The Cybergarden - Late Summer Edition

[madmouse]

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

at fallen ")"

Sounds a very productive day, shodatin. Would one of these help with threading?

I keep imagining your simple (Quaker-ish?) Christmas tree. I seem to remember your Thai friend's visit home is a good long one, so I guess the tree has to go up really quite soon.

And you're prodding to me to sort out my own door curtain now. I think it's on list D...

I'm getting a bit grumpy, so will hope everyone else also had a good, productive day, and turn in. Sleep well!

Bless you tianc, for being so considerate at the end of your day - I have the little threaders all over the house, it seems, but even when I can find one in the relevant place, there is still difficulty finding the eye, and more delays while underneath spool thread decides to run or ruffle up in a lump underneath - am just not very good at it, and instructions (Janome) seem to have been loosely translated from the
Elvish, which adds to the interest, I suppose, (and then there's the "first find instruction book" delay).
Tree is indeed simple, as have usually managed to find garden greenery for decoration, although have only small holly bushes here, and don't even know the name of the "one on the corner" which puts out long, thin twigs every year, but have painted some with white gloss, jammed them securely (this year) into old tinsel-covered pot, then draped with smallest, greenest LED lights, originally designed for a window, so I guess it is Quakerish, but then I hang plastic icicles, glitter stars and a figure which is a cross between a fairy and an angel, which has a fairly ecumenical effect, but I like it at present. There is also a home-made wreath, very proud of this, as made with weeds, seedheads and odds-and-ends vaguely silver-coloured.
Love your arrangement of lists, but how on earth do you know which is which? I need a more sophisticated arrangement, but has to be simple.
Another beautiful morning, so will go out to the coast while I have the car, and before Skypes start. Have a good day, gardeners!

Am absolutely swooning over your glorious decription of your Christmas creations, shodatin , & hope you enjoyed the sunshine - truly amazing here too ... will ponder the delicate scene & not spoil its peacefulness by squealing at features till later

Very embarrassed about yesterday's post as sounded as though have been off on jollies but not finding 5 mins to post - it's my slowness & ineffectivenesscombined with a "duty" outing as was organised by admirable aquaintances . I didn't expect to have such a good time !

Hope Tianc's developing grump drifted away overnight , & she's having a day with a weekend feel

So lovely to see you , upward , and to you for the times when you pop into our garden but just need quiet time

Been out all afternoon at a short notice demo , as friend asked for moral suppport with tasks involved - I certainly wasn't going to drag myself out otherwise A local group of young feminists arranged a march for national day highlighting the disproportionate impact of cuts upon women . Men marched too , some fine 50s dresses were worn and trays of cake shared with Christmas shoppers .

Far more heckling than on other anti cuts events , from men which won't have been easy for the youngest people... there was a huge Xmas fair in town centre with monstrous model reindeer , & glorious sunshine for our picnic in front of the Town Hall - even saw weddings ( but didn't appear in their photos )

Was able to catch up with developments in friend's life ( a relief still friends as accidentally said something the other week which embarrassed her) & HF put on a fabulous show for her in front garden , doing totally new tricks

Must give you all some peace & get back to the rest & chores I should have been getting down to ... was not well enough to do more than one Thing this week as Tianc calls it , but it was very refreshing & cheering & I know how lucky I was to be able to have pushed my luck

I'm wondering if we need a bardic person for our stoveside sessions - inspired by TV programme of post banquet Beouwolf recitations < poncey>

You are such a good activist, hob - lots of people wont spare the time!

Your decorations sound lovely, shodatin -I hope the skyping today went well.

I hope you're feeling better in yourself today, tianc - lists sound productive.

More here, trying not to think about food ;) (I've lost 23 lbs now, but feel hungry by this time at night).

I can't believe how close Christmas is getting!

Sleep well all!

Too grumpy to want to inflict myself on anyone today, having already done the sobbing tantrum thing with DP. Just a bit tired after over-busy week, and trying to tough it out which always ends badly.

Will read properly in a day or two.

Meanwhile, lots of and good things to you all. Off to bed before I can cause any more trouble.

Congratulations to upward for continued weight-loss, you've done so well and are obviously continuing at a good rate. Hope you can enjoy buying some small new clothes, as you certainly deserve something nice, apart from maybe looking and feeling better from weight loss.
You mentioned a , are these part of a diet, like food replacement, or a fill-up-a-bit when feeling hungry?
I understand that sometimes hunger can be confused with need for liquids, but have you found you're drinking more in order to help weightloss?
Congratulations to hob too, for finding the time and energy to help a friend, also to be so involved with the anti-cuts demonstrations. Shame about the heckling, but I think some people just like to be unpleasant, particularly towards females.

Wish I had more energy, but have to retire soon, so will say a goodnight now.

I can definitely see the weightloss now, shodatin, which helps with it. I just meant a nice warm drink - I'm calorie counting normal foods so that I hopefully stick with the changes in eating habits (I think that's better even though it's slower than some diets).

Hugs, tianc - hope you've felt better today!

hob , madmouse , kizzy , I hope you and yours have had a good weekend.

Thanks for telling me how it works upward, and it must be a great encouragement to see the difference. My system was just to eat less, fine while I remembered, so maybe I should have got out the calorie book. Am so pleased for you, and hope the door is now finally fixed.

Hope poor tianc has managed some rest today and is feeling happier, particularly with DP. Also hope there is less required of you this coming week, and you can manage to look after your health while recovering. No news from hob recently, so hope it's been a restful weekend for you too.

I normally give myself Sundays off, but really needed to finish curtains before starting new chores tomorrow, so hope I don't regret too much activity either.

Here's some as a relaxing nightcap, and hope we all recharge our batteries while sleeping.

Hugely impressed by your weight-loss, Upward. That must have taken real determination.

hob I saw pics in the papers of the 50s dresses! I don't know if that was your town's campaign, or if it was widespread (to do with the Fawcett Society?). Anyway, big big thanks for doing this for the rest of us.

shodatin I'm going to treat myself to reading your tree description slowly, tomorrow. Hope your day was good.

I'm not in pain or anything, just keep needing to be flat or I get too tired to speak or understand v well. 'Twill pass. It's just a bit disconcerting because the better periods are now really quite good, so bad patches throw me a bit. But definitely appreciating my good fortune overall.

Thanks for keeping the stove going last night tianc, I liked the idea of visiting but not able physically, as I'm sure you'll understand. I get the same kind of exhaustion you mentioned, and just assumed it was part of the post-cancer effect (although not much improved by lying flat as wouldn't be conscious for long).
Am so pleased for you that health is improving and the bad bits are less frequent, but it must be frustrating, and you do so well coping with it, as do Hob and upward.

My car has been returned, not quite like new but certainly feeling and sounding that way - such a relief that I don't need to buy another one this year.

Thai friend did a lovely job decorating the Christmas tree, and said it was the best part of the day, which was nice to know, and I'm tired but happy and hoping everyone else is feeling reasonably good.

Hurray about car!

I do hope you'll feel well enough to get out and about in it, even if your active day is quite short.

< pompoms and bunting at upward's great success >

< comforting hot apple punch for Tianc and fellow gardeners >

< takes pictures of magnificently generous shodatin's finished curtains for DB , for our cybergarden newsletter > So hope you're not worn out after a working Sunday

Miserably sorry for not saying hello yesterday , or earlier today . Needing lots of extra sleep after unscheduled activities , then a 10 min nip out to shops yesterday turned into a longer hunt for necessary items & am so ineffective hapless that once again I crashed out on sofa , not managing to assemble meal either
Really upsetting to think of flareups of your health condition affecting your speech / reading / understanding at times, Tianc ... have seen friends try to deal with this & I am a complete coward at prospect of having to rest completely , without comforting distraction to dip in and out of < healng thoughts >
Here's hopng this is the health condition having one very last peck at you , with tiredness gradually lessening till all is finally well < hob's turn to start up the incantations > Sorry , have no doubt you're very bored with mention of the problem , but hope you know we all think of you when you're having to cope with limitations

( thank you all for cheering us on - wasn't my town in pic but the glam marchers were very eyecatching & yes indeed ,lots of towns organised marches ( that's exactly it , shodatin , far more heckling than for other types of march - urgh)

You're very wise upward to try to find food combinations you can imagine sustaining long term . Have never (yet) gone on a specific weight loss plan , but tried to make changes I could keep up , as I find myself using food to try to boost energy , or to cheer up exhausting chores - so simply trying to break habits is progress for me . I wonder if you've found new foods which give more sustained energy release .

Dear black & white tomcat nextdoor had to go to vet with abcess caused by one of the local wildcats trying to take his territory . He allowed his human "slave" to clean painful wound regularly through night , without complaint , & has accepted much fuss since equally cooperative vet visit . HF also amazed me by climbing about 12 feet up to hunt ( a cat with impairments clearly on one of her better days - on less good ones she asks me to lift her into the hedge to help her hunt < ethical dilemma >

Thinking of kizzie & family and all sending very best wishes . Love to madmouse & family , NanaNina & butterpie

Good to hear from you again hob, and so sorry you've been short of energy. Would it help, I wonder, to build in a regular nap-time during the day, or doesn't it work like that? I think you're actually rather busy and doing a great deal, so maybe it would be more convenient if you stopped before you had to?
Thanks for news of HF's neighbour, poor little boy, I'm glad he realises people are trying to help and hope he soon recovers. I'm amused by you being persuaded to co-operate in the hunting expedition, and can quite see
why you're a bit uncomfortable about being part of it, but we all know how HF feels on one of the good days!

Regret I have to go - goodnight people.

Night shodatin, sleep well.

hob you are an amazing caterer! And so sorry you're so whacked at the moment, hope you're really getting the benefit of the sleep, and are bouncing back reasonably quickly.

And I'm just whining! Had to be flat, but could still read and watch little bit of telly, so nothing to complain about really.

at the adventures of next door neighbour's B&W tomcat. But also at HF asking her staff to lift her up to hunt. She's got you completely under her paw!

shodatin most impressed with all your work for DB's curtain. Were you able to take part of Monday "off" after pressing ahead on Sunday?

Upward and kizzie, hope your days have been good, too. And that madmouse, NanaNina and butterpie are all keeping well.

It's good you're beginning to recover after lying flat tianc, and yes, am now feeling rested after the curtain marathon, which was actually for four lining (backing) curtains. Hob thinks I'm being generous, but they're actually a remake of my old ones, now third-hand and a bit faded in parts, but now finally the right (floor-length) size.
I can really recommend having double curtains, and a suitably-sized piece of black-out or thermal lining in the middle of the sandwich makes a big difference - have had to bring some window-sill plants into the room overnight because of the increased insulation - it just takes time.
Many thanks for the hot apple-juice, a lovely idea and much appreciated. Am about to make the usual espresso, so will put out out a tray with the biscuit tin
(lacking imagination on catering these days)

Afternoon all , am being even more uncommunicative than of late as have PC issues which I think we can manage to survive with a bit longer , but am less than agile at holding monitor "On" button manually , so here's hoping dh's nifty ways with lolly stick can mend it again

Thank you for delicious espresso . Hope you're having a good day , shodatin , despite needing to recover from long sessions of sewing - four floor - length curtains!! . Incredibly generous , and how fabulous to have made such good use of the material previously . This sort of dark winter's day cries out for your festive installations , but you'll need rest before starting on them

whining indeed ,Tianc ! ! -I think not . So glad you could at least read a bit etc whilst lying flat .
Am trying to belatedly implement some of these excellent draughtproofing tips , many thanks to your tips and shodatin's very useful curtain details

Hope upward* is now able to spend her time steadily rather than with many urgent tasks vying for her attention . I know she is an excellent time manager but that's of limited use when lots of big things crop up

Thanks , shodatin - am very aware I can do so much more atm than I'd expected to be able to , and that I can quite often force body past sensible barriers if feel the need to / in minor emergency , but obviously need to be very sensible as the more you aggravate the condition , the more it plays up & the sooner more impairments will develop . I do take short naps and am so lucky to drop off readily - will increase dozes and time in bed till achieved a better balance . Am so grateful to have had choices as to whether to do a few unwise things , which I've enjoyed tenfold as not taking for granted .

Brave tomcat thanks you for kind wishes - he really was incredibly patient and calm ....purrs in front of cyberstove

I can't bring myself to actually help HF's hunting , Tianc ! and dh far less than me . Are both well and truly under her paw . Am looking at it from the veggie angle , though , as I so often bang on about , but ... whether or not a well fed cat needs to hunt , don't you think it's the absolute right of a cat with disabilities to be helped to do what it would otherwise do ... sorry can't do question mark
Right , any volunteers able to join me helping HF reach the nest under the guttering - and we think the pair of crows are also bringing up a brood in the mild weather Think both nests fairly mature now , so good chance of survival - and well out of cats' reach
[

Hope you can get the "on" button to stay fixed hob, must be a nuisance, but I do remember your DP's highly technical assistance with the lolly-stick, and hope he can fix it soon. It's good you can do so much extra when necessary, particularly when it's something enjoyable, but am glad you can and do take naps inbetween.
It is a difficult decision about helping with the hunting, particularly when the animal asks for help, and I'm glad I don't have to make the decision! My old beagle relied on me to let him know when there was another dog getting close, stopped sniffing immediately and looked round fast after a warning, and they do expect the people to help, like "No Beagle, your bone's gone now, you dropped it in the river and there's no way I can get it back, much as I'd like to help, Bone's Gone and Finished, No Bone" How did I get to that subject, it's years since I thought of it.
Am pleased next door's tomcat is recovering, it must have been a shock to the animal, so I hope HF is being sympathetic and showing interest in the wounds.

Do you actually plan to do anything about the crows?
It does seem odd that they're nesting at this time, as I'm sure there'll be a shortage of food.

Many thanks for the , and it's actually good to have the reminder about warm drinks.

Thank you for joyous fabulous beagle tales, shodatin - so , so good to hear that . Actually choked with laughter.Thank you for your brilliant recollections

Dh has employed scruncched up slivers of cardboard for the monitor button problem which I should of course have thought of

Will post properly later or in morning but want to send thanks & best wishes to such lovely people . Hope Tianc had a good proportion of good things in her day , that upward isn't doing too much , & that kizzie is finding unexpected stores of extra calm & strength .

Hoping madmouse and NanNina are well .

HF is indeed sympathetic to b & w tom , but has been requiring extra fuss from me to compensate for his having so much attention .

My neighbour has been answering the crows' demands for food , 8shsodatin*- she's known this pair for 4 years but thought they were no longer around
Am in very sheltered garden so do have optimism the broods will make it

Peaceful night to us all

She's a one-cat moral dilemma, is HF...

Agree completely about your veggie non-hunting stance, hob, despite being an omnivore myself. Because HF can exercise her hunting prowess on mice and even leaves, if she desires. She's not missing something irreplaceable just because she can't reach the hedgerow; there'll always be something out of reach. And the birds will thank you...

And I sooo hear everything you say in paragraph about forcing your body on.

shodatin, love that your beagle's often with us in the cybergarden! Maybe he's discovered how to work that dodgy time-machine...

Upward, hope you've had a good day.

Feline philosophy has definitely finished me off! . Shall sleep like a log, hope everyone else does too.

Another misty morning, but hope everyone feels rested and refreshed.
Glad people don't mind the daft reminiscences (sp?) but they still amuse me, and I'm always happy to hear of other animal tales, including one about hob's family's visiting beagle (won't let this be forgotten hob).
Anyone for an espresso and inspection of biscuit tin?

Ooh, me please!

Minor success today, have got some things off to the post. Now only need to mop up two more birthdays and all the Xmas shopping, and that'll be job done for the year.

Belated good day to us all - Two more birthdays and all the Xmas shopping , Tianc < pins on medal in the Battle of the Objects , potal subdivision of >

Not so misty here , shodatin , but looking properly autumnal , which I love . Hope not bitterly cold round your way yet .

Thank you for your thoughts, Tianc - I feel much happier about it now you & shodatin have talked me through it . I had completely forgotten that HF would be asking all manner of help even if her back legs were stronger .

She does understand humans hate the killing of birds , & is such an evolved cat that she doesn't even get huffy when we snatch prey from her very jaws , poor thing
( would add that the fact that HF was a wandering cat coloured my view - if we ' d bought her from a breeder or suchlike there it wouldn't have occurred to me that she might be entitled to hunt the birds )

His Impressiveness is relaxing in the (chilly) garden after accepting lots of consolation , & the wound is looking much better
kizzie will have enjoyed seeing your beagle reminiscenc es , shodatin , shodatin, & I promise to produce belated beagle tale later today

You might like this , shodatin ,
r www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/nov/22/soyuz-crew-landing-kazakhstan-iss
and this strikes me as exciting if anyone is interested in Da Vinci ( the one who's been putting shodatin's beagle in our time machine for his amusement , I'll bet )
www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/nov/23/leonardo-da-vinci-earth-geology