Wednesday, 27 November 2024

I found some photos

 


Above are the four reduced to £1.50 each fat quarters, which I thought pretty and I could use in something in the future.


On the left, the fabric for 2 cushion fronts, and on the right, 3 more lovely prints in fat 1/4s - the top to go with Christmassy fabric.


Above is the Spicy Dorset Apple cake made with chopped apricots this time.  Yummy.  Below, my latest loaf, which was half and half with 8 seed flour and sprinkled with oats.


It has been a God-save having the girls here today (all 3 of them!) to cheer me up.  We had a lovely early birthday meal for Tam and I really enjoyed half of my King Prawn Biriani.  It's the first thing I've really enjoyed eating for weeks.  I even had a glass of wine, though that tasted strange as my palate has changed from not really eating much.  Gabs had to go back tonight as she's off to Milton Keynes tomorrow for a couple of days, filling in for a Manager at a different branch. Tam & Rosie go back tomorrow, and then the carpet cleaner man arrives (much needed!)

I am off to bed now as my back is still aching - don't know how much is tension as I have just been aware of holding my shoulders up.  

I have another Big Boy here who's been bitten by the ginger tom doing the rounds - it's L. Whale, and I thought he had gotten away with just a quick tussle as I could only find a bit of loose hair clawed from his coat, but no, today there was a big matted lump of hair towards his tail and when I cut that off, and gently eased off the little clump left over the wound, the smell of abscess leaking was hideous.  My sense of smell is BACK!  I managed to sneak up on him when he was eating later and gently dabbed it with salt water, so will keep on with that. It is draining well anyway, and I don't want another unnecessary £81 vet's bill . . .

17 comments:

  1. Oh poor L Whale, that must be so painful. Can you dab on some antibiotic ointment too.? Or will he lick that off and get sick.

    Your dinner with your girls sounds so wonderful. I keep saying, but you are so loved and blessed by your children. [you shouldn't mix wine w antibiotics?]

    Love your fabrics. You often choose rich deep colors, a certain ''look''. Did you buy the smocking pattern? My fave is the cream ground woodland fabric, that's adorable. It would make a cute dress for Rosie too.

    And your baking! Omigosh, yum!

    lizzy

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    1. He was very good as I eased the matted hair away. I have just used salt water as I know that is ok.

      The meal was great - tbh, I could eat the other half for breakfast as my appetite has returned. I took my last antibiotic last night so a very small glass of wine wouldn't have hurt.

      I like deep, rich colours. I held fire on the little dress pattern but I think I will buy it and that gives me an excuse to look for some gorgeous Liberty fabrics . . .

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  2. I have a fabric very similar to the red with berries and roses--a Moda from quite a few years ago. Poor Little Whale! An abscess wound is such a nasty thing to deal with. I've used warm compresses and then hydrogen peroxide dabbed on once it is draining. The odor is awful! I hope LW heals without a vet visit.
    Your Rosie must be a delight and now at a very interactive stage. How good that you can see her often.

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    1. I don't have any Hydrogen peroxide in the house, so will go to Boots today. I am nearly out of Panadol for me anyway.

      Rosie is adorable. Now says "mumum" and has a delightful range of facial expressions, and is strong on her feet and starting to take steps! She had a delightful meal last night of washed plum (yumyum!), baby wafers, mango, and cucumber, then some veggie sticks dipped in Tam's mild curry sauce which she couldn't get enough of!

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  3. Aww, so sorry for L Whales injury. I hope he does not have to visit the vet. Love your fabric, and that cake looks wonderful.

    God bless.

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    1. He will be ok I think as it's open and draining now. The fabrics cheered me up and the cake will go home with Tam. I have only had two slivers.

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  4. I'm sure having the girls there was a great comfort. The cake and bread look delicious. Oh poor L Whale! I hope he heals up soon and doesn't need a vet visit. I'm so glad you are feeling much improved now, and hopefully over the infection soon if not already. Tension can wreck havoc on one's back and shoulders.

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    1. It was lovely having both the girls here (and wee Rosie too of course). Makes a big difference to my mental health. I get very down on these long dark winter evenings alone.

      The infection seems to have healed now, but I have been drinking so much water I feel totally bloated. Tension is not good and I need to get back to walking as sitting down so much is really unhealthy.

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  5. Well, that's a vet bill you can do without, poor dab! Hope you can avoid that trip and the salt water bathing works.
    Your fabrics are gorgeous. I succumbed to some too, but God only knows why!
    Glad the appetite is back, I wish mine would return.

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    1. Well, the wound is healing well so he doesn't need to go. I'm sure you can make a cushion front from your bits of fabric? Just a block of simple squares.

      Appetite much better now and I feel so much improved for having eaten better.

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  6. I wonder if Tam loved spicy food when she was pregnant with Rosie? Your fabric drawers must be bulging. I cannot cope with more than one ‘make’ at a time. My brain seems to need lots of ‘white space’ around it at the moment so thank goodness for soothing reading (I finished Whale Fall in bed last night and didn’t want it to end). I had a wonderful swim yesterday. It’s so relaxing as the instructor tells us exactly what to do and as soon as I start swimming I can feel the stress release from my heart centre as I breathe slowly and deeply. I love my swimming so much and do it with a great group of supportive women. I came home and had celeriac and apple soup for lunch and got S settled andcosy in the sitting room while I made the venison casserole with radio 3 for company. I used the Riverford recipe for a change as I had all the ingredients except for juniper berries. Our friend M popped by for coffee and toast and marmalade just before I left for swimming. He’s a great support too and took down the shower rain head to clean it by soaking in white vinegar. It’s heavy and I need a step ladder to reach, I can take it down but it’s the screwing back up that worries me. He also fixed the bolt on the driveway gates which had buckled in the wind so the bolt didn’t go into ground hole. So grateful to have good and practical friends. Not cleaning the shower head wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but in my experience friends are happy to help and M and S have been friends since their schooldays. This morning I have the tree surgeon coming at 10.30 and this afternoon I will drop S at the well-being cafe, go to the fruit and veg farm shop by myself (lovely lady who owns the farm shop always asks how I am) and back to the hall for tea and perhaps a game of table tennis. We always finish with 15 mins of (hilarious) chair yoga (nobody knows their left from their right!) and a ‘well-being’ chat and I come out feeling a bit lighter. This evening I am planning on going to my yoga teacher’s Thursday evening class which she tells me is very different to Monday morning. I am doing everything I can to help myself and have enrolled on a peer-led carer’s support course which will be delivered via Zoom in the new year. On the prompting of the neurologist last week I have also downloaded, completed and posted the Attendance Allowance application form. I’m working in the bookshop on Saturday morning and it’s the Petworth Christmas Cracker weekend so the town will be buzzing and on Sunday we are going to Bignor Park to choose a Norway Spruce Christmas tree. We haven’t had a real Christmas tree for a few years now but with all our visitors I thought it would be fun. Next week I have book group and spinning group parties here so a bit to organise but for each party everyone is bringing something to share and I will just provide the mince pies plus fizz for book group (who like a drink) and tea and coffee for spinning group (who definitely don’t!). It’s nice to be busy and stops me over-thinking and S loves it when ladies come to the house. Right, I must get dressed and open the gates and make some mince pies for the tree surgeon. All is well, the mist has lifted and the sun is shining. Hope you get a walk in today BB and can breathe slowly and deeply and let the endorphins flow. You are truly blessed with your girls. I’m missing my boy who is in the Far East and my girl who seems even further away in Scotland. Sarah x

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    1. Yes, Tam and Jon both love spicy food (as do I, although I have had to have it a lot less spicy than the Vindaloos I used to eat at one time). I am glad you enjoy your swimming. I am NOT a water baby (I put it down to being a fire sign!) I don't even like getting my face wet and my asthma doesn't help matters either.

      Lucky you having your friend M to do little things which need fixing. I have to employ the very thorough (but NOT my sort of person) handyman, and wait in a queue for him.

      Interesting that the Yoga evening class is a different animal - perhaps livelier or more demanding or more meditation? Good for you to get out and meet people. I soon get fed up with my own company!!

      We have always had a proper tree. Hah - Keith on his own wouldn't even have acknowledged Christmas (probably from his Army days when he was often working through it) but put up with my and the family's pleasure in a real tree and lovely decorations.

      I am glad you are up to speed with the Attendance Allowance now too but sad to acknowledge it is something which you may need to utilise in the future. How lovely to be hosting your book club and spinning group Christmas meetings - I am sure you will have the house looking very festive.

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  7. You can't beat something nice and spicy to get those taste buds back and perk up the appetite, I don't think abscess sniffing is a good way to find out that your sense of smell is back though. ;-)

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    1. Keith's mum used to swear by Manx Kippers for flavour when she had been poorly, so it has to be something tasty. At least I know my sense of smell is back and I have discovered I probably lost it due to the incredible stress I was under.

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  8. I forgot to say when I said about the vitamin B for stiffness, I also take vitamin C with it. I make sure I buy them as "gel caps" otherwise I gag when swallowing. Both are water soluble and not stored in the body for very long. They also are diminished in food if it is cooked or stored for a while. Any stress that we go through uses them up faster. I take both before bed and in the morning..... Did I say I am 71 LOL maybe I need some ginko biloba, a herb that is good for memory loss. Vitamin C is also good for infections of any kind as I am sure you know.

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    1. Vit. C is something I don't take as I eat my way through a lot of fruit. I am 72 now and eat much smaller portions than I used to be able to manage. I just take Vit. D, Vit. B (sometimes!) and when I remember it, a multi-vitamin. Keith used to take handfuls of supplements which I wasn't convinced helped him at all, but his mother was the same. I still have packets and packets in the cupboard which I should bin.

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    2. Interestingly fruit is not as healthy as once thought, and puts a lot of stress on the pancreas as it is very high in sugar. albeit fruit sugar. The personality Steve Jobs ( he founded Apple inc) was a strict fruitarian and died at age 56 of pancreatic cancer. That is why I take vit C instead.

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