What's Going On?

The kitchen floor has been tiled it looks really good (Betsy was a nightmare), so Thursday and Friday while the electrician was working  she went to stay with  her  Mum, Dad and the rest of her doggy family. She became firm friends with a four week old Schnoodle, he apparently bullied her relentlessly (I think they have the same Dad), he is such a cute little thing, I was telling Dave and showed him the video Nita sent of them playing, his words were NO!!!! DEFINITELY NO!. He's a worried man, he thinks I want another dog, hmmm! Today there's a plasterer here and Betsy is so tired from her two days away she has settled down and is sleeping it off! Hopefully when the kitchen fitter starts work on Monday she'll be as well behaved as she is today...... ( I know it would have been sensible to have the floor tiled after the plastering but the cooker is being fitted on Tuesday and the floor needed to be ready before then.....) Meanwhile I'm stitching, stitching, stitching, thankfully I'm working on an Large Art Quilt for the Seeking Artemis Exhibition so when the heating is off I'm keeping warm.

 I did go to the William Morris Gallery, it has definitely improved since my last visit. I remembered it being very dark, no longer (apart from where the light would affect the exhibits). It's a lovely light museum with a very nice cafe (No I didn't have any cake). If your in London it is well worth  visiting and it's free, whilst there I  got to see the Society of Designer Craftsmen exhibition too!

One of many wooden printing blocks with brass inlay 

Wallpaper (sorry about the reflection)

The Winter Craft Market wasn't such a great success, at least I didn't make lots of bits specifically for this occasion. I tried but I don't think I'd bother doing it again.

Really good news I have the feeling back in my knee, I went for the first physiotherapy session this week. I was told that as I have no symptoms at this point they would usually be discharging me. I've got exercises to do and I'm  back next week to see how I'm getting on, and they are going to enrol me in six sessions of Pilate's that should be fun!

Now I can walk properly Betsy is back to having longer walks which we have both missed, that's when the weather allows, I don't mind the cold its the rain that makes things horrible.

This week I'm going to my regular C&G class and as an extra on Friday I'm off to Art Van Go with the class for a demonstration and then a play with the products, this could prove to be an expensive day, tell you more next time!

Oh well off to make another coffee for the plasterer......

It's all about remembering and giving thanks this month, so I thought I'd add this image of a poppy with a bee, I took this photo on a visit to RHS Hyde Hall way back in 2011.

This image of a WW1 cemetery and was taken in Belgium in December 2010 you can read more about this trip here

We've had a lovely family celebration since my last post my Uncle Alf was 90 years old and he invited the family to join him for Sunday lunch you can see more on Super Gran's blog.

Now for an update on my leg/knee saga, first thank you for your comments on my previous few posts. On Saturday I went to see the Doctor and get the results of the blood test and MRI, it appears that there is a constriction in a section of my spinal cord. The nerves that serve my lower leg and knee are affected by this.  There is good news the lower part of my leg is no longer numb, the Doctor thinks that with conservative care my knee should improve greatly too, I start physiotherapy next week. And no surprises I need to loose weight...... oh dear just when I'm getting a new cooker and a new kitchen I had such plans for some domestic goddessing!!!!!! I'll have to give it a go but with everything low or no fat....

Amanda thanks for your comments and yes it is scary isn't it.  I hope you are feeling a lot better. The choice was mine to do all the design work again for the City and Guild, apparently you don't have to repeat it if you've already completed the certificate in a certain time scale. It might be worth looking into if you really want to do it.

This weeks a full week, Tuesday Material Girls monthly meeting, Wednesday C&G we are visiting the William Morris Gallery. I've been there once before years ago, it's recently been refurbished and has a new cafe, I was going to say there will be cake, but there wont be any for me........ Thursday and Friday the floor in the kitchen is going to be tiled. Oh I wish I could go away for a week or so and come back when it's over. I know Betsy is going to hate all the disruption. It all seemed such a good idea at the time......

Climbing a Cliff to Jools

Since my last post things have moved on a little with my leg/knee I've seen a Neurologist, he thinks that there could be some nerve damage in my back.  Quite rightly he wouldn't give a definite diagnosis until I'd had a MRI and a blood test, so this week has been taken up travelling back and forth to the hospital. I've an appointment to see him on the 10th November, I'll know what's going on then hopefully he'll have the results of the scan etc. In the meantime my leg is no better or worse, I have difficulty climbing steps and stairs, walking Betsy is a challenge, but we are managing.

Sometime ago I bought tickets for Dave and I to go to a  Jools Holland concert at The Cliff's Pavilion, Southend on Sea.  So Wednesday evening we set off, unfortunately parking was full close to the theatre, the name of the venue gives it away 'CLIFF'!  Walking up the many steps to the venue was very slow, oh soooo slooow....... But  well worth the effort, when I booked the tickets Marc Almond was the guest performer but on the night it was Roland Gift ( Fine Young Cannibals), I have to say I wasn't disappointed , the other guest was  Ruby Turner. We both really enjoyed the night and we'll be going to see Jools Holland again, I can recommend it.

Last week was my first C&G class, a bit of a surprise we were dying fabric, I'd had problems with my email and hadn't received the information. You've guessed it, I turned up wearing a  NEW white t shirt, with no fabric to dye in fact no equipment at all. I was so glad I wasn't the only one not to bring the right equipment, what a lovely group of ladies they rallied round and soon Ann and I both had aprons buckets and fabric to dye. I think I'm going to enjoy this class! Below are the three pieces of dyed fabrics not a great image the colours are much nicer than this in the flesh, but bad light etc....... or maybe it's the photographer?

In a week or so I'm joining with another couple of textile artist and taking a stall at a craft sale, pop in if your passing!