There's light at the end of the tunnel

Another gorgeous mild, dry day here in the Highlands and I'm still holed up with this Flu, this is so going to set me back. I should be cutting Willow, digging over beds, finishing the pruning and seed sowing by now!
The Flu itself appears to have just about given up and that's a welcome relief however Sinusitis has taken its place and despite being drugged up on every legal OTC medicine I can get my hands on the pain everytime I move my head is pretty excruciating. It would seem I will just have to ride this one out and while I am so tempted to at least give the gardening a go I know it will just set me back, especially while I have this cough.

So for now I am maintaining some semblence of sanity by reading all those gardening blogs I love - thank you, and catching up with all the gardening magazines I have. While these do fill me with optimism they also headline what I'm actually missing out on in the garden but on the upside I have a whole list of new projects to add to my current list of projects and I'm sure I'll be able to get started soon - fingers crossed!

In the mean time I ventured as far as the bedroom window and took a couple of piccies.


Hard to feel sorry for me "holed up" when I have this sea view to stare at from my bed isn't it! In Spring the field will be full of Lambs and they are hilarious to watch.

sea view from my bed.

This is as close as I'm able to get at the moment to keep an eye on the tunnel. I sneaked out the other day insisting I was checking on it despite feeling like crap, it was all I could do to open the doors I was so weak. I felt a right fool shuffling back to the house.

All that land and no ruddy energy.

Now here's something I spotted in Jamaica and would love for my garden here. Wonder how much it would cost.........

Metal horse

Jamaican flora part 2 plus..........

So the cotton wool brain I spoke of in my last post didn't turn out to be a dreamy post vacation glow as I had originally thought, it was actually the first symptom of Flu!
Yep I have spent the past week holed up in bed fighting the big fight against what I am convinced cannot be your average Flu, it must be some exotic flu that I bought back with me - does "normal" Flu really feel like this?
I'd love to be able to claim that I have fought this disease both valiantly and bravely but I'd be lieing! Nor did I fight it quietly!
I used to be proud of the fact that I have a high pain threshold but this......this......Flu has been more unbearable than childbirth and has left me as weak as a Gnat in water!
I've finally been relieved of the achy bones and muscles but the vice gripping headaches, acid etched throat and congestion continues, as does Neuralgia and for some strange reason aching bulging eyeballs. To top it off I now have conjunctivitis and want to scratch my eyeballs out and asthma has flared up again - I am not a happy bunny!

However, i promised another post full of Jamaican Flora and so here it is.


Travellers Palm. The gardeners did a fabulous job of training some of them into fan shapes.

Bamboo. This stuff grew everywhere and I love it! I have tried many different varieties here in the Highlands but haven't had much success. I would love a forest of bamboo.

Beautiful Plumbago.

Hibiscus. I saw these in red, White and Blue - so pretty!

Rooms at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton resort were in Villas and each villa was 2 storeys and had this to greet you on entrance. The gardeners really did do a fabulous job at this resort.

Palm seedpods. We were quite tempted to bring some home and attempt to propagate them but I assumed we wouldn't be able to bring them into the UK.

More totally colourful Bougainvillea.

Sniff, sniff! I so wish I was back there.

While in Jamaica we spoke to one of the gardeners who had a novel way of propagating some of the shrubs using a plastic bag. I'm not completely certain of the procedure so I'm trying to get the information and once I have it I will not only post it on here but will be experimenting with it myself.

I have so much I need to be doing out in the garden just now but I just don't have the strength to do it. I'm a very impatient person and I know I just have to get better but I really need to get those Willow cuttings done and into water before they begin growth in Spring or I won't be able to construct a Willow hedge this year.

Jamaican Flora

2 days back from Jamaica and I'm ready to go back! To be honest I was ready to go back the day we landed, in fact if I'm being brutally honest I didn't want to flippin come back at all! (insert sad, desperate face).

I've had a day or so to mooch around the garden and inspect the damage from recent winds and I am relieved to say that the damage is minor and easily repairable.
I'm currently scratching together our veg plot plans and kind of regretting not having done it before I went away. Why I thought it was a good idea to leave these jobs until I got back from vacation when my brain has been replaced with cotton wool is beyond me!

For now though I will just have to share some of the images I snapped of the gorgeous flora of Lucea, Jamaica and be transported back to the warm, warm climes of the Caribbean.........
Apologies in advance that I don't know the names of pretty much all these plants, though feel free to fill me if any of you guys do!


I do know this one though! A rather large Oleander (?) that makes mine look pretty naff! And I think that is Bouganvilla beneath it - what a lovely combination.

Haven't a clue what this is!

I think this is Bouganvilla. It happily grew everywhere in a rainbow of different colours.

One of my favourite flowers but I have no idea what it's called.

This bush had Jasmine type flowers only larger and with no scent........so nothing like Jasmine really....except they're white!

Love the contrast.

That is just a snippet of the photos I took, I'm thinking I should post them in 2 posts - maybe 3 - rather than just one humongous, overly long post.

Now I'm off to stare ate photos of white sands and azure blue waters.  I think I may just need another holiday.