Small Achievements

A tired day - the change in weather pressure makes my breathing hard going - so today was all about pacing myself in a slow comfortable way.  But that hasn’t stopped me from smiling ...

What was a very good start, I have some very pretty silver bracelets but have not been able to wear them for over a year as my body has been so fat and bloated from all the high amounts of steroids I have been taking but due to being able to reduce the high dosage.  I have lost some weight and bloating.  I was so pleased when they fitted this morning.

I was teaching dressmaking this morning, even though it was hard to get out of bed, I do so love teaching, the conversation and company.  I LOVE my job!  After the lesson had finished I set about overlocking all the seams I had tacked on a black dress I am making.  I had cut this dress out last week and then was informed that black wasn't being worn but there seems to have been a change of mind.  So I need to crack on with getting the dress made.

This afternoon, when the tiredness really kicked in, I sat in the lounge and continued crocheting my Cupcake Blanket, designed by Lucy at Attic24.  I have crocheted 30 stripes, 60 rows pretty rows.  A third of the blanket, not including the border.  I am loving the colours.

And my final little achievement of the day; every other month I have a little book called ‘Inspiring Women’ delivered to my home.  It is bible study notes, written by women for women.  I have used these little books for quite a number of years and find most of the monthly courses just as it is titled inspiring.  However, when  the July/August edition arrived, I filed it in a very safe place and have subsequently missed a whole month of study.  But I made a concerted effort to look for the book this morning and I was so chuffed when I found it in the middle of lots of sewing ‘stuff’!  Tomorrow is the first of the month and I can start a fresh.

Lots of little things that have made me smile today.  What has made you smile?

Take care of yourselves xx

Lots of emotion

Well that month disappeared - puff and it was gone!  We have had three very poorly people all being admitted into hospital, 3 different hospitals too.  It has been horrid and scary and also very sad.  We have a funeral to attend on Friday; with a wake and flowers and chats to the priest, life has been slightly more busy than usual.  The coming together as a family, supporting each other and generally being there for each other has got us through.  It hasn’t all been sad - when there is a six month old grandson to entertain - living has to go on and what a gem he is 💙

We have had more cherries than ever before and even better, we managed to beat picking them before our resident blackbird got them!  They taste wonderful - these little things help to make us smile too.

Sleeping Ski

Yesterday’s full moon ... beautiful ...

A busy day today!  Hannah has all been clipped and groomed - she will feel so much more comfortable, now that she has had lots of fur chopped off.  I tried to bribe her with (dog) biscuits, so that she would let me take a lovely photo of her all clean and pretty.  The clever girl kept taking the biscuits and disappearing - I will try again tomorrow.

Next, I had an appointment at The Great Western Hospital with an oral consultant, a new one to me.  Mr Allen who was such a lovely man, retired a few months ago, so this must be one of his replacements.  He was very nice and very informative and answered some questions that I was much braver this time to ask about.  I have to go back in 4 months, which was a bit of a surprise but I am aware my mouth feels very sore to my tongue but thankfully because of the steroids I take, I cant actually feel much.

Poppy, is my chauffeur today!  We then zoomed between J15 - J16 of the M4, to collected Hannah from the groomers.  We also bought dog food and cat litter, a very important combo.

We then dropped Hannah off at home and went back to Wyevale, which is where the pet shop and groomers is based.  I wanted to go to the quilting shop - oh my goodness I fell in LOVE with two lots of fat quarters.  I have forgotten to take photos and I am up stairs in bed now - so I will take some pictures tomorrow.

Then we dropped into Barclays Bank, I had £44.00 of old £10, £5 notes and £4 worth of old pound coins, which got paid into my bank account - which helped to go towards all the fabric I had just purchased!!

Then the treat of the day, Poppy drove us to Old Town (Swindon) to the Baguette Bar, where we both a very scrumptious coronation chicken and tomato baguette each,

Home to eat our lunch and then we sat down and watched the first episode of the second series of The Handmaiden Tales drama on I have recorded.

At this point Poppy went off to work and I got equipment and techniques ready to teach.

A bit of a full on day for me - extremely tired but not quite in the same amount of pain having had 10ml of morphine!!

A very tired but chilled Ski ...

This made my day

Our local Parish Council has a Facebook presence.  Yesterday I noticed a post; asking for submissions of photographs, so that the parish council administration team could up date the Facebook cover photo.  A very serious and incredibly talented photographer submitted two very good photos.  One I thought was maybe a little bit busy but the other photo I believed was spot on.  However, I decided to chance my luck!  My photo was taken on my phone, while Noel was driving at approximately 50 mph along the A4361. We had come up the hill and out of the village, travelling towards Avebury, just past the Broad Hinton turn off - when the yellow of the Rape Seed Oil fields just ‘sung’ out against the hazy blue sky.  And yes you have guessed correctly my photo was picked.  It will be upload tomorrow, while also giving me the credit.  Now - picture me with the biggest smile possible.  

Down Hill Racing!

It has been a warm day and we are due to have a warm week.  It is lovely except we just aren’t given the time to get adjusted to the heat before it all changes again!  However, lets make hay while the sun shines - as they say.

And talking of hay or probley better to say crops - we have a new crop circle.

And the down hill racing - well it definitely is not me!!  This is my son; Toby racing at Bala, Wales over the weekend.  He has been doing all sorts of cycling; mountain bike, down hill, road racing since his teenage years.  If I am well enough, Noel and I are going to try and watch him race this weekend near Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

Enjoy the sunshine and remember to look after yourselves in this weather xx

Sew Sunday

Beautiful weather we are having - I enjoyed sitting in my garden in my pyjamas - well that is resting, isn’t it?

I decided to do lots of different crafts, that needed to be done; I have sandwiched a play mat together, the darker green fabric is the bottom and the farm animals are the top layer, with 4oz wadding in the middle - now just a simple quilting pattern before using a (I think) yellow bias binding.  The fabrics were picked by Noel, when he went with a ‘Jacky’ shopping list and a 20% off voucher to Hobbycraft.  The fabrics were not on the list but didn’t he do well?

I sewed the ends into my finished knitting - Hitchhiker Shawl

Made five more stitch markers - I didn’t quite have enough for another knitting project I am working on.  I wound the sterling silver wire around a metal die (that Noel made for me, to my specifications!), so that I could then cut my own jump rings. I cover the join in the jump ring, with a bead, using a drop of super glue.

I cast on 198 chain stitches for the start of my Cupcake Stripe Blanket, by Lucy at Attic24.

And finally did some; pining, tacking and machine sewing on a jersey top I am making for myself.  There will be a ‘Show and Tell’, later in the week.

Noel cooked us a nice (Waitrose pizza) for tea and we made the most of the warm weather and ate alfresco.

And lastly I noticed this leaf - which I assure you is a mulberry bush leaf and not what it looks like and growing my own medication - LOL!

Enjoy your week xx

A Picnic - of sorts

I had big plans for today!  I wanted to go and see the ceramic poppy display at the Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson. Then take a drive to Weston Beach to collect some suitable pebbles for decorating and while we were at the beach - to take in the view and have a picnic.

Poppies Tour

Ha - well like all my big plans - it didn’t go to plan at all - NOT AT ALL!

I had a fidgety night, in pain and hot, cold and visa versa.  Woke up in a pickle, just not feeling great at all. Then I vomited, this was the last straw of lots of other little issues - something was going on with my heart and it wasn’t good.

I wanted to shower and put easy comfy clothes on before Noel took me to hospital.  I wasn’t particularly poorly at this point but I was so tired and I just kept feeling dizzy, with pins and needles down my left arm a pain in my back.  I was also aware of my heart - I couldn’t take it for granted and just ignore it like we all do for thousands of beats a day, every day.

I had to wait a little while in the waiting room.  I probably delayed my own admission because another lady was in so much pain she just didn’t know what to do with herself.  So I wheeled myself over to her and held her hand (not a sensible thing to do, taking my autoimmune issues into  account) but I couldn’t just sit and watch and listen to her in so much pain.  She was eventually sick over the floor and it was at this point she was taken into triage - quickly.  I went back to Noel and just rested my head on his shoulder and dozed.  It wasn’t to long a wait and I was then called into ‘Majors’.

Bloods taken, blood pressure, oxygen levels, respiratory rate, temperature and an ECG was performed.  My blood pressure was high and my ECG was not right!  I felt vindicated when, what I am feeling is shown to be true - silly I know.  But I would hate to think I was wasting time (and money) by being a hypochondriac.

The visit for me, was quick, just six hours - I needed repeat blood tests plus a chest x-ray before the ok to going home could be discussed.  My blood tests showed my potassium was slightly low - so I was given two fizzy, foul tasting potassium tablets - yuck!

So what the ECG was showing, was a blip - one of the ventricules was being squeezed while empty, due to the previous heart beat not having enough time for the blood to flow from the top, down to the bottom chamber.  This in turn was not sending blood out to the body, so my head would go dizzy and I just felt weird!  The doctors didn’t think I had a heart attack - there was no indication from any of the tests and x-ray to say I had.  Dr. Tim and I discussed the way forward; normally beta blockers would be prescribed however they have the opposite effect of salbutamol, so as a chronic asthmatic, this wasn’t going to work.  We therefore decided as I had been so poorly this last week, that we would see if the symptoms just went away! Instead of added medication on top of medication which can have lots of its own issues. I was then discharged home to rest - but let’s be honest I do an awful lot of resting!!

This sort of picnic was not in my plans for today!

A very rare sight - and only for a split second; no trolleys!

A very busy monitor ...

A mad Ski sat in my chair - photo xxx