The Cybergarden - Midwinter Edition

[shodatin]

Hope this is Post No. 1001 equivalent, having just used up the thousandth space and feel I shouldn't ask Madmouse to organise the next one again.

Have just looked into summerhouse to check fire is burning gently, tray of [brew} organised by upward to turn into one's favourite hot drink of the moment is standing ready for visitors, along with a few pounds of chocolates from huge box sent by DSis. (Before DB eats any more today)

It's usually tianc, upward and hob who remember to be hospitable and also remember to send good wishes to previous visitors, including said madmouse and mouselet, kizzie and family, NanaNina, Butterpie and another name which eludes me just now, but am hoping you'll find your way to this new part of the Cybergarden
and continue visiting in the New Year, along with hob's time-travelling cat Her Felinity and her welcome associate ndt (next-door's-tom), who visit us quite often, bringing gifts of when they remember, instead of the usual dead rodents which they know are unwelcome in the cybergarden.

Have just had lovely large lunch, plus Skype visit from rest of relatives, so will have a little potter round RL garden, hoping all is well and welcoming now in cybergarden's summerhouse.

An interesting link hob, but seems it's now closed down altogether, from December, with only the one recipe page left. I do have a few others on file, if there's anything specific you'd like to look up? Now I've had the reminder, might even get going on soap tomorrow, while there's snow due and don't need to leave the house, so thank you for information.

You were already preparing to make liquid soap , wondrous neighbour -lemon sounds lovely < slight scent of mutton fat about hob's washing-up >
You know I ' m less knowledgeable on the time than you all, and can never get the hang of the language anyway -this might help us
twitter.com/samuelpepys
Tis I who follows you , shodatin , you being in addition to wise woman / healer / midwife , wisest of justices and beloved advisor to our young scholars , one of our celebrated duo of playwrights . Time to relieve you of mantle of head seamstress , methinks , after your winter curtain marathon

Hope upward can join us for a , and that today wasn't too distressing if was day of doctors' rounds
< hopes tealeaf salesman arrives betimes >
< stop it , hob >

Oops sorry link was so short ,shodatin, and then I crossposted... ooooh , didnt expect to have any choice of soaps ! Would the ingedients available in our era allow us to stir up a batch of your favourite hand / body soap ? ( if village kitty allows , of course - we must vote on it )
Hope no -one tired of semi -communal livng yet - I'm sure we'll be able to do more individual things once our settlement is better established

< wholesome broth >

Thank you for the

Plan is increase new med, decrease old med and hope I stop being told to do things (then I can go home).

"hope I stop being told to do things"

I hear ya, sister!

(Moi, a control freak? Don't know what you mean!)

Good to hear that going home is being discussed now upward, and hope it's not too difficult being on two drugs at same time - at least it seems that the new one is the right choice, so I'm really pleased you're on the way to a permanent solution.
Don';t understand why you're being told to do things, but then my brain gets a bit soft at end of the day.

Hob, my very favourite soap is goat's milk, and am certain this was available, even if people were uncertain
why it was effective. However, am not planning to make any, as takes too many hours of stirring, but will certainly tell you how the planned lemon variety turns out.
Am also feeling a bit daunted by studying Mr. Pepys, see aforementioned brain-softening, but maybe there's some ultra-modern app which will convert language, something like the google translating?

I meant the voices need to stop being so intense & telling me to hurt myself before I can have a discharge date. Too early to tell anything about new drug, only on it since Monday. I wish there's something I can do to speed it all up.

Thanks for the explanation upward, I'd got the idea the voices had stopped since you went into hospital, probably just because you no longer mentioned them. At least you understand now that they are just voices in your head, and best ignored until they stop. Am so pleased you've not hurt yourself, well, I guess we're all pleased that you're getting some help with this, must be so distressing for you.
Not realised the new drug only started on Monday, but of course they had to cut down on the original one first.
Am sure you do want to speed things up, and wish there was something to be done, but it will take time of course.
You're doing so well upward, while having so much to put up with. Keep on being strong and patient, and eventually you will (emphasised) be home again, and this will be just a memory one day. Hugs and a .

Oh, I'm so sorry the voices are still being horrid to you, Upward, and being so very intrusive. It must be grim trying to think or sleep.

I hope you're getting good support from your team on this, and anyway you have your own opinions. But I'll mention this just in case - feel free to ignore.

The most useful description I've seen of voices is that they are the subconscious on speakerphone - some sort of cross-wire with the auditory nerve. And sadly I'm sure your subconscious has learnt a lot of horrid things, and learnt them really well.

But we like our lovely Upward and don't want her hurt. And we aren't likely to be scared away by anything horrid the voices say, about her or us. If it's useful to talk more about them here, or we can support you arguing against them, please say.

But of course, you may just want cybergarden distraction. Er, goat's milk soap? I need to catch up!

Need to sleep now, sorry. Goodnight all.

White landscape? Oooh, pretty, hob.

Hm, thinking about hearth tax. But we'll certainly need a fire to boil water in the communal wash house - making it a much jollier place in winter than expected.

And at knowing shodatin will be soap-making! It's fortunate this village loves and respects its creepily omniscient witch... Loving the crafty dishclothes as well.

What the... at Pepysian Twitter. But of course. Of course he would. It's just true.

Thank you for remembering poor departed bay tree. Alas, baby bay now departed in a different sense (my own fault, didn't plant quickly enough and apparently the world was hot then). I'll try again next year.

Sleep well all.

So sorry about new bay tree Nilgiri. Unfortunately, years of plant-buying has convinced me that a high proportion will just die, even with the best and most experienced care, and these days I check the roots and soil of a deceased plant in case it has something to show to the seller, then return them. Better luck with next one. Must check up on mine after two days frost, although losing one last year was a warning.
Making espresso now, so will do a full, mixed tray ready for people who turn up with cold extremities.

Sorry for missing so much important stuff- dormousing then problems with PC memory
Everything crossed for the msosage increase to work speedily , upward . I did feel as though you were still having the voices intrude upon you and it must be dreadful when you're having to fight them . Such brilliant posts from shodatin & Nilgiri . I like what you said shosdatin -this will one day be just a memory

You have a genius for speaking about difficult subjects with sensitivity , Nilgiri and I'd like to join in any ways upward might suggest to help her deal with the symptoms , which will hopefully soon leave her .
I suspect , upward , that your sense of your own wellbeing may tally with the more orthodox perspectives -that any voices are 100 % a symptom of being unwell ? Your experiences , & perhaps professional experience ,will have formed your views .
FWIW my sense is that voices are caused by the subconscious becoming audible as suggested by the theory NIlgiri mentions - a distressing idea for many , so perhaps auditory hallucinations don't work the same way for all who experience them ? I know my subconscious sometimes comes up with unpleasnt ideas when I'm tired / stressed , though they aren't audible . Maybe some thoughts really have nothing at all to do with our deepest self , but are old memories from TV etc ?

Have always been interested in people who report voices without other symptoms/ distress ( if only ) , & in those who have learned strategies to deal with the problem , as Nilgiri alludes to , at least till drugs stop the symptom . Clearly non-drug methods not an easy task , or possiblewhen symptoms are oppressive . Sorry for long ramble , brain refuses to editing today

Oh you poor thing about the bay tree , Nilgiri - you didn't even come to us to wail < comforting . .shodatin , gardening columns & programmes recently have discussed failure of newly bought plants & that good proportion just die . Hope your precious plant is surviving the frosts

Love shodatin's idea of some sort of translation filter , like Babelfish ( & of course PepysTwitter is happening , Nilgiri) ...I an never get the never get hang of older forms English , have been unable to join in hilarious medieval mumsnette threads .
One of my first moral dilemmas is about this hearth tax you say has just been introduced , Nilgiri - do we think it a just tax ? Or be we minded to resist it ?

< smug at smelling of goat's milk soap >

Tthank you shodatin for lovely treats this morning < extremities thawed >

Glad to be back home once again, although I only ventured out because I felt like some exercise! Huge waves coming in, probably against the wind, which was really, really cold, and am about to put heating on again.
Hope everyone else is warm enough, and that upward is feeling better from virus-thingy. Glad I warned DB about not doing too much, as his returned after about 4 days, when he thought it was ended, so please be careful.

Ooh, .

Thank you for reassurance about tree - and I hope yours is providing a fine example by flourishing as the... well, indeed. We're still using dried leaves from the stolen tree, with mournful sniffs each time.

< sobs at mournful sniffs > Glad you're back in warm , shodatin , after commendable exercise .
Poor DB- hope fully recovers soon . Have indeed heard those bugs can cause a bout of nausea after recovery , so light meals are advised & hopefully any sensation will be mild

so , so cold < breaks ice in cybergarden birdbath >

Interesting to read other people's posts on various subjects, making me aware of how little I've noticed these days, like Pepys Twitter, theories about voices and even plant health, probably as am missing more and more of t.v news and no longer have even Sunday paper, as village delivery stopped for some reason, and have never "had time to read" daily paper. (Aware people with less time manage to do this so maybe time to alter priorities).
Just checked five-day weather forecast, as DB was thinking of having lunch here this week (and collecting Christmas gnome, too heavy to manage earlier). Train journeys not too reliable if any smell of snow, it seems, so maybe better postponed until later, as we have snow due Saturday and a couple of very cold days until then.

How mean of newsagent not to inform customers of stoppage , shodatin . Hope they resume . Know it's difficult for you to digest much print and wonder whether radio is as difficult, when you're not neding to concentrate on oter tasks ? I find a few minutes of t or the World Service or sociology or medical programme helps you keep up to date

Oh my Lordy at it become colder this week . Probably wise for DB to wait a few more days - it's hellishly cold wqiting on station platorms for delayed trains , plus he might even still be infectious . Has g got a travelling box or will he be proudly carried through the streets or DB's town ? < seeks trauma counselling for Nilgiri >

Hope we're all feeling reatively comfortable this evening , especially thinking of ou upward and wishing we could make time pass more quickly for you
< lugs giant hickory log onto fire >t

Had forgotten that Nilgiri might have conniptions about the gn being on the scene again, and can assure you all that it will be travelling in a plastic bag, alongside another gn which I found recently in local charity shop, and the pair will be wrapped in newspaper and placed in a posh-looking black-and-gold carrier-bag which is decorated -if one looks closely enough- with Playboy bunnies. Thought it might amuse DB, and no-one would ever guess he'd got two gn in there.

Hope everyone is good. Why all the g** secrecy?

Ooh, very brave for venturing out to see the waves, shodatin. Hope everyone is tucked up warm this evening. Sorry to hear DB's lurgy is back - sure I've seen other people complaining about similar. Here's hoping Upward's virus isn't a returning one.

Heheh, tis DP who has the gnome-fear. I'll cover the screen when he comes. He usually asks after you all, but I'll tell him to avert his eyes till the gn is rehomed! And in no way mention that two gn's will be tucked in together in a Playboy bag. Are you sure there'll just be the two when the bag is opened?

Thank you for breaking ice in birdbowl, hob. And thank you even more for hickory log. Do you think the birds have regular roosts near the summerhouse chimney?

Hmm, hearth tax. Well it is a progressive tax of sorts. And we can spend the proceeds on our communal choice of !

Another x-post!

My DP is sensitive to gnomes.

Something to do with a road-trip he once did with some buddies across Europe...

And hope your day's been as OK as possible, Upward.

Join me in a soothing ?

< wipes eyes at racily-wrapped - g**s - TWO , what bliss -"are you sure there'll only be two of them when he unwraps them? [grins]

I feel guilty suggesting poor DB might still be germy & hope he curls up at home & recuperates "

Hope you've been resting in the summerhouse with us , upward , & home feels one day nearer

Thrilled at thought of birds having roost near summerhouse chimney , especially the comforting coo of woodpigeons

Did poor DP & friends meet an unfriendly hitchiking g ? Come upon a harrowing scene at a g motel ? , shudders >

< waits fretfully till Lady Day for extra s whilst dozing over www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~enggerop/hearth_tax.htm >