A winter's tale

The snow went away, but during the night the Frost giants came and separated us from the world........

Until the sun came out.

Fragments

Some weeks ago, Elaine, at Ted and Bunny, posted this and kindly said I could use the photo in my art project which is using architectural fragments as a basis for a collection of drawings.  I've really enjoyed my first attempt - done in pastel, and hope to try again with soft pencil.  Blogger refuses to post the second photo the right way round so please imagine it turned through 90 degees.  The current light has turned the colour rather more blue than the original.
This last few days have been very fragmented - we can just about get the car out if necessary, though the top of our cul-de-sac is very icy and no grit between us and the main road.  I've been doing small amounts of crafting, cooking, drawing and sewing  - and the inevitable end of year accounting has started to impinge again.  It also occured to me that I hadn't properly acknowledged the lovely give-away I won from Chrissie at Niminy Fingers:

This lovely little bird and its garland of bobbles are trying valiantly to brighten up my study - and making it even more obvious that I really must smarten up of all the pine shelving and cupboards with a good coat of white paint - now would be a good time except that I can't have the windows open - perhaps better wait for better weather.
I'm still slogging on with the slides that need converting - currently I'm in Spain in 1963!  The various and miscellaneous were great fun as one minute we were in a 1950's summer garden and next on a 1970 cruise.  More of that another time.  If you're wondering why a lot of posts have disappeared, I had to remove them at the request of one of M's friends.  I think it's unreasonable but I decided it was anything for a quiet life.

 

Still hoping that we shall be able to get M to hospital on Tuesday to have her cataract removed - fingers crossed that we shan't get too much more snow.

                                                         Who Knows If The Moon's

                                                      who knows if the moon's
                                                      a balloon, coming out of a keen city
                                                      in the sky--filled with pretty people?
                                                     (and if you and i should

                                                     get into it, if they
                                                     should take me and take you into their balloon,
                                                     why then
                                                     we'd go up higher with all the pretty people

                                                     than houses and steeples and clouds:
                                                     go sailing
                                                     away and away sailing into a keen
                                                     city which nobody's every visited, where

                                                     always
                                                     its
                                                     spring) and everyone's
                                                     in love and flowers pick themselves

                                                           - e.e. cummings

Two very different views from our house at 9.00 a.m. this morning reminded me of this poem.  I was heartily relieved not to see a snow scene, but I don't suppose we'll escape.  I'm praying that it comes and goes before the hospital trip on December 7th - if we get snowed in it will be very difficult to get there. (Unless we go by balloon?)

One hundred, one year

 This may be the closest I get to packing a suitcase in the forseeable future - bought these in the local Post Office because I couldn't resist them.  The large is about 8 inches wide and the smaller about 6 inches.

Items I'm packing to send to China Kidz Christmas appeal (see my previous post).   Probably the closest I shall ever get to going to China.

Lion's head finished at last - just to prove that I do sometimes finish what I set out to do!

Haven't time today to say all that I would like to about my experience of my first year of blogging.  Thank you to everyone who has commented, and all those who just read, for your support and kindness, I really feel that I am among friends.  It's been lovely to meet a few of you in person and to correspond with others by email, and I look forward to continuing to do so during the next year, whatever that may bring.

The view from space?

Fireworks from the display at the Three Counties Showground - taken from our top floor window about a mile away, through the torrential rain using the camera's own firework setting.  I think another time I would experiment for myself and use a tripod but these were very spur of the moment. 

Just a quick note

To say ....

Please look over on Kate's blog and see if you would like to help with this appeal for China Kidz - they're wanting sweaters, legging (and toys) against the coming winter months 

The misty grey weather hasn't allowed me to take any really good photos of the wonderful autumn colours on the hills.  The leaves are falling now after a few days of rain and wind, but I hope we might get another good day before all the colour goes.  

A trip to Dunelm Mill with daughter at the weekend found this rather nice printed fleece throw, which matches very well with the quilt I finished last week.  Our bedroom gets a bit chilly in the worst of winter weather so we shall be glad of extra layers - though at the moment it's quite mild here and warm during the night.

 The week's been very busy so far.  Monday we took M to get her knee brace.  Inevitably after only three days wear it's been decreed that it 'isn't any good for ME' (always the stress on my superior requirements) and has gone the way of the walking frame and the perching stool.  It has been an excuse to ring all her friends to report its inadequacies and smugly reiterate her total superiority over all help, aids or any attempts to make her or our lives easier.  

On Monday I went to M&S and bought M new pyjamas as requested (size 14).. When I got them home I was told she'd meant 12.  This is new game, last week a box of choclates to send to friend was the basis of a similar strop and sulk as I hadn't asked for precised directions before I went out, but phoned from the shop when I remembered that she had asked for some to be purchased. 

Yesterday, sadly, I had to go to a funeral in Bristol where my family has come from for as far back as I have been able to research (at least 200 years).  My cousin's husband died suddenly aged only in his mid fifties.  It was a major logistical operation here to borrow a second car - as H also had an unmissable appointment and work out ways for us to cater to M's requirements around these committments.  Daughter, fortunately, didn't need her car, which saved me from an awkward train journey ( though she was very cross to be in London yesterday with no tube available), but it meant careful planning to fetch car, not to forget to collect M's prescription, change the pyjamas, and make sure H and M had lunch ingredients, so I could go off on Wednesday.  By great time management, I got home in time for her tea at 3.30 (having not been able to go back to the house with my cousin after the funeral ) only to be told that she'd made her own tea at 3.15.  For weeks now she has refused to use her kettle because her eyes are too bad, but I have seen her using things very easily so I think the deterioration in eyesight may be a convenient way to stop H and I going out together. I'm dreading the actual operation on her catatract as she's already decided it will be awful and won't work (it's different for ME I have degeneration) although the consultant was totally confident it will.

Finished the hoodie I was knitting in time to take it with me yesterday.  Hope it fits.    It was lovely to see all my cousins - despite the sad circumstances.