Further progress...

....albeit small. This morning I was able to put on my own pop socks( still can't manage tights) hurrah!! DH said he was already beginning to feel redundant, but within a minute of him saying that I had to have help to put on my bra! And I still can't manage a cardi, jumper or jacket, so he still has his job as chief dressing helper!
But each little act of progress gives me such a happy feeling. My next hospital appointment is Nov 2nd, so I wonder what the x-ray will show? I am ever hopeful...

Around here the leaves are changing colour, autumn is truly here. I was remembering the excitement one year of my year 6 class in a school in Basildon, when I showed them how we could use the fallen leaves for printing and making patterns. Some of the children did some very pretty and attractive pictures, I wonder where those children are now? It was over 20 years ago, they'd all be 30 something now? Happy times for me! Do any of you reminisce about times past?

XX

Still knitting and good news...

 .... well good news to me. Today I have for the first time eaten a yogurt using  my right arm!! First time for 18months, does this mean my arm is healing? 4 weeks ago, because of various life threatening side effects notified to me by my own Dr, I stopped taking a high dose of dichlofenic, an anti-inflammatory drug. I thought I wouldn't be able to go without them; I have been taking them for years. It was suggested by the rep. of the Exergen treatment  (Ultra sonic treatment that I had last year, that failed),  that NSAIDS hinder healing..(Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( are a drug class that groups together drugs that provide analgesic (pain-killing) and antipyretic (fever-reducing) effects, and, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory effects.) At first I noticed my shoulder pain was worse,  but my knees for which I was taking them were no worse! And suddenly other things were good, no headaches and no constipation (I know you wanted to know  that, sorry !!)  So all in all it was a good thing to give them up. I just have two paracetamol at bed time. And today lifting up my arm to eat was a real air punching fist moment.. YEH!! (with my left arm!)

 

And life goes on.. into my 18th month..

I have tried to keep busy, a pair of socks for me..

And another pair on the go for a friend...

Being able to lift my right arm means I can use my machine, so it's a date for next week!

I am singing and almost back to my old polly-anna happy self.. I say nearly because today I jammed my finger in the door and burst into tears.. just a small hitch I said to DH but I had a kiss better and a wonderful hug.

XX

 

 

 

Arm news....

Not good news at the hospital, there is no change in my arm, none what so ever! I burst into tears and as it was only the registrar, I asked to see the consultant,  so he got Mr Ray. He has suggested an op in a couple of months time with him and another surgeon and at the same time have a complete shoulder replacement, it will be a big long op he said.. I asked could I wait till after Christmas so at least I can use my arm Christmas time,  as I am now, because with the other ops I was back to square one each time and not able to use my arm and of course a lot of pain.  It will at the  Middlesex hospital. So I am to have an appointment in 5 weeks time with both surgeons to discuss the op. and what are the complications etc.. so I haven't got a choice unless I want to stay as I am. We came home and I had a quick drink of water, grabbed the dog and went to the park as it is a glorious day here and I walked and walked, we had a coffee in the café, which was very good, never had one there before and then home and the sun shone the whole time! 
But I was miserable and very red eyed!!

One thing I discussed with DH is my attitude to exercise.. I don't like it but a lot of my problems is my mind set, I don't get up in the mornings thinking 'a walk.' I think what craft can I manage with my arm today?.. so if I want to lose  a substantial amount of weight, I need to move myself. I am well into the Slimming World food plan and liking it, and more importantly I am losing weight regularly, so walking it is.. tomorrow we have planned a visit to my favourite place.. Southend. The promenade is flat and easy to walk on although Sunday we did take a detour, so I walked a little way up the side that rises through the grassed area and beautifully maintained flower beds to the top that over looks the prom. There is an amazing round flower bed there, which is a clock! So watch this space.. 14 weeks till Christmas a chance to lose at least a stone, and I will, I am determined!!!

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So what is this going to be?

 I am working on this, I wonder if anyone can guess what it will be?

It is not a blanket!

 

We are still working on our jigsaw. We had a break as we had Dh's  mum here for 12 days to stay so we didn't do any then and she was happy to eat at one end of the table as the jigsaw was the other end! There will be a photo when it is finished, which we hope to do soon. I have asked my #1DS for one for crimbo! Anyone else ask for presents or do you like a surprise?

xx

 

 

Keeping me happy and busy

A jigsaw, it's a French river era scene and 1000 pieces and is so difficult.  But it is something I can do with only one working arm, and very enjoyable.

Different coloured houses with shutters on a hill over looking the sea. We have completed more than this, but it isn't finished yet, as we have had a week away in beautiful Southwold again.

We had such a lovely time, sunshiny happiness  every day. It was relaxing, I walked, one day 1.2 miles, we ate tasty food, crab was my favourite, I slept well and was woken by the gulls each morning. A perfect summer seaside holiday, our forth this last year!

We will carry on with our jigsaw and I am going to ask for a 1000 piece one for my birthday; I hadn't ever thought of that before. Do any of you complete jigsaws?

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At last a finish!!

I don't think I have ever been so long knitting a pair of socks, but at last I've finished these. A slightly longer leg part as they are for my cousin who wears wellies,  when she walks her friend's dog across the fields.

Now to do some crocheting, which is easier with my arm.

Arm news? It's more or less the same I haven't got an appointment to see the surgeon till the end of September, so I just have to wait and see. My patience is running out and although people show sympathy, no one really knows what it is like for me.

I can be a miserable old cow some days, thank God I have such a lovely DH

 

Happy Days!!

 

Ta-da !!

I have actually sewn myself a dress.. it seemed easy when I thought about it.

Just 2 pieces, front and back, no sleeves.

(Front)

The neck and arm holes are faced with bias tape and then 2 rows of top stitching.

I had problems cutting out the material as I can't move my arm forward, but I just kept moving the material till it was near me. Then placing the foot of the machine onto the seam to stitch with my right hand proved difficult because I needed my left hand to put the foot down.

But I managed and I am very pleased with the result. A loose dress, with half ties to give it some shape. Three buttons on the front add a little to off set the plainness of the style.

(Back showing the ties)

Not quite straight on the hanger, the hem is level when it's on. 

Actually I am very pleased I have been able to sew,  although my arm was aching last night, it was worth it. I kept thinking I have done some sewing... yeh!!!

XX

 

 

I haven't been idle!

Another pair of socks for #2GS.. These have a plain colour for the welt, heel and toe.

I like knitting them in that colour combination.

And he likes them too.

I always get a kick when I phone and he says, ' Grandma I am wearing your socks!'

And a second sock on my needles for my cousin, who walks in the countryside, so these are for her wellies!

And block 1 of that BOM I wrote about weeks ago.

There is still a little embroidery to finish on this one.

And plenty of fabric left to complete this small display quilt.  I think I will be a while finishing this! As it was a block a month, perhaps I could discipline myself to stitch one each month. There isn't much sewing needed, it's the embroidery that takes the time. 

Yesterday I made a cake, first one for over a year... I should write a book on what you can do when you're forced to become a one handed  'lefty'!!LOL

You can find the cake here,  on my new blog.

I am feeing a lot more positive about my arm

Thank you to all my on line friends for your good wishes and prayers.

XX

 

 

Been AWOL for weeks!!

It's been a while since I have written anything but we have been away. A week in my home town Porthcawl in Wales. We enjoyed ourselves even though we had rain some days, Nell didn't care, she loves the beach.

Since home I have done some one handed weeding, quite difficult as I always feel I will over balance. but the garden is beginning to look really nice again.

On the landing windowsill my orchids have continued to flower...

 

 

 

And this is our first lettuce from the garden, a Webbs Wonder which hearted up and was crunchy and delish. We ate it tonight with cold chicken, and English toms, grated carrot, cucumber finely sliced, sweet corn and crushed new potato, very nice.

We left our tomatoes in the green house when we went away with upside down lemonade bottles, with a needle hole in each neck, filled them with water and they were fine, so we won't mind leaving them again.

I haven't sewn my quilt,  but have knitted a pr of socks and have one done of a second pair. I suddenly had this urge to finish my knitting WIPs

My arm is more or less the same, still useless, so depressing. I have blood tests tomorrow checking on my vit.D and B12 levels. I have taken the 4 week dose of vit D3. so hope that shows improvement. It is now 14 1/2 months since I broke my right arm!!

 

So  now we're out of the EU but life goes on; I am walking every day and have a new pretty walking stick as my third leg,  as I kept feeling I would fall again,  so this has given me confidence and I can fairly fly along with it.  My new pedometer records my steps, aerobic steps, miles and calories.. the most I did in one day was 1.4 miles but had a few rests through the walk. And although I managed to lose a pound in weight when we were away, I put on 2 1/2 the week we came back!  

It's been lovely to read all your blogs, sorry I haven't commented but I have admired the work you all do and love all the .... we're trying to save and be frugal blogs.. it makes me feel we're blasé about shopping, we buy what we like regardless of cost most  weeks.

Stay happy.

 

XX

 

My Real Children ( Book review)

‘My Real Children’ by Jo Walton

If I had looked fully at the description of this book as being Sc-fi Fantasy I wouldn’t have picked it up at the library. I just looked at the author bit and read she was from Wales, but now living in Canada born 1964, the same year as my daughter, who is also called Jo, although I always call her Joanne and she too was born in Wales. I have silly reasons why I chose certain books. But omgosh I really liked this book. Even before the story started to unfold, I knew it was a book I would enjoy, because it was written well, no silly long facile descriptions of what people were wearing, which I hate and is often found in some books which I close unread after the first few pages.

It opens with the old Patricia very confused,  in a nursing home remembering her life but which life pathway was real? Patricia, Patty, Patsy, Pat or Tricia, Trish, all the same woman. But two different lives, all decided by an answer to a question, one answer ‘yes’, the other ‘never. That really is the crux of this story; how one decision, one answer, can shape a whole lifetime, and the lives of those who come next. How generations of one family can be formed because of what one single person decided to do. The two stories then run concurrently, a chapter at a time.

Who is Patricia? Is she Trish, or is she Pat? Was she married with a family, a supply teacher and homemaker, or was she a bohemian travel writer, fighting for her rights and determined to live her life as she wants to? Both of these women have a wonderfully intricate story to tell and Jo Walton has so cleverly created two hugely different lives. I loved both Pat, lesbian with partner Bee and Tricia down trodden wife of a sod of a husband. It is cleverly interweaved with the history of the fifties through to present time, but also fiction, which are absolutely fascinating. For example, we read of Pat struggling to get a mortgage in the 1950’s as a single woman; of her liberation from her husband, Mark and childbirth with the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1961 but also of ‘Prince Charles and Princess Camilla’ and of couples getting married on the moon.
In one narrative we are in a world where John F. Kennedy was killed by a bomb in 1963, and in the other, transported to a world where Kennedy chose not to run in 1964 after an escalated Cuban Missile Crisis led to the nuclear obliteration of Miami and Kiev. In one, by 1985, AIDS and leukaemia could be cured. In the other, Pat loses a son to AIDS and because of the fallout from the nuclear bombs people die of cancers. For me, this is a story that is unique and original and beautiful. It's intriguing and it's confusing, yet it is filled with emotion and passion and characters who are forward-thinking and beyond the norm, yet are realistically portrayed.

A book well worth reading, perhaps more than once, in case some little details are missed. I think Jo Walton must know Italy well as her descriptions are completely delicious and along with Pat and Bee, I absolutely revelled in the art, the architecture, the scenery and the food. I am so glad I chanced upon this book.  I found this a completely fascinating, rich and enthralling read. I think I might look at other books by Jo Walton.

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