Friday 31 July 2015

Five On Friday

First a thank you to Amy for allowing me to join in..
My first Five things are because of my present predicament. On the 14th April 2015 I tripped over ‘nothing?’ and broke my humerus bone in my right arm. I am right handed, so my five things are some very simple basic actions you can’t do with just one arm/hand.  Of course there is no driving, stitching, knitting, crochet, or sewing. No cooking, or housework except dusting, no lifting, no gardening. I can’t even steer the vacuum with just my left hand, make up a bed or do the washing except I can load the machine but can’t lift the washing basket. I can load and unload the dishwasher. And I can swish round the bathroom but have problems pulling on a rubber glove onto my left hand.
 So my DH literary does everything! He is my ‘Superman!’
Until you can’t do these things you don’t know how you just took it all for granted.
1.    Each morning you can hear me call to DH down stairs, ‘I‘m ready for my bra please’… because You can’t do up a bra with one hand. I didn’t wear one for 12 weeks and now my DH does it for me.
2.   The ignominy of one handedness is …… You can’t push off and pull up knickers, much too painful to use my broken arm . One of the first times I decided to wear a pair, I struggled to get them up, swore (I am afraid to admit) .. and then??? Tears of frustration as they were on back to front. Screams that frightened the dog, foot stamping and more tears. DH arrived in the bedroom and quietly and calmly pulled them off and I stepped into them and in a trice my personal bits were covered! So now I still go without in the house and have only just started wearing them in the last four weeks when we go out.
3.  The frustration when you can’t undo tops on bottles and jars, so my DH obliges. So there is no sneaking into the peanut butter when I am in the kitchen. It’s DH’s as officially I am not supposed to like it, but I tasted it once and yum yum!!
4.  It’s all very well being able to use your left hand but you don’t feel you clean your teeth properly. There is an awkwardness, so I have changed my toothpaste to one that contains bicarb. Tastes horrible, but with my electric toothbrush it’s a lot better and my teeth feel clean.
5.  And you could starve!!!  Fat chance of that! LOL…. Because You can’t cut up your food, DH cuts the meat and I struggle with the veg, but I use a spoon for things like rice and other foods, because otherwise I drop bits of food! And as for chasing those last bits of food around your plate, I give up and eat Indian style (with my fingers!)
 
It’s not just awkward using my left hand but trying to

 use my right arm is still painful 16weeks on.
There is one benefit to all this, my finger nails are

spectacular and last weekend I went for a manicure

and had them painted a orangey-pink, they look

amazing, well I think they do. My right hand is swollen

 and this too prevents me stitching as I cant hold a

needle.



 


I hope you have found my Five things of interest and perhaps funny, but I hope in a month or so time I will have use of my right arm again, I have missed it so much.

Watch out for Five on Friday to start again in September.
XX
 
 

Wednesday 29 July 2015

9 Years today!!

It was a very hot and sunny day nine years ago when Mike and I married.
I had the hat made for a previous friends wedding and so just had to add some aqua feathers to the white ones to match my outfit.

Don't know why the photo is on the squiff!!  It was a very happy day and it has been a very, very happy nine years.
 DH and I were email friends, we started writing to each other in 2004. I had changed schools in 2002 and suddenly found I needed computer skills so bought my first laptop. Playing around I found a penpal site and DH was one of six people I choose to write to. We agreed to meet when DH and I had been writing for a year and a year later we married.
It has been a real blessing meeting him and I say a silent prayer of thanks hundreds of times each week and 'I love you' to him every day
 
I still write to two ladies, one in Australia who we stayed with for a few days when we visited there. And the other lives in UK and we fill pages with talk all about gardens and families..
Hope all my blogging friends have been blessed with a loving happy relationship too.
 
XX

Saturday 25 July 2015

Such a wonderful day with a wonderful grand daughter

Saskia Christine Amelia. B.Sc
My lovely grand daughter proudly standing tall for her degree ceremony, and so she should having got a 2:1
We had such a good time. She had planned and organised the day for us and then all the family met up in the evening for dinner.
She will be 21 next month, where did those years go to?
She was a beautiful baby and she has grown into a beautiful young woman, with a talent for putting people at ease and keeping her brothers in check!!
Here we are together.
 
 
 And her brothers taller than me these days.
You can see my ugly brace in this pic!
And all the family, proud parents and the other G/parents.
We had such a super time, and the three days away were like a mini holiday.
I came home tired but very, very happy
XX
 

Saturday 18 July 2015

The answer was NO......

.....when I asked could I have the brace off! My little face showed my disappointment and it was hard not to burst into tears.
But the Dr explained that while I was still experiencing pain, it hadn't healed sufficiently to go without the brace.
He has suggested some ultrasound treatment as I have already been 15 weeks, however as it is a costly treatment his dept. has to request funding!
We were there nearly three hours, but as  I had  requested to attend a hospital near to where we live, we didn't have to drive to Colchester but attended at Basildon. So we did do a little bit of shopping in Basildon.
And I bought Harper Lee's new book, and also her one other book
'To Kill A Mockingbird.'
Like most people I have seen the film and I saw a stage version which was amazing.
I needed to re-read it, and I am loving it all over again. 

 
I can't wait to start reading this new book written it seems before 'To Kill A Mockingbird.'
Although all the reviews suggest that Atticus, now in his seventies is racist;
I can only think of him as the upright, quiet man who strove to give his children Jem and Scout a view of life that was honest and fair and who treated the black people with respect. Will I change my mind?
When I am reading this is who I see............
Ahhhhh...... didn't he play the part right into our hearts??
 
 Thank you for all your kind comments, I will try to do some stitching again this coming week and it is my 7th blogaversary this month so as soon as I am able I will be doing a give-away
  
XX
 

Sunday 12 July 2015

I am still here

 
Just a short hello to say I am still here struggling with my broken arm! I have a hospital appointment next Tuesday and I am hoping that I will have this brace off. It will be 15 weeks.. The last few weeks I have tried to do more but as my hand is very swollen it is impossible to do much. No further stitching as I can't hold the needle with my swollen fingers.
Still I have enjoyed watching the tennis, although it would have been even better if Andy had won!
I have looked at some beautiful blogs, so many talented women who display their work wonderfully and take superb photos. I can't wait to be back to stitching, sewing, knitting and crocheting.. in fact I have looked longingly at so many quilting sites and yarn sites, which have given me some super ideas, can't wait!!

 
And of course if I hadn't had my DH I wouldn't have coped. He has patiently helped me dress, listened to my moans and encouraged me when I have cried in frustration and taken me off for picnics and walks to help with my 'fedupness' of being in the house and unable to do the simplest of things.
He has cooked, done the housework, although I can do the dusting and tidying, it takes me ages. He has washed the clothes, done the ironing and gardened. 
I can never thank him enough.
He has been an absolute love!
xx