Joanne's Cottage Garden: THE JOYS OF GARDENING

Monday, 12 June 2017

THE JOYS OF GARDENING

I love this time of the year. A view across my vegetable garden or is it Rose and flower garden, you choose.

So delighted with my catmint. Nepata six hills giant, it works so well in the box with the roses and so much less work than the annual cosmos, lupins and other plants I tried over the years. Also brilliant at supressing weeds.

New Dawn

Francis E Lester

Viticella Venosa Violacea

White Flower Carpet struggling a bit.

Giant Scabious -Cephalaria gigantea

Blush Rambler a delightful rose often flowers later than my other ramblers.

Yes it is a vegetable bed.

And a rose bed

Mayor of Casterbridge rose and as you see I always fail to prepare the scene by chopping out spent flowers - if only there was more time.

Sweet Juliet grown on tripods due to their height.

Rosa Mundi a spur from my Dad's garden.

Cornelia

Cottage rose one of my first David Austin roses which was moved three times before I found somewhere it was happy - I have successfully taken cuttings which are shared with my daughters.

Another love Delphiniums best grown together for ease of care.

Another glimpse of Blush Rambler - any volunteers to pull out Bindweed gratefully accepted.

Mayor of Casterbridge again

Rosa Gallica again a spur from my Dad's garden

Veilchenblau such an unusual colour flower quite a curiosity piece for visitors.

Comtesse du Bouchard

Regala Lillies

Arum lillies

Comtesse du Bouchard

A final glimpse before going indoors. Hope you enjoyed my garden.

5 comments:

lilian lopez14 June 2017 at 03:24
It´s a beautiful garden, I always enjoy your photos! thank you for sharing. besos Lilián
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A Whole Lotta Magic14 June 2017 at 19:47
Absolutely breathtaking!
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blooming home and garden30 July 2017 at 11:05
Hello Joanne, oh yes I enjoyed the photos of your garden, it is so beautiful! You give me much inspiration with your roses and flowers.
Have a wonderful sunday,
Best regards, Ida
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Gabi30 March 2018 at 15:06
Thanks so much for your excellent blog, Joanne, and sharing your lovely pictures. I was also interested to read of your experience with Lyme's, and associated effects, as I have progressive arthritis, and your wonderful garden and how you've worked to keep creating it is inspirational to me (it's the next thing I want to do in life, for pleasure and theraputic reasons). Wishing you a bountiful Spring and summer!
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LYME LIFE written 2009

I started suffering with arthritis in mainly my large joints especially my knees 6 years ago. The symptoms varied and I remember saying that every joint was affected except my elbows to one doctor. I was told it would be hormonal and to take the usual supplements cod liver oil or glucosamine ( I would certainly recommend buying shares in the companies producing these supplements) They had no noticeable affect.

All my symptoms deteriorated significantly over a few weeks, 4 years ago. Hips shoulders and knees being the worst and I started with muscle weakness in upper arms and upper legs. I had difficulty standing and walking across a room. I was unable to walk upstairs and my husband was making plans to convert to a downstairs bedroom. I had seen 5 doctors and 3 Rheumatologists and put on steroids for Poly Myalgia Rheumatica diagnosis. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.

I have X rays and scans showing signs of osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. I have been retired early from the Civil Service having lost my job not to mention my earning potential.

My illness seemed to progress through my body not affecting the same joints left to right at the same time. I had bursitis in left hip, right hip, left elbow. I had synovial thickening in both wrists. At that time I could not lift and hold a magazine so lifting a kettle I could only do if a third full and with two hands. Each joint in my hands fingers feet and toes were affected. I had swallowing difficulties and many other symptoms. None of this describes the endless and awful pain whenever I moved or the tiredness but inability to get quality sleep.

Two years ago my GP gave me Amoxicilin for a sinus/throat/chest infection. All my arthritis symptoms improved. The course ended the symptoms deteriorated I started a second course the symptoms improved. The improvement was more significant than when I had started taking steroids. This led my GP to suspect Lyme Disease. I laughed because we do not travel abroad but she said they had had other cases in the surgery in the early stages of tick bite and Erythma Migrans rash. She said, but you have not had a bite. I said oh yes I have I had two on my ankles with rashes, March 05 this was confirmed on her computer at the time I had seen a locum doctor. My worst symptoms were waking up feeling rigid and having to painfully flex every joint in my body before struggling to get up. The only other time I had experienced this was in May 2003 during a flu like illness like no other I had ever experienced. At that time I had a bite and similar rash on my right foot which lasted like the other rashes about four weeks. I had also consulted the surgery and it was dismissed as a virus. I walked our dog daily in the woods adjacent to our house where the deer roam, prime tick area.

Thus started my very lengthy search about Lyme Disease leading me through http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ to a doctor who specialises in this illness. He confirmed my GP's suspicions. I never had a positive blood test but then they are antigen tests and there is much research that shows they are unreliable. In my case the year of steroids and many weeks antibiotics could have affected the results. So with a clinical diagnosis and following ILADS International Lyme and Associated Disease Society guidelines I continued on antibiotics for two years. Both my doctors continued to treat me despite the Health Protection Agency advising against long term antibiotics. I am now nearly 100% recovered I have no pain or muscle weakness. I can walk upstairs something I could not do for three and a half years. I can garden do house work and live a normal life. I still need to pace myself and with only a few months to 60 will not be looking to return to work.

Life is such a joy.

Sadly there is much controversy about Lyme Disease and doctors in UK are taught that it is so rare. Well where I live in Guildford I have been in contact with a dozen other people with it so perhaps not so rare as HPA would like us to believe. I am in touch with nearly 2000 other patients through a chat line Eurolyme most had been misdiagnosed with several other illnesses.

Look at UK charity http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ if you want to read more about this illness. There are many MP's taking an interest in the problems surrounding diagnosis and treatment see above charity links into a recent meeting at the House of Commons.

Thank goodness there are some thinking doctors around who have courageously treated me against opposition and I have made such a miraculous recovery albeit rather a lengthy one.

One day there will be many more people who are helped with their chronic illnesses when IDSA starts taking note of what our courageous LLMD’s are doing following ILADS Guidelines.

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Poly Myalgia Rheumatica, Arthritis, Bell’s Palsy, MS,MN, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Heart Block, Stroke, Psychiatric, gastric problems the list is endless. Not all suffering from Lyme Borrelia but how many are even properly assessed for it.

UPDATE

Joanne's Cottage Garden

Monday, 12 June 2017

THE JOYS OF GARDENING

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