A short adventure to Owennashad River in Lismore

Beautiful dying dandelion

I had friends over from Holland last week, I wanted to show them Lismore strand (Owennashad River). Of course stopping off at the bridge over the Blackwater to take photos of them and Lismore castle. 

My mobility scooter just about fits on the bridge's sidewalk, although it requires some nerve wrecking manoeuvring to not tumble of the sidewalk onto the road.

Getting to the Strand, my objective, was even more challenging. But fun. 

As staying on the road seemed a bit dangerous, I managed to get up on the sidewalk over the second bridge, but halfway down, it proved to be just a little too narrow to pass the lamppost. I could not reverse, too narrow to take that change, so I got off my scooter. Annemieke handed me my sticks, Marga and Hanna manually manoeuvred the scooter carefully around the lamppost. Must have been an interesting sight!

Anyway, we did make it to the Owennashad river, which runs alongside the Blackwater. In the summer time part of the river is dug out to make it into a pool. A beautiful spot. But unfortunately rather inaccessibly by wheelchair/scooter due to the beautiful roots of the ancient trees. My friends did walk down, and I had some glorious time sitting by the 'peddling pool' part of the river.

while my friends walked further to
Lismore Strand...

I looked at the flowers and grasses around me, like the dying dandelions. And Truly, I am mesmerized how beautiful they are.

Dandelion seed head. Just beautiful

Dandelion

Dandelion

Grey Wagtail on the river

I spotted a grey wagtail over the river too, and watched the water move over the rocks. 

The dance of nature.

Grey Wagtail on the river

Towards Lismore strand

bridge over Owennashad River 

autumn starting already

Yes, I would have liked to walk the pathway, but I was ever to pleased to be at the water's edge. Surrounded by nature.
And having the company of friends!

Retreat

... from Latin retrahere ‘pull back’ 

For the past few days

I had the great need, 

to retreat 

from the world.

To clear space

in my mind.

I found solace

in my front garden

Connecting with the earth

clearing weeds

cutting back

making space.

A few minutes at the time.

Taking plenty of time

to watch the snails 'moving house'

as I unintentionally 

disrupted their world.

My apologies.

Today, I was grateful

to connect
with the earth
when a bizarre telephone conversation
with a hospital staff member
brought my sanity

into question.

Sitting on my small crate

under the apple trees

pulling weeds

brought my mind back to

trusting my own thoughts.

Nature is healing.

Snail's pace

Nature is so incredibly beautiful

I spotted this snail in the raised bird bath
while dealing with the little bird 
 a few days ago.

It takes my breath away.

Snail in the bird bath

gratitude

In this world

This fast

world

I am full of

Gratitude

To be able to

watch

a beautiful

world

unfold

in front of

my eyes

A world

that is 

my garden

Apple Blossom

Apple blossom

Dandelion

Bean sprout

I hope you can find yourself a patch of nature today.

Be well

The joy of seedlings

Don't they just look so happy, and joyful to emerge?
'Arms' spread wide.
'Heads' up high.

A lesson from nature
A lesson from French Bean Seedlings.

My love of gardening and finding ways to manage it

􏰊􏰃􏰈􏰄􏰋􏰂􏰍􏰐􏰆􏰑􏰄􏰆􏰎􏰄􏰉􏰈􏰂􏰆􏰟􏰈􏰉􏰖􏰄􏰐􏰌􏰄􏰃􏰈􏰉􏰆􏰐􏰂􏰸􏰄􏰐􏰍􏰄􏰈􏰑􏰂􏰆􏰔􏰏􏰁􏰌􏰌􏰈􏰌􏰄􏰆􏰟􏰈􏰉􏰂􏰆􏰔􏰐􏰑􏰒􏰄􏰔􏰁􏰮􏰆􏰉􏰄􏰆􏰕􏰌􏰍... the fiction of recovery is heroic; it encompasses overcoming major obstacles, as if I was to be slaying dragons or climbing and conquering freezing mountainous terrain.

Helen Kendall - Shelf Life

It is raining again. 
The glorious sun of the past few days has gone to a different shore.
I am sure it will return again soon.

In those glory days I reacquainted myself with my garden, and had some wonderful peaceful moments resting in my greenhouse.
I must admit that not one seed have been planted there yet. Just me. Just me and Sally Cat have been 'planted' so far.

This year my aim is to make my garden even easier to maintain. And share the work in my small greenhouse.

Since I moved to this house in 2008 I have been creating my garden. All there was was gravel, knee high weeds and one wild marjoram plant. 
Over the years (with help) I made a variety of flowerbeds, well actually most of them were vegetables beds at the start, and paths. Planted apple trees, herbs, shrubs, and I also had a very small pond. But all needed work. All needed more from me than I was able to give. I needed to ask for help all the time. That is fine to create the garden, but not in terms of maintaining it.

The past few years there were too many days when I would sit in the garden and all I could see where the jobs that needed to be done. It was frustrating. I could not see, or enjoy the beauty of my garden. The parts that are so healing. All I could see were 'jobs'. Weeds. Overgrown paths. Bushes that needed to be cut back. Pond to be cleaned. Vegetables to attend to...

At times I'd be in tears. 
Tears of exhaustion from doing too much.
Tears from frustrations that I could do no more.

I remember one day when I was in that state when a friend stopped by. 
She said the "wrong" word to me.
The word Brave.

I didn't want to be called brave
I hated that word.

That word was uttered to me previously.
I remember one fellow artist at Annaghmakerrig telling me this too, when she walked me back to my cottage, as I had pretty much 'collapsed' from exhaustion during a shared dinner.
Brave.

It sounded like pity 

And I know one thing, I do not do very well with pity.

My friend, during that chat in my garden said, "I don't mean pity, I mean: You are amazing. You just do it, get on with it, don't give up, and don’t give in."􏰹􏰆􏰙􏰄􏰋􏰑􏰛􏰄􏰁􏰄􏰇􏰁􏰖􏰝􏰺

So I looked up the word Brave in the dictionary 
(I have a habit of consulting the dictionary to understand my world)

Brave:

ready to face and endure danger or pain, showing courage 
comes from the Latin word cor meaning heart

Ok...
I do face up with an open heart to the experience of illness

If I can open my mind to that explanation, than maybe, maybe,
I can reconsider myself brave 

Back garden in Spring

... This post took an unexpected detour- but I am going to leave this interlude in ...

So, back to my garden - or maybe we were still there.

For the past few years when my health was a little more compromised again, I decided to do away with the pond (as it needed yearly cleaning). And I had friends come over to dig up a lot of the plants for their newly established garden.

... by the way that is a VERY successful way to garden ... Invite friends who like some plants - You get rid of plants, by simply pointing at them. You're happy. The garden is happy. And friends are happy.

Every year in spring I look at what causes me too much work in the garden. What I can cope with, and what I absolutely do not want to get rid of. Some plants are just too valuable for my well being to let go of. They might attract birds, or bees and butterflies. They might bring that splash of colour I can not do without. Or give of a scent I would not swap for anything.

In the last week I made good progress with weeding a few of the small flowerbeds leading from my kitchen to my studio (11 steps). I sit on my crate, so I don't have to kneel down, and shuffle with it along the path. It works!

I have decided to do away with the strawberry bed. The ornamental grasses, which used to grow in that spot, are just not giving up on growing in between them. So I will let them be! One less job to look at. Maybe strawberries in my greenhouse- hanging baskets...

The herb garden is easy to weed, and too valuable.

I did have help tie back the rosemary bush. What a gorgeous smell when we were chopping and repositioning.

In autumn I had help with cutting back shrubs that started to take over my garden. I must say that in the beginning I missed them, but now all I see it the glorious space they left in their wake.

So... really, there is not that much to do this year. 

(famous last words).

In terms of the greenhouse, 

well, I will seed some lettuce, beans, tomatoes. Again every year I do less, but grow what I absolutely love. There is nothing better that walk into the greenhouse and pick a few small leaves of lettuce, or much later in the year, to pick a ripe cherry tomato of the plant. No shop bought will ever equal the taste

And, I have invited friends to share the growing with me. They help me with planting and re-potting, and we share the bounty from what grows.

Back to the Brave issue.
Yes, I do find ways.

But if that qualifies as brave? 

I make do and leave as much time and energy for the things I love.

Resting in the greenhouse and watching the birds and the bees and butterflies, and the daily growth of plants.

Nature.

The healing aspects of Nature!

greenhouse when it was just build

inside greenhouse last year

escaping tomatoes

Links and further reading.

• top quote and exploring the word Brave came from Into the Light book
• other photos of my garden
• Explore other Garden related post here  (search option)

One with nature

My left side is tree - the right side is me - I am partly putting down roots ...

Kate Firth - Venus Reborn

As time with illness progressed 

I became one with nature

I am part of my garden

The garden is part of me

An overgrown path 

makes me feel 

restricted

A pot-bound plant 

stops me 

from growing

􏰥􏰁􏰆􏰅􏰟􏰃􏰋􏰄􏰅􏰋􏰁􏰂􏰂􏰄􏰋􏰅􏰂􏰙􏰅􏰋􏰌􏰃

The first shoots of spring

make me come alive

The birds 

make me sing 

quote and words from Into the Light

Page from Into the Light

Spring in my garden - a whistle stop tour

After the day of snow on Tuesday, we were granted Real Sunshine for the past few days.
Rejuvenated, it makes one (me) want to tackle the garden. Take out all the weeds, move plants, start seed trays, re-pot pot-bound plants, sweep the path, take moss of the paths, play in my studio, write, start a trial film for my animation project, create a backdrop for my animation project which is accessible for me...

Ahh, so many possibilities.
So little energy.

I did walk around to choose the best filming spot.
I did move a few forget-me-not's to that spot.
And then I joined Sally in the greenhouse for a much needed rest.

Bliss!
To be resting in the greenhouse. First time this year.
Plants can wait.

Later on I walked around my small garden, which has so much to offer, to take a few snapshots to share the Spring in my Garden with you all.
(Not quite the spring in my step)

Sit back, and enjoy.

The last remainging daffodils
(studio in the background)

The promise of Large Poppies
in the making

No idea what this is called, but isn't it a beauty

front garden view

Just love this pot of grasses

one of the many primroses.
Love this spring flower so much

Forget me not's
I won't, as they are Everywhere.

Sally, having taken ownership of my lettuce-tray
"Not this year"- she says

look at those legs.
Cool - or what

The pod for my animation project...
Ahhhh... more about that some other day

chocolate crocosmia
Just gorgeous

The first Rhubarb

Robert Cat's graveside

First apple blossoms

blue grape hyacinths under the apple trees
my 'Forest'

Tulips from Amsterdam.
I only wanted RED ones.
I have my doubt, but might be pleasantly surprised

first shoots of leaves of the
Japanese maple

The scent... oh my goodness