Sunshine

by Veronica on July 25, 2008

in Life

I sat in my backyard today and let the sun soak into my bones. I felt warm for the first time in weeks*. It was only about 16C (60F), but it was warmer than anything we have had for weeks.

I watched Nathan rake all the crap up into a pile and remove it from the yard.

[This is the yard right before we moved in. This is probably the cleanest part of it. We have done bits and pieces, but today we did a big clean]

So today, Nathan raked up the last of the broken glass and toys (in one half. We only had the energy to tackle half today). Amy played in a recycling bin full of water while I watched and Nathan worked.

And then, we introduced her to the joys that are wheelbarrow rides.

She had a ball. She spent the rest of the afternoon asking to ‘get in please?’.

We plan to use the cleared area of the backyard as a vegetable garden, so after it was rid of glass and crap, we covered it in a foot of spoiled hay.

Why YES! I did manage to wheedle a ginormous bale of spoiled hay** off of our farmer neighbour. He brought it over in his tractor because giving it to us was better than watching it rot on the ground.

It was huge. (I am such a bad blogger, but there are no photos of this).

So by the end of the day, I had a huge dose of exhaustion, a toddler who was covered in water, mud and straw, hay rash and a big sense of achievement.

One shower later and most of that was put to rights.

And damn do I feel good about having half the backyard completed. We had decided that for Amy’s birthday and Xmas, the best gift we could give her was a backyard that was completely safe to play in.

We are getting there.

And I promise, I will take photos of it all eventually.

* I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [on top of pregnancy, fun!]. One of my symptoms is an inability to get warm properly. I have terrible circulation and I am always cold. Somehow though, sitting in the sunshine is different. I feel warm in the sunshine. Probably why Winter makes me so miserable.

** Spoiled hay or straw has generally been rained on, or has gotten wet in some way. Most animals will refuse to eat it due to small amounts of mould in the hay. Absolutely fantastic for gardens and mulch.

tiff July 25, 2008 at 8:54 pm

Sounds like a nice day.
I forget what the sun looks like.
It’s all grey grey grey outside and did I mentiong the walls in my loungeroom (where I have been held captive all day with the sick girl) are pink? Must do something about that…maybe some blue and red paint in waterbombs might do the trick?

Taz July 25, 2008 at 9:19 pm

sorry to hear about the chronic fatigue must not be fun..

yay to a clean and safe back for Amy and her future sibling(s)..

thinking of ya.. 🙂

Mrs. C July 25, 2008 at 9:27 pm

Oh, wow, that sounds like a LOT of work, even if you aren’t pregnant! And with a toddler!! I know when we first moved into our place here, Patrick was three. I was doing yardwork and he called over, “Look, Mom, I’m eating BERRIES!”

Yep, had to go to the emergency room. No eating berries, please.

nikki July 25, 2008 at 9:53 pm

You can come clean my backyard next!!!! At least I can promise you hot weather! Good grief you did a ton pf work. Hope you were able to sleep.

Deb July 25, 2008 at 10:11 pm

So glad you got some sun! You are inspiring me to go clean my backyard. Maybe.

Chronic Fatigue + Pregnancy? You really do deserve chocolate. Can I send some?

Jayne July 25, 2008 at 10:42 pm

Sunny Winter days are glorious – a sharp, clear blue sky with a gentle breeze and that little bit of warmth trickling into our bones…ahhh, nice 😉
Plus it’ll stop us from getting Rickets in our old age 😛
(just kidding, you can only get Rickets in childhood 😛 )
Well done on the foundation of the vegie garden, the wormies will love you to bits and pieces 😀

Suzie July 25, 2008 at 11:47 pm

I bet having the garden sort of done must have given you a little pick me up

Lou July 26, 2008 at 12:32 am

Now, if that had been Annie, and not you, she’d have been in a chaise lounge chair, feet up, chocolate covered strawberries in hand, with at least one son standing next to her in loincloth with a big fan in his hand, creating a breeze for her. She, of course, would have been directing traffic.

Marylin July 26, 2008 at 2:41 am

Well done on getting the garden sorted hon!! I know the feeling about wanting somewhere safe for them to play – I filled 4 black bin bags full of rubbish from our tiny front garden when we first moved in. I’m just glad there were no needles or anything in there (the druggies that live further down the road and used to meet outside our garden till they saw me spending about 4 days clearing out the place!).

Christmas is still, what… 6 months away? Ages to sort it out! Although I’m guessing you want it done in the next couple of months before ya get even more pregnant huh? 😉

((hugs))

Marylins last blog post..Standing at last!!

Leslie July 26, 2008 at 5:30 am

There’s nothing like sunshine to lift your spirits. I’ve been so grouchy and mean lately…I’ve spent the past two days outdoors (I’m out in my backyard right now!) in the sun and it has improved things a lot.

Sounds like you had a wonderfully productive day. It feels so good when you feel like you got something done.

Xbox4NappyRash July 26, 2008 at 5:43 am

You make me feel like such an ignorant gimp for not knowing stuff like that about the damp hay & animals.

Xbox4NappyRashs last blog post..And here’s your host…

Memarie Lane July 26, 2008 at 7:12 am

Wow, I just read through those symptoms, and I think that must be what’s been wrong with me all my life.

Memarie Lanes last blog post..Shuttered Housewife + Unlimited Resources = ….

witchypoo July 26, 2008 at 7:12 am

I would have chronic fatigue too if I had Amy to chase around all day. Congrats on scoring (and using) the spoiled hay!
I love the new look! Sparkly. Purdy.

witchypoos last blog post..The Rock

Sharon July 26, 2008 at 2:06 pm

When you’ve finished your garden you can come over here and do mine, I’ll babysit while you dig:-) I can almost guarantee warm/hot sunshine from September through to May. Seriously, well done with the garden. It will do you the world of good to be able to sit out there while Amy plays towards the end of your pregnancy. And fresh vegies and fruit as a bonus!

river July 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm

I also sat in the sun yesterday and felt the warmth seeping into my bones. Such a delicious feeling to be warmed through. So much different from the warmth you get from a heater. That warms the skin, but doesn’t “go deep”. Looking forward to photos of the yard as it progresses.

jessica @pianomomsicle July 27, 2008 at 3:59 am

Oh yay! Fun for Amy! It’ll also be really nice to have her play outside and not have to keep such a close eye on her.

i used to think i had CFS. Turns out, i have hypothyroidism. The meds help with being tired, but not with the being cold. :/ That’s actually why my hubs calls me jessicle:)

i really hope you’re feeling ok. i’ve been thinking about you a ton lately, and hope things are looking up!

jessica @pianomomsicles last blog post..Last weekend

Veronica July 27, 2008 at 10:10 pm

It’s nearly August, so I am hoping that the bitterly cold weather starts to ease soon to make way for more nice days!

Hyphen Mama July 28, 2008 at 12:40 pm

I love big, productive days like that. Maybe all the “work” made Amy tired and ready for bed?

When does your spring start? I thought for sure it would be later than August.

Just a mom July 30, 2008 at 3:59 pm

YOU LOOK GREAT AND I just noticed that you comment thing is on top and I am commenting on some outside picture instead of your nice growing tummy oh well it is all good as they say….

Just a moms last blog post..WORDLESS WENDSDAY……

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