Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Sea and seeds



The Sea, the Sea and the sea


 Our hens love oats. They don't love cauliflower.

Gardening goals


Although the Irish weather isn't always conducive to an outdoor lifestyle, I have been spending as much time as possible in the fresh air. In theory I subscribe to the phrase 'There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing', but when rain and strong winds combine, it takes a lot of willpower to brave the elements. In my mid-thirties I finally own a proper warm coat (the Michelin man type) and a pair of posh wellingtons that I could run in if needed. Luckily there have been a lot of sunny days, including today.

I am gaining a more visceral understanding of the basic fact that humans are meant to move a lot and do so outside. My extreme hippy days are behind me, but I have become a serious tree-hugger (after rereading Luisa Francia, in particular), and I talk to our plants (and all the animals, of course, but that is nothing new). I have yet to do another lung capacity test, but have been running uphill and trying to gauge whether I get out of breath more easily now that I no longer have a middle lobe, but I don't notice a difference (the other two lobes expand to fill the gap).

We ordered seeds from this company and are thinking of moving the hens to the front garden. My 4-year-old nephew helped me weed one of the flower beds with astonishing stamina and determination on his part. All these activities are therapeutic during this difficult time, and every day I am grateful for our beautiful surroundings.

Thanks to a voucher (which we then forgot to bring) John and I spent a night in Ballymaloe House and walked the grounds when not eating or sleeping or looking at the art. We fell in love with a very friendly pig at the amazing Eco Preschool based there. One of my most vivid childhood memories is of playing 'kitchen' with things found in nature, and I was delighted to see they had a mud kitchen.

I still haven't been for a swim in the sea since my diagnosis (avoided it during and following chemo, and then there was a question mark over radiotherapy and swimming/bathing), but intend to go back. I am interested in the Wim Hof method, but also aware that I keep adding things to my very long list of healing modalities (which I will list in a blog post soon), and there is only so much I can do.


2 comments:

  1. I’m curious about your “extreme hippy days.” What does that mean?! :)) I hope you have a lovely spring, and I’m looking forward to seeing photos of your growing garden.
    I can’t remember if I mentioned this title to you before, but I thought you might enjoy the gorgeously written The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. x

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    1. Thank you for your recommendation, Holly - I just looked it up, and it sounds wonderful. Will get it soon.
      Oh, I just meant that I looked the part - I used to dress in long flowing skirts, etc. (still do sometimes). Sorry for any confusion!
      Thank you, and I hope all is well with you. Will e-mail you this week. xx

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