I've been gardening.

All week. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and I wasn't going to miss the opportunity. Normally when I decide to garden it's an all day thing with me. I just love being out there. Well I know I wouldn't have managed that, so I have made myself wait until the late afternoon. It's been a bit frustrating but it has worked. I've managed to pace myself a bit and I was surprised how well I've done. After the initial hard work of the first cut of the lawn.....the term "lawn" used very loosely....the rest was a doddle. The perennial plants I have been putting in, and keeping my fingers crossed that they would grow, are maturing very nicely and as a result there was hardly any weeding of the flower beds to be done...Yay!!! The back is just about done....just the hedges to trim before they get out of hand...and then on to the much smaller front. I'm dreading doing that....because Lily is back with a vengeance! Not much in the flower beds, just a couple which I can easily get rid of...but oh my word!...the front lawn is half covered with it. There is no way I'm digging that up ! It makes all that work I did digging it out seem just a waste of time now. All I can do is hopefully just keep cutting it down with the lawn mower and hope it gives up. If it gets desperate I could always blitz the whole lot with weedkiller.
I actually got to go swimming yesterday. Only did 12 lengths but it was enough. Although the chest infection has cleared I've still got a hacking cough and my breathing is still a bit wheezy. I'm supposed to make an appointment at the doctors for a lung function test but I can't see the point in going until the cough has cleared a bit more.
I've not done much crafting.....just some ATC's. I've another couple to do this week and 2 birthday cards. Tomorrow I'm in front of the TV. Jak of La Pashe fame is on with some new flippin sheets...the boys will have to do the cooking.

It's been a strange day.

Today would have been my son Matthew's 37th birthday. He died in 1990 but sometimes it feels as if we lost him such a short time ago. I didn't go to the cemetery...instead I spent some time tidying the garden. I know I'm going to suffer for it but it really did need doing....still lots to do...but I enjoyed myself, and it has been such a glorious day. We've had some beautiful weather lately and I was fed up of not being able to get out and enjoy it.
The last couple of weeks have seen me struggling to cope with the everyday things..getting out of bed, dressing, washing, light housework......just the normal everyday things...I've had to really push myself and I don't feel better for doing it. The boys have not helped at all. I'm going to have talk very seriously with them..they will have to do more. OK, they do their own washing, ironing and see to their own rooms. What they don't do is help with the washing up, cooking, cleaning and shopping. I manage to get to the local shop most days..they won't go...but the fortnightly shop with eldest and DIL is becoming increasingly more difficult. Last Thursday saw my son having to hold me up after me nearly passing out...and this is just for basics. I used to shop online when I was working just to save time. I had better things to do, and I hate shopping! It does have it's drawbacks though. If they haven't got what you want, the alternatives are not always suitable. Of course there is the cost to consider as well. We all have to watch the pennies a lot more carefully. Well I'm afraid the boys will have to get their act together and start taking some responsibility for food shopping. After all they eat most of it. If they won't help out a bit more they will have to go hungry..and I can't see them doing that!

Some blog candy....

...for you to check out.

Bev.... has reached over 200,000 hits!..awesome candy!..................23rd April

Sarah-Jane ...is celebrating 5000 hits with some fat free candy....26th April

Caroline.........is offering some cute candy for her first blog candy..27th April

Julie...............has some belated birthday candy to give away..........27th April

Jackie............has had a good sort out, and will be adding more!......1st May

Happy blog hopping!

Still under the weather...

....but I think I'm starting to make some improvement. I'm still very tired...even the most mundane of tasks I'm finding extremely tiring. The hacking cough is still with me and keeps me awake at night. Poor Theo doesn't know what's happening. He comes for a cuddle and then I start coughing, and he darts away frightened to death and keeps his distance for a while...but he does forgive me and has started following me around the house....perhaps he can sense that I am not well. No cards have been made for a couple of weeks now..but I must get my act together...got a couple of birthdays coming up. I don't want to resort to buying a card as I did for my sister-in-laws birthday last week...I felt so guilty!

Here is the last card I made..and Easter card for my friend Anne. I saw a tutorial that Joanne has provided here. She makes some gorgeous cards with punch flowers and I really wanted to have a go with these daffodils. I didn't have the right punches or the right paper so I improvised with what I had. I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. The hardest part was cutting circles with deckle edge scissors.....they kept wanting to go square.

A thank you...

...to the lovely Liz for an award. She is a lovely caring lady who I only know "online" through the imag-e-nation forum and her lovely blog. She has not been well herself but has always given me support with a comment or two when things have not been going well. Thank you Liz....you're a star! I'm supposed to pass it on but again my list of worthy recipients is far too long...so if you a regular on here please accept this award for yourselves..you deserve it!

I'm not sure whether I'm improving health wise at the moment. The weekend has been spent in a bit of a haze...and I'm just beginning to resurface. The antibiotics have had a side effect of causing hearing loss. As I am partially deaf anyway and the infection has caused my tinnitus to increase in volume, it has been very difficult balance wise. I'm still a little disorientated and can't stand or walk for very long. At the moment it feels as if I have gone right back to where I started from 4 years ago...perhaps that me being pessimistic. Of course I ought to have known better when I said it was just a cold..I never have a cold. Even as a child I didn't have colds. Just every 5 years or so I would come down with bronchitis, which kept me off school for about a month. The doctors said this was because of the TB I had when very young. I also think that's why I was never ill otherwise...I had so much penicillin pumped into me germs never dared come near me! It's a bit ironic now though because I now have a penicillin allergy. Weird!

Just a quick post....

.....today cos I'm off to my bed. You know that cold I started with last week......guess what?...fluid on my lungs. Why can't things be simple...I'm now on antibiotics, after managing to get past a receptionist who insisted that there were no doctors appointment available until after the bank holiday. Good grief! I know the surgery serves a large area, and isn't the only surgery in the area by the way..but there are 10 doctors there most days. Well....I got to see the senior practise nurse, who after a quick examination consulted with a doctor and I came away with antibiotics and told to book a lung efficiency test when this clears up. She did say that the antibiotics should clear it...but if I'm not feeling any better by Monday, I have to phone and I will be seen by a doctor. Comforting?

An award!...

.....from the lovely Cazz. Thank you so much. If you you don't already visit Cazz I urge you to. She has had an horrendous time....having to make heartbreaking and difficult life changing decisions, but throughout she has managed to stay strong and keep a sense of humour. While you are over there take a look at Pumpkins blog....lol

I'm supposed to pass this award on to 5 people who I think are something special. Well I can't pick out just 5....there are so many. So I'm going to award this to all my regular visitors. You are all special to me.

I'm not well....

.....and I really think I should have stayed in bed today. I dragged myself out of bed about 1 0'clock thinking I would feel better by moving about a bit. Big mistake. My head is pounding, I ache all over and my throat feels as though I've tried to swallow barbed wire. I can't take any of the "cold remedies" because they contain paracetamol and do not mix with the medication I'm already on. Think I might send son up to shop tomorrow for some honey...that with warm water might do the trick. I'm supposed to be going swimming...will have to give that a miss again. Hopefully this will not last too long....I've a birthday card to make ready for posting Monday....and Tuesday I'm meeting my friend for lunch. Although we've spoken on the phone we haven't seen each other for 6 months! So much to catch up on. I know you're reading this Anne.....I will be there!

No cards.

I haven't made any more cards.....yet. I do need to get a some done though. I have a birthday card to make for my ex SIL before next week, and some small children's Easter cards...they will be fairly quick and easy to do using some digi stamps. To tell the truth I haven't really felt like making anything this week. I have a sore throat which I hope won't develop into something, more and I'm still finding it hard to get up before lunch time. My son is helping a little there though. He's phoning me every day to see if I'm up....lol. Another concern I have about my health is my weight. Over the last 3 1/2 years it has crept up but not too much to worry about....I was just noticing that my clothes were becoming a bit tight. Although I've not been swimming every week since Christmas the weight was slowly dropping off. I'd lost about 1/2 a stone. Now what is worrying me a bit is that I've lost another 1/2 stone...but this is in one week. The thought did cross my mind that the scales were wrong (cheapo ones), but we have checked and they are reading right. Now, should I not worry about it...it could be one of those things associated with M.E...or do the really sensible thing and make an appointment to see my GP.....who might tell me that I am being silly and wasting their time. My instinct is to wait another week and see how my weight goes. If I'm still losing the weight pretty fast, then I think I will be justified in seeing my GP. Of course all this could be down to the medication....you know...one of those side effects that they don't actually tell you about.

PC gone mad.

No.....not my computer....political correctness. Last Wednesday night my eldest phoned me and asked if I could help him out by making a couple of Mother's day cards...wanted by Friday lunch time. Ok I said...who were they for? Turns out that a neighbour had come and told them that her very young grandson was bit upset. The school teacher had told them previously that they would be making a card for Mother's day...but the children had now been told that they wouldn't be doing them after all. Officially no reason was given...unofficially it was because the powers that be, thought that it might offend some of the "non Christian" parents of children who attended the school. Well...I ask you....isn't that just beyond all reason? I did make 4 cards but I wasn't all that happy about them. In the end the little boy didn't need one as the school had relented after many complaints from parents...but his gran bought 2 of the cards anyway as she liked them so much. I made them more of a general card so they could be used for other occasions. Here they are. The first 3 are made using digi images from the Sketching Stamper. (I am liking these digi images the more I play around with them.) The last one I decided to have a play (as you do) with a couple of stamps that had never seen ink and bits of scrap rainbow card. Quite pleased with the way that one turned out. All the backing papers were free with a magazine. Not sure what make the butterfly and flower stamps are..they are the little "Snag 'ems"