I stayed up till 2.30 am unpicking every last stitch of the purple angel which took several days to stitch. 

On Sunday I went to Birmingham with Chel to replace her wet iphone and had a lovely day.  But on Saturday we have to go to Milton Keynes as the 'new one' isn't working right either. 

I'm still so sore from the two days out but need to get on with some housework if I want to live in a place that is up to my standards.  So off to take more painkillers and get on with it.

and I also want to write to relax.  It's been a busy day - darling daughter dropped her iphone in the loo last night - somehow - and we spent the day trying to 'fix' it and also on the phone seeing what her options are.  So we were around town this pm doing her errands and had a fab Italian meal at Ask.  She treated as she wanted to eat there instead of our ususal snack places.  And I really enjoyed sitting in a nice restaurant eating a nice meal.   Tomorrow we need to leave at about 10 am to go to Birmingham to the Apple store where she has an app't to get her phone fixed or buy a refurbished one.  At least we like trains and Brum.  Guess I'm lucky she likes me to go with her.  And I am really lucky, I know that.

I've been pretty down all week and it was good for me to go out today.  I'm still down and not sure why.  I have a lot of pain which hasn't helped but.......it's no fun being depressed and not able to get over it.  It will lessen; it always does.

I am enjoying my stitching when I'm not unpicking it!  Of course, I thought I'd started in the middle of the fabric.  Wrong fold line.  I still have enough to do it with about an inch left for an edge.  I'll know more when I get closer to the edge.  I can adapt it though, so no real harm done. Except to my pride.  I really should not measure or sew when I am in this much pain......but it does focus my mind and distract me.

And now I'm off to bed. 

I've spent a lot of time (probably too much) stitching the purple angel.  My goodness it's fun.  I fill an needle and just keep stitching till the thread runs out, then repeat the process.  Not one single stitch on it's own.  The colours are so pretty.  The part of the skirt I've done looks like raspberry ripple ice cream!  The threads are all blended on this part but it isn't a problem other than I can't start with a loop.

Poor old dragon is well out of sight if not out of mind.  I am thinking of starting the other unicorn soon and it is on black aida.  It is done in mostly shades of blue so should be interesting.  Many of the shades are so similar that I won't be able to see the difference - again.

Other than stitching I haven't done much this week.  Andy is on holiday so has been pottering about.  We went to IKEA the other night followed by Asda as they are next door to each other.  How thrilling was that?  

Now I'm off to fall into bed.

I'm a bit down because I can't see to work on my pretty dragon. I've struggled the last few times I've tried to work on him, so tonight I took the sad decision to make him a UFO and have put him away.  Off the fram and out of sight and reach.  Maybe someday.  And the fact that I had to patch on more fabric hasn't helped......so I'm now stitching my purple pansy fairy/angel.  She's pretty.  I've put a picture in the page of my current stitching.  So far it's going well.  I would like to go to the library and make some A3 copies as each page is slightly larger than A

We had a wonderful day at Silverstone.  I had tickets to the Renault World Series, the weather was great, and we all had fun.  Boy those cars can shift, and the noise .....well you could feel it.  When they say a car went screaming by, I now know what that is like.   When you hear the formula one cars on TV, that isn't the half of it.  There was one of last years Renault F1 cars doing laps and also donughts, and it was great. Then all the other races.  At the end we rode in a Megane while the driver did a handbrake turn and some wild manouvers to show us the braking system.  It was very impressive and very exciting, and well worth the wait in the traffic on the way there.

But of course I'm very sore and tired tonight.  To be honest, I don't mind being sore and tired if  I've had a good time.  I know before I start that I will pay for it physically.  But hey, I'd rather hurt from having fun than just sitting in a chair all the time.

I can't believe it is Thursday night already!  Monday was just here a few miinutes ago.

Saw the new doctor and what a waste of time that was.  He said I need to see my regular doctor but you can't make an appt with him yet.  Fine.  I can't be bothered, honestly.

Went for a curry with an former colleague Monday night.  It was brill - great food and great company.  I am so grateful for my friends.  Even the one who swanned off to New Zealand.  At least when I win the lottery I can go visit her!!! 

We have free tickets to go to Silverstone at the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.  It's Renault racing and should be fun.  We shopped for picnic stuff earlier this evening so are all ready and raring to go.  Chel and I have never been there or to any racing before.  Andy was a steward there a few times and enjoyed it. 

I finally got to post the Guinea Pigs that I made for Holly.  I'm so glad to be finished with that project.  There is a photo in the completed needlework.  I'm proud of myself for finishing it.

I've been doing better with the housework lately, been making a real effort to stay on top of it whether I feel well enough or not.  I always feel better when it is done and cleaner.

Stevies bed.   We bought him a bed when we first got him.  It's a zippered cover with a wadding filling.  Well, wadding always goes lumpy after a while.  So I replaced the wadding with  a beanbag.  Not great.  Let out a lot of filling, still not great.  Let out more.  Poor little guy still looked uncomfortable on it but used it because it's HIS bed. A while back Andy was given something  that looks like a removal mens pad.  It is the size of a double bed blanket.  As Stevie doesn't like the travel rug on the back seat of the car,  I didn't think he'd get on with this thing so I chucked it in the garage.  For some reason I got it out earlier and cut it up to fit his bed, took the beanbag out and put this new thing inside the cover.  When I called him over (this is in the lounge) he sat on it, licked me and curled up on it with a big sigh.  He stayed there until I went into the kitchen - he follows me everywhere all the time.   Then when we returned to the lounge he was straight onto his bed and within a few minutes he was snoring his head off.  Poor little guy.   I finally had to make him get off his bed so I could bring it upstairs.  As soon as it hit the floor at the foot of our bed - it's normal spot - he was on it and curled up in a ball.  Now he always lies near my feet when I'm at the computer at night.  Not tonight.  He has not stirred from his bed.
I'm glad he's comfortable and happy and feeling guilty that I didn't

and I thought it was still Sunday night.   I have been busily stitching away and watching TV with Chel.  The stitching is getting me down because I want to finish it and get it in the post and gone.  It isn't big or too hard, the chart is just very hard to read.

I have to go to the doctor in the morning to see what comes next.  Oh well, I'm alive and well and that is what matters.  I may not be eating enough but I am really trying to eat 'better and smarter' and have been for a couple weeks now.  I just don't drink enough water by a long way.  I keep reminding myself.  Starting tomorrow (maybe if I remember) I'll put a timer by my chair and when it goes off I have to get a drink.   I've been getting hellacious cramps in my legs that make me cry, both in the evening and in bed.  One cause can be dehydration. 

I've managed to keep off the two pounds I lost a few weeks ago and am happy about that.  I move a lot more as well.  

I read an article in the paper this morning that (Sunday papers, Sunday morning) said something along the lines of people who come from violent/abusive childhoods try to take care of others and make things better for them.  Here's the kicker: They don't feel they have the right to take care of themselves.  This is paraphrased but I'd like to  thank the lady who wrote it.  That is an amazing thought for me.  I'm nearly in tears just writing it.  That one line answers so many questions I've been asking for such a long time........

I have a mobile phone that I really like.  There has been talk of an upgrade for the firmware for it but it has taken a long time to become available in the UK. (Surprised anyone??)  So yesterday I browsed the ususal forums about it and found a message from T Mobile that it is now available and how to download it.  So I had a problem with it taking so long, rang Samsung, and was gobsmaked to be told it was NOT available in the UK and they are working on another upgrade instead.  I just quit the download, deleted everything and started again.  Bingo, it is all done and dusted.  Love the new interface.  It seems faster and better...so far.  Guess I should watch out for the next upgrade, hun?  But all that took about four


What with the stitching, moderating, taking better care of the house  and going out a bit more I have not come on here to wriite as much.  I miss this when I'm not doing it regularly and it is one thing I do for myself.   Now I'll take my Princess Self off to bed.

It's been a funny couple of days for me.  I had an online conversation with my elder daughter which was very nice and unusual and I am very grateful for that opportunity.  But some of the news she gave me has been pretty upsetting, and that isn't her fault. 

I have not been in touch with my grandsons like I am with the girls, and the girls are on Facebook a lot.

Anyway, I lost track of Adam a few years ago.  He was having a rough time finding employment, a steady girl, and controlling his diabetes.  He has always been diabetic, needing daily injections which meant that he couldn't do everything he wanted to do.  He has been in and out of hospital many times and at the weekend was in ICU again.  What I was unaware of is that this young man lost his sight two years ago.  That is so hard to come to terms with.  It has really shaken me to my core.  There is not one thing I can do to help him either.  That is not a good feeling.  I wish, I wish, I wish, but what good is wishing to any of us.

I'm tired because it is stupid o'clock and I should be in bed.  I've been getting up earlier than normal this week for some reason - about 7 to 8 am and not having my afternoon nap.  Today I was on the go shopping for quite a few hours - had fun - but came home tired then started stitching.  And just stopped to tidy up before bed.  So here I am. 

I'd lost a couple pounds but seem to have found it again.  I am doing okay on the eating and am moving a lot more than I was.  The more I'm able to move the better I feel, even if only small movements.

On Thursday I took Stevie for a walk.   I didn't feel like doing out normal lap of the field so we walked down the hill toward the lake. The weather was perfect, I had my sunglasses on, and it felt good.  I remembered how much I used to walk when Chel was little and how I used to take her to the lake.  So we went all the way to the lake, around it and back up the hill.  It is downhill all the way there and obviously uphill all the way back.  Poor little short legs came back up at his own much slower than usual pace.  If I'd thought ahead I would have taken some water for him.  He did manage to do a lot of sniffing and marking on the way home.  When I got out of sight he'd hurry to find me then slow down again.  He's such a great little guy.  He didn't need the lead at all which left me free to walk and daydream.  I always know where he his because I can hear his breathing and his footsteps.

I've had more breathing problems so went to the nurse.  It now seems that all is well.  The wind didn't help and the air freshener thing also doesn't help.  I'm okay now.

Plums.  Well, we have a plum tree that gives an amazing amout of fruit, far more than I can eat.  Several people wait eagerly for the fruit to ripen so I'll knock on their door with a pile of plums.  So Stevie watched me and Andy picking them.  He ate the dropped ones before we could get to them.  He eats them pits and all.  Loves them.  Andy caught Stevie sniffing around the tree looking for more to eat.  Then Stevie picked and ate the low ones.  Today that dog actually got onto his hind legs to reach the higher fruit!!!  Honestly.  Stevie likes all fruit and veg.  Whenever I have a piece of fruit he sits at my feet until I share it with him. Even watermelon.  Seems Stevie didn't get a copy of the "How to Be a Proper Dog" handbook or he didn't read it.  Gotta love the little guy.