Osteoarthritis can be a really debilitating disease. There are days where I just don’t want to get out of bed because my back feels stiff, my knees ache, and my fingers feel numb. It’s absolutely awful. Then I look back to my younger self and almost feel a bit sad at the memory of how active I once was. I used to be a marathon runner and would regularly attend yoga classes. Now it feels impossible with my joint seizing up. I went to the doctor about this matter and he suggested I find some sort of activity that will keep me active. I explained that it was hard to feel inspired to be active, especially when it was always associated with pain. That’s when he mentioned gardening. It seems a lot of older people garden because it gives them an excuse to stay active, even if it’s only for an hour a day.
I won’t lie, I was highly sceptical of his recommendation initially. I really didn’t see the appeal in gardening, especially when my knees would ache every time I’d crouch down. I ended up finding a site where I could buy cheap seeds online. I didn’t really understand what I was ordering. I just selected a whole heap of flowers and added them to my basket. Actually, I got my daughter to do it for me. I’m not good at only shopping. I just can’t get my head around it. Perhaps it’s a generational thing?
The order of seeds arrived at my house quite quickly. Sadly it rained for a whole week so I couldn’t get any planting done. It did give me a chance to research all the plants I had ordered and learn about the best ways to plant them and look after them. The hybrid tea rose is actually quite a high maintenance plant. I never would have known had I not researched it! Lucky I did as now I know how to prevent them from getting bugs or diseases. I’ll show you all a photo of my garden as it grows.