We are entirely into the gardening season, and I am protecting my wildflowers that grow along my front wall with polite signs (and additional cartoon butterflies), asking neighbours kindly not to “weed”.  I am the only person along my row of terraces to allow the flowers to grow freely. Last year, we had red admirals breeding in the low-lying pellatory-of-the wall and plenty of solitary bees and wasps foraging among the dandies and groundsels. This year,  a tiny aubretia appeared from nowhere. I hope they grow into a fine clump of purple.

I understand gardening, and even farming, sometimes require us to make choices in confined places. Who do we allow to grow in order to save others? The balances are difficult, given Britain’s appalling declines in wilder species and their flolocas. Instead of using the words “weeds” and “weeding”, I want us to use alternatives that are more compassionate and positive – less derogatory and prejudiced. I offer “spulling” (selective pulling) at least, as the verb to describe the activity – we spull some wildflowers when they are too dominant over others, for instance, in order to save vegetables, crops, or other flowers we might be encouraging. As kin, we may choose to transplant them to places where they may thrive. In my community flolocas, there are no weeds, just herbs, wildflowers, flowers, plants…

I have “retired” from Twitter after 12 years. But I have an Instagram account @wordlycreations, where I offer more of my neologisms. I hope to “see” you there one day. Meanwhile, seemingly stuck between a rock and a hard place, I know I have cancer again (at least, a small tumour in the breast), but I don’t yet know the type of cancer and any treatment plan (more spulling, I hope). That is until tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I’ll know more.

Whatever the outcome, just knowing can help manage daily acceptance. My acceptance is to continue loving and living, do what I am best advised to do by the experts, and trust in the life-saving, healing processes once more.  This isn’t a fight, more a (rocky) path I need to travel. I hope it takes me to good living communities full of beautiful wildflowers, their valued symbiotic bacteria/fungi, and their gorgeous pollinating friends.

With fluministic love, Ginny x

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