Part gardening, part recovery post!

[RestAssured]

Wow Jo! Those pictures are beautiful! Thanks for sharing!:biggrin:

 

[referee54]

That is a gorgeous garden! Very beautiful! Your work is great!

 

[Jaycey]

Looks like you have been busy Jo! Want to come and have a go at my garden? :th_heehee:

 

[NaNaKnees]

Hi, Jo. What a lot of work you have put into your yard. You have certainly put in lots of thought and creativity. I can't wait to see everything in full bloom in the summer - beautiful job! Thanks for sharing. It is still a little cool up here for us to plant anything yet, but I am so excited to have ONE tulip blooming against the side of our house!! Summer must be one it's way!!
Maggie

 

[Josephine]

It'll look a lot better in a few more weeks. There's heaps of stuff that will be in bloom then.

 

[Jamie]

It looks lovely, Jo. You HAVE been doing a lot of work out there, haven't you!!!

 

[backbay38]

Jo your garden is just lovely! And your grassy patch looks like velvet! What a lot of work you put into it! My husband would just love to have you here; he gets so annoyed with me because I don't help much with the planting. As he says -- I think of it and then he has to do it! But we live in the middle of a forest and our flowers are always being chewed up by the deer....So we're limited in what can be planted anyhow.

I just can't imagine the amount of work you put into it. And you are so right -- to have a body which supports what you want to do instead of complaining in misery -- is just the most wonderful gift! I still feel this way and it's been 2 1/2 years now since my RTKR.

So glad yours turned out so well also -- and the other surgeries too!

 

[aretha]

Jo, your garden looks lovely, and doesn't it just feel right to be out in this lovely weather we are having.:biggrin:

Well, we finally moved into "Tamarisk" our forever home now. It was NOT a smooth move, the moving company were absolutely abysmal, sent a lot of college boys to do a mans job and my system of coloured spots to indicate which boxes go into which room did not really happen as they were too keen to get everything packed up and did not label correctly, 4 days later and we are still trying to find things that we need!!!

The moving day commenced with the first lorry leaving at midday so I too had to leave in my own car to collect the keys at this end from the agents, and I was here a good hour before the lorry arrived having got lost on the way! Well chaos followed with boxes everywhere going into the wrong rooms and when I ran out of rooms, shed and greenhouse, the rest had to be piled ujp on the patio! My son and daughter in law were here, and thank God for that small mercy, and were brilliant at helping or I would have had the sreaming habdabs!!. The second lorry then turned up, and no hubby yet. Apparently the 3rd lorry had turned upfor the plants, was not large enough so had gone all the way back to the yard, and my poor hubby had to wait until they got a larger lorry to go back to the house with one poor guy who had only been on the firm for 2 days, and he and my hubby had to load all the garden themselves. Fred did not arrive here until after 6.00 in the evening, and the plants did not arrive until the next day. Don't ask!!:hissyfit:

At 11 that night we could not find our bed covers and had to get my son out of bed to bring around his spares! I was convinved that I could smell gas and the next morning got the Gas Board out to check it out and it turned out we had a leak so the gas had to be cut off, no cooking, heat, hot water, etc for 2 days while they dug up the drive and the road to lay a new main! The bathroom shower didn't work so had to have strip washes, and the fridge/freezer didn't fit into the new kitchen until we had to re-arrange cupboards, etc. in order to get it in a decent position.

However, on the plus side we have slept like logs, a first for me for some time now, and its very quiet and peaceful here. The garden looks like an acer garden centre, they are everywhere, I will try to take a photo and post. the weather has been lovely and we have sat in the chaotic garden drinking champagne and realising that at the end of the day, and when the renovations have taken place, we will love it here, the air is invigorating, and the view from the house is heaven.:yes 4:

Oh, the only downside is that my knee is giving me a bit of trouble, its so sore under the knee, feels tender like a bruise does to the touch, and a bit stiff, and my good knee is also giving me a lot of pain too, so thats the next project for me, to rest a bit, get back to my swimming, and lose weight - ha ha! There is far too much to do in the garden to be laid up for long, and I just can't wait!

More soon.......................

 

[Jamie]

Aretha, with all you have been through recently it's no wonder your knee hurts! That's a LOT for a new knee to deal with. But I'm glad you're moved and happy. It will all come together with a little time....it's a bit like recovery, isn't it!!! I'm waiting for the photos!!

 

[Josephine]

Some progress in my garden - not a lot, but I think you'll like it!

View from left hand side of the garden

Another such view - this time showing the weeping birch over the pond.
I love this tree, it looks so majestic and romantic!

And this time of the year, it has it's own type of catkins! So sweet!

View from right hand side of the garden showing (along the fence and from the left) lilac, rhododendron (sickly!), macrophiolia, Buddleia and in the middle ground, a sickly hydrangea. But like the rhodo, I live in hopes they will come through! In the foreground, London Pride and a little alpine garden that covers a very unsightly manhole cover. As you can see there is another in the paving - two in one garden was a little much I thought, so I covered one up!

These bluebells are the real thing, genuine woodland British bluebells that were growing wild in a friend's garden. They used to drive him mad as no matter how many he dug up, there was always more the next year! So I gave a home to some of them to save them from the bin and they are just beginning to take hold nicely. So much more beautiful than the Spanish interlopers. Won't be long before the British variety are on the endangered list, apparently.

The aquileiga in the foreground are self sown. They get everywhere if you let them but I love them so I leave them alone! This lot are in front of the compost bin! To the left are a self-seeded foxglove and lupin!

Part of my veggie garden. On the left, 3 sacks of potatoes, further along, raspberries, blackcurrants and a gooseberry bush at the far end. On the right, the yellow flowers are the purple sprouting broccoli I was so looking forward to. But just as it was ripe for harvest, I had a devastating bout of gastric flu and by the time I was better, they'd all gone to seed! I decided to experiment and see if they will self-seed and if so, how long they will take to grow and mature, then if they will be any good. It's too late to sow more.

Peas, broad beans and green beans, all staked out and netted and ready to start climbing! Woo hooo!

 

[Josephine]

One picture too many then, I guess? :redface: :frown:

 

[Jaycey]

Not at all Jo! Love to see your handy work! You have given me some ideas for my own garden!

I love the weeping birch. Is it hardy?

 

[Josephine]

Very!

 

[flhiker]

Your garden is just lovely Jo. Thanks so much for the pics. Over here, across the pond, we spend just as much work on just the grass - which you can't eat! Your energy is spent much more productively! Thanks again for the photos!

 

[jerseychick]

Love the pics of your garden Jo!

 

[Jamie]

I enjoy seeing them too!!! I am constantly amazed at how much you can put in your garden!!! The veggies are particularly interesting to me because you have such a wide variety in a relatively compact (and attractive) space. Here people tend to dig a big rectangle, probably overplant, and generally the veggie gardens are not something you'd want to sit and look at. I like the British way MUCH better!!!

 

[Salgor0]

Aretha, so glad your move is now past and you are enjoying your new house. I a soooo envious that you are enjoying all the surroundings of my former home.

Take care of your knee. It certainly has a knack of letting us know when we do too much, doesn't it?

Sally

 

[sashayinglady]

Just Beautiful! Jo, you have a Green Thumb, just like my mother :biggrin:.
your garden looks so inviting....tranquil and soothing...ahhh
I believe Summer has arrived here...ughh, 94 degrees today

Enjoy your little piece of Eden!
Darlene

 

[morningstar]

Morningstar
LMINTKR June 14,2010

Josephine, I was reading about all the gardening you had done,and
the power washer and other stuff.:flowerysmile::happy dance::wow2:
Were you very active before your knee replacement and how long
has it been since the surgery.
I couldn't remember the dates.
Do you know if there is a difference in the U.K. and the U.S. on
Techniques,prosthesis,expecially knees,the way doctors do things
and anything else that might be different and are they better in the U.K..
Do you get new stuff and new information there before we get it?
I had wondered if there were any differences.
I like the ideas about Bonesmart being better informed and I don't
understand why doctors don't get it and they seem to get upset
it you don't do things exactly as they tell you to.
When I was in the hospital my OS assistant came into the room
and told me everyone was upset with me
She didn't tell me who so I started asking people such as my
nurse and other people who came into the room, that worked there
if I had done anything to upset them.
I was crying hystericaly by then and my nurse went and got
the woman that runs the floor because she was mad at my OS's
assistant for coming in and telling me that.
The woman who runs the floor told me that I didn't do anything
wrong and she made me promise not to do anything about it,that
she would take care of it.
Usually my OS's assistant was the one that came to the floor and
did things for that particular OS such as remove the knee emobilizer,
the drain and other stuff.
The OS came and did it on for me and the assistant quit and went
to do other things.
I didn't know her assistant other than I had talked to her in the office
before, and she had given me the last euflexxa shot, I had, had in
the Left Knee way before the knee replacement.
That was the worse shot, and she finally explained what they were
going to do during surgery, after I had mentioned to the preopt nurse during registration, that they didn't tell me what they were going to do.
She strongly suggested to me to make an appointment right away and
talk to them.
Here in Cape Canaveral,Florida, they have you make an appointment to
come to a class for Four hours on what you need to know to prepare
for surgery and the things they want you to do.
This class is for patients who are having Shoulder,Hip, or Knee replacement with Seven doctors in Three or more hospitals.
I am not sure if it is a HealthFirst Medicare thing,which is what I have
or some other hospital policy.
I found out more infomation on the BoneSmart website that I would
have ever found out at the hospital or anyone else involved.
When I mentioned the BoneSmart website to the doctors, they
didn't seem to want to know about it and didn't seem to want to
mention it to other patients.
If the doctor even checked it out, why wouldn't they want to mention
something to their patients that would help them be better prepared/
I didn't understand unless they think they are the only ones that
think they know it all, and of course they don't.
I can't think everyone on this website enough for helping me to prepare
for the surgery, and for a better recovery.
Parden the pun,but you guys are priceless.:wubroses::grouphug2::loveshower::cat-kittyandsmiley::doggieshmooze: and I am sure I will be on almost every day or as much as I can.
I tell everyone that is having knee or hip problems about the website
and I hope it helps.
Just a suggestion of something I had read that has been helping me.
I read about Certo in one of our newspapers and it is a big one.
It was in an article in a health section on natural stuff people had heard
about and tried.
A man had heard about Certo that has pectin in it and that it helped
joints and he had tried it.
It is in our section of the grocery store where pudding and jello are.
It didn't mention in the article about how much he had used and
he put it in Grape juice so I got some.
It is a wonderful lubricate for your joints and I put about a tablespoon
in a half cup of juice.
When I miss a day I can really tell the difference and since then
I read more in the same section of the newspaper about putting a
pack of Certo in a half gallon of either White, or red Grape juice or
some people have used Cherry or Pomeagranate juice.
The paper is Florida Today newspaper and they have a weekly
health section, which part of it is the PeoplesPharmacy.
Their website is peoplespharmacy.org or com, not sure which
and that is in the paper on a regular basis.
That newspaper is published through out the world and I don't
know Josephine if you have heard or it or not.
Just thought I would mention it although I wasn't sure of the rules
of whether I could do that or not.
I know there are all kinds of stuff out there that help people and
I think this is one of the best.
I would rather use something natural that doesn;t have side effects
and I know I won't get sick or die from it.
I wish the U.S. would use natural stuff first and than try the perscription
meds as a last resort.
Enough from me and thinks for letting me share. Morningstar
LMINTKR June 14,2010

 

[morningstar]

Morningstar

Re:Gardening pictures
I just looked at your gardening pictures and they are wonderful.
Even though I have never been to your country it is lovely.
I love English gardens and your is very orginized and beautiful
to behold.
Here in Florida, we have Four seasons and depending on
which area you live in, North,Central, or South has alot to do
with the kind of weather we will have.
I lived in Burmuda for a while and they had lovely gardens.
You encourage and inspire me to try to do more.
Thanks Morningstar
Sorry almost forgot to say I am sorry for the long post.
I wasn;t trying to write a letter, just posting