OCD Action

Truddles
Member

The days are definitely getting longer and for the time being it’s finally starting to get warmer.

So to cheer us up post here anything that has kept you going through the long winter months and any signs that you have seen that spring is on it’s way -

Watching the squirrels throughout the winter - Even though it’s in London the hospital where I go for my therapy backs onto ancient woodland and there are lots of trees within the hospital grounds that have food for the many squirrels, including a massive misshapen oak tree outside of the building that my therapist works in which was laden with acorns last autumn. It’s fascinating whilst waiting for the bus to watch the many squirrels collecting food and playing even when we had thick snow on the ground. Perhaps it's just as well that the windows in the therapy building have frosted glass or I’d not be able to concentrate

There have been geraniums and other summer flowering plants continuing to flower all winter in some gardens.

My climbing fuchsia continued to flower all winter and still is despite most of the leaves falling off because of last weekend’s hard frost (and possibly because I forgot to water, kept putting it off as it was too cold to put water on the plants, then I forgot ).

The primroses have been flowering under the trees in the hospital grounds since the first week in January as have the crocuses on one of the local roundabouts (which isn’t round but triangular so does that make it a triangabout? ) .

And now on the same roundabout the daffodils are about to burst into bloom.

I spotted a beautiful Campanula in full flower on a rockery near the hospital in mid January and they don’t usually flower until late spring or early summer.

Sun 19 Feb 2012 14:51 #
wannabefree
Member

Hi Trudy, the sun is shining in through my window as I type this... It is a beautiful blue sky too. There isn't much in the way of flowers, but the promise is there. And yes, the day is getting longer. Two weeks ago, it was dark outside at this time of the day... I'm gonna cook something special for tonights evening meal. Okay, it's comfort eating, but in moderation it is okay I think. I also wanted to say a great 'WELL DONE' on your achievement with the grit and salt. That's a fantastic thing to achieve! I don't think I could have done it, in fact I know I couldn't have done it. Anyway, it is also our achievements, big and small, that I look at to try and keep me going...

Sun 19 Feb 2012 17:16 #
Wombat140
Member

Is that the NLP you're having, Trudy, or are they letting you have CBT now? Whichever it is, squirrels are always a bonus! One of ours has caused hilarity all winter by indefatigably burying windfall apples in all the plant pots. They always went bad within a few days, but the squirrel wasn't put off. I suppose it never needed to check what happened to the apples, since it lives entirely on stolen birdseed.

I saw the first daffodil yesterday, oddly enough it was a full-sized one - the miniature ones are usually earlier. Crocuses everywhere (except in our garden, I'm sure I planted some!) A robin has been flitting through our back yard with a beakful of grass nearly as big as it is; I hope it really is time for it to be nesting - we have some rather optimistic birds around here!

Fri 24 Feb 2012 19:20 #
Truddles
Member

It's neither They still won't let me have CBT (so much for the NICE guidelines ) so it's supposed to be psychodynamic therapy, but we use a lot of different techniques that aren't strictly psychodynamic, but it's starting to work and that's the main thing.

The squirrel might be doing what one of our rabbits used to do, that is collecting the fruit and allowing it to ferment and then eating it to get a high. Apparently it's not uncommon for animals and birds to do this, hedgehogs frequently travel considerable distances to get drunk on fermented fruit. Squirrel under the influence It includes a link to You Tube showing an inebriated squirrel. A drunken squirrel is one thing but imagine coming home to find this - a drunken swedish elk in an apple tree Also see this Berries booze and birds

Sat 25 Feb 2012 14:00 #
Truddles
Member

Yesterday I saw tulips in bloom along side the polyanthus in the raised beds in the village. Near the hospital there were forgot-me-nots, bergenia and broom in full bloom. There was also plenty of pussy willow to be seen.
It might be cold today but spring has certainly sprung

Sat 17 Mar 2012 11:49 #
panda
Member

I saw a ladybird the other day

Sat 17 Mar 2012 12:32 #
Truddles
Member

Spring must be on it's way as the ladybirds that hibernated in my porch over winter have flown off. Typical you give them shelter all winter and then when you need them to eat the aphids they're nowhere to be seen - they did the same last year

Sat 17 Mar 2012 18:10 #
Tess
Member

Spring is definitely on it's way, we found a trail of eggs down the bank opposite our gate and followed them up to find a bantam with a huge clutch of eggs underneath her, there were so many some of them must have rolled out.

Sat 17 Mar 2012 19:03 #
Truddles
Member

Well spring is well and truly here, the portaloos have sprouted in their hundreds down on the peninsular and in the coming week will be transplanted to the heath and park.

Sat 14 Apr 2012 19:50 #
Tess
Member

Have not yet seen the first layby nappy which usually heralds the start of the holiday season down here, invariably accompanied by the first crunch at the main road junction just up the road and the first blockage of our lane as someone carrying canoes or cycles on their roof rack fails to notice the low bridge sign.

Sun 15 Apr 2012 11:32 #