Apr212009
The need to weed…love is the way
Filed under Uncategorized by morrolesssocks at 9:32 am on Apr 21 2009
I went from flat to restless…
As I’ve said before I am trying to lay a new path in old places and one of the reasons I decided to move home to Shetland is because I have depression.
Now that is not a statement to illicit poor-you-there-there’s, for a long time I couldn’t even come to terms with it, but now I know it’s got me the more open I am with my friends and family it’s power lessens a little bit because I can talk about all that feelings stuff a bit more, which is not the easiest thing, as anyone knows, to do if, for however long, you’ve been a total clamshell!
Anyway I’m feeling fidgety just now and I’m not sure if it’s the feelings stuff, or the change from dark nights/mornings to light (I love the coming of the light, but it always feels a monumental change), or because I’m just back from a jaunt to my other home – or a combination of all, but I think mamajama doesn’t know what to do with me – I’m sitting and I’m fidgeting in chair; I’m up with the knitting and down with the pins and up at the window; I’m sitting outside trying to mediate to the blackbirds song and then I’m up again and thinking about a walk and I’m just not happy in any of these pursuits once I start them. I was almost at the hair tearing out stage on Sunday with it, but yesterday morning I had the proverbial light bulb/alarm bell moment.
I was outside with my cuppa and was tossing out scraps to the birds, I looked around the garden and suddenly thought how much it looked like Dingles front yard, but our junk is numerous containers littering every conceivable corner – few have anything interesting in them, most of them are growing grass and no more.
Dad loved tinkering about in the garden and, bless him, he was no Monty Don, but he liked his containers. After he died the containers got neglected and were left to become overgrown with nothing.
Sighing at the sight I thought, “we really must do something with this sorry mess, give it a complete overhaul, pull up the weeds, rake it over and start all over again”
PING…DINGDINGDINGDING!…hmmm, yes, there is a need to weed out the old and wretched and sweep away some old fallen leaves – where is that rake?!
All that aside, out of the restlessness comes stillness – I ain’t half loving the weather just now first thing in the morning. It’s not warm, but it’s not windy, its just still, this morning I had my cuppa on the garden bench and listened to the Town Hall Clock ring true and clear in Lerwick across the Bressay Sound. It’s a lovely way to start the day.
I very much look forward to the warmer nights like that eating tea on our laps outside, cool drinks, impromptu gatherings, good times – not too long off now. Soon it’ll be the Shetland Folk Festival, what good practice!
I was chatting with my friend on line today about our recent CD acquisitions and we got to talking about Jools Holland (via Carol King, did anyone see her (all too brief) wonderfulness on his show a couple weeks ago?) turns out he’s in Glasgow in December, so we seized the moment and got tickets – I’m very excited, I’ve always wanted to see him live, I think it’ll be a fantastic show.
I’ve had to set myself a wee embargo on CD which I do every now and again (same with books), but this week eddi reader’s new album, Love is the Way, came out, so I had to lift the ban for that – and there’s not many I’d lift the ban for let me tell you.
It’s a lovely album too – I loved the Burns stuff she did (naturally…see last post), but for a while a lot of folk just identified her with that; with this one she’s back to the acousticy, folky, gypsy jazzy, makes-you feel-blithe songs and says“ hey, this is me too y’know!”
If I ever get the actual garden looking lovely, this is the CD for one of those afore-mentioned nights, good friends, good music and maybe I’ll even allow myself a cheeky wee white Grenache too!
Have a wee sample from eddi and have a lovely day from me.
1 Cathyon 21 Apr 2009 at 10:37 am
Jools Holland- what can I say? Have all his CD’s with some great singers on them,which I paly very loudly in my car going to work in a school. You should see the kids faces when they hear me coming. Carol King- saw the programme. Absolutely fab. Eddy Reader- been listening to her from her very first album.Fairground Attraction is one of my favs.What a voice. Unfortunately I insist on singing along!!
As for the garden, a wee bit every day.
2 gravirlifeon 21 Apr 2009 at 10:54 am
Hiya……I am big fan of Jools Holland (local boy from Greenwich/Deptford…London) and I have seen him live with big band. He is such a talent and is respected massively in the Industry as shown by the Guests he can get on his shows. Carol King…wow still has voice from the gods and Eddi Reader is a lively raw powerful vocal talent, yum!
Thanks for the link….will suss out and also look at a few tunes from Itunes to download as you have prompted me now…………RJG
3 Plaidon 21 Apr 2009 at 11:25 am
Out of your despair came a certain sense of peace in your garden. Well done!
Ummm … do you happen to know how to garden in pure sand:( I tried planting some pansy plants the other day and they don’t suit the situation here. Pansies are one of my favourite flowers, but its more like geraniums, nasturtiums, and allysum, [so far] that do well.
4 Jillon 21 Apr 2009 at 11:48 am
Good luck, Morolesssocks. Depression is the hardest thing, but you seem to have turned the corner with your gardening activity. You wouldn’t have been able to imagine doing any such thing a short time ago, I imagine. And treat yourself to the CD!
5 Flying Cat 2on 21 Apr 2009 at 3:34 pm
If you need to become totally absorbed outside of yourself, weeding is definitely a way to do it. Especially the crawling around nose-to-the-earth variety, there’s nothing quite like it
There’s something very nurturing about freeing your plants from the shackles of choking weeds.
Plaid, why not plant things that like growing in sand? Like Derek Jarman who made a beach garden near Dungeness in Kent.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/angusf/sets/656542/
Which may not exactly work where you are but it was just an idea…
6 gravirlifeon 21 Apr 2009 at 5:15 pm
FC2..great idea and excellent link…..thanks (sorry to hijack morrelessocks) RJG
7 Miaon 21 Apr 2009 at 6:21 pm
We know all about embargoes on cds and books here. Female staff has to be strictly rationed to a monthly allowance (is that a “no fair… ” lament I hear in the background?) and is now itching for next month so she can get the new Madeleine Peyroux…. you can just tell it will be a long month. Purr
8 mirlnlasson 21 Apr 2009 at 8:12 pm
I’m green with envy about Jools Holland but I’m sure I’ll get to see him one day (mind you I’ve been saying that about the Manics for how many years now…..)
I love gardening, I’m confined to the indoor varieties at mo but that keeps me happy. (I’m waiting for an appropriate moment to sneak out when Mam and Dad aren’t about.
I’m sure they will look brilliant when they come to bloom I’ll have to come and have a look and maybe share a glass or two with you.
9 thelandladyon 21 Apr 2009 at 8:26 pm
Oh yuk weeding.. sorry, years of weeding onions as a child has left me a bit weedaphobic- although I agree with FC, it’s certainly satisfying when you’re finished..
I have a real love hate relationship with my garden, I would love to have time to spend making it lovely but I also get irritated at how unruly it looks 90% of the time. I would love Monty Don to come and get sweaty in my garden- for several different reasons…..
I had post natal depression after Lanky Boy was born, and wonder now why I was so unwilling to tell anybody. good for you Morrolesocks for being so open about it.
10 Plaidon 22 Apr 2009 at 4:59 am
Thanks FC … I checked that link out, and the garden is marvellous. I guess I am resigned that only certain plants do grow well in sand, but coming from a place where soil was ‘dirt’ not sand, and where pansies, and other such plants flourished, am disappointed that I cannot enjoy them here. Slowly I am compiling a list of what flourishes, and what withers. Is that the essence of gardening? One plus … weeds are small in number, lack of water you see.
11 Jillon 22 Apr 2009 at 8:31 am
Plaid, maybe you could grow pansies or the other plants you feel deprived of in containers, where you have more control over the soil and watering etc, and keep the garden for plants that like that kind of environment? Pansies are lovely! Best wishes again to morrolesssocks, sorry to hijack your blog but just see what you’ve started!
12 morrolesssockson 22 Apr 2009 at 8:51 am
no apologies necessary - I am totally clueless about gardening, as i am in my current predicament really, so with my rake and hoe in hand - and my gardening tools slung around me rambo stylee (i’ve got a head band too!) I’ll attack it head-on. Yes Landlady, i too have memories of forced weeding as a child, i hope all my resolve doesn’t go out the window after the first bed lol.
…and when i say clueless i mean totally without a scoobie on the gardening front - but I’m not even gonna think about the planting stage until i get a blank canvas - no doubt i’ll be back asking for tips on bedding plants etc in the near future lol - and pansies - the cheeriest little flower ever, i just have to think of those lovely little singing pansie “children”in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland and it makes me smile…and they look sublime in a hanging basket so Plaid perhaps therein lies your solution as jill says.
Thanks for the bolstering folks…and mirlin if you like you can just roll yourself over here with your trowel AND bring the wine lol
13 Plaidon 23 Apr 2009 at 3:01 am
A wonderful suggestion … I can visualise a display of pansies in a pot … thank you
14 Harryd(Canada)on 23 Apr 2009 at 3:39 pm
Enjoyed your blog. also previous one on Auld Reeekie and surrounding area, as that is where I was born and brought up. Your trip to Burns exhibition would have interested me
Over here as everywhere in the world Rabbie is Famous and Celebrated. I hate gardening but I go crazy in the spring getting flowerbeds readyand the flowers in for the year, then I leave it to my wife to weed, (I cut the large lawn we have Every week) We enjoy sitting out in the morning with our coffee enjoying the colours.
Goodluck with fighting your depression Morrolessocs
you are doing great if your writings count. I know something about illness through family. I don’t know about your music as I have not had pleasure of hearing . I hope it is not like Rap as I can’t stand. Rap to me is a way of making money demeaning young ladies by people with no talent.