Dolly's Dreamings

The final bits of Wales

Well the Welsh album is now away and will re-appear only to be looked at when we want to remember that little break, significant in that it was the first time we left our boys too.

 

I loved the wild rhododendrons clinging to the slate hills

 

 

Visiting Aberfan was such an important thing for me to do and it was terribly moving. The first news story I ever remember, it killed children my age and so I felt I really had to go and pay my respects

 

The mass grave site and memorial is beautiful but heart-wrenching

 

and that garden on the site of the school was at the same time dreadful and beautiful.

 

 

I struggled enourmously with this page as I couldn't work out how to do it so the map unfolded. I got there in the end

 

 

 

 

It really was a lovely little trip. Not a proper road trip by our American standards, but none the less, a lovely trip.

I think we have to get used to holidaying in the UK for the foreseeable future.

 

 

Little else to report here.

I have been sewing - and for once not on paper or card. I have been making the boys little bandanas for their 1st brithday and also some bunting. Yes, it's offical. I am crazy cat lady!

 

Today I am thankful for

• a task completed
• my boys - all three of them. They made a great team the other night when a massive - and I do mean massive - spider ran across the loungs. Koda spotted it, Indy chased it, Nigel 'dealt' with it. We try never ever to kill spiders but he was huge and fast and nothing to catch him in other than a slipper. We were very sorry.

 

 

Days just fly but memories remain

I seriously don't know where the days go - they just vanish

However, whilst days fly by some memories last forever, indelibly marked on our collective unconsciousness. Today is such a day

20 years ago ... cocooned in a school where we don't have TVs or radios on,  we didn’t hear the news immediately... I remember going outside just before collection time and talking to parents... some very worried. We had a lot of parents who worked for J P Morgan who had offices in the twin towers. For me it is also inexorably linked to Daddy. We watched the news coverage together as I packed his case for his final visit to hospital. He never came home, passing just three days later.

The world changed for everyone that day. Visiting the 9/11 museum and the memorial was something we both felt we HAD to do and it was hard. There was much I couldn't watch or listen to and we left emotionally drained after our visit. The anniversary seems even more poignant in light of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and it seems we are once again on the precipice.

The world needs to remember and pull together forgetting these petty differences that seem to consume everyone so much

 

This is a photo I took at the 9/11 museum in 2018

 

I have been scrapping a lot as I wanted to complete my album on our little mini break to Wales. No idea how a three day break has ended up with a thirty page album but there you go!

 

But I have completed it now which is excellent.

 

So here are some welsh pages ... I won't bombard you with all of them in one go!

 

This is the title page

 

 

 

 

I have also been working with some lush digital things. One of my favourite designers - TirAmisu Designs  - was our Gal Friday this week and I worked with her gorgeous Gal Friday Just September collection which is heavily discounted and has a free gift at the moment.

 

 

and I don't think I shared this one though I made it last week

 

 

and finally I have two pieces of art to share. One was just a bit of a fun doodle and the other was a painting from art this week. we had to use acrylics as watercolours and paint a picture completely from our imagination. I found it really hard to not have a reference photo but I gave it a go.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• relative peace in the world I habit - so many people are NOT living in a safe peaceful place. They loose loved ones, see things no-one should see, live in fear of their lives and the lives of those they love. I pray that all of the leaders of the world can work together, setting aside differences and trey to bring peace to all

 

Hug your loved ones just a little closer today because none of us know what lies just around the corner, ever!

 

Techy challenge and other challenges

Well today has been a bit of a techy challenge. I appear to have inadvertently made a change to photoshop that I am unable to undo and I have no idea why - or indeed how I did it. I have tried everything and think my only option is the uninstall and reinstall which is a right pain.

In addition my printer has decided that it will print some photos the right colour and others not!

Glorious - no rhyme or reason for it

 

However I have completed a couple more challenges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one I was really pleased with

 

 

 

 

 

and this one was one I never thought I would manage. It was a DAF challenge to use 107 items from a list. I usually avoid these challenges as I won't make pages just for the sake of it and it really isn't my style to pile loads of stuff on, so I promised myself I would try and see how many I could get whilst retaining my style of some white space.

 

I thought I might manage between 30 and 50 - I got 87. Bear in mind you can double up so green and sparkle and confetti and stars are the sparkly green tiny stars  which covers four thingsbut i am still chuffed I did it.

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• I pretty much managed to keep my temper with the computer. Well almost.
• I saw some decorated post boxes
• Nigel isn't a football fan and isn't at all bothered watching he match

 

 

An interesting day

We had dentist check ups today. As regular readers know I am quite dental phobic but I did manage to get some sleep last night as it was only a check up. So I was quite surprised when she said she would now replace the temporary root canal filling from last July. I didn't see that coming. However, with an injection I didn't feel it, though it is a bit sore now and, as always, the TMJ is bad after a wide open mouth for a while. Could have been so much worse.

 

I have new digital scrapping to share from kits released today.

 

Credits

Lost in Paradise Collection and FWP by Dita B

 

 

Credits

Sun and Moon Cancer by Love it scrap it

 

 

Credits

Catch the Breeze Bundle and free Gift by TirAmisu Designs

 

Credits

Just wanna have fun triple feature

 

I have been doing loads of paper scrapping but will share just today's two pages today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• dental anaesthetic
• a lovely dentist
• my boys - they are just lovely. Today I went and sat on the floor in the lounge and Koda came up and just lay his head on my feet and snuggled. They are such loving little boys

 

A scrappy weekend and a Happy 4th July

Happy 4th July everyone. We have always thought about our family nd friends across the pond on 4th July and wish we could be there to share the celebrations. But 4th of July is also my own independence day. I finished work, forever, on 4th July 2016 and so it was a doubly special celebration, so much so we held a street party to celebrate!  I have to say the last 5 years have been some of the happiest in my life. There have been downs and worries and losses, but on balance retirement is absolutely awesome!

 

I have sent much of the weekend scrapping which has been lovely - prepare for pages!

Over at FTLOPP we have been having a cyber crop all weekend on the theme of change and I hosted 4 of the challenges

This was my sketch challenge

 

 

 

 

This was for my challenge on Changing Rooms. Goodness I loved that programme back in the day - I really did. It is coming back soon as well .... I can't wait

 

 

 

 

and this was a 'green' challenge all about the changes that happen in nature - the biggest of all being the new life of spring of course.

 

 

 

I have also been playing along with the summer scrap challenges at Scrap Squad

 

day One

 

 

Day 2

 

 

 

Day 3

 

Day 4

 

I also played along with the DAF birthday challenges which are running all month

 

This was the first based on an awesome page by Scrappy Kathy - I even went and bought bleeding tissue paper - who knew there was such a thing!

 

The circles are bleeding tissue paper, the flowers are doodled, the letters stamped and the cat is just plain gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

 

These challenges have all pushed me out of my comfort zone but I have had great fun.

 

Today I am thankful for

• the cats still being OK
• retirement
• scrappy fun

 

 

Variable weather, variable news

The weather has been a bit up and down but that's not a bad thing - our gardens all needed water so the rain was welcome.

Thankfully it stayed dry on Monday when the new windows were put in the last two rooms - we are now complete

 

It looked lovely to see uninterrupted heath views but sadly as it is a bathroom we needed privacy glass.

 

 

 

The new windows in there and in the boys room are so much better

We had a lovely visit from Alice - you see her often in my scrapping - and her fiance on Monday evening and the cats enjoyed playing with them.

 

I am not sure if it was that that wore them out plus the stress of the windows which was a very noisy job, but Indy had a very off day yesterday and was abnormally quiet. Of course I thought the worst and that it was the start of the dreaded disease still ravaging the country's feline population but thankfully he has bounced back today and they are booked in for assessment and tests again tomorrow. If the bloods tomorrow come back the same and there has been no decline we may be able to relax a little. Please keep everything crossed for us and for the boyz as it isn't nice having blood taken.

 

I have some new scrapping to share

A new release from Pickleberrypop perfect for beach scenes

 

another Caernarfon page showing he lovely quayside pub we stopped at for a drink and the cheeky scouser we got chatting to.

 

 

Our garden at home made for a Scrap Squad challenge

 

 

 

and more beach

Other than that life has been ticking along quietly - but that's the way I like it

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely visit from Alice and Gareth
• a successful window job
• easy days
• Indy being back to himself
• hopefully good news tomorrow

 And these facts were too good not to share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that was long!

It was a gorgeous day today - really lovely after the damp weather we have been having. So we hit the beach. It was lovely, it was hot, it was quiet, and boy dod we walk ... way more than our usual - in fact double. But it was lovely. And a nice ice-cream as a reward to put back all the calories we had walked off - and some!

 

 

We had a fab time away but are so blessed to live where we do

 

I have some scrapping to share

This first one I really liked - made for a mojo challenge at PBP to scrap a dream vacation. I am very lucky - I had my dream vacation!

 

 

View from our bathroom window - pretty awesome!

 

I had to record this and laughed as I did. It was a disaster from a food point of view - totally and utterly from Nigel leaving he lunch in the fridge, to restaurants that we hadn't thought to pre-book, to a mistaken McDonalds order resulting in my dinner of a plain bun - yup nothing else just the bun, a horrible lunch that I couldn't eat and my driving more sandwiches being sabotaged as the ice bag leaked and it went into my sandwich packet. Oh my goodness I enjoyed my breakfast!

 

 

 

and this was with a new release at PBP

 

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• the boys are still well. There are lots of rumours about other foods but I don't know what to believe and what not to.
• living where I do with beautiful beaches
• long walks
• gardening - it looks much better

 

A bit of scrapping

The good news is the cats are still OK. We are hoping and praying that will continue and we will be out of this state of permanent worry. The numbers reported on the RVC site are still rising - up almost another 100 today on Friday's figures. The worst thing is not knowing if they are still at risk though they have stopped the food. We are hoping not.

 

I have been scrapping the last couple of days and have even made a start on the holiday.

 

This one of Caernarfon was using a Scrap Squad sketch

 

 

The was for my Dolly's Dastardly Dare - it uses all the things I hate about making a page - so I felt I had to do it as I set it.

 

a beach selfie from the holiday

These three pages are for my DT work for ATDML using the wonders mini swatch book and Simple Stories Sunkissed

 

 

 

 

 

The first of many Portmeirion pages

 

 

 

 

 

and just a little bit of stamping on this one!

 

 

 

 

Another little seaside town - and another scrap squad sketch

 

 

and Portmeirion at night

Today I am thankful for

• the cats still being well
• a nice quiet time at home.

 

 

Final photos and the boyz

The good news is the boyz are still OK - I expect we will be incredibly worried for a few weeks yet - the numbers nationally have almost doubled and that's just those reported - The Royal Vetinery College say they know only a small proportion of vets are reporting and also that lots may have died and never gone to a vet, so we are still very worried and watching so carefully. But today they are happy, energetic, being naughty having busted our mirror in the hall and finding a new place to climb too. And I am overjoyed they are running and being naughty.

 

I have the last batch of photos to post. We have wanted to visit Portmerion for the past 20 years or so and for one reason or another it has never happened. It was so hard to go on the trip and leave the boys - first time ever - and at the end of the first day I wanted to come back to them. But we pushed through and they boys did well without us - well as well as can be expected. And we were blessed with perfect weather. The sun shone, the sky was blue and it was not overly hot to make a day of wandering too much. It was just about perfect.

Cue a LOT of photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The red arrow points to the two windows that were ours

 

Inside the hotel

 

 

 

 

 

the hotel

 

 

Our room with a gorgeous view over the estuary and up to the village

 

 

View from our room

 

and the beauty of staying there is that you got to see it at night and empty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh and a nice breakfast too

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely trip
• lots of scrapping fodder
• another day where the boys are well

 

Updates and more trip

I am still waiting to hear back from the vets. I did ring them and a nurse said she thinks the bloods look fine but a vet needs to interpret them and they will ring me later. They have had a lot of emergencies today and apologised for the delay. I am always so understanding of that - we could easily be an emergency. But the waiting is hard. The boys seem absolutely fine in themselves but that was never the issue. They don't show symptoms until it is too late - it's like a silent killer. If their bloods are fine that is good. But no one really knows if the toxins, if they have them, will continue to build and destroy and they will still get sick. Even the RVC don't get it. The link to the food isn't proven but it is the only connection they can find so far. They don't have a treatment plan either because it is new and was a very rare condition they hardly ever saw. I know in my heart of hearts that there is no point worrying as there is nothing I can do about it now, but that is far easier said than done.

 

UPDATE - the vet has just phoned. Their blood counts are all normal but the advice is keep a close eye. If they show any signs of being unwell bring them in, there is no guidance to say they should have regular blood tests and keep an eye on the RVC sit for any updates but at the moment no-one knows anymore about what to do. So we are hopeful but still scared. I asked if they could develop it even though they have stopped the food and of course she said there was no way of knowing. So good news but not good news. I know hundreds and hundreds of people are int he same boat but that doesn't make our nerves any less.

Consequently, we have tried to stay busy and I have been sorting photos.

So next batch here

 

It was a gorgeous sunny day when we drove round the coast from Caernarfon. This was one of the many beaches - Dinas Dinille beach.

 

 

 

 

 

Totally different beaches than we are used to as they were in parts very stony, were wide open empty spaces and has mountains behind whereas we are quite flat everywhere. I loved them.

 

These were from Trefor beach - reminded me very much of lochs in Scotland

 

 

 

 

approached by small roads again

 

 

 

 

 

It was like driving a mini Big Sur and very pretty

 

 

and this was Criccieth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These photos now are from a different day as I will leave all of the Portemerion till tomorrow.

 

Harlech Castle

 

 

more of the coast road. The weather filled in a bit during the morning

 

 

an amazing little wooden toll bridge we crossed

 

 

 

 

 

Then we drove through the Brecon Beacons and to our last stop - Aberfan.

 

It may seem strange to go and visit such a place of loss and sadness but the story of Aberfan was the first news item I can ever remember. I was just 6 and I remember my Mummy crying and asking what was wrong and they told me about the disaster at Aberfan. I remember watching the news and I remember Mummy telling me how very lucky we were.

In total, October 21, 1966, disaster killed 144 people, 116 of whom were students at the Welsh town of Aberfan’s Pantglas Junior School.The stories of what happened are horrific and the inquiry found the National Coal Board responsible, but that was of no comfort to a small mining community who had had a generation of their children wiped out.

 

When I realised we could detour and visit to pay our respects we were both so keen to do so and it was a very sombre and sobering visit that reduced me to tears. The children had been put in a mass grave, dying together and buried together, and there is now a beautiful empathetic memorial on the hill at the top of the cemetery which we spent time at, reading everyone's name. I was moved particularly by a girl called Karen, almost the same age as me. I remember very little of my life up to the age of 7, snippets and bits and pieces, but that was all this other Karen had. I have had a further 53 years she never got to enjoy, along with her many school mates. Life is short and can be snuffed out in an instant. A constant reminder to hug your loved ones closer every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and there was something so poignant about children playing in a playground next to the site of the destroyed school which is now the garden of mourning and remembrance.

 

 

We continued on our journey home, sober and reflective. I was so pleased we had had the chance to visit and pay our respects.

 

 

 

I have scrapping to share from the new releases at Pickleberrypop which are just about still on offer so do go and check them out

 

Seas the Summer bundle by Love It Scrap It

 

 

Message in a bottle BBD by Palvinka Designs

 

Summer Song by Karen Chrisman Designs

 

Salty Sunset BBD by Fayette Designs

 

Mother Nature BBD by TirAmisu Designs

 

Barefoot and Free BBD by Chunlin Designs

 

Today I am thankful for

• more positive news though not completely good news from the vet
• My boyz - we are just hugging them that little bit closer at the moment
• a lovely trip away
• a chance to pay our respects at Aberfan

A little staycation - a trip to Wales Part 1 - and worries

We have been away for a few days, leaving the boyz for the first time and they did very well - but we returned home to worrying news about the sudden rise of cases of feline pancytopenia, an illness that can often be fatal in cats. The Royal College of Veterinarians have found worrying links to some brands of cat food including AVA dry food which our boys have had for the past 5 months. The disease is usually fatal once symptoms appear and so we are taking the boys to have blood tests today to see what their blood count is like right now. It is terribly terribly worrying and I am terrified we will lose them both. They are not symptomatic at the moment but that doesn't mean anything apparently.  I will update here when I know more.

It has taken the shine off everything really, but I will post photos because I have to do something other than sit and stare at the cats which is all I have been doing since I came home.

 

These were the horseshoe falls - a little different than the horseshoe falls of our last road trip which included Niagra - but they were very pretty

 

 

 

 

We went back to the  Pontcysyllte Aqueduct which we had been to before because - well it was right there. It's incredibly high and the walk along the canal is quite frankly pretty terrifying

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then detoured round and through Horseshoe Pass which was a place I haven't been since I was a very little girl. We used to go through on our way to our caravan in Tywyn and it was a beautiful drive

 

 

 

 

My tour driver and our 'tour bus'

 

Our tour bus aka Nigel's new car, was awesome but the built in sat nav clearly has a very different understanding of what constitutes a road than we do. It thought THIS was a suitable way to go - for two very very long miles!

 

 

 

what a long ten minutes that was!

 

The slate hills were beautiful around the Snowdonia area as they were covered with rhododendrons so the hillsides were pink

 

 

 

and we had a bride detour round Betws-y-coed

 

We ended up at Caernarfon for the night which was lovely

This was the marina right outside the hotel

 

 

 

and of course the castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hotel is the building at the back of the picture

 

 

and the white building is the pib we stopped at for a chillax where we met a very characterful scouse gentleman at the next table who was a hoot

 

 

It was a lovely trip and I am sure, once I know my boyz are OK, I will be able to sit and enjoy

 

Keep us in your prayers over the next couple of days and join me in hoping our boyz don't have this dreadful disease x