Call this May? It's more like March! Brrr!!!!!

Well, after a very brief period of hopefulness in mid-April, it seems that the weather is now just as cold as it has been for the past six months! Well, maybe not quite, but it still demands coats and long-sleeved shirts, heating in the house, and a snug corner in the pub by the fire! Apparently, there was snow in Scotland yesterday with more frosts expected. Will we ever see warmth again in this country? Well, there is a little warmth emanating from the brave plants that have decided to bloom despite instincts to the contrary, no doubt. Some of my favourites of early Spring in my garden are the azaleas, and also the glorious clematis that cloaks my house in masses of pink blooms, so I thought I would put pictures here for posterity. No poems recently - my muse has left me, it seems, along with the warm Spring sunshine!

Pink azalea

Red azalea

Clematis 'Montana'

Spring has sprung -finally!

First true Spring day today! I'm basing this on the fact that this is the first day this year I have been able to hang my laundry out to dry in the Sun and gentle breezes - and everything was dry in less than an hour! At last the Spring flowers are blooming - yellow and pink are the predominant colours at this time of the year. If only I didn't have this wretched cold I would be feeling marvellous, grrr! The week started well, with runs on Monday and Tuesday, but then the sneezing started and scuppered my plans for getting back to fitness. Interestingly, despite all that I have ever read about being ill when you are diabetic, my blood sugar levels have been practically faultless, staying well within range throughout. I'm very grateful for that - I wonder what it is about my body that means it can cope with illness when others can't? The common result is that levels climb high, despite extra insulin, and ketones (and consequently the threat of ketoacidosis) appear. None of that for me, so far - touch wood! Anyway, here are some of the lovely plants in their Spring glory!

Kerria Japonica

Magnolia

Flowering currant

Camelia

Forsythia

Facing up to the Double-D’s

It would be a pleasant prospect if indeed the double-Ds in question were those adorning the chest of some amply-bosomed lingerie model, but sadly, no such luck. Diabetes and depression often go hand in hand, as with many other chronic conditions from which there is ‘no escape’. Add to that the cold, dark, dreary days of winter with a bit of extra-befuddled brain chemistry, and the result can be true misery where the world closes rapidly in on the tiny speck of light still penetrating your personal pit of doom. I’m sure there’s a joke in there about a ‘cup only being half full – a double-B, perhaps (not sure how these things are calculated). Double-B – perhaps bipolar and blood glucose?

Well, it happens to me from time to time (not the lingerie model experience), and it happened this past week, but I feel I am coming out of the other side. It happens most years, and each winter I keep promising myself a light box or something, but procrastination always leads to it not being worthwhile since Spring is rapidly approaching. Winter – hideous, hateful season. Spring – all things bright and beautiful!