In a dark dark town...

...there was a dark, dark street
and in the dark, dark street there was a dark, dark house,
and in the dark, dark house there were some dark, dark stairs
and down the dark, dark stairs there was a dark, dark cellar
and in the dark, dark cellar 3 skeletons lived,

 Classic childrens tv... and almost true to life as is at 59 Millview Meadows as I type... Well... nearly...Sort of... If you forget that there isn't any stairs.... or a cellar... and  as of yet the inhabitants aren't very skeleton-like... But the street IS starting to get very dark now... and the lights in the hallway have blown... so... the house/flat is dark... well...1/5 of it is...

Ok so I maybe I just really liked FunnyBones... :D and saw a  teeny weeny connection to present circumstances... and voila... this post :D (Just checking the batteries in the torch and putting it safely on the bedside table... Just in case!)

The Great Thickner SNAFU...

OK... so maybe it's not quite equal to The Great Train Robbery... but... since I have now been put onto a "Soft Food and Level 1 Thickened Fluids" only (well more like mainly... you're allowed a few old favourites... in a modified form... even if they aren't strictly on the list... just not all the time!) diet... as quite a lot food (and any unthickened liquid (drink or soup... etc) is what I call "adventurous"... and "takes the alternative route" i.e. attempts to go down the windpipe... NOT the way it's supposed to be going! Cue quite a bit of coughing and spluttering... which usually clears things... The Heimlich Manouveure (hug person from behind... joining hands together in a fist under rib cage... thrust inwards and upwards several times, hopefully dislodging obstruction in airway) has so far not been required!

What is required though... is  thickener for fluids... Now... there are presently TWO brands of thickener on the market... "Thick n Easy" and "Resource Thicken Up" (which I keep calling RoundUp... eeek! RoundUp is a WEEDKILLER preparation!) Now...  Thick n Easy it transpires... comes in different sizes of tub to Resource Thicken Up... Which comes in a tub or a box of individual sachets.... Here's where the confusion starts!  It was thought that it was Thick n Easy that came in the tub or sachets... and that Resource Thicken Up came in the larger tub... So I was slightly confused to get  sachets with the "wrong" name on... The confusion continued when the tub of thickener arrived at the pharmacy... It had turned into several smaller tubs! Never mind! They are easier to store!  Plus the newer thickener is apparently better for pre-preparing drinks as well (Good news if I need to take a packed lunch somewhere!)...

So a lot of confuzzlation (confusion but fuzzier... brain fog confusion!) but all's well that ends well :D

Crazy....

Plane Lady!

You've heard of Crazy Cat Lady... (obsessed with cats...).... Well... Now... for your education... I announce there is a new woman on the block! Crazy Plane Lady is obsessed with... planes! (Simples! eh?) Or to be more specific... with photographing planes... 

How do I happen to come by knowledge of this fascinating (to other plane spotting folk) creature? I live very close to an airport... and have been sharing my house with her for the past 5/6 days. 

Crazy Plane Lady has this amazing ability to hear the sound of  planes... and know if they are approaching, going in the wrong direction... or just moving about on the tarmac at the airport... It's almost like she's got radar... "Stop! A plane is approaching! I'm gonna get a photo THIS time!" is an oft heard mantra...no matter what is occurring... (Well almost no matter... I've not been abandoned in the shower... yet!)  

As is "Dog Nabbit (or something slightly earthier)...! It was going in completely the wrong direction!"  (This is a particularly fascinating thing about Crazy Plane Lady.... How did she know this? Surely the pilot would be heading in the right direction... or he (it's rarely a she) is really not a very good pilot!) 

So there you have it folks... Crazy Plane Lady... a woman who is determined to be like the Mounties and always get her photo of that plane... Or something like that... (if she takes to photographing men... and therefore "always gets her photo of that man"... you will hear it here first... once I've bailed her out of the nick for being a stalker!) I tell you... the person who figured out how to get a camera into a mobile phone... has a LOT to answer for! 

California Dreamin'....

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray.
I've been for a walk on a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A.;
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
 
 Crazy weather.... Wind and driving rain... then sunshine again! Arrrgh! 

Don't think that the UK is quite at the "all the leaves are brown" stage yet... well not here at least! But... it sure was windy when Adriana and I at last ventured out when the rain had stopped (to get batteries... otherwise the door chime that I use to alert her to the fact that I need help.. when my "singing" is either sung out (every note would be a "bum" note!) or would be ineffective... was being ahem... temperamental...)... and dreaming of  being somewhere else... seems a good idea! Not sure about California though...Hmmm... Where else is warm and sunny at the end of October?
 

"Danger Zone"

What? Where? Who? How? What's all this about DANGER? Well... living in within any close range of me can be a little bit... risky... ;)

To start off with... there's Querida Jaunita... To me she's great... But other people... well they think that I need to have someone walking (ok running!) in front of me ringing a hand bell (or something like that!)...Similar to what happened when motor cars were first used on British roads... OK they didn't move very fast by today's standards.. in fact they went at something approaching 2 miles an hour... but to a population who up to then had only walked, used pedal cycles, or horses/horse drawn carriages... they were something to be warned of!  So... someone walked in front of them... ringing a hand bell.  Hmmm... I wonder if the Mobot has any time on his hands? 

Then there's the after hair-wash turban-making ritual. Hey... I don't have long hair any more... sob... so it's my only chance to do the Clairol "Because You're Worth It"... head tossing thing... Just don't get anywhere within 3 meters of me whilst I'm doing it... or your get  slapped on the head with a towel! (Adriana can vouch for this!) 

Hey... who said life has to be boring? 


 

"One way...."

"...or another I'm gonna find ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha
One way or another I'm gonna win ya
I'll getcha, I'll getcha
One way or another I'm gonna see ya
I'm gonna meetcha meetcha meetcha meetcha
One day, maybe next week
I'm gonna meetcha, I'll meeeee....." {{{{CRASH!!!!!}}}


[Benevolent passer by scoops up dazed and bewildered "singer".... who not deterred by the experience is still raring to go]

...The unfortunate consequence of having a dog that likes chasing flies (and other small, buzzing, flying. creatures)... on an oil rig... 

 This is dedicated to Pippa Grant... oh and Emily Grant... who I think is inclined to think that "One way or another....."

"Steamy....Glasses"????

Some of you out there may like Tina Turner... In that case... let me assure you that I do too... and apologise for ahem... slightly massacring a very very good song of hers...



I WAS THINKING ABOUT PARKING THE OTHER NIGHT

WE WAS OUT ON THE BACK ROAD
ME AND MY WOMAN WAS JUST GETTIN' RIGHT
OUR SYSTEMS ON OVERLOAD
THE RADIO BLASTING IN THE FRONT SEAT
TURNING OUT THE MUSIC FINE
WE WAS SNUGGLED UP IN THE BACK SEAT
MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

STEAMY WINDOWS - ZERO VISIBILITY
STEAMY WINDOWS - COMING FROM THE BODY HEAT

YOU CAN WINE AND DINE A WOMAN ALL NIGHT
WITH GOOD INTENTIONS
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT COMPETITION ON A BACK ROAD
BREAKS DOWN THE DEFENCES

STEAMY WINDOWS - AIN'T NOBODY CAN SEE
STEAMY WINDOWS - COMING FROM THE BODY HEAT

THERE'S A SOUND OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR
AND I KNOW IT'S JUST THE WIND
BUT IT MAKES HER SNUGGLE UP JUST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
AND IT STARTS THINGS HAPPENING AGAIN

STEAMY WINDOWS - ZERO VISIBILITY
STEAMY WINDOWS -COMING FROM THE BODY HEAT
STEAMY WINDOWS - STEAMY WINDOWS

I was thinking ‘bout showering the other night,

Getting ready in the wet room

Me and my carer can’t be getting it right

Guess we’re lucky it don’t overflow…

Steamy Glasses – Zero Visibility

Steamy Glasses

Coming from the shower heat!

Yeah we start each evening all ready and correct, with good intentions

But when the shower goes on it turns into some kind of snake…

Thought I ought to mention…

Steamy Glasses – Ain’t nobody can see

Steamy Glasses – Coming from the shower heat

Steamy Glasses…..  Steamy Glasses….

 

"I'm plastered... absolutely plastered..."

... And at 8.30 am too! 

Now, for those who are slightly bemused, "getting plastered" is slang for getting very very drunk... Well despite my nose seeming like it's taking preparations for running next years Virgin London Marathon VERY seriously indeed... (lots and LOTS of practice...If I blow it any more I will have another problem to deal with that will mean I will look like I have very generously applied sunblock to it... it's NOT... it's E45 cream... to deal with a sore nose from lots of running... well... Claire Stevens who ran  VLM2014 recommends lots of vaseline for friction caused by running... not sure about that... Think I'll stick to the E45 thanks all the same Claire!) I haven't yet taken any cold remedies with anything that could induce drunkenness in them...

So... what's with this "getting plastered"? (And at 8.30 am too!) Well... I literally was plastered... on both legs from foot to just below knee... Getting plastered is something of a dangerous sport if one has tremor and spasm... LOL Fear not... the lovely lady who was doing the job has escaped with all her teeth, and no black eyes or concussion. The next step is for the ever so talented people in the orthotics department to custom make the Ankle Foot Orthosis(e?) using the casts of my lower legs and feet... and then they get sent all the way to the Isle of Oswestry... where  some kind of clever biomechanics is used to turn them into devices that deliver gradual pressure on my feet and ankles... gently persuading the muscles to stretch again (they've been all tight and causing my feet to "drop" when they aren't propped up on wheelchair foot plates, or something else, for years... ) ! Of course such magic doesn't happen overnight... so it will be a month or so before I will be able to go in for a "fitting" with the finished articles... and they will be coloured...! (I'm not letting on what colour yet!)

If I haven't got rid of this cold by the time my "splints" are ready for action... I may have no nose left!

A surfeit of...

.... Head-cases!  That's the only way I can describe it...  First Chris... Then Jill... and now Adrianna... All thinking that the National (Hospital For Neurology and Neurosurgery) is a 5 star hotel... and clamouring to book their beds there... In the Acute Brain Injuries Unit... is my recommendation... Or Bedlam...as they are all nutters! :D

Chris favoured headbutting the bathroom cabinet... Jill does a fine turn headbutting the  hanging basket in the back garden (narrowly missing the wall it's hanging on!)... Whilst Adriana... thought she'd liven up showering last night by giving the washbasin a sly nudge or two... with her head! 
Never mind caring for me... I end up caring for them ;)  Bless their cotton socks... but oh boy would it make an interesting 999 call... "Well you see operator... my carer has decided to knock herself out cold..." 

Honestly... it's a bizarre version of the 3 monkeys... I heard that... I felt that... You did WHAT???

Is it a phone? Is it a remote control? Only Smarties have the answer!

This all started with one of those annoying phone calls where someone from another country... with a distinctly non English accent... tries to get you to believe that there is something amiss with something you own... Which of course there isn't... and you know there isn't... So the phone call wasn't particularly long... So far so good!

It all started going slightly amiss when I was trying to put the phone handset back in its little base thingy... My phone has a talent... (one that may be a little unusual... or quite common... I haven't done a survey of 100 people to find out... but it is DEFINITELY annoying!) ... it does backflips (possibly with triple salkos or other such artistic fripperies... I don't know... by the time it is doing such things... it is heading down the back of the small wheeled tidy that serves as a little table by my easychair... and I am unable to observe them) out of its base unit. 

Now... I am a little (ok a lot) limited in what I can do to retrieve my phone once it has shown off its talent.  Reaching forwards tends to demonstrate to me once again that my sitting/kneeling balance is rather non existant... and I end up having to be extricated from the predicament I have got myself in... still without the phone!  On this occasion the phone had flipped itself behind one of my craft wardrobes that is next to the little table it is usually on... This was discovered after several "here's the phone!" exclamations by Jill... who resurfaced holding... a now no longer used tv remote control... Personally I think she needs to go to Specsavers... as when she finally retrieved the dratted phone handset from its landing place... (with the aid of a ladle from the kitchen)  on comparing the  "phones " with the real deal... I am certain that  only the real deal actually looks anything LIKE a phone... But... I too am having interesting times with my vision at the moment... so... maybe we will just have to stick something really obvious on all phone handsets to identify them as phone handsets... and to stop me from picking up tv remotes... and going "Hello? Hello?" like a total and utter eejit... Failing that... The Smarties will have to be consulted!
 

"You're half octopus"

... How's that for a compliment eh? And first thing in the morning too! :D

According to Jill I am half discombobulated octopus - the half with all the arms and legs. This of course makes dressing rather ahem challenging... but then we like challenges. The trick we have discovered is to try and NOT get the arms through the head hole... and to try and persuade the legs that trouser legs are only made for one... not BOTH legs... when it comes to onesies... well... getting the thing the right way round is a good start! (Shhhh! This is insider information... Jill hasn't met one of my onesies yet... I'm saving that treat for a little bit later...)

"It's on the map!"

It's all appointments at the moment...

• up to london scans, follow up appointments to do with the scans, to see if  
• slightly less of a distance to go to the orthotist, a rather nice man who says I have foot drop caused by ankle contracture and will need foot splints, 
• getting plastered (the local hospital even has a room for getting plastered in!), 
• splint fittings, 
• chiropodists (who aren't sure quite what to do with me at the moment... cut me toe(nail)s off or... ooo hope they don't cut my feet off and have done with it... will make the splints rather redundant!) 
• and last but certainly not least... the Speech and Language Therapist to see if anything can be done about my body's rather unfortunate habit of trying to choke me (food, drink, spit... anything that comes to hand at the moment... it really isn't very fussy)....

Anyway... having got the letter about the appointment for the SaLT... Jill (my new victim... ahem! I mean carer... or if one is feeling posh Personal Assistant) enquired as to the location of the appointment. My answer "It's on the map."  Apparently I said something v hilarious... but really... asking a person who has the sense of direction of a mole that has been dragged out of its hole and bashed over the head (giving it a jolly good headache not to mention a bit of a concussion...)... where somewhere that they've never been to before is...

Well... the nice people who typed the letter have highlighted the location that we need to reach in a nice shade of purple. I am confident that finding it will deepen  Jill's knowledge of Rochford, Essex, even further. So... the appointment will serve a dual purpose... and all will be well that ends well. Hurrah! 

A coupla basket cases...

... Oh dear oh dear oh dear... First Chris... Now Jill... the next thing I know... the ABIU (Acute Brain Injury Unit) at NHNN (the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery) will be being over-run by my carers... 

"And why the gloomy prediction?" I hear you ask? Well... the other day Jill was outside... supposedly checking the weather... (it can at times be totlly different weather out the back of the house to out the front of the house... sunshine one side... rain the other... what is one to do if one needs to go out? Answers on the back of a postage stamp please!) In reality it turns out that she was head butting the hanging basket on the wall... (Fortunately she has a good aim... I dread to think what would have happened had she missed and  head butted the wall...) Just as well the hanging basket was unoccupied... otherwise we'd have severely discombobulated

verb

[with object] humorous , chiefly North American Disconcert or confuse (someone): (as adjective discombobulated) he is looking a little pained and discombobulated
plants with severe concussions (or worse) to deal with... Not to mention some discombobulated carers... but then... that just goes to show they've been matched to perfection with yours truly...  who is in a state of near permanent discombobulation... 

discombobulated.com... hmmm... I don't think that quite has the same ring as confused.com... drat!

Mrs Wobble The Waitress...

... Wobbled with the jelly... and virtually everything else... as far as I can remember... and Miss and Master Wobble ended up donning their rollerskates and deftly catching the falling/flying food before it could land on startled customers...Turning their mothers  unfortunate mishaps into  talking points. "Bravo! Well done to the little Wobbles" I hear you cry... "But what the... does this have to do with anything?" 

Well... I am quite an expert at throwing my own food down myself.. (and drinks too... just for good measure)... so Jill... so as to not be left out of all this expertise... thought that she would try serving supper...alternatively... It got caught on the laptray... (my catching is improving!)... I am awaiting the donning of rollerskates (or even perhaps usage of a skateboard) with excitement :D

Being Mastered By Weeping Octopus Soup

Oh dear... Is one meant to laugh this much during cooking? 

It all started going... ahem... slightly differently to the "norm" (but then when is anything in my life "normal"?) when the onions DIDN'T make either me or Jill cry when they were being peeled or chopped... but DID make our eyes water when they were more or less nicely cooked in oil... 

It all went downhill from there really... sobriety of mood - wise...  Before long  the cauliflower and broccoli florets had morphed into octopuses (according to Jill anyway...)  and anyone who has seen this cartoon:

and is familiar with soup recipes, will know what naturally followed on from that train of thought...

 Moving swiftly on... there are now 5 large yoghurt pots of the newly renamed "Weeping Octopus" soup cooling on the kitchen worktop... Jill is sure all DO have lids... somewhere... they were both got out at the same time... so... 

Jealousy... thy name is...

...Chris. 

Yup! Not been in the house more than 48 hours... and she's causing mischief, with the excuse of being envious of the fact that I am going to stay in that 5* hotel they call The National Hospital For Neurology And Neurosurgery...(Booking in Sunday... Length of stay unknown at time of writing... Until they kick me out for being a nuisance I suppose ;)  ) 

Anyway, Chris is so jealous that she's tried to give herself a head injury by headbutting the bathroom cabinet! (Apparently the plan was to get a bed next to me... HAH she should be so lucky... they might put her in the Acute Brain Injury Unit instead...)

Better watch myself... or she'll be ganging up on me with the sani-chair (posh type of shower chair on wheels) during my shower tonight, and I might just actually end up going down the drain hole! (Sani-chair has already tried this once... but been thwarted in its plans by Adrianna... It might succeed with a partner in crime...)

The (Sometimes) Bizarre Order of Things...

OK... yet another mysterious blog post title for me to explain...

I've just had a phone call from the company that services the wheelchairs supplied by the NHS in my area... informing me that they have a cushion they want to deliver... is Monday between 8 and 3 ok? 

Now I am assuming several things having received this call...
  
1. That they mean 8am not 8pm (I am NOT waiting up until 3am! Well... not unless insomnia strikes... again...I am no stranger to insomnia...)   
  
2. That this means that the service has approved the quote by the wheelchair supplier that I chose to go with... and the wheelchair and ahem a few "extras" (like anti-tip, and tip help, and manually angle adjustable back) that myself and the assessor chose as being suitable, and indeed desirable (if not... hey lets push the boat out here... NECESSARY)  for me.

However... I am not doing a sitting down "happy dance" quite yet... as I know the chair has still to be ordered... made according to my specifications... and delivered... and so will be a month or so to come yet... Assuming that my assumptions are correct... 

Which means that I will have plenty of time to "road test" the cushion to go in it ;) 

Kinda similar to when the rucksack for my new laptop appeared to be going to be delivered about a month before the laptop... As it was... that was a slight misunderstanding... Fingers crossed I am not misunderstanding anything this time!

 

"That's not meat... that's fish!"

...OK... bizarre title right?... I can explain...

I've got a slow cooker on my kitchen work surface... and it's on... and there's meat in it... pork to be exact. With a sauce mix, and because it's pork... a couple of sliced up cooking apples... (ommm nommm nommm!) 

But it's been cooking away nicely since 9:30 this morning... so it was time to see if things were cooked enough... or if it needed to stay on a little while longer... So Adriana took a fork and speared a bit... My reaction to what came up on the fork... "That's not meat...that's fish!" 

So now you're feeling rather puzzled, maybe scratching your head... or maybe you know me off the internet... and are thinking "yup... she's flipped!"... Or maybe if you're in the third category you know me well enough to know that I have a weird speech difficulty that means that sometimes what my brain wants me to say... (in this case "apple") isn't what comes out of my mouth... (in this case I said "fish"... cue really bad joke: what do you call a fish with no eyes?  Fsh. BOOOOM BOOOM! a la Basil Brush) And yes... most people say that they have that issue too... and they don't have a cognitive/neurological disorder... But... when you HAVE a cognitive/neurological disorder things like this happen more often (sometimes a LOT more often) than if you simply are having a "run of the mill" bad day. 

I am even putting together my own "dictionary of ellie-ese" (although anyone else's unusual terms are welcome in it too :D) partly because I figure it will be a help to carers to understand what I am on about when I ask for "purple people eater" for breakfast (that's ellie-ese for porridge... and I'm as lost as you as to WHY)... partly because it's actually quite fun looking over some of the unique phrases we have for things :D 

At the end of the day... even if I have to resort to mime/a lot of pointing/describing a word that isn't coming out right/just going to where something is and bringing it to a carer... I can usually get across what I need to communicate... and that is the important thing :D

Conspiracy.... it's a conspiracy I tell you!

Not content with depriving me of my lovely warm snuggly bedlinen...Adriana has then gone on to bury my glasses under a pile of soggy towels! (She claimed she didn't know they were there... but we know better... don't we... ;) )

Was she trying to make sure that I can't SEE where all things snuggly and warm are??? So that she can ahem appropriate them???

Only time will tell.... 



 

There's nothing like...

...the feel of freshly washed and dried bedlinen... right against your cheeks... Oh... what??? (reverie is ahem.. interrupted)... What do you mean you want them back??? Oh... they're my bedsheets and you need to make my bed... plus they'd get a bit wet if I continued to hold them lovingly... as I'm having my hair washed in a few minutes...??? Oh... ok... then... you can have the bedlinen... (feeling of sadness at parting)... 

Thus, Adriana learnt a valuable lesson... Don't give me something that is lovely and snuggly and tactile... if you actually need to do something with it!  :D 

Can one ever have too many...

...Peeloffs??? 

 Yes... I know I said back on the 19th of May that I had organised my craft stash... Well... I had... to a very large degree... 

It's just that.. well... a bit like a chest of drawers... or a wardrobe... a craft-robe... or other craft storage unit can get a little muddled from time to time with things getting put in, taken out, new things getting put in approximately the right place... you get the picture...

And so... once in a while it is really quite good (...maybe absolutely necessary...!) to take the time to re-organise things in the proper boxes/shelves/compartments... 

So that is what I have been doing today with my peeloffs boxes in the one of my Craft-Robes... 

Oh and then with my embellishment drawer in my original (smaller) craft storage unit... which has now become 3 drawers... so I will have to have a slight re-organise of drawer order... so that they remain together...and I am not forever hunting for the correct drawer when I want an embellishment...

Maybe it is a fact of life that one is forever organising and re-organising... I suppose that as long as you don't get too caught up in organisation that you don't do anything else (I don't think that will ever happen to me lol - I organise to craft... I can't think of a day when I will ever craft so that I can organise LOL!)  then... c'est la vie!
 

Welcome to Holland by Emily Kingsley Perle

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

byEmily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.<p> </p>But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.


"Welcome to Holland (Part 2)" by Emily Perl Kingsley

I have been in Holland for over a decade now. It has become home. I have had time to catch my breath, to settle and adjust, to accept something different than I'd planned.

I reflect back on those years of past when I had first landed in Holland. I remember clearly my shock, my fear, my anger—the pain and uncertainty. In those first few years, I tried to get back to Italy as planned, but Holland was where I was to stay. Today, I can say how far I have come on this unexpected journey. I have learned so much more. But, this too has been a journey of time.

I worked hard. I bought new guidebooks. I learned a new language and I slowly found my way around this new land. I have met others whose plans had changed like mine, and who could share my experience. We supported one another and some have become very special friends.

Some of these fellow travelers had been in Holland longer than I and were seasoned guides, assisting me along the way. Many have encouraged me. Many have taught me to open my eyes to the wonder and gifts to behold in this new land. I have discovered a community of caring. Holland wasn't so bad.

I think that Holland is used to wayward travelers like me and grew to become a land of hospitality, reaching out to welcome, to assist and to support newcomers like me in this new land. Over the years, I've wondered what life would have been like if I'd landed in Italy as planned. Would life have been easier? Would it have been as rewarding? Would I have learned some of the important lessons I hold today? Sure, this journey has been more challenging and at times I would (and still do) stomp my feet and cry out in frustration and protest. And, yes, Holland is slower paced than Italy and less flashy than Italy, but this too has been an unexpected gift. I have learned to slow down in ways too and look closer at things, with a new appreciation for the remarkable beauty of Holland with its' tulips, windmills and Rembrandts.

I have come to love Holland and call it Home.

I have become a world traveler and discovered that it doesn't matter where you land. What's more important is what you make of your journey and how you see and enjoy the very special, the very lovely, things that Holland, or any land, has to offer.

Yes, over a decade ago I landed in a place I hadn't planned. Yet I am thankful, for this destination has been richer than I could have imagined!


OK... (this is me now... Ellie ... not Emily!) ... you may be thinking... why post something written about someone who has a child with a disability?  Surely it's not written from the right viewpoint?

But... in a way... it doesn't matter about the viewpoint that it was written from... either in part one or part two... if you are born with a disability or accquire a disability through illness or injury or have/develop a serious medical condition that is disabling... all these things  can mean that how you thought, or  HOPED your life would turn out... doesn't quite happen... But... you may just find that something just as wonderful happens instead! So, I think that Emily's writing can be viewed from that view point by ANYONE. 

 I landed in "Holland" in 2001... (or thereabouts)... and like Emily... it's taken me time to adjust... but like Emily... I've found unique riches in "Holland"... and people to be profoundly grateful for ; who help, support and sustain me... while I continue to explore my new life here... 

Cracked Pots

Following on from a conversation in church yesterday... a couple of thoughts (neither originally mine... one from the Bible, the other an email) 2 Corinthians 4:7 (New American Standard Bible) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;  An elderly woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course , the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream  'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.' The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?  '   'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.' 'For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.' Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.   You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. So, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

"My binnie lies over the ocean..."

"My binnie lies over the sea... My binnie lies over the ocean... Oh bring back my binnie to me..." (Apologies to all Scottish for the misappropriation of lyrics from "My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean") 

Now... imagine that the ocean/sea is made of living room carpet... and the binnie... is... a bin (of waste paper type)... lying annoyingly out of reach! 

Adrianna was stumped by my speech... and went in search of... a beanbag... and came back with my laptray (which has  a beanbag underbase)... Smart thinking...! (Especially since it wasn't that far from lunchtime :D) 

Translation errors (totally understandable with only 1 weeks practice at it!) were soon overcome by a bit of pointing... (at the required object!)... 

But... since my NAME  (Elspeth) is Scottish... I was tempted to wonder whether I had inadvertantly picked up a slight Scottish brogue to my ahem original (as in unique) "accent".  The wondering was short lived... as I think Aunty Liz (of true Scottish blood) would say nae!

 

"Help! I need somebody..."

"...(Help!)...Not just anybody...(Help!)... I need someone... Won't you please, please help me?" (Apologies Beatles fans if I've not quite remembered the lyrics correctly!) 

Things have come to a sorry pass folks... yes... there is need for this diagram, placed appropriately in the bathroom: 

 Too many "close shaves" with the wrong substances for the intended task... (And its not just my wooly brained thinking either lol)  What next? .... Actually... I don't want to think about what might happen next... I'm just glad I don't use hairspray :D  

I already have 2 kitchens in the house, fridges all over the place - that look strangely like radiators, and sometimes even like washbasins -  a garage (I don't have a car and there is no actual garage) and goodness knows how many bathrooms (but strangely enough not many bedrooms...) ALL in one "big" craft house (yup... some people have a craft room... I have a craft HOUSE! :D) 

Welcome to the madhouse!  

(P.S. if you hadn't already guessed my surplus of rooms and even the occasional large piece of  furniture... is largely (haha!) a product of cognitive/speech disorder... but it keeps everyone... sometimes even me... guessing as to what I am going on about!)

Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes...

Knees and toes! 

Or... not... In the weird and wonderful world of Ellie and Adriana... body parts get kind of mixed up... 

I've been solemnly announcing that my ankle(shoulder) is hurting, so better watch out that my leg(arm) doesn't drop off...

Adriana has been asking if my bum is in my bra and my boobs in my pants (panties)...

I think maybe we both need a brush up lesson in basic (infant school) anatomy here! ;) 

Either that... or we both are getting to know each others particular dialect... so... as long as WE understand what each other means... all is well :D

All together now.... "Heads, shoulders, knees and toes... knees and toes...!"

When life imitates craft...

... You find yourself using everyday objects for reasons they were not intended for... (but NOT crafty reasons...See Crafty Twitchings blog for details...)

For example... Using the non-business (handle) end of a plastic serving spoon to bang on the ceiling... (upstairs neighbour issues...)... Hmm... maybe in the future one will look at plastic serving spoons in a new light... with BOTH ends being "business" ends...?

Plastic not being the most effective tool for the job... the lowly garden broom was then brought in from the shed... and again... handle applied sharply to the ceiling... Again... perceptions of which end of this object is most useful... have shifted... 

I suppose at the end of the day... the answer to the question of usefulness... lies in what purpose you want to achieve with the object/tool to hand... Answer that... and the answer to the first question is simple once more... (Or if you are a meerkat... simples!) 


 

Tonight Matthew...I am...

...Agnetha... Falktskog... of Abba! 



Well... not me... but... Adriana has announced that she plans to go blonde... and I keep muddling her name up and calling her... Agnetha! 

So... we feel that a little fancy dress and kareoke session might be in order :D She's practising her moves... (Super trouper anyone???) ...as I type! :D

"It"....

...What exactly IS "It"...?

This is a query that flitters through my brain from time to time... usually leading to two other questions...

2.  Have I ever had "It"?
3. Can one lose "It" if one doesn't KNOW if one has ever had "It" in the first place...?

Oh... ok... there is one more "It" related question...Seeing as "It" is undefined... is it possible that I might be an "It Girl" without knowing it?!?!? ;)  :D
 

You know you haven't had enough morning hot chocolate when...

...You try to put the hand wash on your toothbrush... and then wash your hands with the toothpaste..!

If I find that there's a hand wash that has mint in it... oh boy! 

Just goes to show that this morning was obviously a TWO mug morning... I only had the one... (and I thought that there wasn't that much caffeine in hot chocolate... either I am fooling myself... or there's something else in it that wakes me up lol!)

When is Turkish Delight NOT Turkish Delight?

Mia Cupla! I got the location of the family vacation (oooh a rhyme!) slightly wrong... it was Cyprus NOT Crete... I've amended the original posting about it... but to those who were inadvertantly mislead by my geographical confusion... apologies! 

However... this does pose the question... that I posed in the title... An EU ruling (you folks who don't come under the jurisdiction of the EU... count yourselves lucky!) has decreed that only Turkish Delight MADE and SOLD in TURKEY can be so called... everything else must be re-named... So... since the family visited Cyprus... I got a gift of Cyprus Delight :D Simples!

Beware of mothers bearing foreign goods...

...For they shall prove tempting above one's will power! 

My mother is back from the family holiday in Cyprus... and she's bought me yummies back (Because she couldn't think of anything else to get she says... Sounds a good enough reason to me! I am certainly NOT complaining) 

Some... can be bought in a globalised form any Christmas time from the supermarket... but should be much more delicious in extra flavours and from a Turkish country... Yup... Turkish Delight!  Others... are a truly original delight... biscuits from a local bakery... that have managed to survive the flight home! OMMMNOMMMMMNOMMMMMMMM! Alas... no paklava... (rhymes with balaclava)... but... one can't have everything... :)

Photo showing will be slightly delayed by the need to group everyone's photos together (as there's always someone who has managed to capture that moment you wish you had your camera for :D) ... The challenge is... will there be any Turkish Delight left to accompany it???

Adriana and Querida

OK...To explain the post's title... 

I've mentioned in previous blog posts that I have a powerchair... Well her (she is DEFINITELY female!) given (by me) name is Querida Jaunita (Querida or QJ for short)... Her official name... Quickie Jive... Ahem... Americans don't understand the British sense of "humour" and British slang... and Quickie is an American manufacturer of mobility products...As it is... her official name is only on display on the bit of her body between her wheels so it's not really visible to all and sundry!  It could be worse... much worse! Quickie manual wheelchairs have the brand name on the seat sling! (Cue "interesting " (and most definitely strange) men whom you've only seen for the first time that very time when they've yelled out at you "Fancy a Quickie darlin'?" in the street...) Anyway to be on the safe side... and because I have some friends with rather "quirky" senses of humour... I have named her "Querida Juanita" (Asked For, God Provides... Rather appropriate I think...)

Now onto who Adriana is... Adriana is one of my live in carers... No I don't have more than one live in carer at once... They work on a rota of 4 weeks at a time... and Adriana is my first one! She is lovely :D

Adriana has of course met Querida... She was rather nervous of her at first. But practice makes perfect (or nearer perfection) and she now gets along with her very nicely indeed! In fact she surprised herself this evening! :D

Self Image...

... Can be found in all sorts of places... Having got a 3TB "Extension Hard Drive" through the mail today... and read Currys/PC World's definitions of various states of being (as usually applied to their products of course)... My wry sense of humour was aroused... 

The following is a word for word excerpt from the "ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS" leaflet

 
What does "USED" mean?

A product is listed as "Used" or "Unsealed" when the manufacturers seal on the product box has been broken.

 "Used" products may have minor wear or damage to the box, such as small tears, minor edge depressions, or  appear a little aged.  The product itself may be pristine or have very minor signs of handling or use, which do not affect the functionality of  the product.

"Used" products may be aged stock, ex-display from a Currys PC World retail store, or an unwanted, opened product returned by a retail customer.

What does  "REFURBISHED" mean?

When an item is listed as "Refurbished", this means  the unit has undergone a process of mechanical repair, reworking, and/or parts replacement, to restore the unit to full working order.

What are Grade A Refurbished products?

Grade A refurbished products may possess very minor signs of cosmetic wear or handling, including light scratches or scuffs, which do not affect the performance of the product.

What are Grade B Refurbished products?

Grade B refurbished  products may be cosmetically challenged, with more noticeable flaws and cosmetic wear, including scratches, chips, or other forms of cosmetic damage, which do not affect the performance of the unit. 

Grade B products may have missing, or non-original parts (e.g. software, screw covers, rubber feet)

[End of excerpt]

OK... so by my reckoning I am a Grade B Refurb lol - people have been telling me for ages that I have a screw or two loose... or just plain missing... let alone  screw covers!  :D ....I do like the idea of being simply "cosmetically challenged" tho ;)

Chocola-tea!

God bless the people at church who organise the refreshments before and mid-meeting! Hot,and cold drinks, and BISCUITS!!! (Always very popular with the young, and young at heart... and a service opportunity for the youngster who is selfless enough to go around with a plate of biccies offering them to everyone else!) 

Of course, I have to be different, and drink hot chocolate and NOT drink coffee or tea... so I bring my own little tub of hot chocolate powder... and I am a bit ahem butter fingered with cups... so I bring a travel "cup" (one of those ceramic things with a rubber grip round it that is shaped like a cardboard cup from Mc Donalds.... but has a silicone top) to drink out of.

Today there were quite a few less of us than normal as it was the day of the Big Church Day Out... so lots of families were at that... So... for a change... I went up to the refreshments table (usually I stay clear as there are a lot of people around it... and powerchairchair vs lots of people in a small space (even power chair on lowest setting) is NOT a good idea!) So... anyway... I went up get my drink myself... and that must have flummoxed one of my church friends... as she put 3 teaspoons of chocolate powder in my cup... and then one of TEA... Voila! CHOCOLA-TEA! :D Bless her :D

Flapping and cussing....

... Two behaviours not like me at all lol!  Unless I am trying to get something to remove itself from my scanner/copier lid (the white padded bit seems to have some kind of magnetic properties for glossy finish card...)... so I have to flap said lid up and down a little to dislodge said item... Or I am trying to locate the cursor... which is also known as the pointer... which SHOULD be known as the curser... I am apt to mutter a bit under my breath then... not swear words... But lets just say I am not thinking nice thoughts about that little graphic that SHOULD be somewhere on my screen... but has disappeared... and is nowhere to be seen! 

I remember once being able to press a couple of keys and the pointer/cursor/whatever it is would "ping" - sort of emit flashing lines... I can't remember however whether this was/is part of Windows... or I downloaded it from a website... Shame... as was very useful! All answers on the back of an electronic postage stamp please ;)


 

Let the good times roll....

and  roll... and roll... Good times had this lunch time and afternoon with new friends and old... Eating, chatting, laughing... Then back to a friends house where we all chatted and laughed some more... Part of what life is really about! All the more precious as it's something I've never experienced before... this sense of being somewhere where I actually fit in... for now at least... it's not my eternal home... but it makes such a difference to NOW... in ways that I can't really put into words...

But this isn't to say that friends from past times that aren't seen so much now are forgotten about and put on some dusty back shelf... Everyone who has gone through my life has made it what it is now... and that is a priceless gift...

Order and....Disorder....

I can't quite believe I am typing this... but... my craft stash is organised! (Well... relatively... In comparison to how things were... there is a HUGE improvement... Still not at the stage of labelling storage boxes tho lol!) However there is a LARGE box of boxes creating quite an obstacle in the living room right now (the boxes inside the large (cardboard) box are of the transparent plastic A5 size nature... bought to temporarily house the newly unmounted rubber from  my traditional woodblock style stamps... of which I have quite a few... and then to be used for collecting all the bits I want for various cards BEFORE I start crafting... oh well that's the plan... LOL)  

As for other areas of my life... for example FUNS related areas... well disorder is still the order of the day... 

I am beginning to wonder if I will ever have a warm head again... and trying NOT to attract bemused looks when I go out wearing a thick fluffy top over my tshirt, despite the fact that it is actually blazing brilliant sunshine-y weather... (One could almost forget  one is living in the United Kingdom - not exactly famed for its sunshine... more for its rain... LOL) Alas... in true British fashion... this spring/summer type weather is not forecasted to last  till the end of the week... And then... well... we shall just have to wait and see when/if it decides to appear again... 

On a slight diversion... I really MUST get my camera equipment (nothing fancy folks! Just a second hand DSLR,  I am without a compact camera since last year when my "Little Nikki" as I have called disappeared... I am loopy enough to think it got jealous of the fact that "Big Nikki" (DSLR) had arrived on the scene - Nikki because both cameras were/are Nikons. It needn't have got jealous... I miss it! A compact camera is just the right size to pop in your handbag... great for snapping on the go!  I dream of owning/being owned by a Nikon CSC (Compact System Camera)... but will have to save up a LOT for that... ) in good working order and KEEP it that way! Then next spring when the cherry blossom is out I will be able to get some lovely photos of the trees in the neighbourhood... Ah... the musings of an aspiring (very) amateur photographer....!

I am blessed!

I am blessed to have so many people in my life who are a blessing! 

Great times last night with two lovely, strong women, who know how to face life's tough times, but how life still provides PLENTY to laugh about too! Now THAT is strength! Oh and chocolate, marshmallows and strawberries as well.... Ommm nommmm nommmm! (Not really much more to say about that particular aspect of the evening is there really LOL!) 

And then blessed times at church this morning... fellowship with an extraordinary group of people who just accepted me as I was when I turned up a little over a year ago, having moved to a completely new town,  knowing only one very very special friend, and definitely not knowing how to get around ... and immediately made me feel right at home...! (Still don't know much about getting around the town... but have at least managed to memorise how to get to church and back! WAHOOZLE!!! :D Oh and the town planners thoughtfully put the town centre right in the middle of the route to church... so I (by accident rather than design) know how to get to there and back too :D) 

All in all... this one rather crazy lady... feels very very very blessed to have so many lovely people in her life... (I will not comment on the state of their sanity... except to quote a paperblock design I once saw... "You don't have to be crazy to know me.... but it helps" ;) heeheehee!) 

Whisper it very quietly....

....But... I think Spring is back!  The sun is shining.... the birds are singing... (I don't know what they are singing... but it sounds happy... Guess they are as fed up of  miserable wet cold weather as we are!) 

And...I've managed to get out in the garden to practice my photography skills on my flower "arch".... Sadly one flowering plant has faded in the weather since I first attempted this... but the other is just beginning to bloom... Ah well... next year I will hopefully get to capture BOTH of them in their full beauty! 

Never say never...

I am LOLing all over the place right now (well actually that's a figure of speech otherwise it would be a case of ROTFLACGU - that's Rolling On The Floor Laughing And Can't Get Up... someone signposted me in the way of "textese for the middle aged"... and even though I don't think I am middle aged...  they were a laugh at the time as some of them were totally accurate to my situation... I'd share more of them here, but I can't remember most of them now...) ANYWAY... I posted recently about all the lovely ladies whose card making talents I've seen ("It's Raining..." 13/5/2014) but apologising for seeming sexist in not mentioning men... Well... now I can! Thanks to Mr Richard Breaks whose blog 

That's MISTER Cardmaker, to you!

I have come across in today's wanderings... and he is proof that the men are equally as talented as the ladies :D 

 

 

That's MISTER Cardmaker, to you!

Cat/Dog/Cog/Dat?

Ok.... there's a reason for the confusing title for this post... It's because what I'm going to tell you about a very confused animal... that we (my carer - more like minder LOL - and I) met when we were out (before we got drenched!)... 

As we were on our way to the centre of where I live to get some lunch... and to make sure I don't start talking to the walls of my house (I'm nutty enough without that... objects yeah sure... my mobile phone, keys, the other shoe/sock... but walls?) /remember where I live (who am I again?)/become agoraphobic because I never go out... we passed a woman who had a cat following her... we mention it... and she explained that yes... this was her pet cat and they were just coming back from the shops... her cat often went for a walk with her, believing that it was actually more dog than cat... 

So... so much for Rudyard Kipling ("I am the cat that walks by itself and all things are alike to me!")... and what should one call a cat that thinks it's a dog...???

It's raining...

....cat and dogs! (With a little hailstone mixed in...) Sorry to disappoint you ladies out there... but this was yet another occasion where The Weather Girls' prediction failed come to pass!

Nonetheless I had to "go out and get my self get absolutely soaking wet"... Which necessitated a change of clothing and a turning up of the thermostat on getting home...Oh and a nice hot mug of... squash... (I am attempting to limit my intake of hot chocolate... I know... the thought of limiting one's intake of chocolate in ANY form is shocking... and in practice very difficult... but... "A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" is too uncomfortably close to the truth if you are very limited in mobility! :'( ... ) 

So... having now dried out some and warmed up some... I am indulging myself in  a calorie free way... by internet surfing and looking at the work of talented women (apologies if I have missed out some men... it's not intentional... just I haven't come across you yet ;) ) from all over the world who share the lifestyle (or maybe that's just me having too much time on my hands!) ...anyways... the passion that is card making...

Have I told you lately that I love.... Adobe Photoshop...?

...Most probably the answer is no... Either because you don't know me by any other means than this blog... OR  you do have the (ahem .... sometimes seemingly dubious) "privilege" of knowing me in the physical world... and...since I have been going to college courses to actually LEARN how to use Photoshop for a year or so... have already heard me wax lyrical on its greatness... (and sometimes rant about its less than great quirks too lol!)  

However... there is an area where the interests of Digital Single Lense Reflex (DSLR) photography - yet another of my interests which yet again I go to college courses about... the same great tutor teaches BOTH subjects... so she's had a lot of exposure to my ahem "quirkiness" - bless her... she's not yet run screaming in the other direction when she's seen me.... But ahem I digress... There is an area where DSLR photography and Adobe Photoshop meet!  It's in the capacity of a DSLR camera to take RAW file photos (which contain only the basic information about the image, and the situation it was taken in)... which Adobe Photoshop RAW Converter then allows one to edit  to a far greater capacity than then software that cameras (at least the cameras in the price range of  most people in ordinary humdrum life with not fantastic incomes) are capable of. 

Cue really great photos with colour all balanced out and  exposure sorted... (You DO have to make sure you have focused properly tho lol!) Or.... you can get creative and wacky and play around with the settings to really alter the colour of photos...  And applying the same set of "instructions" to a group of photos is easy.... just make sure you've loaded them all into the converted via Bridge, and selected them all before working on the top one... 

Now.... what... you may be wondering... does any of this have to do with card making? Well.... photos make great "toppers" and focal points on cards... And then... having made a really nice card it would be a shame to not have a photographic record of it... for sentimental memory's sake... (Hey... I had to immortalise a chocolate egg made up like a penguin before I ate it .... Because it just looked too cute.... ref: post titled "Ommmnommnooooo") So having a good basic knowledge of photography skills, and a good basic knowledge of digital manipulation software, is kind of essential... (Hey... even if you think you are paparazzi level in your camera skills...(And that is NOT me by the way...I thank the person who came up with the digital camera because  I don't have to worry about messing up shots due to camera shake, or anything else my arms can feel like throwing into the mix lol...I can just press playback and press delete if needed... simples!)... there's always the odd one that needs a little retouch...)

So... in divinely ordered  methodical ways, one hobby feeds another, and another... :D

"Glasses....

People who need glasses to find their glasses.....Are very myopic people in need of help!"  (to badly misquote Barbara Streisand's song People) 

I had thought that my mother's generous birthday gift of not one but TWO pairs of new glasses would solve this problem... (Plus cultivating a habit of putting said glasses in their cases and in my new tidy thingy (that is supposed to hold multiple remote controls... but does multiple glasses cases very well too...) at night.) Alas no...  I have just proved the fatal flaw in my seemingly perfect plan... those moments when I take my glasses off and am not near my bedside table... Cue the very familiar comedy of errors whilst I go searching for the pair of glasses that I have taken off without the aid of wearing any glasses... I give up... and go find my dressing table... Ah ha!  All is clear now (literally).  I manage to locate the renegade pair of glasses... about 2 centimeters from where they ought to be (yes... I really am that short sighted)... and as I am wearing the pair of glasses I have designated as my bedtime pair (the less expensive pair)... I put the recalcitrant pair in their box, and in the tidy ready for tomorrow morning... And get all tucked up in bed... and proceed (with the aid of my glasses) to type this post... 

Glasses wearers of the world unite.... Geek chic is cool... We have nothing to lose... but ... our glasses!

Seek and ye shall find...

... more and more and more creativity and inspiration to be creative!  I am just thankful that OneNote automatically saves to SkyDrive so that I have been able to save copies of all the card maps/layouts that I am coming across, and copies of photos that generous cardmakers have posted of their fabulous creations using the card maps/layouts... to act as a mental spring board for my own creativity... my laptop's memory capacity would have been exhausted LOOOONG ago LOL!  I also love the challenges that exist where the task is to use different techniques, or materials, or a colour scheme... All valuable learning/inspiration material! I've even got a "notebook" just for techniques/tutorials I've copied and pasted off of different blogs.... and I always look to see if the person who writes a blog I'm visiting has a link to another blog... It's a virtual rabbit's warren! Or maybe a better analogy is it's like a virtual Alice in Wonderland experience when she goes through the locked door.... except... each locked door leads to another room with another locked door (or even several locked doors... how exciting!!!) The best bit is, unlike in Wonderland,  there's no need for tears in order to open them and get through them :D  

Soooo much creativity!

I am overwhelmed at how many lovely people are sooooooooo creative and so generous as to share photos of the results of their creative outpourings on blogs...to inspire and encourage others! Then there are others who devote goodness knows how many hours to devising sketches/card maps to inspire people (like me!) who have the creative urge.... and maybe  know a few card techniques... but don't really know where to start when it comes to deciding a card layout!  As well as also making examples to inspire and encourage!  That adds up to a LOT of fabulous creative people...!  In case any of you end up following me.... THANK YOU!!! 

 I  am... still... organising... BUT... I am nearer the starting creating cards end of  that path than the starting organising end... and I can see that possibly in the not too distant future I might have two paths running alongside each other... (an "organising" path and a "creativity" path).... sometimes crossing each other... always in harmony (I hope!)... When this occurs... I too will share photos of my efforts... I feel it is good to record things... especially when the practical item is something that will be used/given to someone else... This way you always have something to look back on... What DID creative people do before cameras were invented???