11/06/19 Update:
Since writing the post below an awful lot has changed. Our dog is lovely and my daughters have grown into beautiful, wonderful adults. I now have three allotment plots again, which I absolutely love.
Unfortunately I still do not have the time to write my blog at the moment, however I do have a facebook page and an instagram page for NOTJUSTGREENFINGERS and I will be posting photo’s etc so you can see my new plots.
Maybe one day things will change and I can go back to writing, but for now I will leave you with the blog post I wrote in August 2016:
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My life has changed enormously since I started to write this blog four years ago when my daughters were just 12 and 14……they are 16 and 18 now and have turned into beautiful young ladies who we are very proud of.
Three years ago I lost one of my best friends to cancer and then two years ago my father-in-law passed away too.
After this I then had to give up my lovely four allotments in January 2015, due to family problems and our rescue dog, who turned out to be highly reactive and took up an awful lot of my time (and our money) to train.
On top of this I have recently developed a lower back problem that is causing me a lot of pain when I bend. I visited a physiotherepist and he said it is just ‘wear and tear’ and I should continue doing everything as normal, taking pain killers when I need to…..and this is what I have been doing.
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The last few years have really been hard for our family, though I have tried to put a smile on my face and carry on as normal…. but things are now settling down in the Thrift household and life is finally beginning to calm down again.
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Time to be honest:
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However recently I haven’t really felt myself, but I have struggled on regardless. Quite often I have felt very drained of energy and tearful and I have been really struggling to sleep at night which doesn’t help.
Mr Thrift and I have come to the conclusion that either the last few years have finally caught up with me or it is simply that ‘time of life’ that all women my age go through….or a mix of both! Either way I feel I need to sit back and relax a bit more and take some time out for myself, instead of my usual rushing around.
So for now I have decided to take a break from my blog for a few months (as it does take me quite a lot of time planning and writing it each week).
I really hope you don’t mind me making this decision, but hopefully it won’t be for too long.
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A quick update before I go:
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My kitchen garden continues to do well and I am harvesting fruit and vegetables every day in small amounts:
This week I have taken up my onions and I have had a great crop….I am very pleased with them:
My outdoor and indoor cucumbers are doing well too and we are picking them daily:
My beetroot, kohl rabis and cabbages are just about ready to pick:
And so too is my one and only butternut squash that I grew in a pot this year:
And I am picking raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes and runner beans almost daily:
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The flowers are doing well around the garden as well, which is great for beneficial insects that pollinate the crops…… it also looks very pretty and I’m hoping to spend more time enjoying it all:
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And Finally…..Judy:
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Lots of you ask about Judy our rescue dog. In October 2014 we brought her home from the RSPCA – we were fourth owners and she had a hugh amount of problems that became apparent two or three weeks later. The poor dog was scared of everything, but unfortunately it all came out as barking and lunging.
She reacted to traffic, men, bikes, birds, prams, the TV, men in hats, walking sticks, litter pickers, any little noise in the house etc. etc. but the worst thing of all was her reaction to other dogs….which caused many dog owners to shout and yell at me when their dogs approached Judy (even though she was on a lead and muzzled).
The two photos below were taken on her first week home with us in Oct 2014:
As you know we tried everything, kalm aid in her food, pheromone deffusers and collars and even doggie ‘prozac’ from the vets and nothing worked….until we found Steven Havers.
Steven trained me to deal with all of Judy’s insecurities and we will forever be in his debt as Judy has now turned into a wonderful dog, who we all love very much.
She hasn’t worn a muzzle for over a year now and over the last few months Judy has made lots of doggie friends and calmly socilises with them, sometimes in groups of ten or more dogs at a time. She is now off-lead on the field in the park and nearly always comes back to me when I recall her……I am so proud of her and other dog walkers comment on how well she is doing nearly every day.
I am so glad we perservered and didn’t give up on her.
Judy now
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Well that really is it for the moment.
In the meantime I want to say a big thank you for your continued support over the last four years and I really hope you understand my reasons for taking a break.
Thank you for reading my blog today…….I hope to be back in a few months time.
Look after yourselves and enjoy the rest of the summer.
XXX
not just greenfingers 