McSheplets

There's not a lot flowering yet, at the end of (for Auckland) an especially cold, wet, windy winter. I haven't felt much like gardening until the past couple of weeks and am just getting back into it now, refurbishing pots of bulbs and lilies, trying to plant snap peas (if enough of them ever sprout!)

Of course, there are other reasons why I've felt like huddling indoors, and I've been dealing with more anxiety - as I imagine, most of us have. It's sometimes hard to figure out which reality is "real" - is the cheerful busyness I feel on good days accurate, or is it denial? Is the trepidation of bad days realistic, or "through a glass darkly"? I've also considered whether my previous bout of thyroid overactivity might be coming back - I've been off the medication for it for ten months now. It can cause jitteriness, but there's more than enough cause for that without looking for medical culprits. I'll get a test when my GP arranges the form, anyway. I'm also temporarily carless - it threw up a load of warning lights and balked at starting so is at the mechanics. That might be making me feel unsettled as well.

Good things to focus on are the enjoyment of getting my hands into dirt again, watching the local sparrows mobbing the bird feeder when I fill it with seeds, a big rice-cooker of bean, veggie, kumara & chilli stew which has taken care of several days of meals, and some excellent books I've been reading and will review soon.

Have a few garden pics, meanwhile.

Return of the giant Mexican sunflower! (by my Dalek compost bin)	White primula in the agapanthus leaves
Fairy crassula in a hanging basket	Tub of succulents
Impatiens at the base of a leafless Japanese maple	Ipheion (Starflower)

First, thanks so much for making me a gift! I'll love whatever you want to make, but here are a few general guidelines about things I prefer and those I'd rather not receive.

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