crash, bang, wallop

Well yesterday ended with a thunderstorm, two to be precise. The first was a bit pathetic, just a few rumbles, then fifteen minutes later - BANG! A true storm, lightning, large crashes, torrential rain.... and still it remained muggy. Can cope with dry heat, can cope with sun, but not this humid stuff.

Well did get some help, from one of the nurses, she was a trooper and rang all those that needed to be rung, so today a social worker came round, and she promised we'd get more equipment, a perch stool, trolley etc. Physio has also promised to come. Sister also came, and to be fair she did try to do some housework, but mum wouldn't let her, so lost temper with mum. Told her that we'd had this conversation and she had agreed to no longer treat the family as guests, but as practical helpers. Sis is also quitting work, so will be able to help more, and she is keen to help. Just to cap a bad afternoon my cheese sauce curdled! I was making a cauliflower cheese, it looked fine when it went into the oven, but when it came out, yuk! Had to make the cheese sauce all over again. Was also going to do the hoovering, which my sister had offered to do, but social worker came and needed to see mum, so living room still looks like a tip.

At last delivered the new baby exploding box, Jules was delighted, gave me a big hug, and was extra pleased when I showed her the above scrapbook page. I've got a baby album, and have been waiting for any old excuse to start it. Jules was delighted with the idea.

Pic is a mix of stuff from LMC and QVC. Paper was from a QVC kit, some bits and bobs from crafty bits, plus stuff from an LMC mag from a while ago. Coloured the peel off letters with a red pen, oh and added a lovely sentiment about daughters. Looking forward to doing the rest of the scrapbook.

stay cool....

ain't it hot!

Tho I don't like to complain too much, as I do remember our miserable wash out of a summer last year. But we were at the point of thinking about bribing some kids to lob a few bricks thru our unopenable windows, which need replacing, which we have been promised will be replaced... just be nice to know when!

I left work and went for a wander round Woolies, just to cool off. Some bloke tried his best to get me to try some make up, told him it was far too hot for make up.

Came home to find mum with niece, but mum looked tired, and another few visitors were due soon. Luckily they took the hint and didn't stay long. Still awaiting some pratical help from family, other than dropping by for a chat! My sister rang yesterday, she thought I was joking when I said I'd leave the ironing for her.... I wasn't joking!

Yesterday afternoon I spent indulging in some scrapbooking, my brother e-mailed me some photos and I just couldn't resist getting out the stuff. IV nurse was fascinated, she thought at first I was making cards, so I had to explain what I was doing. She'd not seen scrapbooking before. I had a very happy time putting two pages together. Tho I should have been doing a swap card... which has me stumped, tho I do have a couple of very whimsical ideas. Just a question of finding some time. Guess the evenings will have to become craft sessions.

Used some grandparent pages, from a kit I got from QVC a while a go, used some blue card, but used a tearing ruler as a template to cut it, one remmant I used on the edge of the paper, put some brown ribbon behind blue card, for some definition, added the sentiments, yep, another QVC kit! And finished it off with 3 blue gems, only cos they'd been lying around begging to be used for something.

Also excited about another colleague at work who is also to be a grandmother next January! Showed her the box I'd made for our mutual friend, she was thrilled with it and placed an order. Also want to try to get another baby page made before Wednesday, but need the kit I've ordered to arrive! Why can't these people just ship it out toot sweet!

Well off to hit a cold shower... I'm melting. Thanks for dropping by.

Summer is here!

Tho not so happy about the oppressive heat, which fortunately seems to have subsided a little.

Well mum is home, and I am knackered, still waiting for the promise of help to arrive from my brother and sister... they have on week and then it is both barrels. Both have spent more time with their mother these last 3 months than the whole of last year, but now she is out of hospital things seem to have quickly returned to normal. Sister phoned to say she wouldn't be coming over at the weekend cos she was tired, like I'm not. She is tired as she spent last weekend with her children and a few friends, enjoying a nice break.

They're all in for a shock come September, cos I'm hightailing it out of here for a week. I love my mum, love her dearly, but she is not my sole responsibility.

In meantime had high hopes of a new craft outlet... popped over to the Do Crafts site last night, well they had lots of offers on and saw that a new garden centre was a Do Crafts stockist. So went today, well it was a wasted journey. They'd assigned one small section to the craft stuff, a few stamps, lots of peel offs, one paltry set of embossing powder, no ink pads to speak of, a few bits of scrapbooking stuff.... it took me five minutes (and that is being generous) to walk round it all. I left empty handed and disappointed, had been hoping to indulge in a splurge.

Have been sort of tempted by some scrapbooking stuff on QVC, but waiting for Rosemary Merry to come on. Not tempted by the TSV, not my thing, guess tho if anyone is doing craft fairs they'd make a neat profit on the kit.

Pic - top of my exploding new baby box, it is a nice sentiment.

Enjoy the sunshine!

2000 views plus! Wow, thank you for all dropping by

Well last time I was here my blog was hovering just below the 2000 mark, now it has passed it. I just sit here and have a good old chunter, 'bout whatever takes my fancy, tho lately it has mostly been family stuff.

So the good news, at last my mum is home from hospital. She should have been discharged on Monday, but the staff cocked it all up, to say we were angry is only half the story, we were fuming. They'd built her hopes up only to dash them again.. and all because of their incompetence. Someone, somewhere needs to put in place some decent methods, practice... whatever, cos at the moment the NHS seems to work on an ad hoc basis, or as and when... I knew from my own experience that the ambulance service needed 24 hours notice for any discharge, but the staff kept insisting that they didn't. So I rang the ambulance service, and I was right! Mum's tired at the moment, but it ain't over, there is no way we are letting the hospital get away with what happened, while the nursing care was largely excellent, there was stuff that was appalling. Stuff like not thinking a patient might like to get a shower, wash their hair, feel human. Moan over, it will be kept for those who need to hear it, and boy are they going to get both barrels, as the staff did on Monday, first time I've actually lost my temper with them. Must have had some effect as they were mighty nervous of me the next day.

Pic - is of inside of my new baby exploding box. I really did enjoy making it, made use of some bits that had been lying about for ages. Just got new issue of LGC, fantastic stuff in it, looking forward to using it at some point.

Well too hot here, need to get outside for a breath of air...

Ooh we're all posh

Well after a tortuous week of building work the flat is all done! And very posh we now look, with new bright white cladding, new windows and a new door. Tho the door proved to be problematic, especially when a neighbour asked me to help her get into her flat.... and I couldn't! Ooer... so had several practices with the new lock, but still found it a faff when it came to the real thing. Best of all they took the scaffolding down on Friday... bliss, at last the flat is light again.

But best news of all... finally, at long last, my mother is being discharged from hospital. She thought it would be straightaway, but there was a lot to arrange, district nurses etc, so it won't be till Monday. She was trying her best to get me to go visit her again (been tonight) tomorrow afternoon... but after 3 months of non stop visiting, having not missed my slot... I'm afraid I refused. I'm shattered after a week of building work, having to get up early, get me ready for work, and flat ready for builders to come in, plus hospital visiting, washing nighties for mum, getting them back to her toot sweet. Oh and a bit of furniture shifting, so she can move around the flat more easily.

Finally found some time to finish off my new baby exploding box that a colleague had asked me to make for her. Was waiting on the photos, which couldn't be taken until Ruby decided to make her entrance in the world, and boy did she hang on in there! She was supposed to have been a June baby, but hung on till July. But I loved putting it all together today, with the photos and all the baby bits. Also did a scrap page, my not so gentle hint to my pal that a baby scrapbook would be a fab idea!

Tho was happy to be indoors today, it may be the middle of July, so what was our weather like, well windy, 50 mph at the Open Golf tournament (just down the road), raining (horizontal rain) and cold... so darn cold I put the heating on.

Well still got lots to do... must go and rest before I tackle the massive clean up...

Monday, monday....

A very rude start to the week, having to get up early to once again take the curtains down. I mean who wants to be tackling a screwdriver at 7.30 a.m? Window fitters arrived at 8.15, let them in, they said they'd start right away, and they did... with hammers and drills! Made them a cuppa, said I'd left tea bags, milk and choccy biccies... and headed to work! Well not to work, to do some early morning shopping, anything to escape all the noise.

At work for some daft reason I volunteered to do the weekly cash, a fraught affair at the best of times as our boss is so pernickety. All was going well till I realised that there were a few mistakes, people entering stuff in the wrong place, also saying we were 5p over when we were actually 5p under! All made for hair tearing stuff. Felt better in a weird way, I always thought it was me who stuffed up, boy was I wrong, found two cash sheets with 'void' all over them, stuffed up by another member of staff! Well i've only stuffed up the weekly cash once in 5 years. Then out to face the great unwashed, all those who wait at the door to get in, and those who filter in later, to sit blank faced at the computers, playing silly games or in chat rooms... none have ever done a days work in their life. There is one of our customers that none of us can stand, she has a whiny voice, spends her entire day just playing mindless games on Yahoo, and gets in a strop if she can't get on a computer. She at least knows better to come anywhere near me, I've already told her to book her own darn computer slots. And then there is the plain daft, like being asked how far an airport is from a hotel... how the hell would I know? Or being asked for a film/book with Arthur in the title.... lets see, yep 1000 results! Go figure why I asked customer to get name of author or director, or even better, figure out if it was a film or book.

Could also not work out boss's logic to leave us on minimum staffing, since she knows my current situation, which is: that I could damn well be heading for the hospital at any time. I was annoyed, well we all were. To be left to manage such a large library with only 3 staff, one of whom is stressed out beyond belief, and on medication for it. Maybe my own doctor had a premonition, as on Friday he asked me if I was sure I wanted to be at work... well no is the truthful answer... anywhere but. Maybe I should have taken up his offer of a sick note.

Pic - is of outside of thankyou card, inside posted last night. Plain and simple, as I like it. Just some large peel off letters, few peel off flowers, one line, oh and a gromet, bit of ribbon... voila!

Summer has sneaked back in!

After a washout week at last the sun is shining! Was tossing up what to do, go for a walk along the beach or... give the car a much needed wash and polish. The car won. Well when it reaches the point where you can't see out of the windscreen it is definitely time to wash it.

The flat is surrounded by scaffolding, we should have had our new windows, well two of them, put in on Friday, but got home to find old windows in situ. Some bozo had sent the frames but no glass, now windows and glass are like bread and butter, they go together! Can see that I am going to lose patience with how the work is going on the windows and cladding, workmen are working slowly, as in verrrrrry slowly. If they've not finished by Wednesday I shall blow a gasket, I wonder if they'd like to live like this, surrounded by scaffolding, not able to put out any washing, or sit out and enjoy the sun? So they either pull their finger out or...

Photo is of the inside of a thankyou card, made for future use as in when mum finally leaves hospital. Tho she is probably in the best place and away from all the chaos. Decided to make a lantern card, found a nice peel off and stuck it on some acetate, dithered as to whether to colour it in,but then decided to leave it. Had just got the Big Bite, so made use of it, cut two triangles of glitter card and stuck them on either side of the aperture, then attached two lilac gromlets. Put two darker ones on the outside of the card and threaded thru some ribbon. Just trimmed edges of aperture with some peel off stripes, and some round the triangles, which I coloured purple.

Work is a bit hit and miss, I just don't want to be there. Just not in the mood for it. Had some silly annual appraisal with boss, well she was gentle as she knows exactly what has been happening in my life. But frankly didn't have the energy to argue when she brought up a 'mistake' I was supposed to have made, I knew damn well I hadn't. She kept on asking me what I wanted to aim for next year, who the hell cares? It is a ruddy library, people come in to borrow books, read newspapers, use the computers... it ain't up to me to marke the library, that is up to those in charge. And a lousy job they do of it!

Got more happy pills, doctor did ask me if I wanted to increase the dose, was tempted. They just about take the edge of things, so I said I'd see how things go. He took my BP, amazingly it was normal, in fact as usual it was below normal... which intrigued him! I've always had low blood pressure, not even an increase in nicotine raises it. He was nice tho, let me have a talk and a moan, and when I tried to turn conversation to mum, he said all he wanted to know was how I was feeling and coping. Same thing with one of my neighbours, he stopped today as I was washing the car, asked how I was, started to say how mum was, and he said, no I asked how YOU were. Creaking under the pressure if the truth be told, I am mum's prime carer, so everything falls on my shoulders, she calls me if she wants something, I am the one who is washing bloodstained nighties, towels, and seeing the reality of it all, which she doesn't show to either my brother or sister. They've both said they'll take more on, but she has to let them...

And had a lovely Friday evening, was channel hopping and stumbled across a Carpenters night, on BBC4, so sat and indulged myself... then went on to Itunes and bought Karen's solo album. Oh for a digital recorder... must get one!

the big bite

Well I am loving my BB (big bite), it is pink, verrry pink! Tis tho a tad tricky to use when you set the gromlets, as you have to work upside down! Think my one improvement would be to magnetise the eyelet bit, and alter how you set the gromlets. Only one teensy gripe, one of the gromlets I set on the page opposite, well the legs turned 'in', and I didn't do anything different between setting the first and the one that went wrong. Aside from that, love it, easy to use, the ruler is very useful. I'm lucky in that I had my 'growing' pains with my cropadile, when I got that I did make a few mistakes, mostly due to me squeezing far too hard, a mistake another friend is doing at the moment with her big bite. I've told her she'll get the hang of it. But it was a fantastic deal from QVC, they also chucked in loads of gromlets in different colours. And some fancy ones.

My pic: a mix of TSV's and Hobbycraft bargains! Papers are from a TSV, the scrapbooking kit, it came in a lovely two drawer box... papers are gorgeous! I used a plain blue piece of card, then cut up the baby boy paper, taking the strip of stars off, using it as a border, and using the dotty paper to matt the photo, cut a frame, then edged it with yellow, and then used some of the large flowers I'd got in my Hobbycraft bargain hunt a few weeks ago... and some large brads, finished off with some white gromlets, lettering was from the TSV. It was Joe's christening, think you can tell how proud a grandfather my brother is!

Almost over my disappointment from the weekend, I managed to avoid all pictures/film of Nadal winning wimbledon... I wanted Federer to win his sixth title. I just love how he plays, effortless and with such artistry. I got to the point where I couldn't watch. Not a great wimbledon, great final, lousy women's tournament, sorry but to have two players dominate was not fun... all over now till next year.

And summer has arrived, it is chucking it down!

a no crisis week, can it last?

Not been a bad week, even the sun has managed to shine for the last few days.

Have been dipping into the QVC craft shows all week, well tennis came first. Nice of QVC to give us them, but a little more time spent on the hints and tips would have been really nice. And why not put them on over the weekend? Must think all of us crafters are sitting at home.

Couldn't resist buying the Big Bite on Tuesday, such a great price. Been wanting one for ages but didn't feel like forking out £34.99 for one, saw them at that price at the Papermill. Thought it was a bit mean of them to sell the case separately tho. It still hasn't arrived :-( Hoping it will tomorrow...

Did manage to put on my crafting hat this week and get down to some much needed crafting. Deciided to make a couple of cards, but to do decoupage, just wanted something soothing and I find that the cutting is relaxing. Well it is if you choose papernation! They're easy to cut, not too fiddly. Made one for mum as a cheer me up, and one for a friend who is waiting to become a grandmother. Then decided to finish off a scrap page I started two weeks ago. I had everything cut out, it was just a case of sticking it all down, tho I hadn't been in the mood to do so. It did need a few finishing touches, luckily LMC came to the rescue with its holiday themed kits, I used the dolphins and star fish as accents. Also use my cropadile to set some eyelets round the white circle, the lettering was one of my bargain buys from Hobbycraft last week. It did need one more thing, so decided to cut an arc from the patterned paper, and just off set it between the two circles. Just enough methinks, it is easy to get carried away.

Must have finally got the creative juices flowing again as I've started another scrap page - but want to use the big bite on it!

locked in groundhog syndrome

This has one hell of an emotional roller coaster. No sooner do we think that mum is on the mend and soon to be discharged than it all goes pear-shaped again. Everthing looked good last week, the wound looked like it was at last dry... then... As I am about leave for the hospital last Tuesday the phone rings, it is my brother, he says two words: get here. I got to the hospital to find my mum barely clinging on to life, as she was walking with the physio the wound burst, it was an arterial bleed - the staff acted quickly, had they not done then I dread to think what would have happened. Odd tho, only a few weeks prior to that the doctor told us he couldn't find any internal bleeding! I damn well know my mother's wound has been bleeding since her operation, I'm the one who has been washing her bloodied nightdresses. She was operated on, and guess what, they found were the bleed was... grrrr. I have no faith whatsoever in the doctor looking after her, he is an arrogant SOB. We met him last week for a meeting, think he was taken aback at being met by 3 articulate people. He did not restore any faith in me after that meeting, especially not when he said: I'm the top doctor.... You think it couldn't get any worse, wrong. On Saturday they operated to remove the packing from the wound, and just as they were lifting mum's leg, the femur fractured. That is for the second time. My brother was there, he told me that the surgeon was devastated, diddums, frankly I don't give a damn about the surgeon's feelings. Then incredibly my brother told me that the surgeon had said that: he'd understand if we wanted mum moved to another hospital, then suggested two, both further away, one with a bloody awful reputation regarding infection. I was fuming, it was scare tactics. There is a damn good hospital just ten minutes away from where mum is, if she goes anywhere, she goes there. Wish she'd gone there in the first place.

Somehow this week I managed to get back to some card making. Had to make some thank you cards, and made a thank you exploding box for one of the nurses who had saved mum's life. The nurse was chuffed, she is new to cardmaking and wants to make the exploding box.

But wasn't feeling overly creative, and wanted to just stick to some decoupage, the cutting bit is soothing. Found some paper nation, used some pearlescent card behind him, plus some self stick paper from a separate kit. An easy card, but just what I needed to be doing.