Dolly's Dreamings

Another day another hospital

We have three hospitals in our trust - Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch. Thus far I have had surgeries and appointments at both Bournemouth and Poole, today I had my only appointment at Christchurch (and thank goodness as it took us over an hour to get there with traffic!) It was a simple DEXA scan which is a baseline for the medication I am on. I didn't like to say I wasn't sure if I would STAY on the  medication.

As we were over that way we decided to go out and in the end ended up at west Quay and IKEA. We were looking for bedroom ideas - didn't find any - for a specific ornament - didn't find one - and we happened to visit Nigel's favourite shop in the world (as there isn't a shop that just sells model buses!!!) Hotel Chocolat. Well it would have been rude not to.

We also had a lovely lunch out at a New Forest Pub. It was a day or normality after so many days of not normal.

I have done my first design team scrapping for a long time - can't share that of course yet - and I have been drawing and painting

Two recent paintings - one a tutorial (the post box) and one of the local landmark Old Harry Rocks

 

 

 

 

and this was a drawing from two weeks ago that was fun.

 

Today I am thankful for

• little bits of normal

and how amazing are these

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fireplace renovation complete

I can finally say our fireplace renovation is complete.

 

We have agonised for a long time about what to do with our fireplace. We had the fireplace installed 30 years ago when we had been in the house for just a year. There was massive purbeck stone fireplace there which we had taken out an a new gas fire (real fire effect) and surround fitted. It looked lovely  though they made a mess fitting it and it has slopes at the side of the hearth where they hadn't removed all of the old stone. We couldn't get rid of the slope for fear of damaging the marble hearth. We'd only had it for a couple of months when we had to have the chimnet mesh covered as once the chimney was opened the May Bugs (goodness I hate those things) were attracted to the light and so came down the chimney and into the lounge. The man who fitted the mesh told me I didnt need anything that fine as birds wouldn't get through. I told him I wasn't concerned about the birds!

Then we bought Bengal and from then on we had to have a fire guard for fear the cats would attempt to go up the chimney. I hated the fire guard and we almost never used the fire because it was inefficient and expensive.

So last year we decided we wanted to change the fire. We wanted the chimney blocked to keep the warmth in (blocked so that new people could unblock it easily), the gas taken out and a new electric pretend flame fire. Who would have thought it was so difficult? There are very few shops where you can see these fires in reality and we didn't want to buy it online not having seen it. We went to several specialist stores who were not terribly helpful and who didn't have what we wanted. We didn't know what we wanted really but knew we would know when we found it. Then we found Fire and Flame in Charminster and it was perfect. Ben, the owner and installer, was brilliant, offering lots of advice and we found the exact thing we wanted. We were thrilled.  I cannot recommend him highly enough. We have never had such a clean worker in our home or such a perfectionist. He did an amazing job and we are thrilled.

 

These are the before and during

 

 

 

 

 

The new fire surround is a lot lower and so we knew we had to repaper and paint the chimney breast which we finished yesterday

 

 

 

 

We are thrilled - it has made such a difference.

 

In other news we have some scrapping

 

 

This was from a trip in 2004 on our Wild West tour to Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood to see the graves of Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane

 

 

 

and some recent quick paintings

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• renovations are done - it was stressful for Koda - he really doesn't cope with any form of noise or change (he's his Mommy's boy!)
• a job we are happy with

and finally some more amazing tattoo art. I'm not really into tattoos but I admire the skill of these

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A busy old day

I continue to heal and get better though my arm is sore and I wish this glue would show any sign at all of disappearing.

I was told not to try and take it off until I saw the consultant but thats another 9 days.

 

We have had a productive day today catching up on a job long long overdue.

In 2018 we bought a multi photo frame having just come back from our fabulous fall trip and filled it and put it up. A few months later, early 2019, we decided to buy two more frames the same for other trips and that was that. They stood in the dining room under the filled frame for the best part of 4 years. Today we decided we could stand them there no longer so we picked the photos and printed them and filled the frames opting for one from 2017 Gone with the Wind tour of the Southern States and one from the non route 66 bit of Coast to Coast. They are filled, up and the wall has been touched up where they had left marks where they were stood for so long. I am ashamed it took us so long and we are thrilled with them. The photos of the photo frames are dire as they are opposite the patio doors and so the reflections are intense but you get the gist.

 

The original - hung alone for 4 years

 

 

its two companions

 

and the montage  (They are quite large - the photos are all 5" x 7"

 

Other than that I have some scrapping - photos from a walk earlier in the week and made for the scrap squad lift this week

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a job well done - finally!!!

and some more natural cuties to end with

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surfer Dudes and snowy scenes

After lots of wind and rain - which is back today - yesterday was a lovely day. It was predicted to be showers and very windy but we seemed to miss them and saw lots of blue sky. Nigel decided today's walk - through Bournmouth gardens to the pier and the beach. It was lovely and definitely not windy. The surfer dudes had clearly seen the same weather forecast as we had though and there were more than 20 congregated round the pier trying to catch some good waves. There were some big breakers but I think they were probably disappointed there were not more. They were all in the same place which seemed a bit silly to be honest as they kept bumping into each other and it did cause a couple of altercations.

 

The little black dots are all the surfers

 

 

 

 

 Looking back the other way towards home

 

 

I have actually scrapped too!! Some of it I can't share but some I can

 

Nigel bought me this new Simple Stories collection for Christmas and it was perfect for a Narnia page

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was for the mystery box challenge at Pickleberrypop

 

 

I have had to suspend a lot of my DT commitments for the next couple of months. I am still in pain from operation 1 and - providing it goes ahead on 31st January, much of February will be recuperating from operation 2 which is a bigger operation this time, and then hopefully, if things have gone well, I might be starting the radio therapy in March which I gather will leave me very tired. But I hope that is the scenario and we don't go with the worse option of things not being good and having to go down the chemotherapy route. I just wish they would put the date in stone. It is still 'provisional' and is still 3 weeks away. Which I know in the scheme of things isn't huge but when you know you have something bad inside you it seems like forever.

Today I am thankful that

• we had a lovely day out yesterday
• the beach
• positive thinking - I am working HARD on it

 

I am not a huge fan of tattoos (though I understand I get a teeny one before radiotherapy!!) but these are amazing works of art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting on with life

I haven't felt much like scrapping recently - which is unheard of for me - but I did make a couple of pages today - only one of which I can share. It was for a challenge over at Scrap Squad and also another at FTLOPP

We were busy New Year's Day ( we always take Christmas down and pack it away and spring clean the house - so rock and roll!!)  But on 2nd we hit the beach - the start of a new year. At this point I had not yet had my disappointing results so we were quite optimistic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have also been keeping up with my painting sketch book doing a little image each day.

These are designed to be quick and simple so they are not great works of art. But I a having fun doing them and working to a word prompt.

 

Day 3 - Hot Chocolate

Day 4 snowdrop

 

 

Day 5 Beach

 

Day 6 I changed the word as I wanted to paint an image inspired by the Narnia exhibition

 

Day 7 was wooly hat and scarf

They are quick to do and just a bit of fun

 

I also have these to share which I just thought were fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• distractions - I need them
• Nigel's patience as my moods swing from positive to negative and everything between. He's awfully good!
• A new game for Christmas from Jakki that we are really enjoying

 

Don't walk before you can run

So I am learning to respect recovery and rest - not an easy task for me to be honest.

Clearly this is going to take a little getting over and can't be achieved in a day - or three.

Yesterday was a bad day. I hadn't slept (I am really struggling with sleeping propped up on my back - everywhere aches) and I was in a lot of pain and so I just had to accept not doing anything much at all. Today I felt much better and so we ventured out, but i confess I was scared. Not known for my nimbleness, and able to trip on a shadow as my mother always said, the icy weather freaked me out. Nigel fell all the way down out front steps yesterday as they were icy and we were both terrified of what that would mean if I slept. pretty much a disaster as I am not nearly healed. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, though it was spectacular and captured on our new doorbell camera. Consequently, we were aware that as it is still below zero I couldn't risk anywhere icy so we did an indoor walk around the Range and Dunelm Mill. I know I must be poorly as Nigel agreed very readily to a new duvet set we didn't need but I just fancied. It wasn't a strenuous walk but I was pooped afterwards.

I did sit and scrap this morning though, catching up on some of my Christmas journal pages.

So here are some of those to share - for most of them I used Scrap Squad lifts

 

Day 7

 

 

Day 8 - never going to be a good one

 

 

 

Day 9

 

 

Day 10

 

The postbox picture is a little watercolour I did on Saturday

 

 

Day 11

Today I am thankful for

• slowly learning to take things easy
• Nigel - he really is an exceptional nurse

and these painted hands are incredible

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reclaiming our hall

Since we have had the boyz - the clumsiest cats we have ever ever known, we have had issues in our hallway. We have an odd house, a split level house, and a very odd series of wide landings. The top floor has a gallery and if the cats jump on the bannister and fall, which they will because they are so clumsy, they would have a long long drop and inevitably break something. So we have had the stairs and banisters covered. We thought they would grow out of their clumsiness but two years on they were still covered witht he uglist plastic sheetinga nd cable ties to protect them. Last week we bought a big piece of glass effect perspex and fitted it today so they can no longer fall from the gallery to the bottom and it looks amazing. You cannot see it because it is clear, it is thick enough to protect them and all you can see are the 4 silver clips Nigel fitted to hold it in place. He is a clever old stick

I have a little new scrapping to share too

This was too good not to scrap. Although it is a ywan it looks like Indy is roaring and - if you are Game of Thrones Fans you will get it. The throne is The Iron Throne from the series of books and TV and the Lannister's are one of the families and their sigil is the lion and their words are 'Hear Me Roar@. I even made a little Lannister shield. It was just meant to be oh, there is also a process video too

 

 

 

 

 

and I also scrapped the photo of everyone together at Ant's 50th birthday last weekend using this week's sketch from Scrap a Sketch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• feeling a little better
• a revitalised hall
• a clever husband
• a nice walk in the park

and some wonders from the web ... beautiful woodwork

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and some clever designs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digi Duos rock

It is  new release day at Pickleberrypop and also the launch of some incredible digi duos.

 

I worked with this new collection first

Credits

Smell of the Forest Collection by Palvinka Designs

 

 

 

 

Credits

Early Autumn Bundle by Carol W Designs

 

 

 

 

Credits

Legacy of Love Collection Fayette Designs and Jumpstart Designs

 

 

 

 

Dp go and check the new releases out - they are really lovely

 

Today I am thankful for

• going out to run errands before the wind and rain hit
• packaging up my advent swap gifts (excited about this)

 

and I leave you with these clever uses of albums to take photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A first and some art

I have been t art today - doing my own thing whilst I can as I am teaching for the next month - and am in process of an Autumn painting as our fall decorations will be going up on 1st October. I wanted to paint a picture to go up just for the Autumn. Not sure it will work but we will try.

 

I have also made my first ever process video (and no I am not sharing it here as I am not proud of it - but it is on my You Tube channel . I will learn and get better I am sure.

 

I have a bit of new scrapping to share. This is the page I made the process video for

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and these are a few other pages made recently

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• creative pursuits
• art and scrapping

 

And these were just cute pictures from the Internet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot again and a bit of fun

It is hot hot hot here and I think we are into our ninth week without rain which is pretty grim really. Everything is dying - well actually the crass isn't dying it has died. Completely. Never seen it look so bad and we won't water it. I don't approve.

So lots of sitting outside in the shade has been the order of the day really.

We went and put up the art exhibition today which was good.

Other than that a little light scrapping was in order.

This page was made for a challenge at A Trip Down Memory Lane and also uses a gorgeous sketch by Lisa Sikorski at Scrap a Sketch and it explains my sad little outing for a Covid birthday

 

 

 

 

I have also been playing with the new Designer challenges at Pickleberrypop which are wonderful and well worth checking out. This was a challenge set by Carol of Carol W Designs

 

Credits

Seeds of Hope Carol W designs

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a successful job completed
• an increasingly busy social life - who knew

and some pictures to share of what very clever people have done with paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our wonderful coast

It is no secret to anyone who reads here regularly that I love the sea, I love the coast and so my design team kit from A Trip Down Memory Lane this month is Simple Stories Simply Vintage Seas was perfect. I have already used the collection before and so it was lovely to have more of it to work with

 

This one is from Lulworth Cove

 

 

 

 

and this from the Minack Theatre in Cornwall

 

 

 

 

I also made another coast page - not with the same collection - of the walk to Durdle Door - a piece of cake walking down there - harder walking up - much steeper than it looks in that photo

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely DT kit
• Nigel getting a cancellation appt for his check up today
• scrapping

 

and some cute photos of people interacting with some great sculpture