Bare Balcony, Bad Back

I finally got back out on the balcony last Sunday, spurred on by weather forecasts that promised snow. Snow. In Milan. In November. Were they joking? As the temperature on the balcony was 18°C at the time, and I really didn't need the thick sweater I'd put on, it seemed unlikely. But it was a good excuse to get on with all the clearing up I'd been putting off for weeks, and to move the stuff that had to overwinter close to the walls of the house, where it would stay warmer.

So I pottered around for a few hours, by the end of which the balcony was starting to look remotely as if it was cared for again, if somewhat bare. My motivation crisis has meant few biennials this year. And some of what I did put in didn't come up - my pansies, hollyhocks and foxgloves were a total failure. Out of the lot, I got one pansy plant. The only success has been a little container full of wallflowers, which are coming on fine.

I was relieved to see that my ill-treated cyclamen had picked up again though. I moved them from individual pots into a single container, and they seem very happy there. All three plants are full of little buds just starting to come through.


And then I came in, and went back to work.

So there I am sitting at my computer half an hour later, when I decide I'd like a cup of tea. I go to get up - and can't. My back's just seized up completely - a classic case of what Italians call il colpo della strega - the witch's blow.

How had I done it? I was fine when I sat down, and it wasn't until I tried to get up again that I even realised that it hurt. I can only imagine that I made the usual mistake of lifting things badly as I was shifting the containers around - something have no excuse for because I know how you should do it, I know I have back problems, and I know I shouldn't risk it.

Two days and a lot of ibuprofen later, I was more or less back on my feet. But for any of you who don't know the "rules", here's a summary from the Family Doctor site. When you have to lift something ....

• Don't lift by bending over - OK, guess who put the containers on the balcony floor then bent straight over to pick them up again. Guilty.


• Lift an object by bending your knees and squatting to pick up the object - Yeah, but my knees are in an even worse state than my back. Squat to pick up ? If I squat someone has to pick me up .... Guilty but I plead mitigating circumstances.


• Keep your back straight and hold the object close to your body - And squash all the plants to death? Objection, your Honour.


• Avoid twisting your body while lifting - OK, OK I twisted. But if you saw the size of my balcony ... What else was I supposed to do ? I throw myself on the mercy of the court.

But my protestations were to little avail and I was sentenced to two days flat on my back. I did consider an appeal based on the ruling I found on the Wellness site suggesting that following the the rules doesn't work at all, but I have to say the prison conditions were fairly comfy, and the time passed relatively pleasantly. The warder was very kind, and kept me supplied with plenty of reading matter and copious cups of tea. He was so kind in fact that I think the next time I have to shift containers, I might just ask for his help. Now there's a foolproof way to prevent back injury while lifting ...

Sorry ? Oh the snow. Well yes, it did arrive. There was a sprinkling that night, but it was more or less gone by the morning. And then on Friday it came back and snowed for five or six hours - just enough to send Milan into total chaos and cause havoc with the public transport system.

You know, I can hear you laughing all the way from Alaska ...

I've had an E-mail from Christopher Lloyd ...

So there I am, sat at the computer, and I decide to check my E-mail. A few messages from students, the usual collection of spam and phishing mails, and a message from Chris Lloyd. Chris Lloyd? Do I know anyone named Chris Lloyd? I trawl back through my memory but no-one springs to mind. Uh oh - is this more spam? I approach with caution .... and find a very chatty E-mail publicising a new book by Christopher Lloyd.

A book? Christopher Lloyd? Could it be ....? Now I'm not so daft as to start clicking on E-mail links unless I'm 100% sure where they've come from, so I copy the name of the book, toddle over to Amazon and paste it in. And sure enough ....

But wait a moment. Christopher Lloyd is dead - and anyway, this isn't a gardening book. Are we perhaps talking about the actor Christopher Lloyd - you know, the mad scientist from Back to the Future? Back to Google. But no. Cold trail there. Try googling the title. And ... bingo.

This Christopher Lloyd is a journalist and writer. But how did the E-mail get to me? I've never heard of the guy, and if he's stooping to Spam, then I'm not interested, however good the book is. But there's an end message with his address, the web address of the mail company who sent the message, and the usual message saying that I've received the mail because I've signed up for the service and can unsubscribe at any time. I have? I really can't remember when. Or where. So I check out the company on Google, and they seem bona fide - lots of assurances of their privacy policy etc. And I have to say it's the first time I've heard from them, and the product seems very clearly targeted. Sad though that we're all so harassed by spam that we're super suspicious even of publicity that turns out to be something we're happy to receive.

So Chris, (please excuse the familiarity, but that is how you signed yourself) I thought I'd make up for my nasty suspicions by giving you a plug. The E-mail does say to pass the message on, so this is how I'm doing it. The book looks fun, and if anyone would like it signed personally there was this offer in the message...

As a thank you, I am offering to write and send one (or more) personalised bookplate(s) free of charge to stick on the inside front cover of the book if it is to be a Christmas gift ...

You can get it by going to Chris' website, here . I noticed that the book is Amazon's 500th best seller though, so you may have to wait while he recovers from writer's cramp. Amazing what a mail shot can do.

So there you go. If, as the message says, you're looking for a Christmas gift for your 16-year old son / daughter, 45 year old mother/ father or 76 year old grandparents, this could just be it.

Wilt

I'm all blogged out... This is the first post for a month, when I've been averaging two a week all year. I just suddenly didn't have anything to say, and no motivation to even think about it.

I'm suffering from a bad attack of the blogging blues. They don't appear out of nowhere of course. They creep up on you insidiously over a period of time. In my case they were triggered by the recent problems at Blotanical (triggered you understand, not caused.) My already somewhat pathetic stats plunged, and I missed a goal I'd set myself by a mile. And at a certain point it didn't seem worth it any more ...

I ploughed on. But I wasn't just blogged out, I was balconied out too. Since the beginning of the autumn I've barely set foot out there. Whole containers got attacked by downy mildew and I just sat and watched. Plants wilted from lack of water and I just thought I'll do it tomorrow. Temperatures plunged and I just left plants out and uncovered. Whaat ??! This isn't like me. These are my babies ...

But if I wasn't working on the balcony, then there was nothing to write about it. My posts were getting more and more general. Where was the blog going? What was I trying to achieve?

The underlying cause was probably a nasty dose of overwork - when you're already spending twelve hours a day writing at the computer, and still missing deadlines, an hour spent blogging neither seems justified nor particularly appealing.

But it doesn't seem to be going away, so where do I go from here? I've been seriously thinking of closing down the blog all together. And I see I'm not the only one. Several blogs I follow have closed, or at least changed direction recently. Does there come a time when you've just been there, done that and it's time to move on? I've been blogging for over two years now,and the blogosphere has changed radically in that period. At the beginning it was cosy. Now it sometimes feels like a jungle ...

In the last couple of days one or two nice things have happened which have made me rethink. Should I try changing direction too? Go for more of a how-to approach and monetarise the blog? Broaden out and add a second topic? Redo the template and the layout ? Would that give me the impetus to start up again?

To those of you who do follow the Balcony Garden, whether regularly or occasionally, thank you. Without your comments I'd have stopped long ago. And I'd love some advice. Have you ever had the blogging blues? How did you get through it? What would you do with the Balcony Garden if you were me? How could I improve it, and make it more fun - both for me and for you ?

coffee table

floating coffee table

Functional bi-level design with cubby area offers ample space for storage and display. Durable wood construction. Assembly required. Chocolate.

zen coffee table

Simple, straightforward lines with a distinctly Asian flair. Two-tiered tables have subtly angled legs; bottom shelf provides storage or display space. Wood construction. Simple assembly. Chocolate oak veneer.

round curved leg coffee table

Sturdy wood construction. Simple assembly.

parsons storage coffee table

Clean, open design with spacious shelving below. Wood construction. The unique brush lines on the bronze pieces are applied by hand using a cashmere brush. A cashmere brush enhances the smoothness and evenness of the painted finish. Assembly required. Bronze, polished white or chocolate.

bridge coffee + side table

A long, low coffee table is designed to be used alone or together with a smooth lacquer side. Fully assembled. Wood construction; oak veneer.

sliding-top coffee table

A sliding top reveals valuable hidden storage space. Wood construction. Simple assembly. Chocolate oak veneer.

angled-leg coffee table

The simple, clean look of this solid wood and wood construction coffee table comes in either polished cinnabar or “limed” chocolate. The liming finish dates back hundreds of years. It was designed to enhance wood’s natural grain and is achieved by painting over the wood and then wiping the paint off. West elm uses the same technique to create our new super chic, easy-to-care-for limed chocolate finish. Assembly required. Polished cinnabar or limed chocolate.

faceted-frame coffee table

Within a beautifully faceted frame is a versatile display and storage shelf. Solid wood with wood construction. Chocolate oak veneer or gray stain. Two hidden storage drawers.

bridge coffee + side table, chocolate

A long, low coffee table is designed to be used alone or together with a smooth lacquer side. Fully assembled. Wood construction; oak veneer. Chocolate.

modern floor lamps

Sleek and stylish beside a chair, sofa or desk. Polished-nickel-finished iron. Adjustable height. Simple assembly.

Pleated white fabric shade; sturdy iron base. Simple assembly. UL listed. Black nickel base. Floor lamp pivots side to side, but shade height is not adjustable.

Adjustable tripod base, topped with a white fabric drum shade. Gunmetal or polished nickel base.

Sturdy iron base, cotton shade. Simple assembly. 150W bulb (not included). UL listed. Polished nickel with white shade.

Cascades of natural shell above a polished-metal base. 100W bulb (not included). UL listed. Simple assembly.

Mod geometric base and white fabric shade. Wood construction. UL listed. Chocolate zebrawood veneer base.

Sturdy iron base, cotton shade. UL listed. Black nickel with black shade.

Cool, modern illumination. Faux leather-wrapped iron base, topped with a white cotton shade. Simple assembly.

modern dressers & armoires

Space, cubed. This collection features gliding drawers and makes a statement in clean, geometric lines. Select styles are available in chocolate, white and blonde.Please select a product before continuing.

Clean-cut cool. The clean, simple lines of the Hudson collection contain several roomy drawers that open on wood gliders. Choose from acorn and chocolate.Please select a product before continuing.

Get more room in every room with our latest storage pieces including stylish side tables and mirrored cabinets.Please select a product before continuing.

Building block chic. Pieces in the Low Platform collection look as if they're floating in the room. They work well with our platform bed. Available in chocolate, blonde and gray.Please select a product before continuing.

This clean, modern collection is the first and last word in minimal chic. It comes in 6 or 3 drawer models and a night stand. Available in chocolate.Please select a product before continuing.

Fabulous legs. The Narrow Leg storage collection is known for its shapely, angular legs and smart metal drawer pulls. Choose from chocolate, white, blonde and acorn.Please select a product before continuing.

Intersecting lines of metal. Hardwood construction. Pieces coordinate with our metal-inlay headboard. Simple assembly. Chocolate.

Shaker chic, with clean, straightforward lines and substantial presence. Wood construction. All pieces are designed to complement our headboards and bed frames. Drawers open on smooth metal glides. Fully assembled. Chocolate finish.

modern table lamps

A new angle on illumination. Resin base, white cotton shade

Sturdy iron base, cotton shade. Simple assembly. 100W bulb (not included). UL listed. Polished nickel with white shade or black nickel with black shade.

Gray glass base with white cotton shade or antiqued gold base with natural linen shade. Simple assembly.

A fringe of translucent natural shells, cut and strung by hand. Polished-nickel base. Simple assembly.

Wood base and a fabric shade. 100W bulb (not included). UL listed. Mushroom, cinnabar or chocolate base with white shade.

Lighting in the round for table or floor. Spherical base in silver glass is topped with an oh-so-tall white fabric shade; also available in clear-glaze ceramic base

Mod geometric base and white fabric shade. Wood construction. UL listed. Chocolate zebrawood veneer base.

Frosted-glass base with white textured cotton shade.

Natural capiz, reimagined as luminous lighting. Shells laminated over wood base, topped with a fabric shade. UL listed. Gray/platinum or ivory/white.

Adjustable base, topped with a white fabric drum shade. Gunmetal base or polished nickel.

Reflective metal base and white fabric shade.

modern wall decor

A beautiful Japanese cherry blossom tree is given a touch of flair with the addition of abstract rectangular panels in a modern styling. The vivid use of color really shines with the gold, copper, and silver finishes that combine in this piece. Add this lovely modern wall sculpture to your home for an updated look.

Decorative wall sculpture
Constructed of iron
Black with brushed Gold finish
Overall dimensions: 32" H x 53.625" W x 4" D

Decorative art sculpture
Hand painted
Solid iron
An arrangement of cat tails
Overall dimensions: 24.75" H x 27.5" W x 4" D

Decorative metal wall sculpture
Brown metal finish
Metal construction
Overall dimensions: 39" H x 36.75" W x 3.5" D

Decorative metal wall sculpture
Green finish
Metal construction
Overall dimensions: 18" H x 31.5" W x 2" D

Decorative metal wall sculpture
Hand-painted multicolored finish
Metal construction
Overall dimensions: 40.13" H x 17.75" W x 3" D

This decorative wall art will add style to any wall it's displayed on. Its neutral color scheme will compliment any decor in your home. This decorative metal wall arts will add a strong, yet elegant feel to any room in your home.

Bring in color, style and cheer to your home with the Out-of-the-Box Wall Hanging in mustard. This original and hip wall hanging features twisted abaca and fun mustard color that express imagination and creativity. Mix and match as many panels as you wish in various colors from the same collection to distinguish your own personal style.

A great decor solution for the mechanically inclined or for those who just wish to be, this clock is for you. With a rugged design of oversized sprockets, this wall sculpture is constructed out of hand painted metal.

Decorative wall art
Constructed of metal
Muiltiple colors
Overall dimensions: 27.5" H x 42" W x 2.875" D