Monday 16 February 2015

Learning to be content

The CEO and I have been feeling a little 'ordinary' this week which seems to be an expression people use these days when they aren't feeling too great. He shifted the equivalent of about nine ute (Utility) loads of dirt which a friend gave him and dumped on the back lawn and has been paying for it ever since. I told him he was in his late sixties and not twenty-one anymore just in case he had forgotten and he shouldn't be trying to do the same amount of work that he used to do....just in case he had forgotten that fact!  As I had also been walking around with a limp due to the odd symptoms one experiences as one ages, we were quite the pair.



In fact, I was feeling a tad blah as I couldn't do all that much so sat down and read some of my favourite blogs and then felt more blah as I saw photos of flourishing vegetable gardens when mine was in need of a lot of TLC which I hadn't been able to give it as I couldn't bend for too long. I was starting to wonder about the deterioration of health and mobility as one ages then told myself to get a grip and go outside and work out what actually needed to be done in the garden rather than worry about the future.


Well, I got as far as deciding that I had better do something with my Gotu Kola plant before winter arrives as I had meant to pot it up into a larger container....at the beginning of spring :-)...



...wondered if I should just pull the Chuzzle out as it was just taking over the whole veggie patch...



...was hoping the insects would leave the rockmelons alone until they ripened...


...and wondered what I could do with the many chilli plants we have now that I can't make my Sweet Chilli Sauce as I have given up sugar. 



That's as far as I got before arriving where the Dahlias are growing so I stopped worrying about the veggie garden and just appreciated the beauty of these flowers and the Amaryllis Belladonnas which are looking magnificent at the moment.


They just appear every year without any help from us which suits me just fine :-)


 There are Dahlias in all shapes, sizes and colours...




 ...keeping the bees busy...



 ...and the butterflies...




...and just generally making everyone happy!
 

Worrying about the future won't change anything and I reminded myself to just be content and appreciate the present moment as that is all we have to deal with and to deal with it well. 






24 comments:

  1. Gosh Nanna Chel - your garden is far from being blah! It looks splendid. But you are right, worry is such a futile emotion, but so easy to fall prey to. Hope your limp soon turns into a stride and the CEO recovers from his 21 year old efforts.

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    1. The limp is going thankfully, Phil. It is something that comes and goes at will. When you get to my age you start to pay for the sporting injuries incurred in earlier years.

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  2. It must be something in the air Chel, because dealing with limitations caused by an ageing body was on my mind on the weekend. I decided if I want to keep active in the garden and around the home I had better become a bit fitter and stronger. I need to get back into regular exercise, and do the stretches the physio told me to do so I can strengthen my VMO muscle so that I have better chance of preventing arthritis in the knees as I age. I am going to talk to the physio too about what I can do to keep my body in better working order. I know that if I put in the effort now my future self will reap the benefits. But will I put in the effort or let other things crowd out my "exercise" time? That is the million dollar question.

    Your flowers are beautiful, and you are right, worrying about the future doesn't change anything, and just makes you feel yuk.

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    1. Sherri, it is wise to stay as fit as you can as you age. When things start going wrong you realise how important mobility is in order to remain independent especially if you hope to keep maintaining a garden.

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  3. Yes indeed we need to be content. All you can do is try and do the best you can and the rest is out of your control. I'm doing a lot of that at present. If you have too many chilli plants, I'd love to take one off your hands. Is there a swap meet at the TSL group this week, I have a few lemons and perhaps some eggs.

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  4. Barb, I will see if the CEO can part with one but if not, I will bring some chillies for you anyway. There won't be a swap this time as the workshop will start earlier in order to get a fair bit of rug making done but there will be in future. I was thinking a seed swap would be great later in the year as well. See you on Saturday.

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  5. yes, limitations suck, i suffer from sciatic nerve damage so can't do as well as when i was '21' either! you just do a little bit everyday & by end of week you are enjoying the benefits, more or less. been out in my garden this week & probably overdone it as am sore to buggery this morning but am off to go down to our local market gardens to help out today which i do about 3 times during the week then on sunday at our markets too.
    your dahlias are very beautiful!
    thanx for the link to fair dinkum seeds too, quite enjoyed browsing that site!
    just because you have given up the sugar doesn't mean you don't have to stop making things, great for gifts or sell them
    great post, thanx for sharing
    have a wonderful day!

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    1. Sciatic nerve pain is the pits, Selina! Had that twice and it is not nice. To have it permanently would be just so hard to live with.

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  6. I blame the heat of this summer for feeling 'blah' .... your garden is beautiful!!! Contentment is a state of mind that seems to visit as it wishes:) And I wonder if it is there all the time, but we don't stay still long enough for its presence known?

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  7. Shirley, you have had terrible heat over there. After a really hot spring we have had a mild summer thankfully. We are in a cool temperate zone so that is the norm for us. We don't handle heatwaves very well here :-)

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  8. Nanna, sorry to hear that you and the CEO are feeling out of sorts. You're right, that it's so important to stay fit as we age. I've found that losing a few kilos makes a huge difference to how I feel as well, but that's easier said than done....lol! Your garden is just beautiful. Those dahlias....sigh! And the rockmelon! Just gorgeous...Mimi xxx

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  9. Mimi, you are right about losing weight helping one feel better. Neither of us are carrying any extra weight so that is not the issue and I dare say I will lose more weight eventually from giving up sugar. I think it is just general ageing and I have noticed a bit difference between being in one's late fifties to being closer to 70. That just sounds so old :-) Mind you I still have a few years to go before then though.

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  10. Oh Nanna Chel, your garden is just beautiful!!! I sometimes worry about age and decreasing mobility with my fiancé who's 22 years older then me. I guess we just have to see what happens and don't over do it. Hope you feel better soon!
    Frances

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  11. Frances, the Macro setting on a camera is a real bonus as you can get a close up of a flower without showing all the weeds nearby that need attending to. LOL! Yes, it does pay to look ahead to the future as regards any changes you make to your home to make it as comfortable as you can for whatever season of life you are in and particularly in your case. We have a high set home and the stairs might become an issue for me in the future.

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  12. Beautiful garden Chel!!

    I think feeling a little "bleugh" is generally in the air at the moment, must be due for a change of season I think!

    xx

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    1. Yes, I can feel the change in the seasons already, Emma. Our nights are getting cool here on top of the Range. It is getting to be better weather for gardening though.

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  13. It can be so hard to accept that the body won't do what you want it to! I've been battling a back injury for many years that keeps me out of the garden, except for wandering and admiring my husband's work. The only way to get through it is to be grateful for what you CAN do instead of focusing one what you CAN'T. Your garden is looking great, lucky you with the rockmelons, melons in general don't do so well down here. I love dahlias too, I reckon they're generous givers.

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    1. Back injuries are so iffy, Kelly. Sometimes they cause trouble weeks down the track after doing something to aggravate the injury I have found. Then you have to think back to what could possibly have triggered the episode. Thankfully my children were grown before I got any aches and pains but you still have children at home so that makes it difficult for you.

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  14. Hope you all feel more than ordinary soon! :)

    "...and wondered what I could do with the many chilli plants we have now that I can't make my Sweet Chilli Sauce as I have given up sugar. "

    You could just string them up into lovely garlands. They dry beautifully and when you give them away, the recipients can either hang them up to admire or make their own chili favorites.

    I have been trying to afford and eat more protein and pork is the least expensive here, so I have been experimenting for weeks now with cheaper cuts. I am struggling because pork, well, because pork smells and tastes like pork, but I continue because I need the stuff.

    Anyway, I had some leftover chunks heated in the microwave with a dump of BBQ sauce and a lot of sliced jalapenos. It was so good, that I might plan to make it again. On purpose.

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    1. J, I am feeling extraordinary now :-) thankfully much better. Yes, I could string up some chillies as I like the look of them in the kitchen.

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  15. We feel like Bla after every weekend and face our working week sore and tired. Its called gardening and projects and they take up most of our weekends. We love doing it, which is why we do but i really dont think our employers get the best of us. Lucky i sit on my Ass all week, poor Hubby has physical work.

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    1. It must be a pleasure for you to be in your garden each weekend, Lynda. A good way to unwind.

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  16. I haven't caught up in a while Nanna Chel, but boy what pretty flowers you have there. I'm sure the bees are ever so grateful. I think by the end of summer, everything wants to slow down - including the garden. All living things become "spent", and its part of the seasonal cycle. I notice my two bad times are just after winter, and just after summer. Spring and autumn are really the best seasons (for me) both in the garden, and for my mental state.

    As you're giving up sugar, its possible your body is purging the built up toxins over the years. I've heard sometimes you can get sick as your body detoxifies. Drink plenty of water, take gentle strolls and rest as required. The "blah" you're feeling could be your body calling you to slow down, as it expends energy detoxifying.

    Of course, if you're anything like my mum (in her 60's now) a sore leg means bad weather is coming. We've got a cyclone expected to hit Qld by the end of the week. ;)

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  17. Nice to hear from you, Chris. I do feel much better and it did cross my mind that it might be a detoxing issue apart from the hip problem. I used to know someone who would start to ache before it rained. :-) I haven't noticed that myself though.

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