Cybergarden: Spring into Summer

[Upwardandonward]

Here's a new thread for us.

Oh no , can we have a group hug again ? Awful when a real bout of misery hits .I hope there might indeed be ways of finding any way of having little things to look forward to , as much as you can look forward to things when really low -so hope this passes soon for both

Would be so helpful if some slightly "larger" treats might be possible - easier said than done . You are so lovely , Showtime , to think of so many ideas
when feeling unwell So hope you can indeed be up in time to see friend tomorrow, and will soon find new breakthroughs arisewhich will make things easier from you on bad days , and maybe lessen those times .

Wonder if possible , Upward , as Showtime suggests to meet up with a friend whose company is calming , without your feeling you have to chat in too much depth about anything ... or conversely , whether you need to unburden yourself of some stuff without feeling you're causing listener to fret .

I know I'm not scratching the surface of how hard things must often be , as Showtime , alludes to , but I hope there are ways you can connect with your interests and loved ones in an undemanding way , and that you can realy be kind to yourself .I hate to dramatise a particularly rotten day , & promise restraint at any further mentions of such

Sorry , only just come back in from DM , cats etc- but not yet finished necessary chores ... sending best wishes for healing sleep for lovely cybergardeners .
Sorry for unintelligible English .

< ndt preens smugly at magnificent portrait >

< HF brings mouthful of buebells & Grannies' Bonnets to each gardener , including dear dormouse >

Thanks for sympathy futuredream, and for flowers from HF. Hope tomorrow's better for you upward,and that Nilgiri is keeping well. Goodnight all.

(((group hug)))

So sorry you're having the waves of misery, Upward. Hope the squall will clear as suddenly as it came, and that you can batten down the hatches and sail safe through.

Showtime's advice sounds excellent, to have activities (including sessions of "permission to rest") planned in advance for when the bad days strike.

And I think you must be following your own advice, S, despite disclaimers, as it sounds like you've achieved a lot this week in the garden and getting to the shops, even if less than you'd like. So sorry you're still feeling grim and exhausted. Goaty-toes here for a good day with your friend tomorrow.

future you are a bluebell tyrant, dragging your mother out to see them! That's lovely that she managed to catch the blooms this year.

Morning all, and many thanks for good wishes and dormouse-care, which seems to have been effective.
Am well enough to be out, which is wonderful (and sure other cybergardeners know how this feels).

Hope upward had a decent night's sleep, and has managed to leave the miseries behind. A friend employed by Mind once gave me a leaflet on Depression, and I think that's where I got the positive ideas, as well as Shirley (Superwoman) Conran after bereavement.

Before I forget again, recent garden-tidy uncovered a self-sown holly - I have one after all Nilgiri- and will dig up and post it some time this week, if still required.
It's definitely in wrong place here, although still only a hand-span high, and will easily post as not requiring much moisture/packaging.

Oh, so pleased you've managed to get out, Showtime. Hope you're now resting after your exertions.

You've decided me to read some more Shirley Conran now. I'd only read a very little about her, but it was enough to give me courage to travel flat on trains! She's had M.E. and says when her publisher offered a luxury chauffeur-driven car for book tours, she asked for a van with a mattress in the back instead!

I think it's futuredream who may have space for the holly - I'm still scratching my head over where to put the Third Mint! (Which flourisheth, btw!)

Hope everyone's having an OK day - and getting some sunshine!

Afternoon all, and hope it's a good weekend all round.
s before I forget, as have had much more coffee than usual, and most of it nasty urn-type. Had a good morning with friend, including finger-lunch with really excellent, well-filled sandwiches, home-made mini-sausage rolls on offer and (a first for me) great big fat fried chips, with optional ketchup dip, a real winner as not too greasy and stayed surprisingly hot.
Called at house of friend-of-friend (more coffee) plus rooted cuttings of spider-plant, most welcome as am in-between these plants at present, and our "gifts" of free promotional pens from morning's exhibition were appreciated. Postie had left parcel of internet items in garage, saving me a trip to town, so it was a good day.

Evening all - sorry for total silence but had minor pc problems after
dormousing & not enough time to do repeated restarts before going out
to something had committed to( not worthy toils ) Been hoping everyone has had a reasonable day , and especially that Upward could be doing something enjoyable at some point .

So very good to see you were able to meet up with friend , Showtime*enjoy a meal and pop in on another friend- a joyous tonic for you all ,& exhibition sounds interesting.

You & Nilgiri have made me more interested in Shirley Conran than in my youth-she must be a fine person to have given you the courage to travel as you needed , Nilgiri- do you mind if I ask how if that was on slepper trains , or can it be achieved in a typical UK carriages ?I don't think seats recline far - can you one use the floorspace allocated to chairs etc ?

Oh Showtime you are lovely to find me holly - thank you so much !I don't see anyhting much in garden atm that would be of interest , but would you be interested in lily-of-the-valley ? I do havespider plants atm , if your cuttings don't take root ... such useful & tolerant plants
Joy at ye mint that flourisheth

Another one feeling very lucky to be out today ( having very greedy run of outings as thought of them has been keeping DH going through work horrors) - went to a charity thing in ancestral village , which looked its loveliest in May foliage , and unexpectedly had chance of -totally undreamt-of experience, to go up to church tower .You can imagine how it felt to creep up medieval spiral staircase Dh's ancestor used to climb as churchwarden in the 1620s

Obviously been years since I had to give up steep steps etc , but I thought this would be very short distance up , & kind friend took me halfway up , ignoring really painful injuries , so I really felt I ought to keep climbing !
Dh just looking through photos & delighted to spot find the top of a gargoyle's headabove
< c17th centurys>

oops sorry - gargoyle's head from above

Glad you can use holly futuredream, and thanks for offer of lily-of-valley, but have now tried twice to establish them here, unsuccessfully.

Good for you to get up the church tower, and hope you were not too exhausted after - did you manage to take photo/s?

Been dormousing most of this evening, which is a nuisance to me, and such a shame you had pc problems, but hope we're ok now, and that upward has had a better day without the black dog visiting. Goodnight now.

Food sounds like a win, even if was a bit dodgy. Sorry the dormousing has been a nuisance, although your day sounds really quite packed to me!

Not as packed as futuredream's, though. How wondrous! Joining S in hoping you have no ill effects from vertiginous climb!

Hope upward has had an OK day, with maybe some small victory in the BotO or some task, as an achievement for the day.

And yes, F, one can indeed lie flat in the wheelchair space on long distance trains. I book it when I buy tickets (can't remember if there are eligibility requirements - call particular train co to check) and then lie on a rollmat or throw, and put DP's big travel bag by my head so I don't get trodden on. It's really very comfortable except for trains where the air conditioning blows right on you, and then you get up stiff. The truly extraordinary part is that staff don't bat an eyelid, even when they don't realise you're the "booked disabled person". They calmly reach over you to paste destinations on the window. Makes me wonder just how many people casually snooze on train floors.

Anyway, it's transformed my life doing this, even just once a year, as so many dear friends and family live far away and have little time off work.

Hope we all sleep well and recover from the day's exertions.

Morning all - wonderful to feel well again!
Hope other gardeners feeling OK and that upward's able to feel more cheerful today.

Fascinating to learn how to travel on trains with disability, Nilgiri, and sure lots of people would like to know this. There are some very dirty train floors though, and I used to take small towel for my clean beagle to sleep on, also his designated safe space. Was it one of Superwoman's practical tips or something you discovered for yourself?

Apologies for offering you more plant-life Nilgiri, so do feel free to dry third mint leaves in microwave or compost the lot.
Off to make s, including espressos.

What a horribly cold day, like winter again, and wish I'd not been persuaded to plant out tomatoes, which must be suffering as protection keeps getting blown away.
Thought we'd done with making fires in summerhouse, but very glad of throws, blankets and warm animals.
Hope you've found something amusing/entertaining for this cold weekend upward, and that it's not getting you down.
Just heard from No.1 Niece (in Australia), so will reply before I forget or get busy again next week.

Afternoon all sorry , unsurprisingly - long dormousing after outings .
Oh bah at cold day where you are , Showtime - I find tomatoes do tolerate wind better than reputed to < goaty toes > Hope No 1 Niece is getting on well .

Thank you so much for details of travelling flat , Nilgiri-love your ever-clean beagle , Showtime You have my great admiration , Nas I often feel too claustrophobic and germphobicto stay in carriages, & try to stand/sit between compartments ...am only occasionally regarded suspiciously, though a kind guard asked the other day if I was OK (I was0. You have made me feel I could try that if needed , and am so impressed that you had the guts to try it , and fascinated at guards' non-surprise ... am sure they're glad to see a non-disruptive passenger getting good use from the service

Delighted to hear you are feeling well , Showtime , & hope not too many dull chores , as I know you like to save some of Sunday for keeping in touch - exhausting in itself. Really sorryy lilly-of-the-valley no use in your garden ... am looking at a pretty pink wildflower here , which is probably considered a weed . There are plants I was asking DM's about taking cuttings from , but she said they were at the wrong stage

We're all sending extra good wishes to you , Upward , hoping for cheering developments .< HF and ndt nip round to U's to entertain with their double act-ndt bumbling , adoring and jealous , HF brilliant , exasperated & cunning >

[brews]and applewood log onto fire

I caught the weather this evening, and they seem to be suggesting it'll be hot this week, hope that helps people. Here's some to set people up for the evening.

Ooh, broo! Thank you, Upward!

Thank you Uward - I just saw the lforecast too and oh my , is that more like it ! Hope we all have some degree of sunshine this week , and that as you say , Upward , it proves helpful.

Poor Dh awoken with sharp toothache last night apparently at site of recent root canal - not how it's supposed to work ! Hope they save the tooth , which was precarious even before events meant he couldn't return for finishing touches . He was still able to help me work out that apparently-broken mower is still going < cartwheels > It belonged to dear departed neighbour , who fed birds on an industrial scale ... whenever mowing was stopped for a rest today , it was impossible to resume for long , long stretches as robin came to perch on handle

Still have thinking cap on re plants , Showtime- Nilgiri and Upward, do let me know if I can experimentally post lily-of-the-valley . Hope your garden is proving a lovely retreat , Nilgiri < puts another applewood log on summerhouse fire for clear, chill evening >

Hope you've enjoyed some of your Sunday socialising , Showtime, which must be tiring , & that DSis' magnificent event went well , and that No1 Niece , and DB are OK .

Thankyou upward, for encouraging news re this week's weather; my tomatos might just survive, if futuredream's right. Hope I remember to do weather printout for next 8 days, as have forgotten twice today.

DSis did Skype today, with news of raising over a million -and-a-quarter rand this year for children's charities, which was wonderful news, but I was surprised to hear that the financial news from Greece is causing them problems so far away - had assumed that only Europe would be affected.

Such good news about mower futuredream, remembering what stress it used to cause me in case grass grew too long for it to cope when fixed again. I do hope your DH can also fix tooth pain, at least overnight to be able to sleep.

Wishing everyone a good night's sleep, and thanks to upward for making s for us this evening.

How absolutely fabulously wonderful your sister achieved that total , Showtime ! Would she like a cybergarden medal, specially minted for the occasion ? What good that money will do - dreadful to hear of such effects from Greek catastrophe

Thank you so much for good wishes for DH , suffering still (I often think of how our ancestors must have suffered with this -didn't you say Nilgiri you've seen "teeth" as cause of passing? < ignores fact that this year have to have lots of dental work done >
That's exactly it about grass growing too long to manage , Showtime , and hope your neighbour's artificial lawn is soon installed so you can consider its quality
Hope you've hasd a good day Nilgiri - must be still very tired after visitors . I keep hinking about the travelling flat ... so grateful to have found this thread, and humbled by the determination shown .

Am trying to make enormous changes re 3 big areas of my life - am making the most progress in years (I bet this isn't believable ,but smug anyway )
< fairies dust round dozing cybergardeners , stopping for weeny cups of hot chocolate > )

Showtime that's marvellous about DSis's big event! Wow.

Am indeed proud of DSis, who is also running own business since widowed and helping to raise grandchildren. She had a simple idea - people don't fight if they're eating together - and lots of organising skill, plus the knowledge that money is required to give children a chance in life and improve living standards.

Good for you, Nilgiri, for finding a way round mobility problem, and sharing details. Another special medal required here!

Hopeyour DH's teeth improve very soon futuredream, it must make life even more difficult and he has my full sympathy.

Hope everyone had a decent sleep, and not too unhappy with the new day.

Aternoon all s
Sorry , pc froze all morning - I know it's annoying but the best we can manage right now ....will redo post but sending wishes for as good a day a possible for us all , and thanks for much-appreciated kind wishes < beagle wags for a game of catch >

Eeek , I meant < chippy >

< puts out afternoon snacks & hopes none of us chilly enough to need fire yet >
< watches teenage cyberblackbird resting on lawn >

< HF brings each cybergardener a mouthful of honeysuckle >

< future puts out nexts , ducking bumblebees >

Thanks to HF for honeysuckle - mine's not even in bud yet, and I seem to have two different ones here. Saw an enormous bumble-bee which seemed only just alive, crawling on bit of masonry in front border, and just didn't know what to do for it, anyone know how to help when it's cold?

Hope you've had a decent day upward, and feeling a bit happier now. If not, it might be worth mentioning it to GP in case it's depression and therefore treatable.

< HF purrs at kindfuss >
Ah , Dh assures me ours is an early - flowering variety , Showtime- I've only recently realised there are so many varieties

I too was facd with this quandary yesterday but actually forgot the poor creature between other tasks ... this tells us what to do next time , and thank you for equipping me !

www.bumblebee.org/helpbees.htm

Hope Nilgiri had the chance to get a breath of fresh air today , and that Upward can feel the calm atmosphere and many aspects of the cybergarden