So struggling today.

I am trying to live in this moment.

But it's hard to live and move and make each moment count when your back has seized up, your shoulders just ache, and your hips are ouching with every move.

I'm desperately trying to avoid more sick time from work.  I can't afford to not work.  I definitely can't afford to lose my job because of this RA.

I think I need to sleep. 

But also it helps to record my lousy day here..if for no other reason than in a few days I'll be able to look back and know I made it through my bleak and painful Thursday..

Namaste.  May peace, blessing and love surround you.

Some pictures and words for you..

Because it's a quiet day at home for me, with rain falling outside and quite an autumnal nip in the air, I thought I'd spend a few more minutes here at the blog, and show you some of my photos from the past week.

I just love fuchsias.  The colours and the prettiness of each bloom make me even more sure that they are one of my most favourite flowers.  This one is hanging on the wall at the front of the house, and was so small when I first moved in.  Now it's healthy and quite lovely!  I hope that I might be able to help it over-winter indoors, so that next year it'll be even larger..but we'll see.

I'm quite a firm believer in the fact that gardens are just an extension of our inside rooms!  So, in my front and back gardens, you'll find little decorations popping up here and there.  This plaque was one of the last things I bought from a shop in the States...it's resting against the front wall now, so as I (or my neighbour) leaves home, this is what we see.. 

This pig of mine is also quite happy living in the front garden.  I actually took this on Saturday afternoon, because it made me have a little laugh... have you noticed the snail going for a ride?  Fortunately, I haven't anything planted nearby which he would find terribly palatable.  

All of those pictures above were taken on Saturday actually, while I was waiting for my ride to a barbecue.  At that time it was warm, and sunny...and this was the sky....

....three quarters of an hour later though, the grey clouds rolled in, accompanied by threatening rumbles of thunder, and by the time we were ready to grill, well you guessed!  My friends' husband is quite the intrepid "chef" though and will NOT be thwarted!  The food was lovely too..

Indoors, on Sunday, I continued my mission to make a flat into "my" home!  Again, I bought this in the States..it's not sticky like sellotape, but it has gone up on the wall above the bed just perfectly.  The quote is attributed to Thoreau.

And these last couple of photos I just took within the past hour!  The computer is set up in the kitchen most of the time.  The tablecloth has been "with" me for over 20 years, and is (silly me) one of my most treasured possessions really.  The wooden bowl with the calculator in it was made by my Dad, and the flowers I cut from the front garden a few days ago, and popped them into a white porcelain jug which I bought from a charity shop.  

And now I'm going to wish you all a lovely evening, head over to the kettle and boil some water, and then make myself some tea.. just love the convenience of this little kitchen shelf.. 

Namaste, friends

 All content ©artysane

Another Wednesday ... another week...

...the days, and weeks, and months and years are going by so quickly for me these days...

Mostly, this past week I have struggled with pain.  I'm not whining..it's my lot in life, you know?  But it is a bit hard, to limp at work because my hip or knee is hurting, and get the looks from those around you.  That type of look which is saying (or at least you sometimes *think* they're saying):  "Why is that woman putting on that limp?  She's not got any injury.  She must just be trying to get out of working."

I think maybe, just possibly, I could be a little paranoid, huh?

Seriously though, walking is hard ... knitting has been hard...shopping bags after grocery shopping are just too much to handle...and so it goes when the RA flares up.

Enough.

Life can ..and will.. still be good.

In other news...

A friend of mine had a bereavement in her family.  Her dear old grandfather, who lived to just past his 100th birthday.

And in his will, she was left many things, including his budgie..which she really doesn't want to adopt into her home!

First thing she said to me last night when I saw her was.. "Hey (my real name)!!  Don't suppose you want a budgie, do ya?"

And actually, as it happens...

YES!  I have been saving to get a cage and a bird!

So, soon I'll be an adoptive budgie mum.

I had a budgie in the States before I came home, and he had to be adopted out to one of my friends.  I've been missing him a lot, and had put out my wish to the universe, so this is a real answer to me.

Someone In Charge was listening!

And I'm happily expecting the new arrival in the flat!

Namaste

As the silly song goes...

..."I'm busy doing nothing..."

Why?

Because I have woken up today with a bad bout of vertigo.

Thankfully, it doesn't happen often.

Mostly, I feel like this when I'm over-tired, which has most certainly been the last couple of days.  I'm just a bit miffed that today, on my day off, it's really burst forth in violence.

Never mind, I shall live, and this trial will pass!

In the meantime, I can report to you that I'm typing from bed. And if I turn my dizzy head (slowly so as to avoid nausea) to the right, I see this little curio shelf thing on my wall.  The little block sayings at the top need finishing off.  Before I left the States, I bought the blocks from a Dollar Store, and glued the sayings together.  Now I want to paint the other sides... maybe that'll get done today... maybe not, in favour of working on my crochet or something!

Oh.. and yes... I like pigs!  No shortage of them here at Cobbnut Cozy... which is what I've begun to call my little home.  Cobb nuts are beginning to fall all over my garden... the tree next door is trying it's best to move in with me, and making his presence known by giving me these "gifts"!

Hopefully, in just a little while, I'll be even less dizzy, and will be able to go off to the bathroom (window below) for a shower and some beautifying... well, okay, so maybe beautifying is too hopeful, but after I've tried, I can't possibly be so scary to the population in general!  :-)

And then, if I'm still not well enough to get on with more interesting activities, it'll be me on the sofa for quite some time!  Cushions abound here... flowery ones from a favourite aunt..striped ones from my sister... pale green from my dear old grandmother's armchair (many memories of that old lady in her chair)...and the Union Flag cushion was a gift to me from me when I was out of the country.  

And there ya go.  Always something positive to be said about not feeling well...you have to find the good in all, or else you'd go mad, I think.  :-)

Today's good in it all?  Well, I got to upload some photos onto the computer, and show you a few more things around the Cobbnut Cozy...  

Hoping you are all much healthier than I am feeling at the moment!  And if for some awful reason, you're not, then I send healing love and light...

Namaste, my friends.

All content ©artysane

A PS. .. goes along with previous post!

There ya go... she may have said it better, but at least there's more than one person in the world saying it!

Hope you are too!!!

:-)

It's late here, and I'm off to bed now.  Working a late shift tomorrow, so I'll get to sleep later than 5 am!  Happy day!!!

Oh boy... that was a thought provoker...

During my life, I've been privileged to get to know many people, from many different backgrounds.  I'm enormously happy to say that I've friends who are Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Jewish. 

I've African and Indian friends.  Friends from Puerto Rica, Poland... 

I have some wonderful homosexual friends.  I have a friend who is lesbian.  I have straight and married friends, single friends..well, let's just say that I'm blessed with a beautiful and very colourful patchwork quilt of friends!  :-)

And it's my belief that ALL of us have a right to live fully...to respect and love each other... to treat each other fairly, and kindly.. and to have our own cultures, and beliefs, and STILL BE FRIENDS.

Still be able to share this world which we all live in.  

After all, we all bleed red. 

Well, you know.

So tonight, when BBC2 put on this movie, I watched it with tears, and the feeling of great sadness at the terrible and horrendous acts of years ago.

What also touched me is the fact that children don't have the prejudices and hatreds which their parents have.  It has to be "taught" to them by us...by adults...

Oh, that we "grown ups" would learn how to be responsible teachers... yes, we have learned, I hope, from the atrocities of World War 2.  But let's not forget... let's not stop learning..

And let's teach love.

And peace.

When I left my marriage, I needed to do something which would mean something to me...something which no one expected me to do.

I can't quite explain that..but it was almost like marking the beginning of a new life..a new Me.  

Anyway, I have a small tattoo now.. it's the Chinese symbol for "hope".  

Hope for my future.

Hope for the future of all of us.

Hope for mankind. 

Namaste, my friends.  Let's teach the children well....

All content ©artysane

(with the exception, of course, of the photo from the movie)

Oops!

And again, Oops.

Or is it really?

See, I started this blog with the intention of writing something every day.  And suddenly I've found that it's been almost a week since I posted.

But am I sorry?  Truly?  

Nahh... no way!

Because I've been living... and after all, you know what they say...

All Work  Blog and No Play Living Makes Jack (or Jill) a Dull Boy (Girl) Blogger!!

:-)

Even so, I cannot tell you that I've been busy with mind boggling things.  I've been to work.  I've gardened. I played my first bowls match on Wednesday evening, and in fact, I'm playing again this afternoon.  

And I finished up cross stitching a small project, which I mounted on a blank card...it's now the first of the hand stitched Christmas cards for this December!

There was knitting with friends at the pub again too.  When we are there, a group of men and women come in to play their varied instruments ... lots of great and lively Irish country music.  And also more modern tunes, with the Irish country feel put to it!

More pictures of knitting and stitching projects, and garden progress to come... having a giggle to myself...who knows, you may have to wait for at least a month for those!  

No... I promise to be back before then. 

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy LIVING LIFE as much as I do!

Namaste, Friends.

All content ©artysane

What's been keeping me busy?

Well, these have, actually!

Do you remember I talked about lawn bowling a little while ago?  Well, I've been practising..and on Wednesday evening I'll be playing in my first team match.  Which meant I needed my own set of "woods".

And here's the picture to prove I've got them!  This is actually this years' birthday present from my parents..a few weeks early, admittedly, but I'll be able to use them now, before the end of the season.

I'm quite chuffed!

Mind you, even though I've been working and bowling, there's also been some time to spend in the kitchen..I managed to quickly make a "Plain Jane" cake yesterday.  I knew I wouldn't have enough time to put icing on the top before I had to go to work, so I sprinkled sugar over the mixture, and ended up with a simple, but tasty treat!

Now though, it's really time for me to stop, and sleep.  Sad to say, I've been battling with the most awful headache today.  I know my triggers for these migraine type head pains:  lack of sleep, hunger, hormones, and not enough, or too much caffeine.

Today it was definitely not enough sleep.  And then it worsened because of hunger!

Although I hate the migraines, it is almost "nice" to know myself so well, that I knew just what was wrong...you know?

Namaste, my friends...I hope you've had a good weekend!

All content ©artysane

Charity knitting

Hello Friends!

I skipped a few days...the last thing I want is for my blog to become a chore for me, so I don't really feel too guilty for not posting.  I've been busy with other creative things though...as you can see!

Over the past few months, I've been busy, on and off, with knitting these teddy bears.  There's 14 of them. All different colours, but all from the same pattern.  

They are now travelling to a poorer country of the world.  To be honest, at this time I don't know quite where.  But there is a retired doctor in this area, who travels a lot to do some humanitarian work, and he packs as many teddies and other "gifts" as he can, to distribute.

On Monday evening, I lined up "my" teddies for their photo shoot, then gave them a talk about how they were going to make 14 little children so very happy, all while packing them into their little bags, and putting a twist tie on the bag.

Then all were packed into a bigger carrier bag, and on Tuesday they began their journey from my home, to one friends home.  Then on to another home...then this morning to the collection point..and at the end of the week, they will be in flight.

It does feel good to be able to make something and hopefully make someone else happy by doing so.

Namaste

All content ©artysane