed. Take care all.

Oh heavens, moan away shodatin. You're making me feel better about my stupid grumps over similar things!

Wonderful to hear about your brother, too. Fingers crossed he continues well.

And I agree: hob please stop beating yourself up. You're absolutely not being self-centred. Self-conscious maybe, but most of us do that.

snowmash hope you're keeping on keeping on. Thinking of you today, as ever.

to madmouse, kizzie, Pixie and butterpie. Night all, hope we all sleep well.

Morning all - I can't believe it's sunny again, surely this must be a record! Not happy at having to water small plants until established, which I think is unusual at this season. It does seem like climate change in this area, and have just bought another garden chair and put 'watering can' on to-buy list (one of them is leaking, and can't have water-loss these days)

Shall I tell you a secret? Something new and different I bought yesterday (still in it's original sealed wrapping) while looking in local charity shop, and no-one would ever guess how much I love it already - a warm, stretchy, anti-bacterial toilet seat cover, which makes me grin every time I use it. I had never given one thought before; now am wondering where I can get two others for in-th-wash and drying, as would hate to be without it. Hope you like the thought, snowmash.

shodatin , you are my kinda lady ! Much more eco friendly than the disinfectant I spray around . May you get much use from them ! (love charity shops too - what a combination )
Thank you and TIANC for kind & hilarious replies.
I'm so sorry your brother felt like that at one time , shodatin , & that he realised how misaken he was.Hope you feel better today.

Sorry for rushed post -have to go out unexpectedly , but hope all have further sun today - incredible here , too -especially snowmash*

Thanks hob, it was touch-and-go with brother when they got him out of the (icy) river and I still can't bear to think of details, but it is good to remember that complete recovery is possible, however bad things get, and that there are some wonderful people working in this field. I do hope snowmash has similar help and recovery, and that we have some news soon.

It was a better day thanks, but am off soon, so will wish everyone - the usual suspects - a good night with a nice