Autumn and Our Garden November 2023

Autumn has most definitely arrived. Our garden has changed from green to orange and although there is so much work to do in it, it does look pretty startling.

Acer with a Hydrangea just close by.

The Acer is glorious and still holding its leaves. So surprising, considering the storms we've had.

The Ornamental Cherry tree is impressive too. She's an old lady, we were told many years ago that these trees do not have long lives, but she's still going strong.

The Red Dogwood is very showy.

The fruit trees, apple, pear and plum, have all lost their leaves.

I read the other day that we should allow the leaves in our gardens to settle for the insects. In the past we have mown them to break them up and feed the lawn, but apparently that's wrong. Sometimes it's difficult to know what is the right thing to do 🤔. The article I read said to blow them onto the flower beds. I don't have a leaf blower and don't intend to get one. Perhaps the article was written by a leaf blower manufacturer 😉. I do have a rake!

When the weather is dryer I will have a tidy up, but I may leave much of the garden to the wild things. I'm not a wet weather gardener. Although we do have the hedge to finish! And the greenhouse. Oh, and the shed! Really need some dry days 🫣.

It struck me last night, laying awake, thinking about a sad post I had read in the evening, that I have reached autumn of my life. Not defeated, not ending, but chilling and changing colour. Not to orange, but my hair is white 😅. There's no doubt I've slowed down from those busy years of working, raising a family and caring for an elderly parent. I don't know how I did it, and I wish I had handled much of it differently. But hey, at the time, I did my best.

So here I am, 65 years old and with a stack of autoimmune conditions. The government still expect me to work, thankfully we manage. I'm grateful to be near my pensionable age, but quite honestly feel it's overdue. I hope to claim it for sometime yet!

On my walk this morning I saw Christmas Trees being decorated in the town. No pictures yet 😅, we haven't had summer yet have we? Oh yes, I blinked! 😉

Comments

10th Dec 2024, Trees

There's something about trees that is ultra calming. Just looking them, but walking through them is just amazing. They are timeless. When family come to stay we always walk in the woods. It's something everyone should do, I recommend it for exercise and wellbeing. At this time of year, many people are thinking about trees. Our Christmas Tree has been decorated since 2nd Dec, and it certainly helps brighten our home during this darkest month when the daylight is at its shortage. Our tree is artificial, we've had it for years. It's carefully packed away each January and reassembled at the beginning of December. It's decorated with ornaments collected over the years, gifts from friends and family, near and afar, and souvenirs from our holidays We love our tree 😊. Trees come in all sizes 😊 Another favourite tree in our garden is our Acer. It's beautiful all through the year, especially autumn, ...

31st October 2024, I'm A Halloween Grinch 🎃

I don't like Halloween. It's origins or the 21st Century version. Right from it's beginnings it has been about death and spirits of the dead. I always say I'm not superstitious, but somethings shouldn't be messed with. Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, has been turned from a Celtic tradition to ward off evil and spirits, to a commercial nightmare. I know that many will say that nowadays it's just a bit of fun, but like my fear of spiders, its maybe instinct. Maybe its the near death experiences that TTP survivors have, a little too close to home. Winter in this part of the world brings darkness and cold, something that the Celtic people took seriously. If any misfortune befell them in the winter, they likely didn't survive. For a while the Christian form of All Hallows Eve became a time when the poorest folk would beg at more wealthy folk’s doors for food, in return for offering prayers. Now children are encouraged to trick ...

21st October 2024, Newcastle, Gateshead, Angel of the North

This weekend away was not my choice but my husband's. To be fair I've had my weekends away and it was his turn. Of course, it involved football. BHA v Newcastle. It's on his list of dreams. What would my grandfather, a supporter, think of us flying to Newcastle to watch a match? We flew with Easyjet, cabin bags under our seats, and limited amount of cloths. I've never travelled for a weekend before knowing that I would need to wash undies. My meds (not TTP related) took up more space than my toiletries! We arrived exhausted, but driving would have been so much worse. We ignored our own travel tip and landed after sunset. It's disorienting to land in the dark when you have no idea where you are. Flight delayed at both ends, we took the Metro from the airport to the city centre, it was delayed en route, and then we left the station by the wrong exit. It resulted in us walking more t...

Porridge for Breakfast, The Ordinary Life of a TTP Survivor

Search This Blog