WOYWW 773

 At last, it has happened, well nearly ...  I can share my desk with you all on WOYWW and there is something craftwise on it.  I am trying to make a birthday card for my niece's six year old who wants 'monkeys' for the theme for his party this time.  I have at least one drawer full of animal stamps.  Dogs, cats, horses, tigers, lions, mice, otters, badgers, even a sloth or two.  No Monkeys!

Despite all the ooh aah about altering Janet Klein's figures I have put a boy's head on a girl's body. Only problem is the set of stamps had bears and not monkeys so I have had to draw some of my own, cartoon style.  Called in Google for a bit of help.  Gosh, my copying skills have taken a dive.  I am sure a six year old will be ok with it, well, little Theo will, he is a lovely little boy.

Hopefully next week I will show you a completed card using these characters.  I can only stand for a short length of time as my leg starts to ache then and I can't bend it enough to sit at a table yet.

So what has brought about this change in my day?  It happened on Monday when I went in my craftroom to have a look around and jog my memory as to what I had.  Gosh, I have forgotten so much.  I've been trying to bend my knee a little over the weekend, just now and then and only a little.  The nurse said it was probably not going to split any more now so I thought it about time I tried a bit of exercise or I won't be bending in the future.  Going tomorrow so will see what had happened when they take the dressing off.  Last time I went it was still bleeding.  Strange but it trickles blood from one end just as it did when I was in hospital, but then it was both ends.  Any idea why Annie?

Well, we will see what I have for you next week.  I do have a card made over the weekend but I can't show it until it has been received.  See you next week then!

WOYWW 772

Still not got any craftwork I've done so nothing to show you, my WOYWW friends.  Haven't a clue what I have been doing to pass the time (sleeping maybe), but here are some lovely cards handmade by friends for my birthday.  Lots of talent and different techniques here

I really tried to get them nice and straight, guess I should have gone to Specsavers (actually I did  LOL). Aren't I a lucky lady, some beautiful cards and there'd be more if I showed you the commercial ones.

We had a visitor in the front garden the other day.  It was around noon on Saturday, and the next day he was there again, same time, but this time on the back lawn.  Chas went to open the bedroom window when he startled him and Foxy ran off through the garden.  Shows how hungry he must be visiting at the height of the day.  Chas took a little video of hi in the front garden but I can't upload it to here.

Another week has gone by and the weather up north has actually improved.  Yesterday was a lovely sunny day, I had to take my coat off so it must have been warm, when I went to the clinic.  Good news, more improvement on the wound.  I cannot thank Katie enough as she was the nurse who first recommended using the 1% hydrocortisone cream.  I've not shared my knee before but now that it is well on its way here is a photo taken yesterday:

Still a bit of swelling but the peas are helping and it really is so much better as one or two of you who saw it weeks ago will testify.  I feel better in myself so maybe, just maybe, I will get something started later today when my new stamps arrive.

WOYWW 771

 Well, what a fabulous weekend - it was my birthday and what a lovely day I had on Sunday.  My friend Jayne came around with her daughter, Alicia, and we had a little party.

The day before Jayne had been to the Extravaganza at Lavinia's and next door there is a lovely little bakery.  They had some boxes made up for Mother's Day and Jayne decided they would be the perfect way to celebrate my special day.  Sadly they had all been ordered but she got them to just make up another four.

Here they are

Inside were four different sandwiches. quiche, salad, sausage roll, a fresh cream meringue, three tiny cupcakes, a chocolate brownie, a scone with jam, cream and strawberry and a chocolate.  Everything was delicious and I could not eat all of mine so had some later for supper and finished off the cupcakes the next day.

She also brought a lemon drizzle cake complete with candles and they sang 'Happy Birthday' to me.

I had flowers, chocolates, toiletries, a pot plant, money and a new 'bee' necklace to replace the one I seem to have lost.  Now it won't get taken off, but if it has to it will be put back straight away,  Not to forget a lovely Facetime with my little sister and her hubby in Oz, and loads of messages from family and friends.

I must show you a rose that was in some of my flowers, it is so beautiful

isn't it a beauty.

I will share my cards next week when I take them down.  Here they are for now but you can't see them all

It's good news on the knee front.  Today we saw that the open wound had really started to shrink and the nurse said it was looking much better.  The new treatment is obviously working and I am walking around like a mummy.  Last week Katie decided that it needed some 1% hydrocortisone cream on the open wound and some felt to compress it all.  So here I am - a gauze dressing over the hydrocortisone, then two layers of felt, next a large waterproof dressing and then a stocking.  Not finished yet - then a cottonwool bandage, then another bandage, then another and finally another stocking.  Don't think I will be cold if my leg comes out of bed!  Today's nurse made a lovely job of it and tucked it all in around my toes and stuck some tape on so that it stands more chance of not moving.

She also put some barrier cream around the wound in case it leaks so it doesn't burn my skin, and then E45 all over my leg because the skin is so dry.  The lengths these District Nurses go to to look after their patients.  I didn't know until the other week that they provide the service 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  I certainly cannot say anything but praise for the NHS and they way they have looked after me with this injury.  Can't thank them enough.

So it's positive news all around and today the nurse does. not think it will tear any more now so I can start to bend my knee a little more but if I sit I must keep it up.  Hopefully I can do a bit of papercrafting in the week ahead and make some "thank you" cards ready to give out.  Watch this space!

WOYWW 770

Still no crafting done but I have done something with an old piece.  I found my tray full of dominoes in the spare room and I decided it needed a good tidying/cleaning so out they all came and the tray got a good old clean, each domino got wiped and put back.  I intend, when I am on my feet again, to put some kind of plaster or something on the tray and push each domino in so that they look like tiles with grouting between them.  They need reorganising as they do vary in size a little.  Maybe some new ones!

and

Whilst rummaging in the drawer I came across two Alice bracelets made of dominoes and a gorgeous domino brooch sent to me by my friend Snow in America - years ago (it's a napkin stuck on the domino but I love the wire work she did.).  It is such a long time since I did domino art, think I might do a bit again.

Well, last week I asked you WOYWW'ers what you would have done about the cheaper priced rollator.  I decided to go with the cheaper one but explain to the local store that I was not going with their one as I had found it cheaper elsewhere.  She looked on the internet, saw their price (same store, different branch) and said they would honour the price.  So all came good - I got it £50 cheaper from the local store.  Honesty is the best policy.

In my search for a rollator (there are so many) I had certain criteria to meet.  I didn't want brake cables showing on the outside, fear of catching them and breaking, and it had to accommodate a very tall person, namely me.  I didn't want to start slouching over the rollator.  I wanted a seat and I liked how my Dolomite folded in half so I could narrow it to get through tiny gaps.

The Dash seemed to be the one I wanted but imagine walking down the road using a rollator with the name "Dash" on it.  Just perfect for taking the 'mickey'.  Actually that was not the only reason, it was just that bit too small, by 4cm.  Great folding action though and so light.

I ended with a "Drive Nitro" as it followed the criteria but it is not like my Dolomite, I miss my Dolomite.  Why did they stop making it?  The seat on the Drive Nitro is too low for my liking and when I sit on it I am afraid to get up on my own.  Whether this is temporary or not with my knee not being able to bend we will have to wait and see.  In the meantime I need Chas to help me get up.  Think I have lost my confidence with the fall. It does have good points though, the seat when it gets wet wipes immediately with a cloth, the handle adjustment is easy - just once click, and the shopper has a zip cover.  Still miss my Dolomite though.