Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

That's a helluva hedge Dusty! Will it take long to get going again?

No, although that's a terrible bit, so we will be adding some new saplings in places like that. Tried alternatives, like growing Vinca major in the gaps, but it didn't look great.  

Yesterday was lovely here, so of course I had a bonfire and got rid of about 8 dumpy bags worth of autumn & winter clearings, hedging bits etc. I still have about double that amount, sitting there, though! And before anyone starts, I'm sure I could 'process' it all, provided I did nothing else. Everything rots in time, but we already have two big heaps. The tree shreddings from 2018 are ready to use now and they cover about 15m2.... Well, you can work out how much space we'd need to do that every year!

Survived nurse yesterday, but had a call from the Health Centre in the afternoon which scared the hell out of me! It wasn't that they'd found anything awful, though; it was just the Dr wanting to make an appt to discuss why I'd discontinued one of his potions. Well, we can discuss it, of course, but there are other things he also wanted me to have, and he didn't have a clue what was in those, so there's definitely still a place for informed consent. Discuss or debate? Should be interesting!

Another hard frost last night, judging by the need to use a sledgehammer on the water troughs at 08.30. However, it's truly glorious out there now, and I'm hoping to fit a walk in later on. Love to do a bit of the coast, but daylight's still short for that, and getting home before dark is a thing for me now. Feel like Cinderella!

Finally, another garden closure to report

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/broomhill-estate-devon-confirms-indefinite-9035009

We only went a few times, and to be honest, the sculptures we could cheerfully do without, but it's a lovely setting:

Farway

Blue sky & hard frost this morning, and I saw what I now know to be Jupiter as I pulled the curtains back.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Have they reinvented the wheel for clearing hedges Farway, or is it still reach up and wobble it about a bit with a big broom?

Still using the brooms, but being modern, I expect it's now labelled Eco zero emission, or Outdoor Gym method

ArbitraryRandom said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Ooh fresh and crispy Arb, very seasonal Is your lurgy/not right-ness lifting? When's the circus..? 

Nope - still feeling perfectly healthy (other than feeling the cold), but occasionally falling sideways... only lasts a couple of seconds each time. It's not quite been a week so as I'm not actually in any pain/discomfort I'm going to wait until I'm back before I try to get a GP appointment. London is from Tues- Fri next week with the theatre on Thursday eve. 

Hope it turns out to be nothing much Arbs, toppling sideways I can relate to, I sometimes veer sideways and use a walking stick to push me back in “right” direction

Hopefully you will not join those of us occasionally face down in a flower bed

Tried for a photo yesterday, but the viola I had my eye on was rubbish when I looked closer. It was warm in the sunshine and sheltered.

twopenny said:

Big fat buds on the daffodils here already. Blossom on trees and lilac, fruit buds seem to be marching on regardless, even early.

Blimey, you are well ahead, I think I can match Lilac & fruit for buds but my daffs of all types are just leaves. I have a sneaky feeling my newly acquired dwarf ones from Morries may be “blind” but it's too early to tell.

ArbitraryRandom

Dustyevsky said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

That's a helluva hedge Dusty! Will it take long to get going again?

We only went a few times, and to be honest, the sculptures we could cheerfully do without, but it's a lovely setting:

While I wouldn't want it in my garden... I find that teacup delightfully whimsical  

Re informed consent in medicine - I'm not sure there is such a thing. They could tell me exactly what's in any drug they recommend, but it's things like the dose, interaction any other drugs, and (most importantly IMO) the risk if I do or don't take it (digitalis anyone?). Best you can really do I think is decide if you trust the dr and feel rotten enough that its worth doing something about (which is a harder decision when it's something preventative and its a future risk they're wanting to help with). Though it's not surprising to me that your dr didn't know the ingredients as medicines are not their area of focus (a GP spends most of their time on diagnostics) - if you want to know what's in a drug and how it interacts with other drugs you should talk to a pharmacist.

pink_poppy

Cinderella, Dusty?? I bet you’ve already been there in your Pantomime days 😉

For YBE...



And for AR...

YoungBlueEyes

God that made me laugh pp! True eh As proved by Schrödinger’s hydrangea. 

I agree with Arb, there’s something pleasing about that sunken teacup. Queer innit  

I’ve not had a great experience with docs just recently, so I shan’t comment. Except to say I told you it wasn’t a trapped nerve you moron. 

Do I have a dim remembering of a website where you could report side effects and contra indications of medicines you’re taking…? I think it was bigger than just NHS, NICE maybe? Green card or green file or summat. I’ll come back if I nail it. 

twopenny

Oh I love those pic PP!   
The stones,are brilliant. What an imagination!

It's up to a high of 6c here and now but still feels icey. Frost hasn't gone. After watching a pigeon trying to drink from the edge of the pond i went out with the kettle and defrosted a bit.
Blackbird pair visiting, I have hopes - and some sparrows.
Still don't feel the need to garden

Been listening to radio about cold therapy. Still, no thanks. 
As JV says, there's reason there's a hot settling on my shower.

While I agree with checking medication and what not now we don't have family doctors who know the individual it's tough on them. Rules and convenient set ups don't work for the individual.
I got copies of my mri and such and looked up what it meant. That's scarey. Then talked to an older, experienced, motherly physio and all makes sense.
There's a difference between cold hard facts and experience with people.

Anyhoos, looks like lots of flowers round here ready to pop despite the torrents and freezing. I'm thinking they know more than we do as well.

YoungBlueEyes

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/ Not green card (stoopid brain)! I’ve not used it though so I don’t know what it’s like. 

twopenny

Standard roses in Tesco today. £12 bare root.
Look fine and some decent information on the label. No mention of scent though.

Dustyevsky

ArbitraryRandom said:

Re informed consent in medicine - I'm not sure there is such a thing. 

I think there was such a principle; otherwise the term wouldn't exist, but it received a severe blow in early 2021. A minority of doctors remembered it, stuck to their principles and some lost their jobs, so that's another reason for thinking it was once real. I don't really want to go beyond that!

YoungBlueEyes said: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/ Not green card (stoopid brain)! I’ve not used it though so I don’t know what it’s like. 

It's worth filling-in. The MHRA, who do the analysis, receive 85% of their funding from the pharmaceutical industry, so they're not likely to be biased.

twopenny said:

While I agree with checking medication and what not now we don't have family doctors who know the individual it's tough on them. Rules and convenient set ups don't work for the individual.
I got copies of my mri and such and looked up what it meant. That's scarey. Then talked to an older, experienced, motherly physio and all makes sense.
There's a difference between cold hard facts and experience with people.

You make some good points there, 2p. I would also say general practitioners don't always have time to follow research or debates on metabolic health. Take seed oils, for example; at one time held up as a healthier option than dairy and animal fats, but now their part in causing inflammation makes some question their 'healthy' status. Who's right? And is there a right answer that fits all individuals and circumstances?

 I think it's a good thing when individuals take an interest in health matters and accept a good level of responsibility for their choices. That's why I took time off this afternoon to walk as many miles as I could comfortably manage. It was simply wonderful trekking, along in the sunshine and in a staggering 6c too!  Photo tomorrow.

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Been listening to radio about cold therapy. Still, no thanks. 

Anyhoos, looks like lots of flowers round here ready to pop despite the torrents and freezing. I'm thinking they know more than we do as well.

 Was that cold therapy Wim Hoff and his disciples? I think I heard the same programme. Sounded convincing, but hey, no beach here! I think you said you had daffs in bloom up your way? We have them too, closer to the coast. Actually spotted the first on 6th January! Gorse was out in force today too.

pink_poppy said:

Cinderella, Dusty?? I bet you’ve already been there in your Pantomime days 😉

No, didn't act in that one, though I watched it in our first winter here and thought, “What a weird and surreal  production for a group of village amateurs!” Let's say it wasn't what Mrs Dusty and me, fresh from the city, expected.

I recall producing a 'modern' version with kids in the late '70s. Buttons had evolved into a punk rocker called 'Zips' but apart from the obvious running joke of him never finding the right pocket, or finding weird things in them, I can't remember much more. I do know both ugly sisters ended up at Oxbridge. Typical!

Love your gardener's poster. Some plants are like sheep, it seems. They want to die! My prime candidates here are Echinaceas. Can't keep 'em.