Dolly's Dreamings

End of week one of lockdown

So we are almost at the end of week one of what they still are not calling lockdown but which is lockdown in all but name.

Most of the time we are managing it very well. Nigel perhaps better than I.

I find seeing anyone else such as at a store very stressful and I am sure that is because the media have created a measure of fear in me and so many others.  We have shopped when we have needed to but minimally. I disinfectant everything as it comes into the house, we remove and dispose of as much outer packaging as we can, we wipe everything down, we have gloved and non-gloved areas. And it is kind of almost OK.

Yesterday I queued for almost an hour at Boots to pick up our repeat prescriptions that I had been worried about. It was well organised and by and large, the people were respectful. The staff in the store were wonderful.

Nigel and I are very happy just with each other -we always have been and so that is not an issue for us at all. The weather in this first week was lovely and we have been for a good long walk round the neighbourhood every day and seen few people and we all avoid each other - pardon the pun - like the plague. We have completed a couple of of jigsaws, we have done gardening and cleaning and we read and relax. We stood on our balcony on Thursday night along with our neighbours at their front doors and so many hundreds of thousands of people and we applauded the NHS. It was very humbling and we could hear the applause and cheers echoing round all the streets and we cried. This virus and the response to it has really made us appreciate that the most highly paid and 'important' int he country and actually NOT the most important. It is our NHS, our care workers, our delivery drivers, farmers, teacher, TAs, supermarket staff, post men and women etc who are the people we need and we rely on and who, I hope, will be properly recognised in the future when, we pray, this is one day all over. I am not sure the world will ever be quite the same again - and I hope this is for the better. 

 

However, as soon as anything goes wrong you realise just how alone you are. We have had gale force winds in the opposite direction to normal and one of our fence panels quite literally broke into pieces. We had to ask a neighbour to help which was uncomfortable for all of us but he is a good friend and at least the panels were 6 foot and so we were 6 foot apart! We were so grateful. Also we have a poorly Kira. She has something wrongw ith her ear and we need help. We phoned our vet yesterday and got a telephone consultation which lasted all of 5 minutes and cost almost £30 (she is so worth it) but they said she was not an emergency and so they wouldn't see her. She appears to be worse and so we will try again Monday and ask for medication at least even if they won't see her. We feel she needs ear drops and antibiotics at the very least. So when things go wrong you realise how alone you are and how isolated you are. There are people far far worse off than we are though. People who were halfway through home renovations and are left with no kitchen, no bathroom, people who are worried they will lose their homes completely, lose their only source of income and we are not dealing with a sick cat but sick relatives and worse. So we focus on trying to feel grateful and positive.

 

I made this - yes I am making a paper album and a digital one about these events as they deserve to be recorded.

 

 

 

And this was last week enjoying our last frap before Starbucks closed (and for allt he bad press about Starbucks you might like to know they are really looking after their staff very well)

 

 

 

And finally photos from today

Ready to go out - haven't worn makeup in a week - and it shows (wrinkly and blotchy and don't care)

 

 

Cabbage, salad and fresh fruits - not panic buying!

 

Lucky to live here - such a beautiful place to walk

 

She might be poorly but still able to 'help' with the jigsaw

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a neighbour to help
• one week over
• basic provisions purchased
• being isolated with my best friend and soul mate
• Kira a Fiki - we know we are on borrowed time
• our government making the best decisions they can in these awful times.

 

The deed is done

Having had a fairly horrible time yesterday shopping for an elderly neighbour, we agreed that it would be better if Nigel did our normal shop on his own. It is what they are advising to reduce the numbers in store anyway, and it would be much better for Nigel's sanity if I were not with him panicing, watching everyone and everything so carefully, checking what was touched and not touched etc.  I could then work on what I wanted to do to make things safe when he brought it home. So he went to do our normal shop this morning at Tesco, arriving as they opened. There was a queue, but a short one. He found everything we needed (there wasn't a great deal - largely fresh veg and stuff - and what another elderly neighbour needed (we are keeping our eyes on several people in our street who do not have family to look out for them) He said the store was well set out to ensure social distancing and the relief we both felt when it was done and away was immense. We can now plan to not have to go for another 10 days or so. We are still going out every day for an hours walk but meet very few people (4 this morning) and everyone is being very respectful of the distance between people.

 

I am recording what our life is like at the moment as I really do feel that my memory albums are for recording all of our life - the good and the bad. I am not trying to be flippant about things, I am fully aware of the work that not just the NHS staff are doing but the wonderful carers in our care homes,  delivery drivers, the banking community, the people running public transport, the postmen and women, the teachers still in school and countless others.  I am horrified that my god-daughter, whose husband has a serious heart condition, and yet she is classed as a key worker in a bank headquarters, has to strip in the hall, wash her clothes and shower before she can see her  family. The world is in meltdown and they are unprecedented times. But it IS happening in my life and I do want to record it and sometimes, alongside my faith, humour is what gets me through things. It has always helped me through things, from very unpleasant situations with very difficult people to illness and loss. And I always say that, first and foremost, this blog is my own personal brain dump and is set up primarily for me. I am always impressed that some 100 -150 people a day read it, but I know what I write is not for everyone. I think it is a bit of a case of read at your own risk. I know someone expressed concern about the Pickleberrypop releasing kits about the virus and making money from tragedy and I have passed those comments on but I am grateful for the things they have produced to help me document my life at the moment. There are kits from all stores about cancer, bereavement etc. I think perhaps non scrappers don't get our need to record what is happening in our lives. We are, maybe, a strange breed, but a lovely one.

 

The news today is very mixed. Our friend in Florida has just gone into lockdown and has two elderly parents to care for. (We are so very very grateful that Nigel's mom is in a care home and, whilst we cannot see her, we know they are angels there and are caring for them so well) Some reports seem to imply the lockdown in this country is bringing positive results (I read a report from Imperial College that was quite heartening) but there are countries far poorer than ours that are facing terrible times. People living already in extreme poverty and now unable to go out for even basics. The worldwide financial destruction of economies is something that the citizens of the world are going to be paying for for a very long time and I am convinced there will be a severe mental health crisis when all this is over. However, I think it has made us realise some truths. The poorest paid in our country - the nurses, police, care workers, delivery men etc are the people we rely on most. Maybe after this they will be deemed more valuable and paid appropriately. The arts - music, drawing, painting, scrapbooking etc - and physical exercise are crucial to our mental health so maybe they will be given greater prominence afterwards - both in the world at large and certainly in schools where it is often the art and sport are cut when budgets are tight and the emphasis is placed on pure academia. Many people don't know the people int heir own immediate community - maybe after this more people will appreciate how important it is to look out for our neighbours and to consider others. Maybe out of this will come more gratitude and less selfishness. I have to believe there will be a silver lining somewhere int his dark cloud that is over the world at the moment.

 

Anyway, enough philosophy for now. We have had a good day. Shopping done. The pharmacy has confirmed my prescription will be ready Saturday ( I was worried as I am almost out) we have had a lovely walk in the sunshine and we have started another jigsaw. And yes - there has been scrapping too.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the shopping done
• our elderly neighbours now with their needs met
• time to spend together - as always

 

And - because I have to laugh because it keeps my fear and anxiety in check a little

 

 

 

This one I so identify with ... I have become obsessed with door handles

 

 

and this too - my hands are always dry anyway and I use hand cream twice a day - they are in a bit of a state at the moment. Thankfully not quite as bad as Arnie's but ...

 

At least my blog is at a distance

What a strange world we live in.

The UK now has pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, gyms all closed. We had our last Starbucks for the foreseeable future today.

The government have promised unprecedented help and financial support for people laid off work, for businesses etc. I think as a country we will be in debt for many many years but I am so glad Boris is our PM leading us through this - for all his bluster and bumble.

I have never seen so many people out walking on the heath as today - I guess that is also the new norm. I hope the lack of food in stores is not the new norm though. We did our usual shop and managed to get most of the things we would normally buy. I am glad food is being rationed out so people cannot bulk buy but I was surprised that my usual drink - soda water - was controlled and I was allowed only three of the four bottles I would usually buy.

We have been helping out several elderly neighbours and getting things for them too - some of the things have been hard to find but it must be so scary when you cannot go out and are reliant on other people.

Today we went to our local garden centre run by vulnerable adults and bought new plants for the garden - staying a very safe distance from the few people there.

We also cleared a lot of junk out of the garage so Nigel could take it to the tip before that closed. Other than that we have been staying in and keeping to ourselves and really, for us, it is no effort. We like being home, we like each other's company, we will be fine.

 

My worry is that there will be a lot of kids with nothing to do and nowhere to go and I do get scared of potential social issues around this and public disorder and antisocial behaviour. I hope that doesn't happen and I hope that we do not have to go into lockdown as other countries have. If people are sensible it ought not to be necessary. We will see.

I have also made three pages but they are for my next class at ATDML so I can't share them ... but this was made for a UKS challenge

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• sunshine
• jobs tackled and completed
• being isolated - or social distancing - with my best friend and hubby

 

 

Battening down the hatches

Apparently we are heading for a storm this weekend - and as it is called Storm Ciara we figure it is bound to be bad as any storm named after our grouchy Kira Cat is going to be bad!

 

However, today was nice which was good. I worked int eh morning but we still has time for lunch by the sea and a film this afternoon (a very disappointing Dolittle - I would recommend you don't waste your money ,to be honest!)

 

Yesterday I got my brand new watercolour paints which I am very excited about. I have gone for a professional set now I know I will use them and they are lovely. Watch this space

This is my most recent completed painting

 

 

I have also done some new scrapping that I can share

This one was made for Ella Bonella and was a tough challenge. You were allowed to use white cardstock, one sheet of patterned paper (I used 1/2 sheet but it was double-sided with strips on one side and yellow on the other) one colour of mist, one alphabet and one journalling pen.

 

I found it really hard

 

 

and this one was for a combined challenge on  FTLOPP and Scrap Squad. It was a fabulous sketch.

 

Publish

 

 

I am hosting this weeks scraplift on the ATDML Facebook group so do go over and check it out. There is a prize to win! Visit HERE

Today I am thankful that

• I have new paints to play with
• it is the weekend

 

Stay safe in the storms everyone.

 

 

 

What beautiful weather

The last two days have been gorgeous - very cold but beautifully sunny and totally wonderful. My favourite sort of weather ever. I like the cold. I like wrapping up, and I love the cold crisp sunshine.

 

Yesterday we walked along Sandbanks beach and along the harbour

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we went to Hamworthy Park - I absolutely love it there and on many many occasions we have had unusual light. Today was no exception. When we arrived, about 10.30, it was very very misty and there were very unsual clouds that looked like a veil. It was odd as the sun was there but hidden and it made the light look like sunrise (though it certainly wasn't) And as we were there the sun burnt off the clouds but there were some terrific colours, some spectacular skies and still mist over the hills. These photos are NOT with filters or anything - just taken with my phone (and I love the new camera BTW!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also have a couple of other January photos I never downloaded and shared. Nigel doing his thing at his quiz night for Dorset Cancer Trust (and we have been re-booked)

 

 

a swan - because

 

 

I hope wherever you are the weather has been kind to you too.

 

Now on to scrapping and some more pages with A Little Bit Lovely for ATDML

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had fun making layered flowers and using watercolours to colour the flowers that were black and white.

 

Today I am thankful for

• living by the beach - can't imagine not
• nature in all of her splendour
• the kindness of strangers
• the surprise meeting, whilst out walking, of old friends

 

 

and finally - my three new FTLOPP pencils that I won recently and arrived yesterday

 

 

 

and my prize winning pencil stash (and as you can see I DO use them)

 

 

Definitely Lighter

The days are definitely getting longer and as I type this at 4.30 it is still light - though there is a gorgeous pinky sunset developing. It has also turned much colder which I am happy about. Winter is meant to be cold and it has been impossibly mild. How am I supposed to get the use out of my coats and hats if it isn't cold!

Yesterday we seemed to be very busy. We popped out and ended up being out most of the day. We went to buy a new vacuum cleaner as we blew ours up this week. We intended to buy another Shark but in the store were advised against it as apparently they are known for being unreliable and they said they have more returns on Sharks than anything. So we ended up buying a cordless Dyson that I think might also make the tea! We have just tried it and bearing in mind we hoovered on Wednesday the amount of dust and dirt and cat hair that has come up is unbelievable. Clearly our Shark failed a long time before we thought it did!

We also went to the cinema yesterday to see Bombshell which had all the makings of a really good film but somehow just missed the mark for us.

 

I have new scrapping to share- make with the wonderful new PinkFresh Studio A Little Bit Lovely for A Trip Down Memory Lane.

 

I fussy cut the centre and outside of the wreath.

 

 

 

 

 

And then I used the inside I had cut out (plus made another 'splat' from white card and inked it for the bottom, ) and used it on this page

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a new vacuum cleaner (and the fact Nigel does floors!)
• cold weather - I love it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still sharing catch up scrapping

Before I catch up on scrapping stuff can I just share something that has reduced me to tears several times over the last couple of days.

 

I think everyone has been shocked by the wildfires in Australia. The terrible destruction, people killed, people who have lost everything and the loss of habitats and literally hundreds of thousands of animals. I feel for all of them, but I have to say I find it unbearable that animals don't understand. They don't know where to go for help, they don't know how to ask for help and they are suffereing and struggling.

I think the world has wanted to help and, like so many, we donated money for aid int he recovery BUT I was even more encouraged by the call to do something practical. And to see the internet used for such good. There was a facebook group started in Australia asking for crafters to knit, crochet and sew pouches and blankets to help the animals orphaned, burnt, terrified and needing aid. This sparked a UK group which I joined and there are people not only making the things to send but coordinating, travelling on holiday and psoting they are willing to take things out, companies donating wool and fabric, local coordinators stepping up. Crafting of all kinds had been so important in my life, bringing me back from some dark times, and to see the crafting community working so hard int his way to help is so utterly moving. I urge you if you can sew (I can't really) or knit or crochet (that I can do and I am busy making) and think you could help then check out UK Crafters for Australia Animal Rescue Effort on Facebook ... see the pictures at the end of how these pouches and nests can help

 

Please do check it out.

 

Back to more mundane things and more pages to share from the cyber crop last week.

This is my boy ... love him to bits

 

 

and this is my girl - also loved to bits. And I confess they have been snuggled a little bit closer recently.

 

 

and this is a digital page made for the Monthly Mojo Use it all challenge at Pickleberrypop. This is the challenge forum  and you can get this kit FRESH START mini by Bellisae  for FREE to make your challenge page.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• people in the crafting community pulling together to use their skills to help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost back in the land of the living

First of all, dear readers, apologies for no wishing you a merry Christmas. It's been a while since I blogged - in fairness, it's been a while since I have been up and dressed.

I hope that you did all have a wonderful Christmas. I hope you were filled with HIS presence, had the presence of friends and family and also had some of the other sorts of presents too.

 

It's been quite a noisy Christmas here but rather than the joyful sound of carols, the laughter of family and friends, the riotous noise f Christmas TV, it's been the sound of coughing and sneezing and a fair bit of groaning that has filled our house with noise. I have to say this cold/flu type bug is one of the worst we have ever had. The bug has affected us differently. My cough has not been as bad as poor Nigel's - well at least not yet. I had a few days of sounding like a sealion but at one point I couldn't even keep my eyes open they were streaming so much. The headache was unremitting and now I have badly blocked sinuses and even my teeth ache. One eye is swollen it is so bad! But today we are up, we are dressed and Nigel is going out. OK so he is only going out to get more medicine and some fresh food, but heck - it is progress.

 

However, we still had a nice time. We grazed on Christmas food, we couldn't taste and we exchanged gifts as we both love spoiling each other for Christmas. He loved his two photobooks of our holiday and he bought me the three kings for my Willow Tree Nativity and a gorgeous new charm for my bracelet to celebrate our road trip.

 

 

 

 

 

However, we are still very happy to count our blessings. It is just a cold. It isn't anything terrible. People are battling with far worse things. We had a warm safe home to suffer in and we had food in to eat. And alcohol always helps! We don't really drink the rest of the year much so it was a treat to have a drink over the season and could tell ourselves it was medicinal too.

 

No new scrapping but these are pages I made before Christmas and I may scrap today too! Now THAT is progress.

 

This is Front Street in Dodge City that was just so lovely - and such a great museum too.

 

 

 

 

 

And I almost never do doubles but this captures the Long Branch Saloon - the most famous of them all in Dodge.

 

 

 

 and these three were pages made for Mojo Challenges ar Pickleberrypop

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• being up!
• medicines
• being together over Christmas
• a lovely time in spite of everything

 

 

Bring out your sick!

Well it's been an interesting week here.

I was suddenly very sick Monday night - I am sure it wasn't noro or anything as it was short-lived, but it left my ribs in agony and my diaphragm so sore. However, I am the well one of the family. Nigel has had a terrible cough and throat for more than two weeks. Last week he lost his voice completely and now he is so congested he is in a bit of a pickle. He has tried so hard to blow his nose he has damaged his ear (a few years ago he perforated his eardrum with overzealous blowing). He has been struggling for the last 6 days really quite bad and has slept upright int he lounge partway through several nights. We were so reluctant to bother an overstretched GP service so yesterday went to the pharmacist for advice and we tried their recommendations but he was really bad overnight and could feel rattling in his chest so we got an emergency doctor appointment today and she said he did the right thing coming in. His oxygen levels were lower than they should have been and he is now on antibiotics. we don't have a spare bedroom as such (we have lots of bedrooms but none of them are bedrooms if you see what I mean)  but today have made up the bed settee in the spare room so he will try and sleep in there. I have to say it is a very nice bed setee and looks pretty all made up - but doesn't look very comfortable compared to our wonderful memory foam kind sized bed. I did offer to be the one to have the torture bed but he feels his cough is less likely to suffer than my ribs would. Oh dear, what a pair we are. We are both conscious we don't want to share this virus!

I hope he feels better for Christmas but it does mean he hasn't been able to visit his Mom whilst he is poorly as that simply wouldn't be fair. And my hands are the driest sorest they have ever been as we are constantly washing our hands in very hot soap and water to try and stop stiff spreading. To finish our week off nicely I went and had my boobs squished this afternoon for a routine mammogram which is always such a lovely experience! I have to say the lady doing the mammogram was lovely and it was done very quickly with lots of smiles and jokes. And I have to share their amazing Christmas tree. The staff made her - they do a different tree each year and I thought she was fabulous.

 

 

New scrapping this week - I have been working on Design Team things for A Trip Down Memory Lane and was working with Simple Stories Vintage Christmas and Country Christmas (I love love love Country Christmas so much)

I wanted to use some of the papers for non-Christmas things so this is a page for the holiday album about our trip to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernadino Mountains

 

 

 

 

 

This one was from our trip to Bournemouth to see the Christmas lights

 

 

And I was quite proud of my painting of the snow scene so made a page about that too

 

 

 

 

 

This is the painting on its own

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the care of all of the staff in our NHS. I never fail to be impressed with them all
• gorgeous things to work with from A Trip Down memory Lane
• Little things in any day that make you smile
• our neighbours - 8 of us went out for our annual Christmas dinner last night - we are so blessed with them
• supermarket shopping done - mostly just our usual but it was mad and crazy at Tesco - you'd think the world was shutting down for at least a month or so!

 

 

 

 

 

Reason for missing - a bit of a shock

I missed posting yesterday but I wasn't in a very blogging sort of mood to be honest. I had a bit of a worry.

I have been battling with rib pain for weeks and weeks. Last July I broke my ribs and they eventually healed and I was pain-free. In about June I started getting tenderness where I had hurt my ribs for no reason at all. I mentioned it to the doctor in August and she felt it was OK and nothing to worry about. Some days it would be worse than others. Then it began to spread and rather than just being in a small spot on my right side at the bottom of my rib cage it started to spread round the side and to the back and it started to be more and more persistent. It didn't feel muscular and it was very very tender if pressed. Then at the weekend the pain and tenderness spread to my breast bone as well. So I got a doctor's appointment yesterday expecting him to say yes it was rib pain and it would go and take more paracetamol. 

It was a doctor I hadn't seen before and he was very nice. He listened to my concerns and then examined me carefully. One of the first things he said was' what is the scar on your back from?' I told him it was a malignant melanoma removed 5 years ago. He checked my lungs etc which he said sounded fine and then he checked my ribs and abdomen all over and it hurt. He then sat me down and said that it didn't seem muscular but either bone pain or nerve pain and the next step was an urgent referral for a chest x-ray. I questioned urgent and he said in light of my medical history he wanted that checked as soon as possible. I asked Nigel, who was in the waiting room, to come in, and we discussed his concerns. He agreed the melanoma was a red flag and that whilst everything was probably Ok it needed to be checked as a priority. So I left in a very different frame of mind than I entered and in a bit of shock really as I wasn't expecting that scenario. Nigel keeps telling me - and I know he is right - that they have to cover themselves and that it is unlikely to be anything wrong but they have to check etc etc. I keep alternating between worst-case scenario and thinking it is all a waste of people's time. I had my urgent chest x-ray this morning and will hear results in a couple of days. If you can, keep me in your thoughts and the odd prayer wouldn't go amiss either, please.

Consequently I haven't really been able to settle to anything today.

 

I did make this yesterday though - a lovely picture of Nigel and his Mom who is increasingly 'absent' as the dementia steals more and more of her away.

 

 

 I used more Indigo and ivy and it was made for ATDML.

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the speed of our NHS which is terrific when it needs to be
• the care of NHS staff - they were lovely as always today and I watched nurses and ancillary staff be so kind to so many people and so patient with them
• faith - it's so key!