Garden – August – 5

Posted byThe Autistic ComposterPosted inWillow GardenTags:, , , , , ,
Willow Garden is a series exclusive to the Earthly Comforts blog only.
Earthen Tales Directory
Back Garden slowly transforming
Hi Ho Hi Ho An Earthen Wurmin We Shall Go!
This morning was the first time l haven’t gone for an early morning walk for about three months. Not because l have felt unwell, but because l was exhausted.

Both Suze and l were in the same boat with fatigue. I am fine now, but at four o’clock this morning, whilst l was awake, l was bushed and unwell at the same time and had just woken from a three-hour rough night’s sleep bundle.
Soils and composts bought in for the making up of the Hatchery and the Nursery wormeries
I have been experiencing poorer quality sleep for the last week or ten days. Something is different healthwise than in previous times; whatever the problem with me is, l am not getting better. I don’t have time to be ‘ill’ as in really ill. It’s different if you have no choice and end up in hospital with a leg hanging on by threads or some terrible lurgy is melting your face away – that’s different. But it would only have to be something like those mentioned above that would put me there.

Last week was already rough with tiredness issues and feeling unwell, and the previous few days have not improved for either tiredness or feeling sick except for l feel more unwell than l did last week.

Last Thursday, l had my appointment with the doctor, and she was concerned enough to order an endoscopy for me to search for an ulcer and, more importantly, to rule out oesophageal cancer.

But life took a different journey by Friday morning when the triage nurse from a hospital in Canterbury rang, intending to ask me various questions before my appointment on Sunday. She was shocked to discover that l wasn’t on medication for my sliding hiatus hernia or my GORD diagnosis, which would now be considered GERD. Both conditions were supposedly diagnosed in 2008.

This was news to me!

According to later pieces of information – l was first diagnosed with GORD or GERD pending who you talk to and their viewpoint – Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, which is principally a form of aggression when it comes to acid reflux. Now l had always suffered from reflux as early back in memory when l was a young adult in my twenties. But it wouldn’t be until my forties that someone in the medical field would talk to me about it.

I remember a young doctor in 2008 talking to me about it, but not once did he mention it was a diagnosis. My condition at the time was considered severe. I never recall a conversation regarding a hiatus hernia which is when part of your stomach pushes into your lower chest through a weak diaphragm – nope! No one diagnosed me officially with either of these conditions and because of that, NO ONE awarded me any medications…

Now you see, those two would make for a significant impact on the knowledge front. Had l known in 2008, fourteen years ago, l had these and required medication – would l be in the situation today where they are now saying l have a severe medical condition somewhere in my digestion system?

Maybe and maybe not, but l’ll never know now because l now have a severe problem internally and am having to embark on a new journey to hopefully find out what can be done to give me back a quality of life.

The endoscopy on Sunday revealed no cancer of the oesophagus and no ulcer, but it was suggested that an ultra scan should be next booked as they believe l have an issue lower down. So l think that maybe the next step is searching for gallstones or abdominal growths. We shall see.

I had blood taken on Friday and hope to get the results for those today.

I can’t say l enjoyed the endoscopy because l didn’t, but the prodding around has made an unpleasant situation more unpleasant – hey ho. I also had a dental appointment today having waited weeks for that, after having my August 1st delayed due to me having covid, only to arrive and discover my dentist now has covid. So now l must wait till 9th September. Joy.
Looking from Worm Farm 1 to back.
Slowly emptying off spcae now to be reclaimed garden
New worm farms locations.
Need to really prune back..
New worm farms locations.
Front area to change considerably shortly.
Front area to change considerably shortly.
Of course, there is no time to be ill in my life with the gardening projects, shifting the worm farms around, and rearranging the garden.

Because of the intensity of the heat over the last couple of months, l have delayed the harvesting off the worm farms, but l couldn’t keep waiting, especially on the new farms, as they needed to be checked to see how they were performing. There are a lot of new movements with regards to them.

Last Saturday, Suze and l worked hard on emptying off the two newer two-tier farms established in May, and yesterday we worked on emptying off one of the four-tier worm farms. We still have one more to go this coming Thursday. It’s thoroughly exhausting work, especially when you are not feeling 100% as l wasn’t and the humidity is high, but it had to be done. I couldn’t leave it any longer.

So now we are three farms down, harvested and closed, and two new taller tower farms erected. The new farms take the residents of all four farms. It’ll be a challenging harvest in the future but much easier time-wise as each harvest from this point on is only to be one tier at a time. That makes for a significant difference.

The new towers are sheltered more, so no more scorching heat whilst working either, the sun will still be present, but as we are a west garden, it’ll leave that area quicker. Where they were/are sited meant the sun was staying longer, and we were exhausted given how manual labour-intensive the whole system is.

I can’t change the labour aspect of it directly yet, but with the two breeding towers and the soon-to-be-built nurseries and hatcheries, this will make life much easier now. The latter two are the start to being able to be in a position to start selling stocks. One will be for eggs and very young worms only, whilst the other is for juveniles, all of which will be grown-on.

All is going well. This time next year, l will be selling stocks. Finally.

In addition to harvesting off worm farm four yesterday, l was spinning the hot compost pile on – Turn five – before seven am, so l am not surprised l am completely knackered today.

I have found that if l keep myself physically busy and active, l still have pain that is quite intense at times with the spasms. Still, l can work through it, whilst if like now l am sitting at the desk typing and the cramps occur, it makes me stop – so l would rather keep active and keep going and feel useful.

Still no news on the allotment. Early days.
Designs – Earthly Comforts – Inspired by Nature – see collection here
The two new worm farm towers are six tiers high. Each tier holds 150 litres of mixed soils and composts and currently both farms are holding a total of roughly thirty thousand worms – eggs, babes, juveniles and adults. One more farm to empty off yet which will be on Thursday.

The next harvest will be end October and by then l can start to separate off the eggs and babes and juveniles one tier a time and put into either nursery or hatchery and that will just leave the adult breeders in the twin towers.

By 2023 l can start the new year with a view to it being a business year.

Thanks for Reading – See you next time.
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Published by The Autistic Composter

Earthly Comforts is a wildlife journaling scrapbook focusing on the countryside, wildlife biodiversity and environmental conservation, flora and fauna volunteering projects, gardening, composting and vermiculture, inspiration, poetry and photography.

27 thoughts on “Garden – August – 5”

      1. I put comments on ‘moderation’ but your comment hasn’t showed up there either. I am fed up to my teeth with both Blogger and WP -some people, who I’ve know for a long time, don’t like to comment on WP because that means there is something they have to sign into, WP people don’t like Blogger because that is something different they have to sign into. Nobody likes Disqus because THAT is something else they have to sign into – there is no pleasing everyone or anyone. *Sigh* Maybe I’ll just double post – PITA that is. And yes, People are strange…as Jim Morrison said.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I can’t comment on my own blog if I’m using my iPad, the whole thing is bush-wah. I’ll take moderation off and see if the wing nut shows up again.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Well first you scare me because you better be ok 🙏

    And also there is hope then ??

    Cause maybe they fix and you have better finally and then we can finally talk food lol ❤️✌️

    You will have to write about your foody experiences for your worms 🪱 too! 🙌

    Maybe it make sooo much better now

    Doctors don’t surprise me with that btw – you have to insist and advocate for self

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Yes.

        If don’t advocate for self no one else will. Well sometimes earth angels ❤️✌️

        But yes – advocate for self and life – although I am not one to speak 🤫

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Hey, Rory! I can relate to the misery you’ve been experiencing. We have had several of our family members suffer with GERD and Hiatal hernias. In fact my Grandaughter just had surgery for it in March and it turned out well. She is a 41 year old. She is so happy to be able to eat her favorite foods again without having to suffer for it. Her Dad, my oldest son, will be having surgery for it in October. Bud has had GERD and a Hiatal hernia for most of his life and it hasn’t interfered with his lifestyle. However, he has had to learn to eat small meals more often, rather than the 3 meals a day and not to eat anything after his supper snack about 6pm in the evening. My Mother had it, too and her doctor told her to raise the head of her bed. My brother put cinderblocks under the head of her bed and raised it up about 6 inches. The acid reflux went away and never bothered her again. (And she turns 101 this September!)

    All of this just to let you know, there is hope and with treatment you can recover your health and fitness. Praying the rest of your medical tests go smoothly and you come through all this a healthy, happy man! I continue to hold you in my Heart, wishing you well, as always. 💞

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hey Betty, once l can get a confirmed up to date diagnosis l can start to sort things out, BUT the biggest problem is that aside from the triage nurse stating that l had those two supposed diagnoses in 2008, her notes are the only ones saying that.

      I need the diagnosis to get the medication.

      My lifestyles diets are now so far removed for even GERD that l need to have it explored properly to see if they still stand.

      I only have around 15 overall ingredients and so much food has been removed it’s doing me more harm than good.

      I eat small meals several times a day as it is and have done so for a few years now. My last meal and drink is usually between 6-7pm and l don’t start eating and drinking again until a few hours after l get up, so between 8 – 10am.

      I raised my bed head when l first arrived here and if anything that made things worse.

      So,. l honestly don’t know what is real anymore.

      Time will tell 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. So do l Betty, because not to sound overly dramatic – but l am getting to the point of having had enough. My body has more issues now than l need. I am lucky l am a positive guy as l think positivity allows us to cope with more in life … but.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Yes, it most certainly does, Rory. As the old saying goes, “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” Then there is always my Mother’s response when I ask how she’s doing today, “It’s a wonderful day”, she says, “I woke up this morning!” Maybe that attitude has been what has helped her reach 100+.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Maybe so Betty, maybe so. I think having the right attitude helps. But l also think not having daily pain helps also. I don’t mind some pain, l have gotten used to it, but at times and more so with the British medical system in the last twenty years, it is starting to fail its pati3ents terribly and more and more people are suffering with no hope in sight.

        I am tiring of food, l eat because l must and if l didn’t have to, l simply wouldn’t because food is the single most aggressive towards my pain.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Time will tell Betty and with the English system, that time will be very telling indeed 🙂

        The NHS over here is breaking under a lot of strain, l have noticed a huge difference in the last twenty years distinctly but the last five significantly.

        Lack of funding is the biggest one, lack of quality management and budgetary controls and basically too many people abusing a free system.

        Liked by 1 person

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