Hi all
Into my third week of the garden, I am thinking of its effects on me. The first reality is that I am not as capable as last time round, but I am feeling better for the effort. This week I suffered my first backlash from the disease, bone and joint issues reacted badly to some of the exertion and has put me off my feet for several days at a time.
I have taken on board the advice from other CLL patients and wear gloves, wide brimmed hat and factor 30 sunscreen, this will help counter some of the effects of a suppressed immunity and sensitivity to UV. The face mask I will use when involving the compost heap and potential fungal spore habitats.
Capability has to be assessed on the day, some days it is just out of the question, on others negative effects can come on quickly so it is time to stop. The problem I find; is on those days when you do not feel the effects of your disease, it is too easy to forget. If you do you may pay later.
I have introduced a few new habits that help me avoid this: Placing chairs and tables close to areas of work, so sit when carrying out some of the more mundane tasks, like potting and seeding propagators. A flask of coffee encourages me to break every now and then. Converting a lot of the garden into containers has reduced maintenance, improved access and will improve turnover of crops and make harvesting easier.
Early management is also made easier with the use of containers as there is very little need for heavy spade work. Plus they can be easily grouped together as seedlings and young plants. Helping get them through those early weeks when you have to be diligent with watering and observation
There is another plus side in all this; plants like people have their habit preferences. Using containers gives you the opportunity of adjusting the soil constituents and their eventual living location to suit their needs, it is a great feeling when you finally arrange them out into their living space and your design comes to fruition and full bloom. If you find a plant is not happy you just move it. You can rotate colours as they bloom and fade.
Perhaps now the heaviest part of my work is moving full containers around. Investing in a folding sack barrow makes this task easy and takes away the risk of strain aggravation. A lot of this preparation I did last year with the onset of change, I look forward to reaping the rewards this year. I hope any of this may be of use to others.
Coming out of winter, perhaps the one thing I have learnt is: That a little effort can go a long way in us enjoying our lives and our interests.
Nick
