More goose, much cat sitting, most everything

So, the goose lived, despite the lack of help from RSPB and RSPCA, we shepherded him\her into the garage overnight, so s\he could recover from his head injury (which you can see if you enlarge the photo)

The next morning, goose recuperated under the bird table, and later stretched legs and wings by walking about for a while.

Then just before departure goose wandered around, still not having made any hissing or squarking, pooped a bit, then flew.

Wherever goose is we miss him.

Meanwhile, joined a new local knitting group, managed mother best I can, am babysitting kittens whilst my lovely DD is in Sweden for Valentines Day. had DH's GD for 2 hours whilst her Mum and Dad did something (not quite sure of details and no thank yous as yet forthcoming), had Mad Mother her for weekend ...

finished one pair of socks, 3 squares for blanket, started 2 new pairs of socks, knitted back and most of 2 fronts on grey Kingscot cardi for me, cooked a bit, drank a bit, and longed for sunshine a lot.

Sending hugs, valentine wishes and Gung Hay Fat Choy - Happy new year, it's a tiger!

xxx

Seriously silly week

MMother set her alarm off twice more ... she now regularly talks to the wall - she has no idea who is asking her if she is all right, but she talks politely back. The alarm is situated next to the phone ... but even after nearly a year, she's not quite twigged it yet.

On Thursday afternoon I spent an hour and a half at the audiology clinic, to get her a new hearing aid ... which she will lose, trash, deny she ever had, or swear she doesn't need.

On Friday I telephoned to tell her I would be over first thing on Saturday morning with shopping for my sister's visit this weekend (this sister has to travel from her current role in Leeds by Network Rail, mmm, to Brandon!) and that I would also bring her hearing aid.

On Saturday I am heading to pick up sister from Brandon station and take her to MM's, along with shopping and hearing aid. Needless to say NRail delays mean sister is delayed. I try to ring MM - no answer.

Having picked sister up we are heading to MM's house when we get call from paramedics, MM on her way to hospital she's had "funny turn" After 6 hours at West Suffolk she is discharged - she had walked too far and had a panic attack. I get home at 7pm having eaten nothing all day. (West Suffolk has norovirus so I didn't want to take the risk!) Worst thing ... hadn't taken knitting as I was driving ... so nothing to do for the 6 hours!!!

Today was RSPB BigGarden Birdwatch day ... perfect I thought for chilling out - just sitting and counting feathery things for an hour, knitting my KLC Rumpled socks (first project of the sock club this year) ...

Was toying with grabbing glass of wine to go with the spanish beef casserole I was cooking, when ....

Life just gets weirder … I swear I’m living in someone’s bizarre imagination.

there was a very loud bang, the windows vibrated. A goose had flown into house. Seriously! Went outside, Goose is at least 1m+ tall and staggering. I back off fast.

He (or she, who knows with geese) sits down in lavender bed and stares at me. No sign of blood or damage … Goose seems confused, but again who knows how non confused geese act? Later goose gets up, staggers across drive (bumping into DH’s large and unmissable car - obviously!) then climbs into lavender bed on other side of drive. Goose now has thing for lavender!!

I spoken to RSPB, who told me to ring RSPCA. I spoke to RSPCA who told me to leave it until morning. Goose now snuggling up to largest lavender bush.

My conspiracy theory is that the goose had come to check out humans after humans had been checking out birds all weekend! He\She is still out there … do you think it wants wine or knitting to while away the time?

And Happy New Year, etc, etc, etc

So, my last post was in September ... what has happened since then? Well October, November and December since you ask ... also half of January.

DH's daughter went on an AA\detox course... she endured and passed. She has been sober since the beginning of September. On 1 January baby daughter Georgia was born .. who looks lovely and whom we have our fingers crossed for. Wrap is lovely soft merino wrap in Feather and Fan pattern, knitted by me, worn by Georgia.

Meanwhile, MMother has not got better, but may have become less aggressive .. which is better for me ...

My DD has been appointed the youngest ever AST - Advanced Skills Teacher - which is so deserved as she works enormously hard at giving each and every child all the opportunities she can possibly open up for them ...

I knitted more gifts this Christmas than I did last Christmas, which means if I want to say that again next year I have to start knitting soon ...

and I joined 2 sock clubs, one mystery blanket club and a lace club and I'm still here typing on t'internet so not enough knitting deadline yet!!

Love hugs and sorry ... I really have missed blogging

Soctopuses, sausage fruits and sagacity

Life is a series of moments and now is now, while the last now is gone. If that makes no sense then welcome to my world.

The cough survived the antibiotics, laughed at them in fact and grew stronger. So I have been for an xray and tomorrow am off to discuss the result and to ascertain what I can take that will kick the damn cough into touch.

Meanwhile the garden has gone loopy: I have carrots that weigh 450 grams each ... are they edible that size? Also, I have the weirdest sausage tree, look:-

It's akebia quintata (5 leaves chocolate vine) in fruit ... honestly this odd plant has produced slightly unusual, somewhat disturbingly shaped and coloured fruit. However, it has been ripening in the sun (hah! what I would give to be a plant or a cat!) and today just split that teensy bit that showed it was perfectly ripe.

Edible, apparently, so I tried it ...

and actually, it's rather lovely! It's slightly sweet and elegant, rather like a non cold sorbet. It reminds me of passion fruit, except way less the colour of frog spawn! Although way more disturbing in terms of shape and colour.

Meanwhile, on another planet, MadMother has been driving me demented -- however, the nurse for Geriatric Mental Health has proposed a visit by the Consultant for Geriatric Mental Health and, fingers crossed, I am hoping that there may be a recommendation for anti-dementia drugs, within UK NICE guidelines, that may just aid my sanity and slow my mother's deterioration. More updates to follow after visit on Thursday 24th.

Finally, the most amazing news ... in the midst of mayhem and madness ... I entered Alice from Soctopus's competition www.socktopus.co.uk/blog/ . I want, I want, I WANT! subscription to KnitLoveSock Club 2010 so put my name down for the ballot. There was a twitter competition ... I entered and

TADA .... WON ... woo woo wooo hoo.

So!!! I now have a year's free membership - yep patterns, yarn and Socks!! Way to go and thank you so much Alice!

There is more to tell, like the madness of making kilos of damson jam (even though I don't eat jam) just to be productive and not to waste a crop the likes of which have not been seen before in this garden; the making of twin "pretty in pink" cardi's - so good I knitted them twice; the traumas of hubby's hopes to buy a small home from home in Spain; the pain of the fear that comes with SD's decision to continue her pregnancy despite her alcoholism; my pride in my DD for her hardwork and progress with the able and less able in her teaching career ...

But I have to blog more often or I have to choose how long these notes can be - so, for now, I shall send love, hugs and soft warm beautiful yarn hugs to you all. Silk, alpaca, qiviut and baby merino to you all and a small kiss on the cheek too. Whatever you are doing, here's a small spoonful of love to stir into the mix

xxx

And the beat goes on ....

... Although the pressure required to make the beat is way higher than it should be!

After another bad MM day on Friday, when she shouted at me, at the GP and the social worker, I left her, distressed and coughing, exhausted and all but beaten. I booked a late appointment at my GP and, despite my fears I would be dismissed with "post viral, take paracetamol and live with it" I went in and explained the nearly 5 week long cough, headache and fatigue.

The cough is a crackle in my lungs ... hopefully some antibiotics will clear it. The headache may be tension, or it may be sky-high blood pressure! I never have high blood pressure, low blood pressure is my body norm, but no ... stratospheric it was.

So, I am attempting relaxation techniques.

Attempting though as DH's DD remains a problem, I still worry about MM and now I worry about my blood pressure ... arrrgh.

Altogether now close eyes, think beach, hear the waves, breath in deeply through the nose ..............

....

and out!

Sometimes, just sometimes, hubby gets it right

I am all but dead ... being a zombie would be so much easier. I am tired, exhausted, fatigued and falling down drop dead bloody worn out. I am run ragged and on reactive respond mode.

MadMother has become so difficult I am thinking of moving away, for ever, with no forwarding address. So, when I got home on Friday and hubby told me he had a plan, I just nodded, cooked, ate, had glass of wine, went to bed.

When I got home on Saturday he had built a masterpiece. I now have a yarn room. A YARN ROOM! Not just stuff squeezed in a wardrobe, not just a cupboard ... but this ....

He knows that the OCD in me gets very anxious when I have no control over things in my life. He knows that the thing that soothes me is organising and controlling.

I had the best weekend for ages ... even though the weekend was only Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

I sorted; I organised; I labelled and I printed lists (not least the stash list from Ravelry). It was the best time I have had for at least six weeks.

My books are organised, my yarn is organised, my needles are organised and even my buttons are organised ....

Look .....

I have control, I have power. I don't have total control but I have some ... and do you know some is better than none.

Do you know what else ...

Sometimes, just sometimes, hubby gets it REALLY right! Thank you.

Interesting times

So where have I been I hear the clamouring voices (ok 10 words in and I have already admitted to hearing voices, whoops!) ...

Well, the old chinese curse is may you live in interesting times. Now all I have to do is find and kill the old chinese person who cursed me - interesting times indeed!

Life has become a soap opera. My husband's daughter announced she was an alcoholic (here I should say we had already noticed), announced that she was going to go to AA meetings (but didn't) then a couple of weeks later announced she was pregnant. He now has a daughter whose drinking binges lasts for days, a potential grandchild being drowned in copious, regular drinking bouts also being subject to 30 cigarettes a day, and he is distraut. Meanwhile his daughter's drinking has been so out of control she has been arrested and held overnight in the local police station ... what hope for the child? Having searched out Fetal Alcohol Syndrome I am crushed with despair for the future of this tiny abused foetus.

My mother has been having her own soap opera ... I have taken her to dermatology appointments (pre cancerous cells caught in time and zapped with liquid nitrogen); audiology - her hearing is no worse but she still keeps murdering hearing aids; the "eye" clinic - not only does she have glaucoma but is developing cataracts; and to the GP for her short term memory issues and habit of falling over (no alcohol involved).

However 3+ weeks ago she fell and broke her hip; so I have spent 21 days, £55 on parking, about £90 on fuel and visited her 3 times a day in hospital. I've done her washing, and written her notes about her exercises (referring to her notes helps her memory issues), I've chased the physios to push her, the Occupational Therapists to supply her with aids and I've kept her chin up. One sister has been supportive by cleaning her house, clearing paths and complementing my visits. The sister in Oz has sent love and fruit. Another sister has come and spent the past few days staying in her house after MMs discharge. Meanwhile I have been rounding up home aids, like carers, extra equipment, district nurse, physios etc. Happy Days!

My dearest Daughter's BF's grandfather has had a chest infection whilst in Austria, which led to a stroke and DD's BF's Dad has flown out there to be with him, missing family celebrations for his 50th birthday.

My DIL's favourite aunt has just discovered a lymph cancer at the distressingly young age of 52 and is waiting for a full body scan tomorrow to ascertain whether it is contained or is migrating.

Hold on there is more ... I have 4 sisters and a brother and there has been some falling out over the approach to adopt with my mother. I have a husband with whom I am perpetually arguing .. my problems or his both being too heavy to carry without rancour.

However ... I am knitting like my life depends on it (which it probably does) so sometime will upload the squillions and trillions of knitted things that I have cast on, knitted, cast off and sewn up ....

Meanwhile ... thanks for letting me take the load off and if you do have any spare fingers please keep them crossed for me, I could really do with a lightening of the load.

Love hugs and hoping for kisses back

xxx