The rather sickly sweet smell of oilseed rape which has permeated every corner of our house and garden is beginning to dwindle as the garish bright yellow of the fields starts to fade and the rolling hills take on their more customary hues . The foam flecked hedgerows are full of cow parsley and Queen Anne's lace interspersed with little patches of purple campion and bluebells and the evenings are drawing out . The sun has some strength but as soon as it goes behind a cloud that mean wind reminds you that these are early days -" ne'er caste a clout till May be out " and quite right too .
This year the wisteria is abundant in our village , great pendulous blooms drip from the fronts of houses and hang over walls- so many different shades of blue to silvery white . The smell of lilac is just beginning to make its presence felt. Laburnum ,clematis are all taking the place of the flowering cherries hawthorn and spring flowers , daffodils and tulips just a fading memory .
I have an early clematis in my garden and however rudely I treat .it it springs back to life covering my garden shed and walls .And so the year moves on , only I feel stationary.
The picture is my clematis taken just as the sun comes up , much too early in the morning !
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Georgepa
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Well we continue the downward spiral with very odd upsurges . Back in early March V was in the hospice and after a week came home and we were told to prepare ourselves for the inevitable - they thought V might last ten days or so judging by her food and water intake .Since then she has started to eat a bit more , her voice which had become little more than a croaky whisper has returned and she seems more alert .The hospice palliative care nurse is baffled and simply says she is a very strong woman who isn't going to give up easily - I could have told her that !We have had several stopped breathing incidents especially at night . And the carers have called me a couple of times when they have been washing her because they thought she was going then the same evening she is eating a boiled egg and tucking in to marmite soldiers followed by jelly and ice-cream - what more can I say ! It is incredibly draining as you have no idea what is happening from day to day ,Our daughter Kate has been a brick coming to visit regularly and putting much of her life on hold over the past few weeks and I know has been finding it very hard . But I would be lost without her support . And so we go on .......
Wow Georgepa, still managing marmite soldiers. Incredible! My thoughts are with you both. I think those ups and downs in some way prepare us for the inevitable which isn't such a shock when it finally happens. Sending you love and a big hug.
Georgepa you have just answered one of my questions. You are right about it being draining. You don't know what to expect and it is actually pretty scary at times.
You did make me smile when you described how the carers thought V was going and then she was tucking into Marmite soldiers and jelly and ice cream. She likes to keep you guessing. She is a fighter as you say. Never sure if that is good or bad to be honest. You prepare for the worst and then it's back to normal. A bit like being on a never ending seesaw?
Chin up and admire those beautiful blooms whenever you get a chance? Glad your daughter is able to help. In that you are very lucky. Take care of yourself though?
Thank you George! I miss the sheer quantity of Queen Anne's lace, stitch wort and may of the Devon hedgerows but here in Kent there are great swathes of wild garlic and bluebells in our local woods which are pretty too.
A beautiful view.....Is that your house......Lovely! Still, I am rather intrigued, What is the object apparently in the sky on the right side of picture....also I see an object resting? on the building is that a ladder? I do hope you enlighten me....and thank you for such a lovely welcome to Spring.....Here in Arkansas many people have water instead of children running through their houses.....One town was evacuated due to rain....8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm) last weekend about 5 inches the wkd before!
Hi AVB - the "object 'in the sky is a chimney stack and it is on a neighbour's house and yes that is a ladder. There are some amazing stacks on some of the village houses , really tall as the roofs are thatch and so smoke and embers are kept as far away as possible .I will take a picture for you when I get a chance .
Thanks for responding Gp, However I still don't know what that thin rectangular bar is.....is it an antenna ...Still the house is so lovely I will show my son the plants in England He is a landscape architect and would love to see such a sight.
Wow such a beautiful picture you paint and how apt, I was just thinking myself that I have no life, it has come to a standstill, waiting, I don't want to think for what. Xxx
Scrumptious! Nature is a great healer George pa, yesterday I had my three hours, I was going to use it to catch up on jobs, but thought sod it! Off I yomped down the canal to a local tucked away Norman church , took my flask and sandwich , heaven. Walking back heard the cuckoo and a family of ten ducklings swimming with mum, dad at the rear!
George lovely looks so beautiful down there, missed your posts, I have been thinking about you. Hope you are ok? How is V doing? Your garden looks glorious, so many different colours. Sending you both a big hug Yvonne xxxx
Beautiful description as usual Georgepa. The clematis is striking. My house is a semi and the back of my neighbour's house is covered with a pink Montana. Literally covered...windows, French door, he never goes in his garden. I have to keep cutting it away from my upstairs window. It looks glorious but oh the mess when I open my windows or French doors; all those little whispy bits come inside. Yours looks as if it is in a very sensible place where you can see it from your window without having the whispy bits. Enjoy!
Lovely description as always GP, my Montana was cut back to replace the trellis and hasn't reappeared, much to my surprise. I was hoping to take Ben to a local farm that Is wheelchair friendly, they have carpets of bluebells and I adore the scent, intoxicating, however the weather is not good and I fear we will miss out this year.
I'm so pleased for you that V has pulled through and is back eating egg and soldiers, Ben is on puréed food now and the joy of a good meal together is something I miss.
Please look after yourself and keep posting your wonderful descriptions. I have gambled taking Ben to Dorset in June, it is an adapted cottage but no hospital bed or riser chair. The family are with us so will get help if needed, fingers crossed.
Georgepa thank you for the lovely horticultural tour of your village and your garden. I love Wisteria and Clematis yet don't have either. Garry never wanted them although I never understood why. Maybe the start of his illness?
My Laburnum and Lilac are just starting to bloom. My Rhododendron has buds but no flowers on it yet. My Camelia is starting to die now. I love it, so always feel sad when it goes. I really should get rid of the weeds in the front garden and plant something. Sadly whatever I put there dies! Apart from Geraniums! Maybe I should hunt for my gardening books again? Something needs to be done with it!
I have someone cut the grass and trim back the trees and shrubs but he doesn't appear to see flowers! He chopped the heads off 4 of my daffodils when they were in bloom. Going to put some in a terracotta pot so he can't get to those at least! As I am typing this email am getting ideas of what I can do. Before I felt very sad. So thank you again Georgepa.
How are you coping? I had noticed we hadn't heard from you for a while. In fact quite a few have gone very quiet. Hope you are all well and coping. That's all anyone can do?
It sadly doesn't get better. Wish I knew how to cope alone. I have never actually lived alone until now. I was married when I was 18 then the children came along. Then there was just the two of us and now I am alone. So this is really difficult not only because I miss Garry but I am struggling because I am finding it hard to cope. So your lovely photo was like a wonderful gift that I wasn't expecting.
Lots of love to you and your family. Saying a prayer that things are not getting worse too quickly.
I seem to have found religion again as I was not sure of anything before. Now my little Grandson tells me to make sure I say my prayers...so I do! Little ones are wonderful. He even gave me lessons in how to pack my shopping last week! ☺
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