Thank you NHS

 I am very grateful to the NHS, as Compostman had a heart attack at home tonight about 6 pm.

He was whisked away by ambulance and treated in surgery within 2 hours, and is now on a ward, having been treated and stabilised.

He's awake and chatting, so fingers crossed, all will be well.

Yule blessings

And the Wheel of the Year turns, and the light will return :) Winter Solstice blessings to all, dear friends.

More lockdowns?

Looking at the latest figures, we are going to have another lockdown soon and over Christmas, aren't we.

Worrying.

Storm Arwen

Still no power. Thanks, Arwen.

Fortunately we have a wood burner for heat, a generator to run the bore hole (we have a private water and sewerage system, requiring electricity to work) and provide some limited electric so have a few lights and can run all the freezers to keep the produce frozen. Three freezers and two fridges to keep going.

Plus we have a number of gas camping stoves from my outdoor workshops in balm and lotion making at festivals and Forest School. So have had been able to re heat (linited) hot food.

Generator is because we frequently lose power for a day or two, but back in 2002 we lost power for 10 days, and lost all the produce in the freezers and fridges. All our preserved crops.

Ell was in washable nappies still and I was very unwell with rheumatoid and CFS, so it was all a bit of a nightmare.

So we got a generator.

I know it uses fossil fuel, but thank goodness we have one.

New bedding!

New bedding on my bed. I do rather like it.

From Sainsbury. Nice 100% cotton, in a sale. Wish I could afford more ethical cotton bedding, but it does have the German Oko mark on it, at least.

And a replacement for one of the  three sets I have, that finally wore out and was consigned to quilting/patching/dusters/random fabric stash.

Plus, Compost girl took some of my bedding to Uni. So I needed to buy some more.

This is lovely.

It's been a very hard couple of years.

Some good advice below for those who need it. Look after yourself everyone ❤️❤️ 

DEPRESSION TIPS:

Shower. Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.

Moisturize everything. Use whatever lotion you like. Unscented? Poundland lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis. 

Put on clean, comfortable clothes. 

Put on your favorite underwear. Cute black lacy panties? Those ridiculous boxers you bought last christmas with pink love hearts on the butt? Put them on.

Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost. 

Clean something. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink. 

Blast music. Listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food. Don’t just grab a Kit Kat bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s beans on toast. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something. 

Make something. Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create. 

Go outside. Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone. Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps. 

Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them. Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything. 

May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.  

*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on. 

*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!

Find something to be grateful for!

May I please get 2 friends or family members to copy and re-post? I am trying to demonstrate that someone is always listening.

#SuicideAwareness 

#HaveARealConversation

Just two people. Any two.

(but share, if c&p is difficult)

FiLiA Portsmouth 2021

I spent a wonderful last weekend in Portsmouth at #FILIA2021. It was fabulous, uplifting.

But was marred by the nasty protests outside the venue.

Yes, of course protest is an absolute right, but surely, not when it is abusive or frightening for those who are the target. 

I've reported the abuse I personally got, as well as the general verbal and visual abuse for just going to #FiLiA conference, which simply discussed women centric issues.

.

I felt scared going in and out of the venue, despite excellent security. I was literally terrified.

The chants of TWAW, Sex work is work, blow jobs are jobs

really, literally traumatised me.

 The chalked images of errect penis were upsetting. 

Honestly, it all was frightening. Really so.

Who knew what the chants and placard waving might have led to? 

This is some of what I was faced with, for going in to listen to women sharing their experiences of corrective rape and genocide in Tigray.

And the Lesbians incarcerated in the LGBT block in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, which puts a target on them for corrective rape, children removed, or worse.

Draw your own conclusions friends.

Yet I went in. I didn't let the bullies stop me!

A trip out! To Shrewsbury Folk Festival

I'm at Shrewsbury Folk Festival, first big outing in public, (apart from local shops for food) since Feb 2020.

It was very nerve wracking at first being around so many people(even outdoors) , but I rapidly remembered what to do, and I'm really enjoying myself, now.

So good to be chatting to people, in the sunshine. Musicwise, Sekou Keita and The Longest Johns were particularly good. 

Then listened to The Spell Singers doing a sound check. Some of the songs they individually sang were pricelessly funny 

Lost Words Spell Singers were fabulous, Jackie Morris did a wonderful painting of two Red foxes while incanting the Fox spell and "her band" jammed along, ( to get that joke, you'll have to go and see them live!)

And we were treated to two new Songs, based on the newer book The Lost Spells. Which were also wonderful.

Lovely to see Robin Stenham after, really wanted to stay to the end for Show of Hands, but couldn't face leaving at midnight then driving two hours to get home.

Next year, I'll take the caravan and do the whole Festival weekend.

Hi fi!

Earlier, listened to a bit of Meddle, (fabulous Pink Floyd album, for you philistines) , on my earbuds from my phone. 

Them went and listened to the whole album in glorious full quad /stereo set up in the sitting room

, (, old school v good hi fi, lots of very good hi fi speakers, me sitting in exactly the right spot.

On CD, but have the option of original vinyl, if I want.)!

Oh so fabulous.

Swoon.

Smells!

I have just picked a stem of lavender from my patio herb garden, and as is usual, I ran my fingers along the head, and sniffed my fingers. I've been doing this for ever, but for the last 16 months, with any aromatic plant, I haven't been able to smell *anything*, since I got Covid, (in March 2020.) 

 For the first time in 16 months I COULD SMELL IT! (apparently it is very very strong, and I can't say I found it strong, but I *could* smell it!)

I am SO happy.

Sitting on the patio

Sitting on the patio, listening to birdsong (lark, thrush, blackbird, sparrow, raven, buzzard) and insect sounds (bees, hoverflies, grasshoppers, dragon flies, butterflies)

Finally cool enough to water patio plants and sit outside now. Been hiding in the cool of the house all afternoon. 

What a hot day.

It's astonishing the amount of insect life in the last 10 mins visiting this one 12" diameter patio pot of wild flowers.

Fritillary seeds

I have loads of Fritillaria seeds harvested from my Fritillaria meadow, if you would like some, message me and then send me an sae.

(And if you feel inclined, give Garden Organic a donation.)

Incapacity. and Long COVID, and Menopause,

Bloody hell, this knee is STILL such

a problem!

The start of a downward slide into incapacity, unfortunately, coupled I think with Long COVID and my pre existing auto immune conditions.

Being 59. It seems to have been accompanied by all sorts of problems.

Suspect it is menopause related, women have protection from lots of nasty stuff while fertile, and then when the hormones switch off, it all goes a bit pete tong.

Hey ho.

From 2018

Sitting in Ledbury Community Hospital waiting for a knee X ray :( Precautionary, probably ligaments not bone damage, but I'm been told, regardless, I'm going to be on leg elevation and rest for several weeks (at least) with crutches for essential movements only. Then physio. 

Thank God for #NHS. 70 years of free healthcare, freely given. I'm only waiting now, because the radiographer has gone for their lunch break. I was seen within 20 mins of arriving here.

 

And thanks (not!) Cassi Cat for tripping me up on Monday night. I know you love me, but really, this is an odd way to show it.

Muntjac doe, again, again

The muntjac doe is a creature of habit, it seems! Back out the front of the house tonight , same time, same behaviour!

Tonight, I was able to come out of the house and watch her from the front patio so a lot closer than before ( ~ 20 feet away) , previously have photographed her through the kitchen window and she scarped if we went outside or even looked at her from the doorway. Last night she let me watch her from the open doorway. 

She just looked up at me a few times tonight, and then carried on grazing. 

💕 Am a lot in love.

Muntjac doe

Muntjac doe photos, again 😊

She was quite happy for me to open the door and look at her, me less than 30 ft away

She has full udders ( she did a very elegant head scratch with a hind leg, so I could see) , so there is at least one fawn nearby.

So happy! ( even if my veg garden is at risk).

Muntjac doe

Muntjac doe photos, again 😊

She was quite happy for me to open the door and look at her, me less than 30 ft away

She has full udders ( she did a very elegant head scratch with a hind leg, so I could see) , so there is at least one fawn nearby.

So happy! ( even if my veg garden is at risk).

Deer, deer, and Bees.

So the day before yesterday we had a bee swarm decide to make a home in one of our gables, then yesterday we had a muntjac in the garden.

It's all go, here!

Trip out to Malvern

Fabulous display of Bluebells on the Herefordshire side of the Malvern Hills, Jubilee Drive/British Camp

Bluebells in Moors Wood

Bluebells! In Moors Wood

Trip out to Daffodil woods

Some of you may have seen Countryfile on BBC1  which was based around the daffodil Woods near to me? 

We had been to visit them a few days before, and oh my they were spectacular this year! 

(And the lovely Ranger they interviewed, is a neighbour!) 

 

RIP, Bonnie Ann.

Very sad that Bonnie Ann Burnett has died.

She came to the UK for a visit, reached out to online friends for recommendations , advice, suggestions for  meetups.

This landmass touched her heart 

particularly the St David's area of Wales.

She went back to the USA, published a book of her fabulous photographs from her Welsh visit , rejuvenated her career as a noted potter, and then, moved back to her family farm and embarked on a Permaculture journey to bring her land back to life.

While in the UK she visited us for breakfast and lunch on her last day in the UK, She cuddled Algy the Serama Cockerel and he adored her. And she, him. 

We were planning a collaboration where I would visit her in the US of A, and we would host courses on her farm.

Then Covid struck. So we couldn't do what we had planned

In all her posts she explored her ancestral land and saw joy in every moment of her life. 

The last few months have been brutal for her, and her family. Much love to them all

Farewell, friend Bonnie Ann.

Obituary

Found a bat!

Today, we found a bat sleeping in our barn. Was a bit worried bat was still asleep at dusk, but it was quite cold today so maybe too cold for bat to bother waking up?

(Hour later, bat had flown.)

The start of growing

HotBin chugging away nicely, up to 60C now.

Wormeries all going well

Compost barrowed onto beds. 

 Spectacular display of Celandines in the front garden! 

End of March.

I mowed the grass today, followed around by the "veg patch" Robin. 

We have enough land to support a number of different Robin territories, so we have "front garden", "veg patch", "main garden", "polytunnel/barn" Robins, as well as who knows how many in the wood and meadow. 

I was charmed at this Robin following me, as I mowed. 

The Crocus have died down, now the Fritillaria emerge. 

 

New patio area around barn and polytynnel

The wide slabbed area by the barn had a "flower bed" next to the barn wall, which the previous owners (gone 25 years ago!) grew a Loquat tree in, totally  unsuited to our climate and a bit of a disaster, tbh. It died, and the bed became a bit of a weedy mess. 

So Compostman decided to sort it out, and we agreed it would be good to generally tidy up all the rather ad hoc "crazy paving" effect which had evolved by the barn and to the polytunnel  to provide hard standing and walkways over the last two decades

I don't have a before  pic readily to hand, but imagine a half slab width bed next to the wooden barn wall, and a two slabs width path, most broken and with lots of  weeds growing between the uneven slabs. 

We had to buy five new slabs because the slabbed area is much bigger  but we did manage to use a lot of what was needed from our store of  "stuff you keep out back rather than throwing away, just in case it might be useful" 

One of the joys of having loads of spare land to store stuff! 

The area in front of the polytunnel was tricky, as the polytunnel isn't parallel with the back or side of the barn, so there was a lot of slab cutting and relaying involved, to get it looking good. 

 Oh, it is SO much better, now! A wide, level, functional and attractive space, rather than an uneven, weedy, messy looking area.

Excellent job by Compostman, as always. 

Getting the HotBin and Wormeries back in action

 

This is what the repair to the HotBin looks like, once the glue had set. 

Once the Hotbin was back in place, I loaded  it up, as per the instructions, and as I described back in my  original post about setting up my new HotBin

Wood chip, some compost from a bin, paper and then grass, paper, grass, leaves to the very top. 

While I was in gardening and composting mode  and mowing, weeding and tidying outside, I got the Can O Worms and Hungry Bin going again. The worms inside looked very happy!

Busy day in the sunshine

Two years ago (I know, I know) rats ate into my HotBin.  Tony the inventor very kindly sent me a sample of the material it is made from, and suggestions as to how to repair it. 

 Last year, I got COVID-19, and that, and the effects of Long covid, means a lot of non essential stuff just didn't get done around Compost Mansions. 

But now the weather is nice, and my torn bicep is not so painful, and I've recovered from the after effects of my first covid vaccination, I'm finally getting on with stuff.

(We've also got several raised beds infested with bindweed and couch grass, and nothing beats watching them shrivel up and die in a well run HotBin!)

So, we removed all the old compost from the HotBin, dismantled it completely, I cleaned all the fine compost from the base plate and Compostman did the repair to the rat hole.

Spring

Vigil in memoriam

Doorstep vigil in memory of Sarah Everard (and all others)

9.30 pm , awe shone a torch, a phone, light a candle, joined in, in memorium and in outrage.

This was our vigil here.

Doorstep vigil tonight, in memory of Sarah Everard.

 Doorstep vigil in memory of Sarah Everard (and all others)

9.30 pm tonight. Shine a torch, a phone, light a candle,  join in, in memorium and and in outrage.

These are what me, Compostman and Compost girl held, on our patio, at 9.30 tonight. I made these candles. 

Then, we brought them inside, because we were alive, so we  could. 

Sarah didn't get that chance. She was killed. 

We burnt them in memory of Sarah, and all Women and Girls who have been abused, assulted , raped, murdered. 

Which, lets face it, is most of us, well  abused and assulted, at least. At some level. 

Finally!

 Finally! After four weeks of trying to arrange to get the Oxford AZ vaccine I *have* to have. 

Totally painless, took real care over questioning me before hand about my medical history, then offered me the option of having it done in hospital environment, but had all necessary equipment to hand if I *did* feel unwell.

Dr sat and talked to me for 15 mins afterwards, then walked me out to car. Good job, as I came over faint and my bp dropped. Dr and nurse checked me over in car park, until I was ok'd to be driven home.

Now enjoying a cuppa and a sit down.

(The "finally" was because I've waited four weeks (since being first invited) to get a slot offering Oxford/AZ.) 

#ThankYouNHS #thankyouLedburyvolunteers

Finally! Got my COVID vaccine!

Finally! 

Totally painless, took real care over questioning me before hand about my medical history, then offered me the option of having it done in hospital environment, but had all necessary equipment to hand if I *did* feel unwell.

Dr sat and talked to me for 15 mins afterwards, then walked me out to car. Good job, as I came over faint and my bp dropped. Dr and nurse checked me over in car park, until I was ok'd to be driven home.

Now enjoying a cuppa and a sit down.

(The "finally" was because I've waited four weeks (since being first invited) to get a slot offering Oxford/AZ.) 

#ThankYouNHS #thankyouLedburyvolunteers

Making a start

  Making a start on clearing out the polytunnel. 

But it was gloomy and cold and doing it one handed was difficult, so I gave up (for now) and went inside to get warm

Signs of Spring.

 

This has made me feel SO much more cheerful!

Still struggling with the effects of Long Covid (aches, depression, brain fog, shortage of breath and tiredness.) 

Also, the bicep injury is still very painful and I can't do much.

However, look at these! So beautiful!

Things must improve soon, yes?