What is it about the passing of time that sets of fear in my heart? Yet another chunk of my life is passing me by and what am I doing with it? According to my ever growing ‘to do’ list – not enough. To be honest I’m being hard on myself. I have extra limitations holding me back – ie that annoying inconvenience called MS, but aside from that I’m fraught with things like procrastination, a heavy dose of ‘I’ll get to that later’ as exhibited in my pickled onion situation. I also have to deal with a lot of over ambition and over estimation concerning the length of time and effort something I thought up in my mind actually requires. Currently the most realistic expectation for a task that I think will take an arvo is usually about 3 days! Nothing like a ‘must do’ project to hold you back from the mundane, the routine and a million other cool ‘must do’ projects waiting in the wings.
After the madness of #MakeMayCount, back in late autumn, I have let the winter drift by. Ok it has been cold and wet and nasty. Actually this is more of an excuse rather than a reality. This winter as aside from a few cold snaps it has been quite mild. I think I have lulled myself into a false sense of ‘well its winter, we don’t do much in winter’ buoyed up with a ‘well I worked really hard in May I deserve a break’. But May was ages ago and with the mild weather I should have been making hay while the sun shines, so to speak. I mean if sunflowers can be bothered to grow then I should have been tending to their garden.
This last week I have been a bit under the weather and so I sat there peeling onions in a comfy chair and I watched a lot of online garden videos. It has left me feeling two emotions – firstly, why don’t I have a perfect life like that. My kitchen is a bit of a mess and the fridge needs a jolly good sort out. It is much easier to grab a cuppa tea on the run than sit poetically staring out at the view. Although I did enjoy my lunch alfresco overlooking the ocean the other day and it was lovely. It really elevated the quality of my quickly thrown together meal. I really need to take more effort over lunch, and probably breakfast and if I’m being honest a good from scratch homecooked meal would feel a little better than something hastily considered at the end of the day. Maybe if I got myself organised then I’d have more time to live my life by those on the videos.
The second thought was, ‘but I make videos like this’ and put my life on the net too and so I should know better than most that it is easy to edit away the less than ideal with camera angles and mess shoved to one side. They might have an immaculate kitchen to produce an immaculate lunch, so they can eat it wistfully at a perfectly curated table setting. You can’t tell me there is no chaos in their world. It is great to have realistic goals for life so I don’t end up beating myself up about my ‘mediocre by comparison’ efforts. Although just for fun I’m tempted to do such a video with a lunch made with fresh garden produce eaten overlooking a grand vista – at the very least my kitchen would get a tidy up.
But I digress. August has begun and I’m not ready for it. Spring starts at the end of this month and I’m not ready for that either. So I’m going to shake off this winter slovenliness and try and make this new month count for something – although not as intense as May counted. August has its own taskmaster in the form of the encroaching new season. You can’t hurry nature, but apparently you can’t slow her down either.
Come again soon – welcome to a new month full of frenzied, panicked activity.
Sarah the Gardener : o)
Mete out those spoons Sarah. 12 spoons, a day is a fantastic effort and if your family is fed and happy then you are doing more right than your perceived wrongs. Ms is the pits for draining the soul. You are impressive. Esp persevering with those shallots!! As with nature, rest and renew. 😘
Thanks so much for your kind words. It can be a bit of a struggle sometimes, but by putting on foot in front of the other I seem to always get there in the end. And I’ll certainly never be bored! : o)
And I thought I was the only one way behind on chores and with a fridge that need sorting and a garden that need weeding and and and …. I really do think the winter weather turns me into a hermit
It is easy to get behind on things, but spring is fast approaching and there is so much planning and prep to be done. Looking forward to seeing you again in the VGC this year?! : o)
I’m still stuck in “how can you have alyssum, sunflowers and stock in mid-winter” wonder! I think if I could go out in my garden in mid-winter and see flowers and kohlrabi I’d be energized! I’m so envious. Being able to garden and grow food year-round sounds heavenly. But that’s coming from me, who truly does get a winter’s rest while the snow flies, and other than the winter-weight gain and unused muscles, is raring to go come spring! Maybe it’s that “winter vacation” from gardening that makes it so special when spring does arrive.
I do think sometimes it would be nice to have a ‘proper’ break from the garden because even a two week holiday can mean we come back to weeds and extra garden chores. You can never really not garden at all without ended up with a jungle that needs taming at the start of each season. I am still amazed about the sunflowers – I wonder which boundaries I should push next! : o)
Stop beating yourself up you’re doing brilliantly!
Thanks so much. It is always scary time standing on the edge of spring, with the whole growing season depending upon what happens in the next couple of months. It feels like such a huge responsibility. But once I get into it I love every minute. : o)
Living in a spoon-conscious household, I’ve found it a great help to have a fortnightly dinner plan, so there’s less of the ‘oh, gosh, what are we doing for dinner?’ an hour before we’re supposed to be eating. It doesn’t have to be super-specific.
Today is ‘pies’ which we will have with parsnip chips (oh, how I love parsnips!) and some freezer veg. Tomorrow is ‘soup/salad’ – leek and potato soup at this time of the year, so I’d better get some stock out to thaw.
That is a great idea. I’m trying to get the kids to cook a night each too, so they learn a few good meals before the fly the nest – which seems scarily closer than I’d like. So I’ll call a family meeting to decide the categories so everyone’s favourites get included. Thanks for a simple version of meal planning… It is on the list but I never found the time to write out complicated menus and shopping lists. : o)
Congrats on being human! Seems to me you are doing very well for a human being, never mind the concessions to health issues. I can relate to much of this post, including limitations. To your wishing you took more time to make and eat a nice meal. And to feeling that time is flying and you haven’t done half of what you aspired to. And that small nagging fear too.
Of course, you have winter in August and we have summer. And you can still grow stuff in winter while we have ice and snow and hard ground. These differences always surprise me. Yes, we humans tend to look at others’ ‘perfect’ lives a bit wistfully, as I do about your weather. Thanks for expressing what I’m sure many others feel from time to time.
Thanks so much for your kind words. It is hard to not to just yourself through the lens of what you think others are doing. We all have less than perfect days. So long as I get there in the end and appreciate the journey is success! Enjoy the rest of your summer. Cheers Sarah : o)
Sarah, your not alone with the winter laziness. I have that same trouble coming out of the winter months and getting inspired to start up in the spring and summer with energy. I’m always glad I did it once I get started but getting that jump start can be a bit difficult at times. Well, and the older I get the more it takes to get the muscles and bones back in shape to starting working again. I always have good intentions of exercising during the winter months but alas it just doesn’t seem to happen. It’s just too easy to watch Sarah gardening videos and dream about gardening with a bowl of munchies by my side.
The harvesting here in Nebraska is starting to ramp up. The onions have been all harvested as well as the first planting of sweet corn. The zucchini buried me and I finally just pulled out the plants because I didn’t want any more. Cucumbers are trickling in and the tomatoes are on the verge of starting their glut. So as we are winding down you are winding up.
Have a great winter rest because spring will be there in a wink.
Nebraska Dave
Urban Farmer
I know what you mean about weary bones and muscles – what is this getting old nonsense all about?!
I think the videos actually spur me into action, there is nothing like seeing someone about to deal with a glut of tomatoes to make you forget about all the work in between and has me reaching for my seed packets to make it happen for myself. Enjoy your glut! : o)
I feel like winter is paved with good intentions… but for some reason things just don’t get done. It’s just as well I am my own boss or I’d fire me for low output! But I am starting in the busy season now so at least I can say I’m well rested!
I hope my harvest this season will be as great as yours! All the best with the rest of the season. : o)