Well....the end of the year is upon us. It's always a good time to reflect and look forward. I am feeling positive and hopeful that 2014 will bring health, healing and wholeness to all of us. Here you can see the "one handed wonder's" attempt at completing a sketchbook....!! I keep trying!!!!! Have a good day x
Can I.....can't I?? As my hand has suddenly started to improve I thought I'd give weaving a try.....and.......whoaaaaaa!!! I could do it!! That is such an improvement on last week - I feel really encouraged. Maybe the 'silver lining' I was looking for earlier is this: that when you are sick or injured, it is so incredibly amazing to heal and get well again! For this I am truly thankful x
I hope you all had a good Christmas .......I can't believe it's all over (well, nearly....) for another year. I'm still on a bit of a roll with my paints. I leave everything on my table and snatch a few minutes here and there. At least I can manage it with one hand. There's not much sign of health and strength returning to my left hand yet, but at least I'm almost half way to getting the plaster cast off!! I shall be SOOOO happy when I'm functioning on full cylinders again. Gosh, it makes me really appreciate my normal good health. On that note, I wish you all good health and every happiness for the New Year x
I treated myself to a coffee on the beach this morning. It was great to sit out in the sun in mid winter....I'm sure you must be bored hearing this - but I so love living by the sea. I never take it for granted and am so thankful for it. I guess my enforced rest from so many of my normal activities is making me slow down and reflect more...I'm thinking about New Year resolutions - and I think one of them may be to pamper myself a bit more...!!
Because I take a lot of photos I can always browse through them for inspiration. These paintings were inspired by a picture I took when I was in France in September...so happy memories! I've been into Brighton to do a bit of Christmas shopping today. At least with only one functional arm I am limited to how much I can carry ..... !! I was most impressed when I stopped for a coffee at Costa. The young lady serving couldn't have been more helpful and made sure I sat at a table and then brought coffee and biscuits over to me ....... maybe she thought I looked fragile!!!
Today/s sketch.....I'm trying to be disciplined and do a bit of painting most days as it's the only creative thing I can manage at the moment. Mind you there are advantages of staying in this damp, dark weather and doodling with colour. Today was brightened however by going to the school's carol service,,,,,watching the children brings Christmas alive somehow and of course I was a very proud Granny!!!
Colour co-ordinated! I thought this plaster went well with my outfit. Only trouble is, I shall have to wear the outfit for the next 5 weeks!! Anyway, good news. To cut a long story short I have opted for intensive physio rather than surgery. Apparently I'm a borderline case, with no guarantee that surgery would improve the outcome. A no brainer really, and after I said I wouldn't have surgery, the surgeon said "I wouldn't either!!" Now I can begin to think about Christmas!
Cheering myself up with colour.......I enjoyed finishing off these sketches and, as always, the therapeutic value of colour lifts my spirits. I have to say the broken arm has been extremely painful and I now have a cold to help me along the way!!!! Tomorrow I should find out whether or not I need surgery - I'm still hoping I won't, but if I do I shall just have to get on with it. Sorry if I sound a bit gloomy but it has been a bit of a struggle. However, despite all, we had a really good house warming yesterday. About 50 people came throughout the day - it was fabulous seeing so many friends, and they all seemed to like the house!
I have just been in Brighton looking for easy to wear clothes without buttons and belts etc. I am now wearing jeggings which are easy to put on with one hand. Whilst in the shop I heard a lady nearby saying she couldn't do the buttons....we then proceeded to have a chat about damaged hands and arms!! I love the atmosphere in the run up to Christmas and the lights looked lovely. I couldn't help being aware of the contrast of the sea and space when I got off the bus!
I had a lovely walk with a friend a couple of hours before You-Know-What happened!! We are so lucky to live here....the sun is shining today - a simply beautiful day - so I shall walk along the beach to the Knit and Natter group (where I shall only natter!!). I'm getting fairly skilled at one-handedness, and this morning enjoyed a shower etc, with my arm firmly encased in a plastic bag!!! Have a good day x
Sorry Mummy, it wasn't my fault......when we were out walking yesterday George was spooked by a motorbike. She flipped in the air and I crashed on to the pavement....ouch! I now have a bruised body and a broken arm..The worst thing is I shan't be able to drive my little car for a couple of months, and my textile making has come to s standstill. They say every cloud has a silver lining.....I'm still looking for it!!!!
A winter walk. The girls enjoyed time in the woods yesterday but wherever we are poor old Jazmine is always focussed on her ball......she just gazes at it until I throw it.....By the way - good news about my niece's cat. She was walking the streets calling him, and heard him miaowing like mad - he was locked in a neighbour's camper van! I'm so glad this story has a happy ending!
The long, dark winter evenings are a great time to knit.....so here is the latest in the line of production....I still have to make a strap, felt and line it, so still a long way to go. Also...this is now definitely glove time and this pair is the only one I have left. I just can't knit quickly enough!!! This morning I heard on the radio about the dreadful storm in the north of the country. Luckily I live in the south - all is calm at the moment ......
They were going to be trees but as my friend suggested, they have ended up looking more like toadstools! Anyway, it doesn't really matter. I set myself the task of whizzing through a sketchbook page as I wanted to see how much can be done in a short space of time. So often I am frozen by wondering how and what to do. My motto for next year will be "just go for it and see what happens!!" I shall be running some time limited workshops and I want people to be able to get the most out of the time....talking of which, I must go!
Stitching on to paper is extremely satisfying...I like the solid feel of paper and of course at the moment I am thinking about paper and pages.. Soooo piles of paper on my desk at the moment and more splashing around with paint is required!!! Lots of dog walking to do today before I get around to creativity. Which reminds me - yesterday when we were dog walking our girls started staring up in to a tree. So clearly there were squirrels. I said I thought we'd better remove the girls because they were getting extremely excited. Emma, meanwhile was getting her camera out and said "don't worry the squirrels won't fall down!" What happened??? The next second a squirrel fell out of the sky into a pile of dogs....panic all round - and we did manage to disperse our girls and let the poor, terrified little squirrel zoom up the tree...it's all caught on camera!!
