A robbery would certainly cast a pall over things for a good long time so it's not surprising that you're feeling glum! Any insurance coverage on that horsebox and contents....?

I think this past lousy winter is also casting a general pall on garden spirits. I know our winter was different than yours but that both were abnormal and depressing. When I was walking around the garden yesterday, looking at empty places that need filling; dead things that still need removing or hard pruning; weeds that have moved into empty places; plus the normal editing and pruning that needs doing any year, etc., etc. it all made me just feel tired rather than excited about opportunities to try new things/improve the garden. So I sympathize with you - and hope that this garden apathy is a passing thing that will disappear - or moderate at least! - when more normal weather reappears - if it does!

We did try to find out about insurance....but was met with general laughter ....which figures - an off-grid horsebox deep in woodland. So yep, a massive set-back. Glad (if you know what I mean) I am not the only one in the doldrums.....I feel exactly like you - a kind of dreary so what.

I did get my austrian scythe out (all the petrol tools had gone but they didn't bother with the scythes) and (ieffectually) flail about cutting the grass - after a quarter acre or so, my arm was dropping off....and the grass just looked flattened rather than cleanly chopped despite doing a full-on zumba routine on it for what felt like hours (but was probably only 40minutes or so) - my respect for neolithic man with stone tools, increases daily. They cleared more or less the whole of Britain, chopping down ancient wildwood with adzes and flint.....so why are we so flummoxed by a few acres of bramble?

Sometimes I wonder what I would do if I could "do it all over". start from scratch. Some of the things I would do are
Have a mortar patio and not one in stone dust. (all the weeds in between)
Select good perennials that do not reseed or run amuck.
Stop the garden and not keep ADDING ON.
In other words.. KISS keep it simple stupid.
But then>>>I would still want all the new and different things that come out and I would be frustrated.

But starting from scratch because a vision changes or age and the possibility of waning physical abilities sets in is a lot different than starting from scratch because someone stole all your tools - making much of what one wants/needs to do daunting, at best.

I'm sorry for this misfortune, Camp.

I too am so sorry to hear, and hope your blues leave you soon.....

Sorry to hear about the burglary, Campanula. That's so dispiriting. But apart from the frustration and annoyance you're right. A wood will sit there quietly waiting until you regain some energy. Unlike an allotment it will not hurt to miss a season of attention. Anyway, Winter is peak wood management time. So why not just use it for a few picnics with a few beers until October?

Strangely, I also have next to no redcurrants. Do you have a theory?

It is turning into a completely rubbish year for fruit tbh.
I suspect lack of winter chill - I certainly hope that is what did for the cherry - ironically after we finally bit the bullet and built a massive timber fruit cage around it in situ - cost a bomb....but we were thinking of the pounds and pounds of lush cherries we hardly ever manage to harvest. There is, however, a smaller Sweetheart which is producing a good if tiny crop (only 3/4 years in the ground but I have horrible feelings about our lapins cherry). I can't see properly (jungle - not looking forward to picking) but suspect the blackcurrant crop might be diminished too. Could have all gone into temporary biennial mode because last year was a storming berry year....so they could just be taking a rest. Some of the apples certainly are.The rhubarb also cocked its clogs....although it was very, very old and and our forcing experiments last year probably did it in....and the plums had massive leasf-curling aphid attacks (I had to cave and get the chemical armory out here as it was dying before my eyes). Raspberries have some virus (this is my 4th attempt, all over the allotment - my last good crop was 7/8 years ago, so am giving up on these and starting at the woods, along with blackcurrants (because I know the days of mine are numbered - the entire allotment harbours big bud so it is a race to crop something before reversion sets in and it's game over.. The strawberries though......absolutely massive crops, millions of them in 2 huge beds. They are gorgeous but I am sick to death of them after a couple of weeks and I don't like strawberry jam at all.
OTOH, the nuts are promising......almonds and hazels.

Yes, I am certainly planning beers.......

Sorry to hear about the burglary loss, Camp; also your gardening/crop problems.

Gardening seems to be about holding all sorts of problems back. Some are very difficult to have any influence over at all; e.g. for me, the silver maple trees on my neighbour's and on the township's property.

Bloody buggers, I hate thieves. We had our car stolen once, it made us feel paranoid and violated. I'm wondering if anyone else out there got hit?

Also sounds like you have an acute case of Garden Overload with too many projects needing attention at once. When I get like that it helps to try not look at all of the jobs but just concentrate on one or two, see them through then do the next but then I do get overwhelmed easily. If I look at the whole wad of wax at once I get lost and seem to go around in aimless circles not really doing any of them like a spastic ball bouncing around. I probably look crazy when I'm like that. I'm no multi-tasker. Ugh, I just used one of those awful modern phrases I detest.

I was in a crummy mood today too, a bit of delayed reaction syndrome as I got galled at the gall of it and ticked off royally in fact. I'd started fuming over ugly business the other day so I got ruthless with thinning, weeding and attacked all the "to hell with it, I've decided I don't like it" plants which I pulled out with gusto. Made me feel a whole lot better. I can't believe I can let nonsense like that roll around in my head but its pretty flushed out now. T.Ranger had a mental chat all day with GP1 (may she rest in peace) who agreed 100% that some things are too stupid, petty and crazy making to think about.

Here's hoping your condition is temporary, the thieves get their
come-upence and you don't get robbed again.