Holiday lessons

In a dark living room mostly shut up against the heat

and in the place where just yesterday a Christmas tree stood

the sometimes-bickering of school holidays is set aside 

and a crochet lesson takes place.

The younger teaching the older.

My heart is full.

Babycakes, and knitted love

 

Baby-sized cupcakes for my cousin's baby shower today.

Pink and blue, to cover all outcomes.

We girls got stamping and punching and icing after lunch

and were finished just in time.
(And time for a quick photo, too!)

It was a good afternoon, no games, just lots of food,

chatting and presents for the mother-to-be.

Everyone is so happy she is having a baby,

she got married last year, just before her 40th birthday.

My aunt gave my cousin today 

some baby items our Nanna had knitted and crocheted,

years before, for her great-grandchildren.

It was special to see the booties and bonnet knitted so lovingly

and packed away so many years ago for a hoped-for child.

My girls each have a crocheted granny rug from Nanna,

who died just after Laura's first birthday, over thirteen years ago.

This will be the tenth great-grandchild in the family,

but Nanna only lived to meet the first three of them.

Here is my Nanna, and my father and aunt,

babies both welcomed with much love,

and likely much knitting too.

I'm hoping to crochet something for the baby,

who is due in a month.

I'd better get started!

Laura has begun a rug,

but got sidetracked crocheting squares for Wrap with Love.

Babies + celebrations + good food + items handmade with love 

It's all good.

Poncho Perfection

Through the autumn I crocheted and crocheted,

at home and by the lake, and after my surgery,

and finally my poncho 

was ready for wearing 

late at night

as I sit in bed, reading.

It's perfect for the job, as it warms me up,

but I can poke a few fingers through the holes to 

hold my book

as opposed to freezing two whole hands.

I added a rose to the front,

just to make it pretty.

I had grand plans of a dark blue shell edging,

but I ran out of the dark blue yarn.

I love the way the colours go with

the cushion on our bed,

the grey is rich with a little brown in it,

a good warm colour.

This might just be the most practical and appreciated

 item I ever crocheted.

Out and about again

The last few days I've started to go out and about a bit more.

After 5 weeks it is finally getting easier.

On Sunday I drove us girls to church.

About a block from home I started feeling dizzy already,

it was not an easy drive, and I didn't feel that great in church.

But I felt better than the previous Sunday, so can see progress.

Yesterday I needed a day at home, and was teaching piano from 4-7pm.

Today ... drumroll ...

I drove and shopped and drove and shopped.

I drove to the orthodontist, then to school.

I drove to Coles to buy some milk.

$85.00 later (you know how it is?) I left Coles.

I drove home, and realised I'd left the milk at the checkout!

Of all things to leave ...

I drove back to Coles.

This afternoon I drove the girls to the shops

and to the library.

I drove home.

Later I drove Emily to ballet in the dark.

I tell you, it is like getting my Ps all over again.

Lots of 'firsts'.

First time in the dark.

First time in traffic.

First time in the shopping centre carpark.

First time letting the girls chatter in the back seat while I drive 

Hopefully after today I can just move on and not think about it anymore.

I'm feeling less dizzy and more energetic

and I think the brain fog has left for good now. 

Thank goodness.

On Saturday I'm hosting afternoon tea here for 24 or so family members,

for Mum's birthday. 

It's good to have a project to work towards.

At the library was an exhibition of knitted and crocheted scenes

called Yarning Our Country - apparently a cooperative effort of 

200 knitters of all ages from all over NSW, including some local knitters.

I was glad I could take a few quick photos on my phone,

they were really cleverly done, and one can't stand staring at them forever at the library.

There must have been thousands of knitting-hours put into these creations.

The first one above was a water and tree scene, complete with leaf garland and knitted birdlife.

And I just noticed the Kermit-style frogs in the background, very cute.

This one was a picnic scene with an amazing backdrop, more leafy bunting,

 bush critters, trees, and people looking a bit uncertain about their picnic.

And look at the chicks in their nest!

I loved this farm scene with another amazing (but smaller) embroidered background.

I just wanted to sit down and play with this one, to be honest.

This scene was much smaller, but very effective, with so many colourful flowers.

Loved the tulips and daffodils.  

You can see more of this exhibition here.

2 weeks on

It's been 16 days now since my surgery,

and I still feel very much a patient.

My days are spent mostly sitting,

watching Downton or movies, reading blogs on my iPad;

and reading books or magazines (when my eyes can cope with that).

Which all sounds ideal, until it's all you can do.

Sometimes I've had to go back to bed, too tired for anything.

 I'm still enjoying flowers around me.

Above are the last of this bouquet from some of my students:

I think I like them better as they are now ...

Yesterday I spent an hour ordering groceries online,

with the aim of getting our non-perishables for the next month delivered,

plus some fresh food for the next few days.

Now my kitchen is filled with 37 bags of groceries 

I'm not allowed to unpack

(because of the bending and lifting).

But at least I won't have to send Steve out to the shops 

quite so much for a while.

Thank goodness I've been able to crochet these weeks,

I think it has kept me sane.

This was one of my projects, you might see more of it later.

I've also finished my poncho and started knitting a cowl,

projects for another post.

Another little project I finally managed was making 

a little shower cap for my ear!

I still can't get my ear wet, so a shower cap works fine for most days, 

but after about a week I really need to wash my hair, 

and am nervous about just using

a vaseline-soaked cotton ball (standard post-op protection advice)

so I cut up a shower cap and added elastic to make this itsy-bitsy ear cap,

and tried it this morning (plus the cotton ball and vaseline) with much success. 

Lunches have been haphazard, depending how I've been feeling,

this was one of the best ones - leftover potato

and a chickpea omelette.

Laura has been home sick with headaches and nausea

four out of days this week.  Meaning she has missed most of her Year 9 NAPLAN tests.

The thought that we might be headed for a repeat

of last year is just too much for me to cope with, at the moment.

I'm thankful she is old enough to look after herself

and have never been more grateful for the invention of the iPod.

Hopefully she might improve when things go back to normal with me,

she's a sensitive (but sweet) little thing that way.

 In my mind, today was to be the last day of my convalescence.

(I finished Downton season 4 just now, so it must be time to get better!)

Next week I plan to ease back into my normal activities,

starting with piano teaching. 

But I still feel foggy and tired and sometimes dizzy for a lot of each day.

I'll see how I go on the weekend before I confirm anything.

Fortunately I usually feel much better in the evenings, somehow,

the other night I cooked most of the dinner and dessert by myself.

So, I'll keep rolling with the ups and downs a bit longer,

ever grateful that my surgery has been successful,

I can hear well, and the sun is shining.

Convalescence

convalescence (ˌkɒnvəˈlɛsəns)

n

1. (Medicine) gradual return to health after illness, injury, or an operation, esp through rest

2. (Medicine) the period during which such recovery occurs

It's been a week now since my ear surgery, and things are going well.

I've had the expected symptoms of dizziness, some ear pain and tiredness.  My tongue is numb on one side and my ear is uncomfortable from being stuffed full of packing.  I've had some days where I felt miserable, dizzy, or exhausted, but am definitely on the mend now.

And there have been consolations.

 

Flowers in hospital from Mum & Dad, 

and tulips from bible study after I arrived home.

Much, much Downton.

And I'm catching up on lots of chick flicks.

I'm crocheting my poncho, almost finished.

Dreaming of my next crochet projects, and garden plans

Emily made me the cutest birdy to cheer me

and the bunny dish Laura gave me at Easter still makes me smile.

Today I managed to make simple Mothers Day cards.  Just.

Steve has been an untiring nurse / housekeeper / cook / errand-runner

picker-upper of things I can't bend down for / hairdresser (keeping the ear dry!) /

florist and much, much more.

Mum and Jacqui have helped with some meals, and there have been texts and

emails, and tonight there were more flowers from some students.

Tomorrow I visit the surgeon to have most of the packing in my ear removed.

I should be much more comfortable in the ear, and I should be able to hear!

From then on I need to rest for at least another week,

and be patient while my hearing comes and goes a bit while my ear settles down

over the coming weeks and months.

A crocheted poncho

I haven't been blogging much, because my eyes are 

just not coping with the computer screen at the moment.

In a week I'll begin a process of exercises then glasses,

but for now I have to limit my screentime

(or type with my eyes shut!)

So to rest my eyes, I've started a crochet project instead.

For a while I've been thinking of making

a garment to keep me warm while I sit in bed, reading.

I usually snuggle under the crocheted rug my Nanna made me

when I was a teenager.  But on cold winter nights my back gets cold.

I like the granny rug pattern though, because I can poke my fingers out 

through the holes, to hold the book and keep the rest of my hands warm!

The obvious answer was a poncho.
I haven't owned a crocheted poncho since about 1975.

(But boy, did I love my poncho).

Last week I picked out some colours that might go with our bedroom, 

thinking neutrals, plus a colour.

I found a grey-brown and two denim blues.

Later, I realised that the colours I picked will match a cushion

that I've bought for our bed, exactly!  

If I ever finish up a little bit of painting and sew the curtains

I will use the new quilt cover and linen that is sitting, waiting patiently...

I'm using Panda Magnum 8ply acrylic yarn, since I'm allergic to wool.

I love the colours, so much, 

but I'm disappointed that the yarn isn't softer and warmer when crocheted.  

Yarn from the $2.00 shop is softer, but not available yet, (till after Easter?) 

and probably not in colours for our bedroom, anyway.

So, I'll keep happily crocheting (and watching Downton) 

and see how it turns out.

Scarf Weather

The weather has turned cool

and it's scarf weather.

Time for wearing a scarf

or for crocheting one.

Using Heirloom 8ply Cotton

 Something to look forward to on cool nights 

while watching Gilmore Girls 

for the fourth or fifth time ...

... and something to remind me

of all the rainbows we saw 

in Tasmania.