A birthday card

A card for a friend's birthday.

Despite my best intentions, there have not been 

cards for all occasions this year.

There have been some more spontaneous cards, though,

some "hello" cards, and "get well soon".

This particular friend with a birthday this weekend 

will be amazed to receive her card on time for once.

Unfortunately she had to move to the other side of the country

for it to happen :-(

I've been tidying my craft room lately,

and am determined to use up my scraps.

This card was put together using a flower

I made a few years ago,

and some pretty patterned paper from my stash,

all retired Stampin' Up! products.

The fact is, I have way too many scraps of retired and current card

not to mention lots of stamped images and embellishments and pretty papers.

I'm planning to make cards all year and then hold a stall

with all proceeds going to Compassion.

That's the plan, anyway.

* * *

In other news, today is the 6-week mark since my ear surgery.

While I'm mostly better, I am still dizzy occasionally and tireder than usual.

I'm expecting it to take another 6 weeks or so to get back to my full strength,

and am holding off getting back into some activities until next term.

So I'm still taking each day as it comes, and am enjoying ...

slower mornings

crocheting & knitting 

sitting on the verandah in the cool late afternoon, under a rug

sunshowers

working through shorter to-do lists

reading in the afternoons by the heater

watching some old shows

feeling more relaxed with a few less activities on.

What are you enjoying these days?

Afternoon Tea Party

Afternoon tea today for Mum's birthday.

Chips, crackers and dips

Sausage rolls and party pies,

Cheese and spinach savouries.

Homemade gluten-free sausage rolls

(yum)

Sandwiches: egg, chicken, pesto, cream cheese & sultanas

(gluten-free & regular varieties)

Blueberry Almond Birthday Cake GF

Swedish Chocolate Cake GF

Caramel Creams GF

100s and 1000s biscuits GF

Armenian Nutmeg Cake GF

Choc Chip Cookies

Peach and Date slice

Chocolate Cupcakes

Everyone brought a plate of food or drink,

I made most of the gluten-free foods.

We decorated the table with some butterflies

(cut from an op-shop copy of Pride & Prejudice)

and pretty labels for each dish.

I pulled out all my pretty vintage china

and a vintage embroidered tablecloth.

I bought some pretty pink-edged lizianthus,

and my aunt & co. surprised me with a lovely

arrangement of proteas in a gorgeous pot.

(a late "thinking of you" gift for my surgery!)

It was lovely to see most of the family again,

there were about 20 of us, and to celebrate Mum's birthday

A good way to spend a winter afternoon.

And a good way to spend this winter evening:

eating leftovers and watching To Kill a Mockingbird.

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.

On the kitchen bench

I was rewarded for forcing myself out the door this morning to go for a walk.

I'm hoping that if I keep pushing myself to be active in the mornings

the dizziness might improve.

(The plan doesn't seem to be working, but it does help to alleviate boredom).

So I dragged Emily out for a walk around the block

and we came upon a garage sale - the most interesting kind

where the entire c1960s contents of the house are on sale.

I was most restrained and just bought this cute Pyrex casserole dish ($2)

- I've always wanted a snowflake Pyrex casserole dish :)

and I love the size of it, great for veges and small dishes;

and a sweet little jug ($1), just a cheap reproduction, but it makes me happy.

And we bought a wheelbarrow, but that doesn't fit on the kitchen bench.

And actually, now I remember that it's still at the garage sale,
waiting for Steve to collect it later.
I couldn't wheel it home, and Emily wouldn't.
Lucky for her - when we got home there were two cute boys on the doorstep
collecting for the Salvation Army.  Bad enough to be seen carrying a casserole dish, 
let alone pushing a wheelbarrow!

Also on the bench today,

pears in a cute white bowl given to me by my mother-in-law,

and a finger.

A plaster-cast, creepily realistic mold of Laura's finger,

complete with Laura's favourite turquoise nailpolish,

made in a science class some time ago ...

which somehow last week appeared on the bench 

and seems in no hurry to leave.

Adding a certain something to the everyday kitchen vignette.

* * *

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday.

One day ...

Just reminding myself that exactly four weeks ago,

on a similarly sunny morning,

I was in a kayak with Laura, heading to explore an island or two.

Feeling energetic and intrepid.

Noone in that kayak had a headache, noone was dizzy from surgery, 

noone was tired of being sick and helpless and stuck at home

(despite their best intentions to just get on with it).

Noone felt that their patience was being sorely tried

and that everything about their life was just one big unsolvable mess.

Instead, we powered on, focused, landing on one island and then the other,
treading gingerly in our bare feet on the mushy reeds and strange plants.
We discovered large bones (pelican?)
and tried to pick out Steve and Emily back on shore,
waving anyway, in case they were looking.
Then we paddled back, feeling triumphant, and just tired enough.
The sun was getting too hot for so much activity, and it was time for morning tea.

One day, we'll feel like this again.

Back into the Piano Studio

Since Saturday I've started to feel more normal.

It's almost 3 weeks now since my surgery

and although I'm still a little tired and dizzy,

I'm well enough to ease back into things, including piano teaching.

Come into my piano studio. 

 This is by far the darkest room of our house,

so I've tried to give it a cosy feel with warm walls (Dulux Puppy)

to help the dark furniture blend in.

This is where I spend time each week teaching my 10 or so students.

I bought the piano just before we got married, in time to move into the house

before the wedding. I think I bought it before we owned any furniture (first things first).

(Actually, I'd recommend that order to anyone, 

it's much easier to fit the rest of the furniture around a piano 

than to fit a piano into a house later, pianos are picky about where they like to be.)

 This is some of our sheet music, surrounded by more instruments, music and teaching aids.

My harp normally sits here, too.

By the piano is a watercolour by my mother-in-law,

painted from a newspaper photo of Yehudi Menuhin's hands and violin.

Over the piano are three favourite old songs.

Two of these belonged to my Nanna, and my great-aunt.

This room is really known to us as "the study", not "the piano studio".

Over the other side of the room is the less-pretty section  

- desk, computer, more instruments, an old wardrobe, and files section.  

It's a busy room with a lot going on in here each day.

A fair amount of juggling objects goes on -

Steve even does his morning workouts in here (somehow).

It's warm today, up to 25deg. I've opened up the window to let in some fresh air.

I'm looking forward to teaching again this afternoon, it's been a long time since Term 1.

I'm thrilled that my most advanced student did brilliantly in a recent significant exam,

and am looking forward to catching up with my students in the coming fortnight.

And now, I'll be able to hear naturally!  

(No more avoiding those high notes that the hearing aid just didn't cope with.)

But before then, I'll be resting up a bit to save my strength ;-)

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.