Because the weather in April was so mixed and unreliable, I left my trellis "under cover" (fiber cloth) all month. When I finally removed it on 30th April, I found my clematis in bloom! Only a few flowers, though - with a lot of bare branches in between, after the past harsh winter. I think when it has ceased flowering, probably time to cut back the whole plant and see if I can start over once again from one or two green shoots at the very bottom... (I've done that before. (The origin of the plant I still have is one I had on the balcony at my previous flat - and this summer it will be 16 years since I moved!)
Sometimes I wish I could do the same with myself! ;-) Yesterday (1st May) I woke up feeling dizzy and unwell, with no real clue why. It reminded me of a vertigo attack back in January 2023, which also came from "nowhere" - but at the same time a bit different, and seemed more connected to neck pain this time (my neck being a "weak spot" since way back). Perhaps I had just been lying in some weird position. On the other hand, I also felt kind of nauseous, with a slightly upset stomach as well, so maybe something I'd eaten? (But what?)
The only thing that stood clear was that in spite of another beautiful and warm spring day outdoors, for me it would be a day best spent at home resting, close to bed and bathroom...
Going with the theory that it may be to do with my neck, I took out my TENS unit, which I havn't been using much lately, but for many years (after an accident) used daily. For anyone who may not know, TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and is a method of pain relief involving a mild electrical current, and the machine is a small, battery-operated device that has leads connected to sticky pads called electrodes. After two 30 min rounds with that (with an hour or two in between) I actually did feel better. (Not sure that really says anything about what was the cause in the first place, though.) I still didn't feel hungry but decided I probably had better eat something anyway, so I made pancakes (four small ones) and ate two of those with apple sauce for lunch. In the afternoon I felt okay enough to sit for a while at the computer and put in a blog post. That was just about all I did that day, though. Fell asleep for a while in my TV chair in the afternoon. Gave myself another TENS treatment. Had two more pancakes for supper and went to bed early.
And this morning I woke up feeling pretty much "normal" - enough to go ahead with today's chores, including changing the sheets on my bed, cleaning the bathroom, and doing three loads of laundry in the afternoon (in our common laundry room in the basement). Also back to normal intake of food.
Someone else referred to the "Thankful Thursday" theme on their blog today - which made me ponder about the fact that normally, when I can, I book the laundry room for Wednesday afternoons. This week, because Wednesday was 1st May, and a holiday, I had booked it for Thursday. (We're allowed to book it also on holidays now, but out of old habit I still usually avoid doing that.) Anyway - this week I'm "weirdly" thankful that I had not planned to do laundry on Wednesday, because if I had, I wouldn't have been well enough to go through with it. Whereas today, I was!
Tomorrow I'm having a "truckload" of groceries delivered around noon, so hoping I'll still be feeling up to dealing with that. (At least delivery means I don't need to go anywhere! But it does still involve quite a lot of bending and lifting...)
Probably better be off to bed now!
9 comments:
I'm so glad you are feeling better! Dizziness can make you nauseous. I have attacks of B.P.V. (benign positional vertigo) It is awful, everything spins around and you cannot get aligned with the space around you.
You did the sensible thing, looking after yourself and giving your body the rest it obviously needed. Three loads of washing is no mean feat, and it is good you didn‘t have to miss your laundry slot.
Hopefully, today you‘re right as rain again!
It is amazing that the clematis developed flowers underneath the cloth, with no light. A nice surprise!
I wonder if the clematis would have more blooms if the covering was off sooner. you know i always wonder about all things. worked out perfect that you changed your laundry slot. hope you hold up under the grocery thing. who knows what it was, at least it went away without need of doctor visit.. hope its gone for good and next beautiful day you can go outside.. things just seem to fall on us, i had a couple of hours 2 weeks ago that i felt nausea but it left and did not come back..
Your clematis is the same as one a friend gave me years ago. It blooms all year round in spite of being left largely unattended, apart from the occasional watering. In Aldi this morning I noticed they were selling clematis in various colours and intended to buy a couple, but forgot until I was at the checkout. I'd only popped in for some dog food and as Paca was in the car and it was warm, I didn't want to leave the queue. I may go back tomorrow and see if there are any left.
I'm glad you're feeling better, nothing worse than feeling "under the weather". You've also reminded me that I have a basketful of washing to attend to, and it's a nice day!
Thanks Ginny. Yes, I experienced something like that last year, and this was kind of similar. Hard to say if "the same" though (as I'm not sure what caused it neither then nor now...)
Meike, the fiber cloth is white and lets through some moisture etc. So the plant has been getting light, just protected from the weather extremes.
Sandra, with the rather extreme weather changes we had in April (including return of frost and snow and hard winds etc) I would say the opposite. I.e. the blooms are likely to have developed better under the protective fiber cloth than without it.
The clematis has proved very hardy (the variety is called "Alpine"...) My experience with mine is that as it grows in a pot it needs to be cut back and replanted in new soil after a number of years though. (Too many dead branches making it not look so good on the trellis in the long run...) When I've started over with young fresh shoots I've kept it indoors in a window over winter and then moved it outdoors on the balcony again the following spring. You live in a different climate though so that probably makes a difference! :)
Yes, the milder climate cartainly makes a difference and most plants spring up like weeds!
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