Waiting for my laptop to load lately has been like waiting for spring this year, frustrating. I was busy doing other things to keep me well so not being busy down the allotment wasn’t a priority. I’ve had sessions on understanding anxiety, being part of a wellness group, EFT (Emotional freedom technique), cognitive behaviour therapy, meetings with my unison rep, phased job return and then an interview for my new job. I’ve also been supporting my Mum through the process of getting Dad (later stages of Parkinson’s Disease) into a nursing home. A very busy spring!
I’m trying to download a photo to add but it’s making me say things like ‘Are you for real?!’, ‘How slow can you be?’, etc. Patience testing that even a buddhist would struggle with. I always joke and say I only get my new jobs cos I tick bisexual and buddhist on the equal opportunities form. Both are true, if I have to pick a religion it would be buddhism, having trust in the universe providing will come in very handy when my new wage tries to keep us going in food and electricity bills. And the bisexual bit? I was married to a woman in the past. Lets leave that there for now.
So my other half gets frustrated with my relaxed approach to the plot. I’ve been there an hour, so I water the greenhouse, fill the bird feeders, fill my own water bottle, find my gloves, cut flowers, plant flowers. Then he comes over and asks me if I’m going to hoe those weeds or clear up the weeds that I’ve removed (from the straight paths that we laid- I laid the paths and he made it straight!). I was asked by his sister if I had a lot to do, I said no, its not a one off process, like his sushi production line, it’s ongoing, there’s always something to do. I think the therapy process have given me this added relaxed approach. I no longer need to be perfect at everything. things dont need to be perfect or even to my own standard all the time. I have things growing. They’re not growing very fast (well the mares tale is) but they are planted and growing slowly. I love the low maintenance things like asparagus, raspberry canes, strawberries and fruit trees. Loads of plums developing there. I’m still sharing last years plum jam.
This relaxed approach is spilling, flowing over in my new job. I’m the community garden co-ordinator (I like the hyphen, I think there should be one) within a charity organisation. They do all sorts of other well-being things in the centre and the garden is over the road. There seems to be some great enthusiastic volunteers, all different, and its my job to look at developing the garden. I love a good challange. Sustainability is the challenge. The charity can only inject so much money so it needs to provide us with some income eventually. I was saying, relaxed, I’ve got to work 20 hours, I was asked when I’d like to work them. God, I’m indecisive! But never had the chance really to pick my own working week. It’s picked now, but not fixed in stone, flexible, hours in leiu available too.
Right the glorious sunshine is flooding into the flat along with the noise of the neighbours kids fighting in their paddling pool. Time to go chill out at the allotment. Thanks for reading my waffling. I’ll try write soon
pimpampo 