It's tough today

Just maybe, @Historylover ...

Can you see the moon this evening? It's a beautifully sized crescent 🌙

I had to go hunting out the front, among all of the tree growth. Thank you, @Kyle1. It is beautiful! 🌜

It certainly is!

What kind of trees do you have out front @Historylover ?

Poplars and bluegums, Blackwood and bungle berries here...

That sounds delightful, @Kyle1. Nothing so exciting here. They are just 'bushy natives', but big enough to block my view. They aren't my trees, so I haven't paid too much attention. They just add to the streetscape.

Hey @Historylover

Sorry you felt you had to pack in the course, but I kinda get how frustrating study can be these days. Yep. It has been good for me to know you.

Going outside to look at that moon.

Oh yes, ... in Latin: "montani fruticosum"

Bet you didn't know you were so learned, didja? 😉 @Historylover

The great thing about natives is (are?) the birds they attract. ...

I know they attract birds, @Kyle1, but I guess it must be my English blood lines that draws me away from natives. They just seem so untidy, so natural!! I just prefer shapes, colour, flowers and textures that speak to beauty of a different kind. I do like natives on others' properties though.

A lover of Avalon types, perhaps @Historylover ...

Has Monty Don done a doco on that one yet?

I'd been tempted to withdraw from the course from the outset, @Appleblossom. It just seemed like a hostile environment, but I was determined not to let them beat me. If they wanted to mark me down, I was going to let them. Nothing was going to stop me. But there was just so much emotion going on—doing assignments to the best of my ability, waiting for grades with bated breath, disagreeing with different things being taught, rubbing teachers the wrong way unintentionally, eye-rolling at antics and methods of some. It just wasn't what I was expecting, but I'm very glad of the experience. It was a lot of fun to test myself like that. But I just don't know how I will go on now. I've lost my purpose.

I was looking for something of interest on Youtube, but education just isn't doing it for me at the moment. I, and my emotions, feel burnt out by it all. I couldn't have managed in class attendance. No car, too taxing and demanding on my health. And online just did my head in. I am used to teaching myself, so that was not a problem, but having to log on to the library, move away, log on again...it really was doing my head in constantly moving about through the site. So, what next?...

P.S. I'd been talking about suicide, not leaving the forum, @Appleblossom. I really am losing my will to fight back. I never win so what's the point?

I do like Monty Don, @Kyle1. I haven't had a garden of my own for decades, except for a few potted plants and a few more indoors. Outdoors get discarded from time to time, and I'm currently enjoying some flowering, potted plants and a disbud chrysanthemum I bought last year at Mother's Day and have been waiting for it to bloom. I can't believe a year has passed. I had no idea what to do with it, but just played it by ear and disbudded dozens of buds. Not enough though. It's got a lot of bunches, rather than giant singles. I just couldn't decide which buds to pinch out. They seemed to be prolific. Of course, the flowers aren't as big, but they are bigger than I was expecting. And it is so lovely to have flowers at my door.

Not familiar with the term 'Avalon', @Kyle1. Garden knowledge accumulates over the years, but when you have a decades long hiatus, you lose what you had and don't gain further knowledge. And I'm a gardener at heart. I used to love landscaping.