One step at a time

Thanks Brian - and enjoy yours too!  I bet it is a bit breezy there! We had a lovely trip to the V&A in Dundee a while back, great day out with the grandkids!

KrisPy

This is another bridge over the Tay - known locally as the wobbly bridge - as it bounces up and down as you walk across it, very unnerving! That’s Aberfeldy golf course in the background..

May have been on that bridge. It sounds familiar. 

The HMS Discovery is also worth  look. It is nearby to the V&A. 

I've played Aberfeldy GC many times, a lovely course.

Mizzly morning in Aberfeldy and went up The Birks (partway), and saw this sign…

Never Give Up sounds like a great motto!

All the best

Krispy

Thanks for sharing that, KrisPy .What a great sign to come across!

It sure feels like summer has officially left the building. Does anyone have any plans or ideas for spending time outdoors this autumn?

I was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer and have found that gardening makes me revert back to my "pre-cancer" diagnosis in my head. It is as if a switch gets turned to happy mode and my mind totally forgets that i have cancer and I am 101% well.

I am not a competent gardener and even just 20 minutes on a strimmer or a hedge cutter has a world of benefits. It keeps me fit, it gets rid of stress in my mind, and .... I can see a physical result of how my garden looks afterwards which is so satisfying. Nothing better than a smart hedge and weed free garden path or terrace.                                                                                                                      

Keep on digging, pruning, strimming & planting everyone.

xx

RedDaisy said:

I am not a competent gardener and even just 20 minutes on a strimmer or a hedge cutter has a world of benefits. It keeps me fit, it gets rid of stress in my mind, and .... I can see a physical result of how my garden looks afterwards which is so satisfying. Nothing better than a smart hedge and weed free garden path or terrace.                       

That's great to hear, RedDaisy. You're so right about the sense of satisfaction. It almost makes up for the thorn wounds and mud under the nails, doesn't it! 

Do you have any tips on small jobs people might do if they're not fully mobile, or not feeling 100%? I could only think of doing some light pruning, but there probably isn't much need for that as we move through autumn.

Any suggestions?

Dear Matthew - Yes I do have some suggestions for less able gardeners and those feeling not at their best.   

The first tip is getting the right tools for the job.  A few extra pounds spent can give mountains of satisfaction and make light work of gardening.  For those of you with hedges or topiary look at battery powered tools. Stihl & Ryobi do great ranges. Dont forget that battery powered tools are much lighter in weight than their petrol driven counterparts and there are no messy cables.  Stihl does an excellent range of smaller tools for hedge trimming and topiary that are so light you dont know they are in your hands!

Plant joy right next to your house - For days you dont want to go outside but you want to enjoy your garden have plants and colour close to your windows and doors. It could be summer annuals and bedding plants, spring and autumn flowering bulbs or even topiary that looks great in the frost. That way, the joy can keep on giving even when you dont want to go outside.

Planting seeds is very emjoyable, saves money !!, and gives you more plants. Great seeds to start with for summer are Cosmos and Cornflowers.  You can swap your new plants with other gardeners for things that they may have grown from seed.

Scent is important too - If you plant scented flowers very close to your doors and windows you can smell their perfume without having to go outside.  Lillies (which you plant as bulbs in pots & raised beds) and Roses give off the best perfume, as does the climber Honeysuckle. 

Beat the winter gloom - Plant autumn bulbs now to be a halo of light for the spring.  Now is the time to buy daffodil and tulip bulbs to be amongst the first of spring colour after the long winter months. If you dont have a big garden then just a few pots with bulbs in can give the same joy.

Kneel dont reach - If you kneel rather than bend over to garden it is far less arduous on your back. Invest in a good kneeling cushion from garden centres. If you dont want to spend the money an old cushion is just as good. It can go in a carrier bag to keep dry on rainy days.

If you can afford a green house get one - They are a great place to go to as your well being zone, and get very warm even on sunny spring and autumn days and nothing beats that heat of the sun when you are in them.

Make Facebook Market Place your best friend - If you are looking for second hand pots, gardening tools, water containers and architectural pieces and seating then make Facebook Market Place your go to place. Its cheaper, on your doorstep and far more sustainable than buying new.  Who knows - you might make new friends when you buy things and widen your social network which can be compromised with cancer.

Love the charity shops & auction houses - Rather than buy new vases and containers to display your blooms in your house visit the charity shops and auction houses. You can buy beautiful hand cut lead crystal vases for just a few pounds that would have cost a few hundred pounds new.  Cut glass bowels make great display containers for pine cones, pebbles, christmas baubles and christmas chocolates - these too also sell for just a few pounds in Charity shops and can make family heirlooms. 

Dont restrict flowers to your kitchen and sitting room - Put them by your bed for added cheer, put stems into folded napkins on the dinner table, dry teasels and spray them gold for christmas as decorations, put holly above pictures hanging on the walls in the festive season. Grow flowers that can be picked and dried and then displayed in the house long after their blooms have faded in the garden.

Just remember there are no rights or wrongs with gardening. We are working with nature and as such we are part of it, nature isnt judgemental or critical it just welcomes any helping hand that we can offer it along the way.

I have picked peach and pink climbing roses today along with vibrant pink chrysanthiums and they are bursting out of a cut glass vase on my kitchen table right next to my laptop as I type.

Keep pruning, picking and planting everyone along your cancer journey.

Best wishes

Red Daisy