Sensory Garden

 Hello everyone, I hope you've all been staying safe and well. 

Last week I had a meeting with Bedfordshire sight concern, I had an over the phone appointment and a sight test using a test sheet they sent me through the post, I know that having the sight test in this way isn't ideal, but the outcome is just the same, I have lost more sight, which is fine, it's what I already knew and what I have learnt to expect. 

The outcome of the meeting was that I would be sent some different magnifiers to help me at work, but just as importantly, the meeting encouraged me to look towards the future, the immediate future, like, as lock down ends how can I ease myself back into doing things independently.  

The little things like catching a train, going shopping on my own or getting on a bus. I can't wait for swimming pools to open, I've missed swimming so much, but I know that going anywhere on my own will be impossible. 

Bedfordshire sight concern are going to provide support for this, and I'm excited to be getting some support back into regaining  some kind of independence.

While I was one the phone, we talked about hobbies and things I can do that push me out of my comfort zone a little. I said I would really love to create a sensory Garden for myself, as my sight gets worse I want to create somewhere that is my safe place, somewhere to sit, relax and enjoy.

Leaving something like this until the time comes is simply too late, I need to get the ball rolling and this seems the perfect project too build my confidence and give me a focus, while keeping realistic.

SO, I made myself a  'mind map' of all the things I thought should go into my own personal sensory Garden.

I got really excited, planning which flowers would be best, which herbs and plants have the strongest smells, I looked at bee hotels, wind chimes, lighting and lots of tactile garden ornaments. I started to choose different grasses that would make noises in the breeze!

I was on a real high! My garden is only small, but in order to make the garden so that I could plant my own plants later down the line, I would benefit from raised flower beds, I struggle trying to weed as it is, so this seemed like a fab idea.

BUT, I very grossly under estimated the cost of building my very own sensory Garden. 

One of my friends said he had a wind chime that he would give me, this excited me again, because the thought of having something in the garden that reminds me of someone and bring memories of that person is a great comfort to me when I can't see their faces anymore.

I thought about starting one of these funding type pages on facebook, I half heatedly looked into it, but it feels like begging, so I've decided to scale down the garden....massively....I went to B&M with daughter number one, and we brought some seeds, seed compost, and some seed trays, I went home and sowed my seeds, I have some bulbs that the daughter chose and I'll plant them next week. We also found some nice looking solar light bulb things to hang from the trees. 

I noticed some netting stuff while we were in the shop, that can be tacked to the fences so I don't have to buy trellis, I'm going to give it a few weeks then get someone to take me to the garden centre and check out the bargain bench, if I can find some cheap clematis that needs some love, I will be able to create that sensory Garden, even if it's not quite the one I envisaged. 

I have taken some photos but I don't know how to share them on this machine, but wish me luck with my seedlings.

Take care and speak soon x