A Picture Catch Up

Here I am trying to blog again, let's see if I actually succeed this time :-)

 Ben passed his driving test in March on a first attempt.  It was a nerve wracking few days before the test and on the big day but he nailed it.

We finally made it over to the North East, our first visit back since that dratted covid infection in December 2022.  We stayed at the Alnwick Youth Hostel and visited all of our old favourites Hexham Abbey, Lindisfarne, Seahouses, Barter Books and a new addition The Aln Valley Railway.

 Stained Glass Window at Hexham Abbey.

Seahouses for Fish and Chips.

Pip feeding the 'spuggies' at Pilgrim's Coffee House on Holy Island, Lindisfarne.

A lunch time treat at Barter Books.  Shock horror, I only came away with one book!  I've just recently had a big clear out of the book case so was determined to be very intentional with any purchase.

A lovely train ride on the Aln Valley Railway.  It wasn't a long journey but it was an enjoyable steam ride.

Pip received her exam results in late August.  She gained really good marks in her Maths and Geography but the English paper was an unmitigated disaster thanks to the Exam board, who failed to mark her second paper!!  As a result this cost her a place on her level three aeronautical engineering course.  By the time we challenged the result and she was given a remark (which although just eight marks shy of a pass would have been enough for her to study the level three alongside a resit), it was too late to attend the course :-(  Needless to say she was pretty devastated and this past month has been very difficult for us all. 

 We are now homeschooling for Year 12 which comprises of an English Language resit following a different examination board, AS Level Maths and a beginners course in pottery amongst any other short courses that come along.  We have designated Fridays as a field trip day, so here are some pictures from a recent trip to the British Commercial Transport Museum in Leyland:

This ambulance is very reminiscent of episodes from the lovely drama, 'Call the Midwife.'  Poor Pip had a quick run down on the best positions for labour and lying flat on your back was not on that list ;-)  She was very tolerant of her old ma!

The back of the Popemobile used to transport St John Paul Second when he visited the Uk in 1980.

I still find screens and cognitive stuff still a bit of a nightmare but I've missed sharing over here and connecting with lovely blogging friends, so I'm hopeful I can make it work this time around.  

Thanks for reading xx 

Some Lovely Things

 I had hoped to pop by sooner but I was floored by a vicious virus in late November, which required two emergency hospital visits before Christmas (signs of either a stroke or heart attack) and from which I haven't as yet fully recovered.  So much so I have engaged the help of the nutritionist that I have worked with these past six years.  I'm currently dealing with ongoing persistent viral reactivation and horrendous GI issues but I'm hopeful with a few minor diet tweaks and a change in supplement regime things should hopefully settle.  

Without further ado here are the lovely things from the past few months:

After years of making St Nicholas biscuits I finally bought a proper biscuit cooker and not only did they taste lovely they looked lovely.

You're never too old to make a den.

Mum H made a lovely sofa quilt out of some of Dad H's old shirts complete with squares of cat fabric and edged in the signature black and red associated with his motorbikes.  Poppy declared it 'her' quilt and who was I to argue.  I will take a proper photo of the quilt as it really is lovely.

Our third granddaughter Everlie Elba was born on the 19th December so another birthday to add to the December list ❤️

Pip was 16 on the 23rd and she had another fun day with her best friend Beth.  Thanks be to God I was manageably well enough to drive them to a local retail park.  They had a lovely time shopping and chatting.

Mary with Everlie

Ottilie with Everlie

 

Watching the Liverpool football match on Boxing Day with Pip, thankfully they won!

A cafe trip with Dave and Pip on the 2nd January, our first trip out since Pip's birthday on the 23rd.  I was able to buy Ollie's birthday presents in the sales 😊. He loves all things soft and fluffy so i bought him a pair of fleece pyjamas and an oversized 'oodie' that resembles teddy bear features.  His hood has ears and a cute face ❤️

I'm hoping that 2025 will be the year that I return to regular blog posts.  I've ditched the distraction of Instagram and I don't bother with twitter or facebook, so it's looking hopeful.

All good wishes to you x 

October

 Before November runs away with me here is a snippet of the past month:

Some photos of Pip's paving and practice wall  taken from inside the workshop.

Dave and I managed a coffee date for our anniversary and gosh I do look tired in that photo!

October has been a month of trying to survive.  I sustained an injury to my pelvis whilst attempting to put Dave's mobility scooter in the car and the nerve pain was pretty horrendous.

  We changed our car in late August and although it is the same make since it is newer there have been amendments, notably it is higher up and the boot is an usual design.  As a result of these changes manoeuvering Dave's scooter is a challenge for me and it has taken five weeks of intensive physio - manipulation, ultrasound and acupuncture to sort things out.  We are now in the processes of trying to find a hoist that will work in the car and accommodate Dave's scooter and my walking aid.

Pip has continued plodding along with her exam prep for the mocks occurring at the end of November and it has been a major stress headache for us all.  Thankfully we have Pip's old math teacher on board and we chatted with the head of house at Kings Interhigh and all the staff speak highly of her and she is projected to do well.  I just wish Pip had the confidence to believe in herself and that is the biggest problem.

Knitting and reading continue to keep me going during these uncertain days and I'm grateful for the distractions.  

Hello ❤️

 It has been a while  and I certainly hadn't meant to step away from this space for so long.  Long Covid is a tricky beast to live with and it doesn't take much to knock me off my limited baseline.  I have missed updating here and checking in on friends so here is a short whistle stop tour of the past ten months:

During the first half of this year as you can see knitting and a bit of crochet featured heavily, sock knitting in particular!  Scrappy socks using left over yarn and birthday socks were made and this was quite an achievement since I struggled to remember how to follow a simple sock pattern!  As my cognitive functioning began to improve other items were made, some baby cardigans for a cousin, a crochet balaclava for Sara and Barbara the emotional support chicken for Pip.

We have another Grand-baby on the way due around Christmas time ❤️

Ben turned 21 in June and amongst other things a walnut and coffee cake was requested.

We visited a local military museum with Pip at the start of the summer break.

The highlight of Pip's summer was visiting Liverpool football stadium and museum.  It was a very challenging drive for me even though it is only just over an hour away, and Pip did her bit by pushing me around in the wheelchair.  It was worth every minute to see that smile on her face.

We are now back to college on Wednesdays which she absolutely loves and her last year of Inter-high and GCSEs with all that entails 😕

It's been a cognitive challenge finding my way around this space and I cannot remember how to reduce photos or put them in a folder 😂, so I guess I've some learning to do!

If you've stopped by here to wave hello then thank you x 

Another Month Almost Over!

 I certainly lose track of the days and had no idea that I've been absent from here for a three week period.  We seem to have had a run of medical appointments which always manage to affect my health because of the additional driving.  I've also had a bit of a blip with regards to my own health and so there has been a ramping up of some of my Long Covid issues including digestive issues, problematic PoTS and swollen glands/sore throat, muscle aches and pains.

The Chancellor's Autumn Budget and the usual Tory attack on chronically sick and disabled people was incredibly worrying, and since we are stuck on 'welfare' it did not bode well.  I was so fed up of the narrative that we should all be working from home that I decided to undertake my own experiment and the results are as follows:

Jeremy Hunt V A Chronically Sick Person:  Just how easy is it to get a work from home job?

After taking my pills washed down with a morning cup of tea I decided to investigate this conundrum.  For clarity which will become obvious later, I was still in my pyjamas and in bed and it was around 8:30 am.

My first task involved a Google search entitled, 'virtual assistant work from home jobs in the UK.'  I chose the first site that was recommended to me which involved Data Annotation.  After setting up a basic profile I was given a series of tasks to complete, which involved looking at social media images and declaring if they were hateful in any way and if not why not.  I also had to find an NPI number for a counsellor in New York and proof read chatbot responses. In addition there was also a short creative writing piece which necessitated a Google search concerning Sam Bankman Fried.  I was quite pleased with my initial response but in hindsight had neglected to include some form of dancing with regards to the octopus!  If I had been an English examiner I would probably have docked some points to reflect that oversight :-). The whole assessment procedure took well over an hour to complete.

I then decided to check my stats using my trusty Garmin Venu watch and the results were illuminating.  My heart rate had increased significantly (over 105 bpm sitting upright with legs elevated) and my Body Battery had begun to tank (starting battery which measures heart rate variability and blood pressure changes had gone from 47 - 22!), bearing in mind I hadn't even moved from my bed! I have conditions that are made worse by exertion of any kind - cognitive, physical or emotional and as a result my health continued to nose dive that day and my heart rate shot up to 127 bpm just moving around the home and my Body Battery eventually dropped to 6, the worst it has been in over six months.

Government ministers are not medically trained and to arbitrarily declare that all chronically sick people are capable of working is erroneous.  For some folk being able to work from home, provided appropriate disability accommodations  are put in place would work just fine.  For others, myself included, we need to be given the time and space to recover fully and then some form of consistent work might be an option in the future.  Forcing people into work when they are unwell is at best unwise and at worst downright dangerous.

I think it is safe to say that for 'now' you'll find me by the fire with my knitting and/or a good book, and the usual pacing programme to get through each day x