The Cybergarden - Late Summer Edition

[madmouse]

Sorry been unfaithful, lots going on. But making myself useful - here's your new thread x

Morning all, another beautiful morning so will attempt some outside chores, after having espresso (thanks to hob for remembering).
Am so pleased to hear about MiL's improvement, and hope it's just the beginning of a good recovery.
Also pleased to find a gnome enthusiast, as am currently unsure how I feel about them, but can't resist a painting renovation. Thai friend only discovered them recently, in elderly friend's garden, where she thoughtfully re-arranged the whole tribe into a full orchestra , certainly original.

Am glad you found lost numbers hob. Have now got just one file remaining unsorted, which makes life easier and of course saves time in long run.

Hope upward's health is improving now, and can enjoy last few days of warm weather before expected rain.

Thank you so much , upward - MIL will find that incredibly helpful , & have emailed FIL to pass it on. The meeting went well , as FIL asked docs if they knew why MIL is having trouble swallowing ... blink blink went the docs , as seemed to have assumed she's weak cos of malnutrition caused by swallowing trouble...so she's in for another week to have throat checked out , & some neurology tests . She may not have TB after all , excellent. < shuts up about it all , with thanks >

Am sorry to hear your neurology letter was particular upsetting , and what you said about hating to be reduced to a set of symptoms / results makes particularly good sense .

shodatin , I keep laughing at odd moments whenever I think of your friend's gnome orchestra ... convulsed does not cover it . What did elderly friend say ?
Am also very pleased at your Topsy Tail created from a whisk, but distressed to find new gnome less fully adored than he deserves . I'm sure you will bond as you give him a new lease of life .

Glad your filing is so well organised , & sympathies with your extra bout of filing , upward . Sounds very chilly and I think you could justify turning on the heating ... not wanting to be intrusive , but might you not suffer painful muscle spasms etc if not warm ? Many apologies if not the case . Harder to concentrate when chilly too ... excited to hear you're toiling again , though I guess you must still feel tired from recalibration .

< off to rally fellow citizens to take control of the power stations and charge fair prices >
< hopes no one scrutinizes grasp of economics >

Hope Tianc is having an excellent day

More , hoping madmouse , kizzie , NanaNina , pixie and butterpie are able to pop by the summerhouse too

Don't know how I missed your last post, upward, and glad to know more about how feeding tubes work, although very sorry you had to have the experience.
The video Tianc found about making the Topsy Tail had a comment about using a whisk instead of the coat-hanger they demonstrated ( I didn't think of it by myself).

Must agree with Hob about the heating, onward, although we all have more interesting things to spend our money on, I've found it's not worth being chilly in the winter, in fact, having reliable heating available when temperature
drops is one of the good things about living here and now.

I gather that the orchestral gnomes are still in their places hob, and will try to remember to solicit comments on the change and let you know later. Have decided on silver paint for hair, beard and eyebrows on newly-cleaned gnome, but will have to mix 3 primaries plus black for rest (weather-proof glosses required I think), with Sunny Terracotta for Kitchens and Bathrooms finished with satin varnish (outdoor) as nearest to flesh-colour, and look forward to starting tomorrow.

Marvellously excellent day, thank you hob, scurrying to plant shodatin's Eryngiums which have arrived today. Hurrah! Have been making war preparations against Slugs of Doom....

Your FIL sounds cracking ? well on the ball with the right Qs when others have got themselves tangled up. It must be very difficult to have all this chopping and changing about diagnoses: I hope you're all bearing up under the uncertainty, and that MIL finally gets the help she needs. And please don't feel the need to shut up about things like the TB! If you want to tell us, we want to hear ? and we'll only fret if you go quiet!

shodatin I am at these further gnomic revelations. DP has serious gnome-aversion, and said, "No, no, go away" when I tried to tell him about your colour-scheme. Do you think he was bitten by one as a child?

Hah, Upward, I'm doing the heating er-um at the moment, too. Lucky me, I have a basking spot by a window, which makes all the difference. I do hope you have at least one place where you can feel warm, and so sorry you're in gloves already ? sounds like you suffer badly from the cold, or the new place is pretty chilly.

But gloves or no it's marvellous to hear you're able to work again!

Bedtime here. Night night lovely people.

Thanks once again for Tianc, and sorry to hear your DP's upset by gnome's arrival, but please remind him of the landfill space I'm saving and the fact that they do give pleasure - I really enjoy painting stuff too.

Will say goodnight now, and send warm, comforting thoughts to Eryngiums, hoping they all survive the SoDs.

Morning all, a misty, miserable morning here, and have bee n thinking about my ex-eryngiums and hoping they survived SoDs after traumatic travelling experience and soil loss.
There are still enough left in packet to send replacement seeds for spring sowing, so not really a problem, it's just that I feel they deserve to grow into big, strong plants (sniff, sniff).
Gnome is looking better by the colour, but still a fair way to go before ready for garden, and am thinking of calling it "Country Hob" (betrays usual lack of imagination, it was probably known as Englebert in the beginning) - sorry, sorry, Tianc's DP, I won't write another word on the subject... Hope we all have a lovely weekend.

I'm glad your FIL said that, hob - it is shocking that sometimes it is just a case of 'we'll manage the symptoms' as opposed to what's happening. Sending helpful thoughts for your MiL.

Sadly my front door seems to have broken, frustrating as it means I can't go out by myself Still, I've taken the opportunity to keep throwing graphs and tables around.

I hope the painting is progressing, shodatin I hope you've had a productive day, in the garden or wherever else.

TIANC , if I qualify for the new warm house discount, I'll be turning the heating on at times. I hope the planting etc went well.

I don't know if anyone else has seen the news today about the Warm Home discount scheme, here . They said that most energy companies will be capping the help given to those on low income and disabled, but British Gas is going to offer it to anyone who qualifies - £120 is so much better than the £10 per week below 0 C!

Hi everyone - just popping on to say hello to you all. Hope you are coping with the shift from summer to autumn ok. Its freeeeeeezing here.

Have just quickly gone through posts and its lovely to see you regularly posting upward :-)

I've just started a training programming - me training colleagues - which means that im going to be doing quite a lot of travel over the next few months and long days - so wont have huge amounts of time to post. But do feel free to PM me.

Im nervous about getting the balance right and not being too prey to blips. But fingers crossed !!!

Take care everyone and speak soon - kizzie x

swooning in anticipatiion of gnome rebeautification - love the combination of 3 shades to create the flesh colour , shodatin

Your poor DP , Tianc - reminds me of Bishop Brennan in Father Ted & his fear of bunnies .

upward , thank you again for sharing about tubes , which MIL has consented to but is delayed for some neuro checks . I too feel very sorry you've had to experience them but didn't know how to say so without causing embarrassment - shodatin said it very delicately .
Hope you've been warmer today ? Would love to know which area of research you're working on but it would be too identifying .

Incredibly sorry for long absence but had to clear an influx of viruses from PC & run lots of errands in between .

Ooooh yes shodatin , please do ask enforced owner ofgnome orchestra his / her comments for me if you get the chance

Sorry I didn't say goodnight last night either as I dozed off in front of our summerhouse stove (thanks , Tianc) Earlier , dh escaped his work for long enough to go to a film at a village hall, & afterwards we stood in the unlit street looking at the proper , dark night sky & cottages bathed in moonlight ( don't live in rural area ourselves , so not as smug as it sounds )

In the Post Office window we saw for sale ," calling ducks " ( apparently live ones , not decoys ) which alledgedly help pick off slugs & snails - £10 for males and £15 for females - any good for the Slugs of Doom ?

Thank you all so massively for patience as well as support - what warm kind sentiments , Tianc . FIL is indeed impressive and terrifying & we're very relieved he thought to ask what we all assumed had been triple - checked ( never assume with medical matters) Dh has found all these good wishes have eased the worry & is very grateful .

lemon balm in front of warm stove

So sorry to have somehow missed your posts , shodatin & upward . So sorry to hear you're stuck in like this , upward - till Monday , I presume ? How infuriating . Are you secure ? Have you enough supplie at home ? I expect you mean it can't be locked properly from outside .
Oooh , graphs & tables - fascinating clue , thank you , & many thanks for helpful thoughts to MIL , which I firmly believe are felt by the intended recipient .. Glad you're able to get on with your work , but how tedious to have little option .

Am doing cartwheels about your gnome's possible name , shodatin < off for a good weep > Strengthening vibes to your adopted -out eryngiums ... I understand what an emotional experience it can be to grow plants from seed < there there >

I hadn't seen that new info , upward , thank you so much - would be very good to know you could be covered by that & I 'd like to see if can get it myself .< hopeful > This country can't keep up the pretence of being civilised when huge numbers of people are made ill by lack of afforable heating < obvious >

< waves to kizzie > Sounds a very fulfilling & high powered job , and we'll all be thinking of you often as you embark upon it , & from then on . It's a strong & brave thing to do when you have some chance of a blip , but I hope you'll be helped enormously by the new role , as well of course as unfortunately being stressed at times.

Thanks for news of new heating allowance upward, and am sure you must be eligible if using wheelchair. Good news about British Gas too (I never got round to changing) and I'm probably also eligible, so hope hob can benefit too. Hope you can get door fixed soon, what a pest for you.

Lovely to hear from kizzie again, and seems you've got a promotion at work, so congratulations and I really hope you'll enjoy teaching. You'll probably be too busy to even think of any blips, plus they are now part of the past, I believe.

You really don't want any ducks hob, calling or not and either sex, they all make the most awful, slippery messes, plus they will munch on assorted greenery as well as slugs, and I'd never choose to live with them again.

Thanks for kind thoughts about the eryngeums. Am really pleased things are now going well for your MiL.
Sorry it's time I went to bed, so goodnight all.

Moonlit scene sounds glorious, hob ? hope you were wrapped up warm! I'm so glad you & DH are managing to have such evenings out in the midst of such stress and busy-ness. Best wishes for MIL's neuro checks.

shodatin, leafy babies made it through the first night (not always the case) and the only corpse was a slimy one. So hope yet!

Congratulations kizzie! All best of luck with these training programmes ? the travel sounds exhausting. There's always a cup of in the garden if you feel things starting to go. Or even if you don't!

Hope madmouse, NanaNina and butterpie are keeping as well as possible.

Late night here, as we napped in the afternoon. Hope everyone's made it safely to bed before crashing out. Sleep well all.

Thanks for news tianc, am so pleased they've survived, also pleased you have a dead you-know-what, so that's a really good sign.
Misty morning here and am glad (as usual) that it's Sunday.
Hope everyone else can enjoy the day.

You've kept ducks before , shodatin ? !! The slippery mess and plant - munching sound awful - sorry your experiment was such a trial . Would enjoy having webbed companions , but the cats & letting agents would be askance . Were they noisy , as I imagine chickens to be ?

Hope misty morning cheered up - here it's been going from wintry winds to sultry warmth , then back the next day . For the last month we've has spring - flowering shrubs blooming sparingly , no leaves lost on trees that are usually bare in September , & one of the crab apples is in bloom too !

Good news for the first day of your eryngiums , Tianc .. nervewracking times . Hope you've had a lovely Sunday .

Nice long Sunday here , thank you shodatin, though dh working feverishly for half the night to cover sick colleague's work . Hope your family Skyping was enjoyable , & not too exhausting . Lots of amusing wildlife antics heround here today , as so warm .

I don't suppose it 's been possible to get the door repaired today, upward ? Do hope not as worrying / tiresome as it sounds - bah . Hope you 've had the time to read / watch something which eases cabin fever .

Thank you Tianc for further kind wishes for MIL , & for glee at our escapist evenings out .(No .it was a balmy evening , despite starry skies ). That particular village wqs home to a main branch of dh's ancestors , & several of the cottages which housed generations of them are still standing ( conditions round there say 200 yrs ago being famously of squalour & starvation , unfortunately , not like the lovely homes they are today ) so it gives a real shiver down the spine to stand under the stars there .

Soothing herbal to all lovely people on thread
( Ever -thoughtful Tianc - am always zonking out on sofa before making it to bed , but am determined to crack the problem this autumn ... )

Lovely day here, got some actual sunshine again after a horrid cold Saturday. So had a go at the last important piece of draft-proofing, and this winter should be snugger than last.

shodatin, hope your mist burnt off and you were able to continue your nefarious gnomic schemes.

Does anyone have anything planned for the week? Think I may try to get a lift into town Thursday, just for the sake of it.

Hope you get out long before that Upward. From what you said, can you get out if there's someone to operate the door for you? I do hope so, and that it's fixed quickly in any event.

And belated thanks to you and hob for horticultural good wishes. Plants in my garden need all the help they can get.

So I shall enjoy the slug-free cybergarden, where the very last of the jasmine is faintly scenting the cold air of the terrace. The leaves are well on the turn, and tomorrow's sunlight will catch a delicious yellow and orange glow.

And warming on the summerhouse stove is a late night pot of chocolate, with choice of other drinks on the side.

Night night to all. Sleep well.

Missed yesterday's goodnights, as am trying to get to bed earlier, but am frequently too tired to move, or do anything else.
Hope everyone had a good weekend, and congrats to tianc for last bit of draught-proofing - really useful activity, and time I had a look at my own, but wanted to finish gnome and hide away before DB gets here on Thurs.
Misty autumn morning here, so glad the heating is working and affordable in my down-sized little house.

Thank you for hot chocolate , Tianc - you must be so pleased to have finished your draught proofing. Must improve ours - thanks for inspiration

Hope we all slept peacefully , soothed by the lingering scent of Tianc's jasmine & cheered by the glow of the leaves in the sunlight

Hope the cold & misty weather lifts for a while , shodatin , & glad you have made such a snug home . Your tiredness by night time sounds miserable , & I haven't yet worked out if there's a pacing - type answer for that problem of being too tired to get to bed .Will dig out links to favourite sites discuss innovations in the field of fatigue , if you get a chance to look sometime < blows kiss to gnome , who looks much cheered by shodatin's work >

Ooooh , I love going into town for no particular reason , Tianc - hope you get to do it . Plans for the week here are political groups / stall this week , with new "recruits" < wibble , as my cognitive abilities are at 1 % > and a medical examination I'm scared of ( wimp , but expecting some disbelief from this doc ) Will be good to get that over with . Doing lots of domestic stuff atm & in the mood for frenzied shopping for fripperies.

Hoping your door is repaired today , upward - what a pain until it is

Forgot to say, have not kept ducks, just lived nearby on a marina in boating days and spent time cursing the mess, loud noises at dawn and unpleasant sexual activities. A friend had hens, who made lovely soft noises and were altogether nicer to have around, being usually confined in moveable cage with sleeping area.

Gnome does look cheerful now, although being as traditional as I could make it, perhaps a bit bright for my garden.

Would be interested in info you mention, hob, but suspect it's something to do with (usual) blacking-out after food, and therefore a bit difficult to alter, so please don't put yourself out trying to find a possible answer - life's too short.

Hope everyone's keeping warm indoors, and that hopefully, upward's door is in working order again.
Am planning to have a bit of a shop in another town on Thursday (with DB), and hope tianc has now made own similar arrangements. I missed the hot chocolate yesterday evening, but will make some now before it's too late.

More sunshine today! I can't quite believe it!

Upward any news on the door front, or do we need to start digging you a Colditz-style tunnel? Hope this warmer weather is keeping you toasty, in or out.

shodatin blacking-out after food sounds quite frightening. I'm sorry, you've mentioned this before and I haven't asked after it. I do hope you're able to plan so as to not be in danger when it happens. And may I give you a gentle nag about that alert button thingy, if it's still on your To Do list? It does sound like a sensible precaution.

Heh heh at colourful gnome hiding from your DB when he visits! Is the gnome in on the secret and helpfully quiet, or does it insist on peeping out to see what's going on?

hob snap! wrt the ancestral cottages! The labourers' cottages where DP's ancestors lived for generations are now knocked into one posh rural home plus a very expensive holiday rental! Good luck with all your weeks' activities, political and medical: you're very brave taking so very much on, hope you're getting enough rest in there.

kizzie I hope you're doing OK, too. I think we need all round, a plate of s and a sit down, for all the busy people on this thread.

NanaNina and madmouse, there's plenty in the pot, and we have a fine assortment of mugs provided by shodatin.

butterpie hope all is well with you.

I'm going to follow shodatin's good example and get an early night. Hope everyone makes it safely to bed, not just crashed out on the sofa.

Glad you got some hot chocolate tonight ,shodatin .Thank you so much for very enjoyable reminiscences - sounds as though you lived a very interesting & varied lifestyle in a beautiful spot .

Were you very nervous when you first tried sailing , or did you guess early on that it was going to be a joy ? I 've known people be more excited by sailing than with any other hobby - seems fulfiling on many levels < seasick >

One of my very favourite treats is a look round a different town , so I hope you & DB enjoy the day , & Tianc ventures to the other area .

So sorry for absence again as it spoils the rhythm of the thread , not replying all day , but been flat out . ( not as much as dh , who worked ( at home ) till 4 AM to cover for unwell colleague , then didn't get in till late evening as covering for another colleague whose wife is in labour Making good progress so far with political group ( no credit to me ) which I think improves the options for democratic action in the area .

shodatin , may I tactlessly suggest that your distressing writer's block seems to have vanished ? You are on the most brilliant form ( as you were when feeling "blocked") . I have to you all again - this time , it's for not pointing out my error when I asked whether ducks - calling or otherwise - are noisy . How sleepy was I when I asked that Dh was quite hilarified by hearing of gnome ( & of duck hell , though with sympathy of course ) - you've done a amazing job finishing revamp already .

Sorry to hear of the link to your fatigue , shodatin ... IME neurological difficulties are linked to great exhaustion , as upward & Tianc know all too well . . The post - meal blackout thing still really shocks me , though you've said you're quite used to it , I think ? Life is most certainly not too short to try to find new tips on easing it [smile} , which will benefit me too , & maybe all of us .

Hope upward is feeling more "right" with recalibration & now has a mended door , & that Tianc has had a good day .
< points to magnificent badger padding along the path under the bright moon >
< realises sounds like an anthropomorphic saga >

Another lovely post from hob - have only once seen a badger, despite most of life in the sticks (inc. boating).Can't write too much on this subject, but yes, it was fun plus being very healthy and green-inducing, and I miss the social side.

GP's view on blacking is due to drug side-effects, which I can't disprove but don't believe, therefore a bit stuck, but it is manageable as I don;'t drive at these times/go out at night.
Sorry, have to go now, but will wish you best outcome from your medical interview this week.

Morning , good people , including of course espressos as enjoyed by shodatin - so sorry to have missed you whilst sorting out pc issues to post "stuck" post... Thank you so much for udeserved praise , & for your sighting of glorious badger - once seen , never forgotten , as they say .

Hope you have a good day - sounds busy . Thank you so much for telling us more , & am truly outraged if your GP hasn't investigated further & referred for hospital tests - sorry you don't feel able to believe him . < to be revisited as & when you feel like it >

Most lumbering crosspost yet from me last night , with Tianc 's glorious peeping gnomerey & offer of "Colditz style" tunnelling to free upward , whom I hope is well .

Very displeasing to hear your DP's ancestral cottages aren't providing down to earth housing but usurious luxury for the few - very interesting to hear , though .. < misusing dictionary >

( There was a rebellion of starving farmworkers round there & the landowner came down to the village with a mob of undredsto put them down , & had those who didn't instantly disperse thrown into hellhole jail . Dh found that then 15 year old ancestor was jailed (without charge ) for 2 months in winter for refusing this order , at a time when prisoners regularly died there from foul conditions . He lived into his 80s , despite all .

I hadn't seen you say "anthropomorhic", Tianc < psychic preen > but was no doubt subconsciously copying you Thank you so much for your support - not brave , just wailierr than average < passes round freshly baked chocolate biscuits of courage to us all for all current challenges >I enjoyed my share of the s you kindly left out for us all last night .
Thank you so much for good wishes for today - not brave - let's have a plate of your chocolate biscuits of courage on the summerhouse table , to fortify us for the current challenges

Hope you have a good day , upward < & that repairs aren't too convoluted .

Loved Tianc's idea of rescuing upwardin Colditz-style, but despite hobs encouragement, I'd be unable to join in as really can't manage fiction these days, although enjoying other people's efforts.

I know I won't be getting any more hospital tests,hob, although this is probably not the GP's decision, and even the cancer treatment was as minimal as possible, but can't say more here. Hope your own meeting is good - had forgotten it was actually today.

I know where Mother's ancestors lived for more than 100 years, and also know it's now out of my price range, which could be result of time on boat, or just as things are, like your DH's family home, but have not looked into it and no-one else in family is interested, unfortunately.

Have to get on again, yes, am busy, but just general stuff to have Thursday clear. Hope everyone else has good day.

Hi everyone. The door's been being intermittent, so we'll see. I'm finding calorie counting harder now that it's cold, but I haven't completely messed it up yet, so that's good. I'm enjoying ratatouille (home made) though.

Hope your meeting has been passable, hob - so many difficult feelings can be caused/raised by them.

Passing out doesn't sound good, shodatin - I hope you find some way of managing it all.

TIANC, thank you very much for the offer of rescue! I hope you're still warm enough in your neck of the woods.