WOYWW 775

 Another Wednesday morning when this is out for you all to see but in truth done yesterday on a very very wet afternoon.  In fact I got soaked going just from the car to the clinic Tuesday morning.  It rained so hard when we were coming out and it hasn't stopped since.  I really think we are all going to end up with webbed feet!

Well, nothing much to show you but good news on the knee front.  It is doing so well that next week I will be ditching all this padding and be reduced to a dressing and a 'toe to thigh' stocking.  That will make bending so much better as at the moment, although I can bend my knee, it is restricted because of all the bandaging (first gauze, then two layers of foam on the cut area, then a pad before a stocking, a cotton wool full length bandage, another bandage and then a full length stockinette stocking type thing). All this behind my knee only lets it bend so far but I am walking much better and bending my knee now as I walk.

On Saturday I had signed up for a workshop on the internet and managed to do one of the techniques, not very successfully, but at least I did it so it was a real sense of achievement.  Next day I did another one.  Oh dear, really not very good.  Maybe another week when I can sit properly I will manage.  Anyway, here they are - the bluebell one is a first and second generation and the one I did in the workshop.  The second generation I did a bit of a sketch around the shapes with a black liner.  The other one, done on Sunday, I think my watercolour paper is too thick and the embossing does not show up enough.  Others didn't have the problem, and some lovely work was produced, maybe I should get some decent paper.  I need to try the other two techniques, and redo these, maybe I will have more success.

See, you can't see the embossed flowers on the yellow ones.  The first blue one is the second generation, the last one is a first stamping and then overstamped with black ink.

Well, that's it for this week, maybe I will have more to show as time goes on.  In the meantime enjoy snooping around the WOYWW desks, hopefully more interesting than mine which I am sharing below.

On the left is my box with my most used floral stamps from Lavinia in, then a background which I did in readiness for some stamping and my printed list of Lavinia stamps which I have on a database.  That's my cleaning cloth on top of the list.  Behind are some Elements ink pads, my tin which contains some tiny stamped images, an empty Memento reinker a lid with some brads in and my lovely coaster gifted by dear  Jo.  Told you, nothing interesting here this week but next week I have some new stamps arriving, not many, just four or five.  I need to stamp out the stamps I have bought whilst being incapacitated - maybe another week I can show them to you - and get using them!

WOYWW 774

 Don't collapse, I have a card to show you.  Should have been two but I only just sent one of them so I can't show it until next week.  Hopefully by then I might have another for you to see.  The weather is so poor here that there is nothing else to do but stay in and craft although I don't do much of that yet.  Saying that it won't be long before I can sit at a table and do a bit, I hope.  

Here's my desk after making the bare bones of the card

Paul might recognise the two boxes at the back of my desk (top left) next to my blending tops.  The yellow card is the waterfall card before the actual mechanism was stuck on.  Inside there was a story about the birthday boy and his travels through the dark jungle in Ababongo Land and the green card is all the bits, left over and cut out wrongly for this birthday card.  

You can just see my carousel peeking in at the left hand side of the photo and there is a piece of kitchen roll on a bit of craft mat by the side of it.  The only other things are my computer and a pair of scissors, a Tim Holtz Clock waiting to be decorated (been waiting for years) and the wires and things for my computer.

Now for the waterfall card.  I do hope that this uploads ok which is why I am publishing my post early so I can check the video.  Apologies for my voice, it's been like that since I had pneumonia a year ago and it disappears altogether if I talk too much.  It was the only way I could think of showing you without too many photos.  

Ignore the "thank you" at the end, I didn't know if Chas had stopped filming or not so I just said 'Thank You" to make him stop.  Hopefully next time I want to do one I can do it myself with the gadget Jayne once bought me whilst sitting at my desk as usual.

See you next week at Julia's for another week of WOYWW.

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.

WOYWW 769

Another week and things are looking up.  Last Wednesday was spent all day more or less on the internet trying to track down a Dolomite Jazz Rollator to replace the one that had no brakes.  The phone call to Chessington was so disappointing, they no longer make the Dolomite!!!  And so began my day of internet searching.

Tracked a second hand one down (after much searching) that was only £90 (mine had cost £360 brand new years ago) but on reading lower down it was in Southampton and 'collection only'.  A little too far to travel from up north.  And so eventually I gave up and began looking for something similar.  Eventually narrowed it down to two, a Drive X and a Force Premium Luxury Lightweight.

By this time I had decided to buy locally in the hopes that they could help if anything went wrong but on ringing our local store I found they had the Drive Nitro (similar to the X) but had not heard of the other.  Price £249.95.  On looking to see the Nitro on the internet I found that the same company had this one in their showrooms for £50 less but at another branch.  Still not too far away.  What to do?

That is quite a substantial difference in price but the lady at our local branch had been so kind measuring the height of the handles on the two rollators they had.  I have such a soft heart I really was tied.  Fifty pounds is fifty pounds!  What would you have done?  

Well, I do have a little papercrafting to show you WOYWW members that is new.  A lovely friend sent me some images for me to colour in if I wanted to and I did.  And now I can show you a bit of what I did with my Inktense pencils.  It was done on my lap on one of those trays with a bag attached underneath full of polystyrene balls.  I balanced my pencils on the chair arm and then dribbled water from my straw in my drink onto the craft mat in order to wet the crayoning with a brush and turn it into watercolours.  Get the picture?

Sorry about the shadow

here's an old blog page from 2022

and here are some flowers I received this week

from a lovely friend

Aren't they lovely?  But there is a funny story goes with them which is why I am showing them to you,  Now as you may remember I am stuck in a chair most of the time with my leg up.  These flowers arrived in a cardboard box and I wanted to arrange them myself so I had the box balanced on one chair arm, a tray with a vase (no water) on my lap and a pair of secateurs.  Once I had the flowers arranged I sent them off for a much needed drink and began tidying up the tray when I felt a "nip" on my arm.  To my amazement I had a little brown beetle gnawing away at me.  A hasty flick with some paper and a shout for 'help' got him removed to the compost heap.  Talk about the flowers being fresh!  And they smell beautiful.

The crochet is not progressing as intended I am having problems turning a corner and going in the row already done.  I have tried and tried but it looks awful.  I just don't seem to be able to count the chains.  Any ideas you ladies who crochet?  This is me trying to go and do a second row:

Now be honest, my second attempt is worse than my first here.  I think I am one of those learners who needs the teacher sat at the side of her.  But I will persevere.  I cannot believe I once crocheted that mat I showed on here some time ago, but I know I did, and with no help.

Well, that had better be it for today, another good report from the District Nurses.  It doesn't look much different when you see the photos but the swelling is going down all the time, and the hole is shrinking.  They are pleased and so am I.  That spurred me on to go to the Podiatrist and get my feet sorted so that is happening on the 7th March - next step is the hairdressers.  I wonder if I could go with my hair newly washed at home and just have it cut and blown to cut down time sat with my leg down?