Saturday Situation

Normal

At least for Pepsi. The thing is, although my husband is a star he just doesn’t speak enough dog to calm her. Also he doesn’t have dog bearing hips or legs.

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My return home was unexpected but so welcome. It’s amazing how the days meld into each other and get lost in hospital.
There’s little distinction between day and night either. Staff have a list of procedures that have to be done to keep their patient up together, heading in the right direction, and making progress.
Numbers must be spot on.
Too high: lie down, rest, drink water and try not too worry.
Too low: lie down, rest, eat a biscuit (plain mind!) drink water and try not too worry.

As I was waiting to be discharged en route to the ‘discharge lounge’ sounds awful doesn’t it? It was. Every bit as awful as you could imagine. I was laughing with the student nurses who suggested that I might be able to get some rest at home! They have a list of procedures that have to be performed at a certain time and it doesn’t matter whether it’s 2:00 am or 2:00 pm.
Anyhow, the staff were, of course, wonderful, soothing, comforting, gentle and caring (well except one but you always get that don’t you?)

Any how I just wanted to say thank you for your messages of support and sorry I couldn’t get yesterday’s six words post up. If I’m up and about over the weekend I’ll just post it late.

I am making this post on my iPad – a first for me. Will it work? Actually if it does work I’ll try to write and post my six words from here (bed)

For those that wondered, yes there was pain, a lot of pain and more to come as the gall bladder has to come out! Yikes!!!

Anyone know who ended June?

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Me in January

Hello January! I’m so pleased to see you at last. Although I had a wonderful Christmas and New Year I’ve been wanting the feeling of a new start, fresh beginning, starting over.

Japanese people run around a lot to welcome a new year with a clean state of mind. Therefore, osoji (big cleaning) is to be done and finished by December 31st (omisoka) to remove clutter and dirt from the old year and to purify the home for the coming year. Behind this is that years are considered completely separate with each new year providing a fresh start. I rather like that idea, (well apart from the running as I’ve hurt my knee) particularly after some of the events of 2015.

I feel well and happy and ready to start over.
It would be nice if the rain stopped for a day or two, please? by way of a fresh start?

January can be a gloomy month but we had some lovely news over the Christmas holiday which will carry me happily through. I even made a Pinterest board with some ideas for gifts. Oh! did I forget to say?
My son Ben proposed to Lotta his girlfriend of 6 years, on Christmas day by a lake in Levi Lapland!

How do you think we felt when the text came through?
She said yes! it read.
Both families are thrilled, what a lovely start to 2016

I have a few creative things on the go for January. A couple of photography memes on the blog and on Instagram. A blog plan, not too adventurous at the moment. I had a gorgeous gift of a Painting Class with Alisa Burke and Paul gave me The Painting Workbook by Alena Hennessy. Apparently I was heard to whine that I hadn’t seen my paints for ages!
Ben gave me a longed for olloclip for my phone. It has four lenses, wide angle, fisheye and 2 macro lenses and it just clips onto the top of the phone. Its fabulous, I’m sure to have some fun with it.

Fish eye of my pepper pig
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Pepper in the pig 15x macro

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Salt crystals in the salt pig 15x macro
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I’m waving to you all this first Monday in January which is of course Sians lovely idea.

I started this yesterday while the rain hammered on my window. This morning it is NOT raining!!! Hooray and Thank You

December and Me

This lovely idea is Sian’s over at high in the sky.

I was laughing with my husband about the way things used to be and how very old and out of touch with the modern world we feel. There, did you notice? I used the phrase ‘Modern World’ I used it quite naturally, without thought, it’s become part of my language. My grandmother used to say that!

We used to go to the village to see what lovely things The Goblin Market had in stock. Call in at the bank to get some cash, then onto Cantells to look and possibly order some of our Christmas fayre. Then along the road to Elsies the florist to see what new ideas she had for christmas floral decorations. Drop in at the post office to buy stamps and drop them into the box outside. His mums or her mums for Christmas day lunch would already be decided, we go to the opposite one from last year. And on the way home call in at Clays the butcher to order what we wanted for new year

Now its all ‘on line’ Should I pay for next day? I’ve booked ‘my slot’ at the supermarket, I have until 15th to make alterations. My friend is taking me to a wreath making class. I can’t remember the last time I had any money in my purse, I don’t even need a few pounds since I can now fast pay on my card.
The ‘kids are going to Lapland to see Father Christmas for a week! What’s wrong with the co-op? Does he not go there anymore?
Mind you I remember e-mailing him last year!

Hey Ho as I’m prone to chanting these days. We will have a wonderful day, the only things I am making are some gifts for the family. I have long since learnt that Christmas is still magical even though the most I do is have a supermarket delivery, peel the sprouts and open the rather luscious Christmas pudding.
I need, ‘at home together’, more than anything this year.

Today I am sticking with the wonderful tradition of actually hand writing my Christmas cards with Christmas carols filling the air around me.

Happy December.

Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas this year is for the person reading this to be Healthy Happy and loved.

Pairs Week 42

And an update

Yesterday was the last day of my radiotherapy treatments. Hooray hooray hooray. It seems to have been a long struggle, starting off very up beat and positive but slowly declining into a nightmare of side effects, but now its all over! I am free of daily visits to the hospital. I can concentrate on getting back to my old self (whatever that is).

The sun setting over Ashton Park on our way home yesterday
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So, a huge thank you, to all of you, from the bottom of my heart for every good wish, passing thought, prayer, positive vibe, card, post card, e-mail and/or Instagram. I am truly grateful. Not only did all the messages help me with the diagnosis and the treatments but they will help me back to blogging.
That old chestnut called insecurity will no doubt rear its ugly head but I’ll look at my box of hearts and they will give me positivity.

So, what’s new? What have you all been up to? Been on holiday? Had friends over? Started any new blog things? Any new memes? Anything I can join?
I have done some sewing, photography, leaf collecting and flower making (with the leaves).
I kept a daily diary which I made before my hospital stay. Oh! and I had my hair permed so that it would be easy to care for when I didn’t want to care for it. It needs re-doing then I’ll change my picture on the side bar.
I bought a new phone, I choose the iPad 5s because the camera is just brilliant.

I’m sorry I had to bow out of your Scavenger Hunt Rinda. I did get most of the items but ran out of concentration when it came to collating /posting them. I do hope you will do it again next year. I wonder if Joy & Eileen might organise a winter one again?

I see my flickr feed needs updating although Instagram seems to be OK.
My header could do with updating too. I feel a list coming on.

I have missed Pairs so I’ll start off my catching up with Helena’s lovely meme.
These made me smile. If you have seen them on Instagram, maybe they will make you smile again.

Edible

Version 2

Inedible

Seahorse – Version 2

We have had this little thing for 50+ years, long before we knew better.

Isn’t autumn just beautiful here and around the world? Instagram has definitely been a creative lifesaver for me. I’ve seen life continue, seen the season change around the world and made some new friends. For all of this I am grateful.

Of course I am also grateful for my life, my health and my family and friends. I’m not sure how I feel about ‘life after cancer’ or being ‘a survivor’. I have another procedure and follow-up appointments to come but right now I just want to join you all again in Blogland. That OK with you?

The sky here this morning
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Needs Must

“Why have we invested 50p in two bunches of dead dahlias?’ He asked shaking his head.

“To photograph their beauty and to press some petals of course!” I said

I took them home, sorted the good from the not so good, sorted long stems and short stems and kept some buds.
I took the small vase of short stems up to my room with my phone. The light was fading, much like some of the dahlias, but needs must.

I don’t have the energy yet to go out on a photo walk with my friend and our cameras but I know a garden full of dahlias which the lady of the house picks, and puts out on a table for sale. £1 a bunch if they are ‘alive’(!) She had been away and these two bunches were long past their best so she would only take 50p for them all.

It was a short car ride away, an extremely small financial investment, I had fun photographing them and this morning pulled off lots of petals and put them in my flower press. Oh! and hanging upside down in a bulldog clip are three buds, drying nicely in the breeze… more photo fodder.

Needs must as they say.

I still have a very large vase of the long stems yet to photograph. I just need a little more energy and some light would be nice, it is very overcast here today.

Dahlias

Thank you for the e-mails, I really appreciate them. Have nice weekends.:)