Do You Mind If I Knit - Vanessa Cabban - A Tribute

Vanessa Cabban,

 you were one of my crochet inspirations, your books beautiful and your papier mache sculptures were full of joy.

I hope you are at peace.

R.I.P

x

Seasonal Message

(I'm posting today 'cos I ran out of time yesterday - sigh)

ahem, my only Xmas Tree Pic (from 2011 - I am so rubbish at this!)

Merry Christmas

and

a

Peaceful New Year

(Notice there's no fancy accoutrements, I am so basic lol)

Oh Vanessa, Rest In Peace

Vanessa Cabban, a beautiful artist has died.

I used to check her blog and website now and again to see if she was going to come back and now it's too late.

I have just deleted all the words I was going to put here, the conclusion that I reached on reading the local news item local-woman-killed-by-train-at-goswick but I will keep my opinions private.

I used to work for British Railways in my youth.

x

Swapsies

I am considering swapping my blogs over and using  Dollyclothespeg for happier stuff, this is for privacy reasons so that certain people hopefully won't find the 'other stuff' I have written.  Either that or deleting. 

I don't know what to do or how to do it.  I have been considering this for some time hence the absence, also I don't want to lose the friends/followers I have.  Does that sound vain? 

In fact the more I write the more sure I am of swapping.  I will give it a go,  (amongst all the busyness which I will tell you about later). 

Wish me luck!

x

A Much Better Birthday

I am incredibly tired so this may be a bit scrappy......

Cutty Sark 

The Painted Hall

Painted ceiling in the Chapel of Ss Peter and Paul Old Royal Navel College

We went to Greenwich, The FW, Me, Eldest Boy and The Daughter.

All were well behaved.

We had a  shortish boat trip which I loved and The Daughter was unsure of.

I had lots of cards (unusual) including a "Sister in Law" from The FWs sister - a first in 32 years (I'm in, people) but none from Best Friend.

Chocolates, flowers, ambrosia choc custard (my fave), moneyz, amazon 'givoutchers', a jewellery hangy thing (lol no jewels left, all sold) and a coffee mug/cake plate.  In the Greenwich market I bought a vintage tin and little #vintage brooch.

We ate at Frankie & Bennys cos that seemed the easiest thing to do as we were StARVing.

The Most Beautiful Painted By My Daughter Painting ever in the whole wide world best present ever ever ever! (phew). I will add photo later as camera full.

that's all for now, need to watch Big Brother (don't hate me)

xx

PS 1 - My photography is not great, just snaps/reminders of the day.
PS 2 - The FW will mention, maybe not today, but maybe tomorrow how much he spent (he always does, I'm used to this)
PS 3 - Disappointed in Best Friend - what can I say?
PS 4 - crocheting like a loon to make enough stuff for half a stall at the Artists in the Woods in Faversham (oops, a clue to my whereabouts!)
PS5 - Parking £2.50 an hour WTFF

Sugarman.........

I have just been blown away by BBC4's Looking for Sugarman (Rodriguez) documentary/film this evening......

of course if I was a clever person I would add a musical/film clip type thingie......

but I'm not so you will have to search yourselves, it will be worth it and I'm happy to wait.


In the meantime, there has been a short interval for

• a bout of the blues 
• some financial concerns and decisions made
• a 60th celebration for best friend where her boyfriend kinda insulted me
• a bout of the greys
• a funeral  (Danny Williams 'Moon River' oh my)
• and subsequent trip to florist with a complaint (unlike MiLs funeral where the tribute they made was beautiful) and a 50% reduction which will be donated to the Alzheimers charity in FiL's name.

So, there we are, a tad overwhelmed, a mite concerned, a little less.

xx

pictures of stuff next time, maybe

Not sure how to begin......(Reunited with Mum)

so I'll jump right in to say that Dad (that's Father in law) is sinking fast.

Dad has Alzheimers and has had this for about 9 years and has been on Arisept from the beginning.  He deteriorated quickly in the past three months and has had a stroke recently and now has a chest infection.  He is on morphine now and the end is very near.

We may (probably) won't see him at the end as I don't feel able to insist on going to the care home in the middle of the night (this night) as I did with Mum (Mother in law) only a short time ago (Mum passed away in the early hours of 5 Feb this year).  Husband does not want to go, just as he did not want to go and therefore did not stay at his mother's side when she passed.

As I sat with him after the phone call (at the same time as before, spookily) he said he wanted to carry on and go to his little handyman job tomorrow and that "no-one could criticize me for not going" which I thought was an odd thing to say.

Today has been an intense day for me (long hospital appt with best friend) so I am knackered and have toothache as well.  So I am in bed not sleeping, thinking a lot and wondering whether to continue with my plans and obligations for Wednesday as usual.

On the one hand I have sympathy for husband* in losing both parents so quickly, on the other he was not interested in visiting for visiting's sake and he gave lipservice to grief in the days after losing Mum.

When I attempted to comfort him after the phone call he avoided me so I sat to one side and tried to find the words of sympathy, without outwardly saying "get off your arse and don't let your sister go through this again without one of her brothers with her".  I did not feel able to say "take me up there and I will stay" -  just as I did with Mum - I wussed out and now I feel bad.

Tomorrow neither of us will be home to take the call when it comes and I bet if he gets the call on his mobile he probably won't call me.

It will be an odd day.

But I will be speaking to his sister at some point to apologise for not going this time.

There is deeper guilt in all this and I will be honest and say that all the previous anguish within husband's family about the house being sold for their care home fees is ironic because now most of it is still in the bank** and therefore available for the inheritances!***

Good night and I will see you soon xx


Dad passed away at 1.30am Thurs 8 May, 13 weeks after Mum.


* Note that I feel unable to use his normal nickname at the moment.

** Mum had money in the bank for the first time in her life, never got to appreciate/spend it and had it for only 4 months, then her half of the house went back to Dad, (though I have no idea when or how because it is none of my concern,  but I expect sister in law's husband knows every little thing *wink*).

*** Not mine, I hasten to add, this is for the grandchildren and the three remaining children.  One of whom was honest and spoke up about losing his inheritance when the decisions were being made about selling the house and paying for care homes.