Crocuses Rampant

 Well, here I am, back again.

Truth is I've been unwell. My sister came over to visit, we went out for the evening, and then the following Sunday two days later, I went down with some sort of virus. 

Achey limbs, foggy head, a bit of a cough, a bit of nausea...I thought I knew where this was heading, but I took a C19 test that was negative. So, it was nothing more than a cold type thing, albeit a cold that flattened me rather more than most of those viral beasties do. 

I was really unable to do very much at all for about 5 days, and felt very sorry myself. Tried to go for a walk or two but it really wasn't happening, I don't handle being ill well at all, it makes me very gloomy, but my body was utterly uninterested in doing nothing other than lazing about.

This seems to be the same for a lot of people at the moment, two years isolated from most organisms and then BANG! one comes along and wipes you out. 

Luckily over the last two or three days I've finally felt better, if inclined to sneeze. I was able to get out for 90 minutes yesterday, to take in the explosion of colour in the cemetery as the purple and white crocuses have exploded into life, seemingly in the course of about 48 hours over the weekend. 

They are, as ever, an utterly stunning sight, but given the brightness of the weather on Monday, I'm slightly surprised that there were any bees or bumbles feeding off them. 

Perhaps they have caught colds as well.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.02.22

The Latest New Emergences

 Just took a wander around over the weekend, a casual, cup of tea kind of wandering here and there just enjoying the outside world. 

We have another pair of new emergences in Friary gardens - the first glory of the snows of the year, little blue spots against the bare earth, and the wonderfully witchy sounding, triffid looking green helleborine.

Nothing exciting, nothing I haven't seen before in exactly the same place. But I enjoy it every year, enjoy showing it to you every year. When I'm walking and seeing things, I don't tic. My tourette symptoms and ADHD symptoms are minimised when I'm in nature.

That's why I would prescribe it to everyone.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.02.22

White Flowers, Yellow Flowers, Purple Flowers

 Amidst all the strong wins blowing from Malik and Corrie, I managed to get one good walk in, and more bravely, a visit to an enclosed space for cricket practice. Yikes!

Me, and my rickety ankle, came through that ok, although I didn't bowl amazingly well and probably never will again. Bowling was preferable however to the insane physical jerks the coach was putting the younger players from the first team through. Us older ones were wise enough to stay out of that. 

Still, it helped with my Tourette tics, which have been occasionally rather wild the last few days. I need to burn a lot of energy up on the days when I can. 

As for the walking, just the usual bimble to the park, through the cemetery and around the lake. More flowers are out, the aconite forming familiar yellow carpets around the usual grave, and under the trees in Friary Gardens. The snowdrops have their allocated spots, the crocuses theirs. Everything comes back in the same place, year after year. 

Later on it will be the primroses by the ditch, and the long lines of daffodils along the path. And I have my place too, walking among it every late winter and spring. 

It brings about a sort of peace, this repetition.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.02.22