Gardening With Meg

27/08/2024

Sorry that I've been quiet for a while. I've been throwing myself back into work and gardening hasn't been something I've had chance to do recently. However, I'm trying my hand at photography again so would be grateful if any of you lovely lot could like, follow & share my new page MW Creative.

This is a big deal for me to work on my confidence & independence again so I'm hoping this all works out!!

09/07/2024

👣 The Biggest Step So Far 👣

So tonight I did something I never, ever thought I’d ever do!! I went to the cinema ALONE!!! That’s right, all by myself!!

Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous or scared like I thought I’d be, I was just excited!!

The Mummy (1999) is one of my all time favourite films so to see it on the big screen for its 25th Anniversary in the year I turn 25 was something I couldn’t pass up on.
Granted I booked 2 seats on their own row, but that’s beside the point! I obviously had to grab myself an Ice Blast and popcorn too!!

I am immensely proud of myself for doing something like this! It’s onwards and upwards from here!!

01/07/2024

I'd just like to take a moment to thank every single person that has been following this page and to every single one of you that has taken the time to comment and interact with my posts. It really means a lot to me!

I've been going through a really difficult period in my life over the last few months and slowly but surely I'm starting to feel like me again! Being autistic makes emotional problems more difficult as I can't regulate or "put on a smile" like most people can. It's taken a toll on my relationships at home & with friends, work & my job and my mental health has definitely taken a beating - but I'm now working on getting myself in a more positive place with the help of my family, colleagues, friends & with some cuddles from the cats too!

I'm taking it one step at a time.

Thank you all again.

Meg x

30/06/2024

🏖 A MUCH NEEDED BREAK 🏖

This last week I've been on a much needed holiday to Devon where I've pushed myself to try new things and do things by myself. We got lucky with the weather too, albeit a tiny bit sunburnt, but when you're as pale as I am, it's bound to happen even with the sun-cream on!

🛥 We went on a 1 1/2 hour boat trip on the Ilfracombe Princess of the Exmoor Cliffs & Caves. Although VERY cold and that we didn't see any dolphins or seals, it was a great experience and we got to see LOTS of jellyfish.🪼

🍦I found my new favourite ice-cream flavour combination - Chocolate & Pistachio - by taking a chance on their Special Flavour with something I knew I was safe with. Went back again for the same thing and was even better the second time round!

🍔Tried foods from completely new places without stressing & analysing the menu first, although they were typically safe foods for me. Our meal plans went out the window a lot during the week as it was off-season and most food places weren't open everyday, so there was a lot of indecision and stressful compromises between me & my (also autistic) brother. We settled on a street food van and after viewing the menu & deciding hours beforehand, to find it closed. Google told us that most food places closed around 5/6pm so off we went in the car to Squires Fish & Chips for THE BEST chippy takeaway!! So disaster was averted and it worked out in the end!

I got plenty of reading done (4 books), there was a literature casualty as I knocked my coffee over during breakfast. But at least I had back ups to hand.
Bingo was an expensive experience, especially as we didn't win. By chance an old colleague from Specsavers was there so had a nice catch up. I managed to get in the arcade, which was very poor, by myself, won a few quid on the bingo machine though!!

I'll be doing some posts on some of my struggles & difficulties a few of which I experienced over the last week especially. If there is anything you guys would like to know more about or have any questions about my experiences living as a neurodivergent/autistic individual, please let me know in the comments or dropping me a message and I'd be happy to share.

30/06/2024

This is what happens when you go on holiday for a week and leave your brother in charge of watering the plants during a heatwave...😭

After a thorough drowning, some of these have been salvaged but the crumbly soil when we got home on Thursday was enough to cause a minor meltdown after five hours of travelling. 🤬
However, it does appear that someone has robbed my freshly planted bedding (that I'd grown from seed) out of my border, so the seed sowing was a fail, again!

On a more positive note my Stocks, Campanula & Astilbe are looking fabulous!

24/06/2024

Currently on holiday in Croyde, Devon and I am OBSESSED with how beautiful the gardens and wildflowers are here. Love the cottage garden vibes. ❤️
Also fascinated to find petunias & geraniums growing in the sand dunes. 🤔

I’m hoping I don’t go home to dead plants 🤞🏻

03/06/2024

Can we please just appreciate how gorgeous my Nanna’s garden is? ❤️

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Acers in one garden! 😱 And I’ve never seen a Foxglove so tall!!

02/06/2024

💪 ANOTHER STEP FORWARD 💪

So this week has been full of ups and downs. I’ve made progress on going back to work, slowly but surely building up my hours.
Although I am proud of myself for pushing myself, I am in all honesty emotionally & physically drained. My emotions are constantly up and down, with one moment feeling relaxed and neutral to floods of tears the next - but we keep moving and try again tomorrow.

Friday I made some BIG steps towards my independence. I spent around two hours around Swadlincote after picking up my new prescription glasses BY MYSELF. I love visiting the little vintage & antique stores, if you haven’t popped in Noble Robin Salvages on the High Street have relocated - and I may or may not have purchased some crystals - including my little Ghostie.
Also got some adorable pin badges from Curly Magpie & Friends to add to my collection too!

I visited the library for the first time since 2017 and I was super comfortable in there - renewed my card and managed to take out 2 gardening books to help with my newsletter and of course plants.

Popped in to see Mum at her work, grabbed something to eat and rewarded myself to a new book, a pretty successful outing I’d say.

Another big step forward, late night shopping at MacArthur Glen. Not only did I wander in each shop to browse alone - I managed to go in an entire shop alone, browse, purchase and make a return without trouble. Really proud of myself for that one.

I’m still taking it one step of a time and trying to stay positive.

01/06/2024

01/06/2024

So Bridgerton may be my new hyper-fixation. I’ve been back at work today and came across the most beautiful Nemesia called ‘Lady Penelope’ and with it being the last one in stock, I felt it was fate that it come home with me. Hello impulsive thoughts and I’ve got a recycled, broken water feature and filled it with more plants to create this Bridgerton Inspired Planter! I am super proud of this and can’t wait to see it grow & flower this summer.
(I’ll also be posting the TikTok I made of it too.)

I wanted to stick to a pastel, yet classical colour scheme that had aspects of a cottage garden setting mixed into a container. I obviously had the “Lady Penelope” Nemesia because how could I not? Now I love a splash of different colour mixed in, so to represent my favourite leading lady (again), the “Banana Split” Nemesia is there as a reference to Penelope’s yellow gowns from the first 2 seasons.

Top:
Nemesia “Lady Penelope” | White English Lavender | Hedera “Gold”
Middle:
Iberis “Masterpiece” | Veronica “Goldwell” | Hedera “Silver” | Fern | Nemesia “Banana Split”
Bottom:
Digitalis (Foxglove) “Lucas” | Euphorbia “Diamond Frost” | Erigeron “karvinskianus Stallone” | Nemesia “Mirabelle” | Fern

29/05/2024

💪 WORKING WITH AUTISM 💪

I’d like for you all to understand me & my brain a little better as I try and figure out this thing called life…

I’m lucky enough to have been able to maintain full-time employment since I left college but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t come without it’s challenges.
Some situations that may be ‘nothing’ to you or others, isn’t necessarily ’nothing’ to me. A minor inconvenience such as a rude customer can have a long-lasting effect on the rest of my day.

These are just 2 of the things I struggle with on a daily basis:

👁 Eye Contact 👁
I’ve struggled with maintain eye contact for a very long time, way before autism was even considered. To some this may come across that I am uninterested or being rude, however, this is not the case. Keeping eye contact for me can be a massive struggle, if you’re someone that I speak to on a daily basis, then my eye contact will be significantly better. Yet if talking about emotions or something serious, this will be practically non-existent.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Public 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
I often (on a daily basis) question why on earth I work in retail - the answer, who knows. I thoroughly enjoy working at Garden King and interacting with a majority of our customers. Yet sometimes when overwhelmed, tired or when I’m struggling more with my anxiety & depression, I can find that dealing with the public is a real effort. On busier days, I find I have to use my Loops more often to help with the background noise.

Now don’t get me wrong I can appreciate a good joke & use sarcasm in practically every other sentence - but I can’t always register when someone is being sarcastic or joking at/with me. This can often be really embarrassing for me which can then leave me feeling frustrated and upset. Along with this I find basic chit-chat difficult, especially with customers, even simple things such as mentioning the weather or complimenting a certain plant - so if you’re ever visiting don’t take offence if I don’t say anything other than “hello”.

Might make this into a little ‘series’ - so please feel free to share so that myself and others that are neurodivergent like me, can be understood just that bit better.

28/05/2024

I’m working on that ‘shelf love’ harder than ever - I found this mug quite fitting in my local Dunelm today and for just £2.50 I couldn’t say no.

I’ve done a fair bit of driving in my little car today - Mum & I took a trip to the new Aldi UK in Castle Gresley, with going at 8am it’s the perfect time for me. Busy supermarkets and especially new places that are crowded & noisy are a real struggle for me - there’s so much to take in and when there’s a lot of people around I get very overwhelmed & panicked. But the store was quiet & had hardly anyone there so early, I managed to stock up on a few snacks & coffee - so that’s a win in my book.

Massive first for me - I filled the car up for the first time and payed at the kiosk rather than at the pump. I first got my little motor back in March/early April and haven’t needed to fill up with petrol since then. It’s safe to say, I now know what I’m doing. Just need to get my test passed and get rid of those L plates now so I’ve got the complete freedom to drive anytime, anywhere.

Then onto Dunelm Burton & The Range - obviously my new mug HAD to come home with me to add to my evergrowing collection. The Range was a record in my book as I spent time BY MYSELF browsing all the crafts, yet came away with NOTHING - I’m pretty sure that’s a first.

Treated Mum to a Starbucks - another independent first for me - I placed an order at the counter BY MYSELF for the both of us. Mum tried her first Matcha Latte - not sure that was a hit, but you never know if you don’t try. I went with my safe choice of a Chai Latte.

Okay, think that’s everything needed for todays update. The plants are doing good, albeit the Chamomile & Feverfew have made a sudden death - I blame the slugs, so it doesn’t look like I’ll be naturally curing headaches or making my own herbal tea this summer.