And then there were two and some tulips!

I have slowly worked at knitting this second sock. They look matched colour wise, but I didn't attempt to match them, it means wasting so much wool.

I am pleased with them and they will be very nice to wear in the evenings when I kick off my shoes and pull off my pop socks.

 I also managed to hand sew the borders on these for my tulip quilt, which I started before I broke my arm. I had a few problems cutting out the border strips. I can just about reach forward with arm holding the rotary cutter but I don't have enough pressure in my arm to cut through the fabric so with close supervision, Dh cut it for me.

I am going to attempt to machine the coloured squares to see if I can finish it. My #2DS and his BH would like it for their motor home, in which they travel to Spain for the summers. This is it in the book, ' Quilty Fun,' by Lori Holt.

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One done and one on the way!

I can knit socks because the shorter needles don't get

caught in my sling.

 

These are going to be bed socks for me. The yarn is Regia 'Baby Smiles' 4ply. 75% wool, 25%polyamide, so machine washable. Sold in 50g balls which I bought from Wool Warehouse.
I try to keep myself doing something in the evenings as it keeps me from fancying something to eat. Yes I am still trying to lose weight. At the moment I am not losing,
 I am not gaining but not losing.
But the start of 2017 has not been a good year for me, I have been more ill in these first few months, than I have ever been. I've had visits to A&E, the out of hours Dr, and my own Dr who is very nice and umpteen blood tests. Some very unpleasant blood needles stuck into me, but when you get older, you are much more likely to tell Junior Drs very loudly when they are sticking needles in you that hurt. And I did, very loudly!! My Dh was wincing with my every yell. I have certainly had my money's worth of the NHS and I can't praise Basildon hospital enough. Very good care and very nice Drs and nurses, albeit the junior one I first saw needed to practise taking blood on someone else!! I am beginning to feel  better.
As well as not being well, our house buying and selling fell through, when the people at the bottom of the chain dropped out the day before contracts were to be exchanged, so we had to cancel our removal firm booked for 31st January. There is another buyer but of course we have to wait for them to go through the house buying process. But we will move in the next month.... hopefully.

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Do you remember?

 

A while ago I asked what you peeps you thought this might be.

It has taken me a quite a few weeks, but here it is. A flat bottomed knitting bag.

It should have some crochet flowers with the lace trim, but I have packed my spare wool so that will have to wait!

I quite like it as it is, it's fully lined, which I had to hand sew as I couldn't manage to use the sewing machine, although I think I could now.

I am using my arm a lot more but not fully, it is still painful. I am booked for a CT and MRI scan middle of February, so things are happening albeit slowly.

Anyway hope you like my new knitting bag.

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A hospital visit.

Today I have been to The London Orthopaedic Hospital to see a consultant who specialises in shoulders and upper arm trauma. She was very nice and quite a young Dr, probably middle thirties.. she wants me to have an MRI scan plus CT scan, then she will see me again.. however she said I will never have 100% use of my arm again, but I already knew that, because I know someone who broke her arm 18 months ago and still can't lift her arm up to her head to style her hair.. This Dr said I might only have use of my arm at waist level and it will be shorter, so I guess I 'll never be able to play the piano again. And probably not drive again,  so not fantastic news, but I could possibly be pain free, which would be good. So I am trying to be positive and I don't have to have the surgery,  but the non invasive treatment is what I am having now, a sling and possibly a brace again, which would mean I will always be like this. I did say I was trying to use my arm as much as possible and she said, yes to do that.
So after the tests I am to see her again in 6 weeks time.

She sounded Welsh so I asked her where she was from and she was from Neath which is just 12 miles from Porthcawl! I was with her for 35 mins and I had x-rays, but much quieter than Basildon Hospital and no long waiting. We arrived an hour early,  because we didn't really know how long it would take to cross London,  so we had a coffee and I had an almond raspberry slice in Pret A Manger and it was very nice!!!
Anyway I do have choices now, but I am not making up my mind about it until I have had these tests. I can't believe such a simple fall can leave me like this, unfortunately I am white and middle 70s so a classic case of non healing bones!!
So I am determined I will do at least stitching and sewing and gentle gardening.. I WILL If you believe in God I need more prayers.
A very positive outcome of today, my Fitbit registered 5421 steps and the day isn't over yet!

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My Greatest Pleasure

I managed to read 87 books in 2016.. and I really liked these:-

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty.
Stone Cradle by Louise Doughty.
When Breath becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi,
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain.
A Thousand Blue by Stuart Finne.
Not Without my Daughter by Betty Mamoody.
Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman.
In Falling Snow by Mary Rose MacColl.
A Tree Grew in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
My Real Children by Jo Walton.

Although I liked them all; I rarely read a book I don't like, but sometimes I persevere if it's the choice of my reading group.
Reading is my greatest pleasure and thank God my duff arm has allowed me to read, even if I couldn't do much else.
I am looking forward to new books in 2017, I don't often read a book twice although I have by mistake, that's why I keep a record of books read. Do you have a favourite author or book?

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Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my blogging friends and thank you for your comments and support through the last one and a half years. I hope 2017 will be healthy and full of love and happiness for us all.

Keeping warm

I finished the socks, but it was a struggle so much to prepare for the big day,

 

 and then I made this.. I don't usually use a hottie bottie but I saw this crochet cover and wanted to make one, so had to buy it!!

We had a really lovely Christmas altho' I found it all a struggle and I had a cold which DH caught as well.  I helped with all the cooking and I can unload and load the dishwasher one handed, but it is difficult for me. Because I don't go on about my arm, people assume it is ok, but it isn't,  far from it. But my appointment has come for the London Orthopaedic Hospital for January 11th, which in a way I am dreading and it's only an out patients app. but what if she says she can't do anything to help me?

DH's present of a Fitbit is great and so I am walking to try to do the 10,000 steps a day, which you can do if you wear it around the house too. DH set my target low to start off as I hate exercise including walking! So when I reach it, fireworks go off.  If I sit still for too long it buzzes me and says.. 'fancy a stroll!' LOL.
I love it. So far the highest number of steps I 've done is 6517 which I thought pretty good for me.  Today we haven't been for a walk as we needed a small shop, we had run out of dishwasher tabs, one day we filled the dishwasher 3 times! We'll have to leave it here, when we move, as it is build into  the kitchen,  but we'll  buy one asap once we are in Suffolk, as hand washing is ok for one or two days,  but the novelty soon wears off!

Happy New Year Everyone, and I hope it is a Healthy one and full of love.

XX

 

Christmas card but who are you?

Who are you???
I have received several cards from bloggers that I know and had cards ready to send for them.. but today I have received one from Jenny and David... I am sorry but for the life of me I can't place who you are.
Come forward and reveal yourself please!

Chris xx

PS... The mystery is solved. It was the parents of one of DH's daughter's boyfriend's parents!! And DH had written them a card but had forgotten their names!!

Progress and a different sort of news.

Life goes on slowly here although I feel I am making progress as I have dressed myself twice!! Bra and pop socks, albeit with some discomfort (discomfort is Dr's talk, really it's painful!) I am now waiting for a letter from The London Orthopaedic Hospital for further surgery.. just another wait and wait and wait time!
 I have  nearly finished that second pair of socks but I haven't done anything else, except I have walked most days and lost some weight. Only 10 pounds and so I still am not the weight I was before I broke my arm, but I am not giving up, I will carry on and not be dismayed when I don't lose 7 pounds over night!LOL
But our biggest news is we are moving to Suffolk. We saw a house that we fell in love with and ours sold in three days, so great excitement, we've been on a cloud all afternoon..
Our Christmas cakes are made and a huge pudding as DH's two DDs and one hubby and a partner are coming for Christmas. It will be lovely to have a great family Christmas.
Happy Happy days!

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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?

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