There's not a lot to report on the crafting front. It's a couple of weeks since I picked up my cross stitch, I haven't crocheted(?) anything since before Christmas, and it doesn't look as though this month is going to be any better. However, I am 4 weeks closer to retirement - Yippeee!
The front hall hasn't got any further along either unfortunately. My time has been taken up with Occupational Therapy assessments, My fathers house move ( chasing solicitors and estate agents) and finally getting to the point of booking quotes from removal firms and house clearance people. Although still no firm date has been arranged, we are hoping for the 21st February as a final date.
I am trying to get my father to let us do all the worrying, but it's hard. He's had several heart attacks, the last one in October, and this latest one has really left him much weaker and frailer. He is 87 and still wildly independent, although this time he's finding that the things he can't do are many more than he thought. Put together with his diabetes, and his kidney problems, he really has to let us manage the move, but every time I leave him alone he tries to do things and exhausts himself.
He has several hospital appointments, in February and I have some in house training and committees to sit on as a resident voice with my housing association. I think I'd better just put everything on hold with my house for February, and then continue with some garden work at the beginning of March.
Once my father has safely moved, I think I'll have to set aside a couple of days/mornings a week to go over and do some light housework for him, also put stuff through the laundry too. He's talking about having meals on wheels as well, that would be nice, but I don't want him to go to the other extreme and just sit and watch television, that wouldn't do him any good either.
In fact this may be one of my last "lazy days" for this month. I'll have to pace myself and make sure I don't trigger my M.E. or we will be in the cart!
My son is still sofa surfing with us, I am beginning to wonder if he is ever going to get his own place. I'd like push him harder to chase social housing, but as he suffers with depression, his temper is a little unstable, and I don't want to trigger a breach that may not heal. He is so insular and non communicative, it's hard to know exactly what he has done about finding his own place.....
Anyway, the sun has come out today, and every time it does I feel so much more cheerful about life, I really don't like the winter weather, and the rain we've had this year seems to have been non stop. I told my daughter that I'm positive that someone somewhere, MUST be building another Ark. She just told me I was silly, as God promised he'd never send another flood! A bit embarrassing really, as I'm C of E and she's a Wiccan! :-)
As a gardener I'm not convinced however, the lawn has actually had puddles of standing water on it now for a couple of months, it never actually stops raining long enough for it to drain away. I think putting raised beds in may be a good idea for more reasons than saving my back and knees!
Tallking of which, next week we are having a stair rail fitted on the wall side of the stairs, a grab rail for the toilet and getting rid of that grotesque frame! Thank goodness!
However, the O.T. also gave me a plastic fitment for the top of the toilet. It's off already! The lid doesn't shut with it on, I've seen them in other peoples homes and they look disgusting when they start to discolour, plus I (and the other members of the family) find it impossible to use comfortably when your feet are either on tip toe, or in my daughters case, don't touch the floor at all. They look revolting, they are embarrassingly discoloured after a time, and leave you with no sense of self respect when you have visitors......eurggh! Until I REALLY can't manage, I'll go without thanks! Why can't we be more like Holland? When my friends over there found the toilet too low, they didn't get supplied with a plastic potty..........they fitted a whole new ( higher) toilet. Hygenic and reasonably pleasant to look at!
I've also been supplied with a bath board over the bath for using the shower.......(I mentioned I have slipped a couple of times when climbing in and out of the bath). Thanks, but no thanks! I want to actually be under the water when I shower, not wait for the water to reach me as it cools down, so I'll use it to get in and out, but stand for my shower thanks. The problem is really, that the force of the water is so low, the water trickles out anyway......A rail to grab as I climb in and out would actually have been more useful I feel, but never mind. They did something for me and I'm not complaining really............at least.............only about the plastic potty toilet extension!!
I have to go and prepare the veg for lunch now, so I'll catch up when I can, but it may be patchy this month. Bye now.......
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About Blackbutterfly Cards
I started making cards for pleasure in 2007, and quickly found my home was becoming swamped by cards everywhere. I decided to put some of them up for sale on a webpage in an effort to recoup some of the costs of my hobby. I called the webpage Blackbutterfly Handcrafted Cards, and it can be found at http://www.blackbutterfly2007.co.uk/
I try to take my cards to a couple of table sales or craft fairs a year, but make my cards mainly for friends and family. I would love the website sales to take off, as I nowhere near cover the costs involved in this all absorbing hobby, but for me the main thing is the pleasure I have in making my cards.
Recently I have decided to expand my blog to cover my other interests too. It's a sort of substitute for going to work and chatting to people, as due to ill health I was unable to work, and since the beginning of 2014 I am officially a pensioner.
Although I'll still show my cards, I'll also be covering my other interests and how I attempt to make ends meet day by day.
In fact anything that crosses my mind will be on here, so be prepared for waffle and a wasted five minutes as you read. Make coffee and settle in, why don't you?