Friday 21 September 2018

Beans and David's health (not connected!)


Hello All
Pretty busy here at the moment. It is that time of year and it seems to be going on longer this year with still much to harvest and process from the garden. Each year I try to grow different varieties  along with my old favourites. This year I grew four types of french bean.  Tendergreen, which is a bush variety, Blue Lake a climber which I have grown for at least ten years, Cobra a climber and Yard Long just for laughs! I have also grown my usual Borlotti which can be used as a french bean if you don't let it grow as a dried speckled bean for winter.
I took these pics a few weeks ago when they were at their best.
Here is Cobra which has been fantastic, a very heavy cropper with lovely long straight beans

This is Tendergreen, which even with some support has fallen about all over the place, not at all like Castandel which I grew last year and will return to.
Here is Borlotti at its green bean stage, maturing very late this year and for some reason making an awful lot of leaf.
And for your amusement Yard Long
For some reason I don't have a pic of the Blue Lake which has not done too well this year.
I will definitely grow Cobra again and have already saved some seed.
The Leon Millet grapes have done exceptionally well, here is one of the many branches. They are now picked, some have gone into wine, some for juice and the rest are in the freezer.

The peaches actually ripened and I am SO pleased with them. The flavour was exceptional, much better than those I have bought from the shop. There were forty in all, here are what was left after we made ourselves ill eating them! The pears are the first I have harvested here , so all good there too. The mushrooms are the only two that we found in the paddock this year... Oh well you can't win them all!
Just a heads-up on why I am even tardier with my postings. David is having to go to The Royal Derby everyday (inc weekends) to have intravenous diuretic to try to remove the fluid that he is retaining that not only gathers in his legs but around his vital organs including his heart. As he is in heart failure the fluid is putting an extra strain on him. Unfortunately his kidneys are also impaired and as the diuretic puts a strain on his kidneys they are having a bit of a juggling match.. The heart and renal Consultants will be meeting in the car park with stethoscopes at dawn soon !!! David's heart was damaged by radio therapy that he received some years ago when he had a 5 year fisticuffs with Hodgkins ( put simply, cancer of the lymphatic system) He had a new valve fitted nearly ten years ago, but his heart function has gradually declined. As his blood pressure is being kept VERY low the hospital does not want him to drive home after treatment so I have been driving him there, dropping him off and collecting him two to three hours later. During this time he is only allowed 1500mls of fluid a day. He is HATING this as he loves his tea and a couple of nights a week he joins friends for  real ale! When home I have been holding the fort and looking after the shared lives guys, while processing the food mountain. If the traffic is light (fat chance on the A38!) it takes me 20 mins each way. I am told this could go on 7 days a week for several weeks yet!
I am looking forward to to tomorrow. When we get back from the hospital YD and EGD and I are going to a newly opened store in Chapel Street Belper called Sue's Sustainables. She will be selling dry goods that you take your own containers for and lots of plastic free stuff.
In the Evening we are going to a 60th birthday party. They are serious Rock and Rollers and I am attempting to finish a full skirted frock. If I can get to the shops to buy the zip this afternoon I might just get it done.
Sorry about any typos and if this is disjointed as I don't have time to edit , but wanted to keep in touch.
Gillx


13 comments:

  1. Wow Gill, you've got a lot going on! Sorry to hear about your OH's problems, but also very interested as my OH has recently been diagnosed with heart failure and I'm a voracious reader of anything HF related at the moment. He's certainly been through the wars, your OH, hasn't he.

    That store sounds good, wish we had something like that here.

    Try not to burn yourself out, take care of yourself too Gill.

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  2. Hi Gill,

    My husband had the same treatment two and a half years ago. By the time I had managed to get him to the hospital he looked 9 months pregnant, They started intravenous diuretics straight away once they established the heart failure.

    He had leg ulcers because of the fluid, one lung was full and a small amount in the other, and fluid half way up his back. He continued this treatment for 2 weeks, going to the hospital each morning and also diuretics during the day with a mass of other tablets. He lost 5 stone in those 2 weeks, obviously mainly fluid.

    I wish your husband well, and you Sooze. I did try to leave a message for you Sooze but wasn't able to.

    He has his ups and downs, but at our age (he is 74) you might expect good and bad days anyway. He has to go to the renal/cardiac clinic because of course all the diuretics have affected his kidneys, but we get by. We are off tomorrow for a weeks holiday in Norfolk, really looking forward to it despite the weather.

    All the best Gill and Sooze to your Husbands

    Ree xx

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Ree that's very kind of you. Enjoy your holiday.

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  3. I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's health problems Gill and send healing thoughts for him.
    Make sure you take care of you too.
    Hugs-x-

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  4. Good to hear from you and catch up, but not good to hear about David. All the driving back and forwards sounds familiar but we didn't have to do everyday. I hope the treatment is successful at keeping things under control.
    Re the shop selling loose stuff - many years ago there was one in Ipswich - ahead of its time and long closed. Hope they make a come back nationwide

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  5. I will be growing 'Crockett' French beans next year; they come highly recommended. Best wishes to David; I expect he's in very good hands.

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  6. Hope David's health soon improves. Hope also you get that zip in time.

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  7. Sounds like you have your hands full. Hope the treatment is working for your husband. I wish my grapes would produce fruit but all I get are empty stems where the fruit should be.
    I hope you have a good night at the party. You deserve to have some fun.
    Carolx

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  8. You are working so hard, as usual, and manage to keep so many balls in the air at one time!! Hope Davids health starts to improve and please look after yourself!

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  10. Hope things get better for you and David soon. Take care.

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  11. Its great that you've had a lovely harvest from your garden this year. Sorry to hear David is having a tough time at the moment lets hope they find a way of sorting the problem. You take care too, its too easy to keep going and then end up ill yourself. I love the sound of the new shop, you'll have to tell us all about it.

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