Home again, home again, jiggerty jig!

Hubby was discharged yesterday, but came out looking and feeling awful! So I managed to get him an appointment with our GP, so the private route process has been started.
We are all feeling like doing this at the moment!



Maybe I should, but to be honest, so little has been done this week that I really have to try and play catch up!
In the greenhouse plants are growing



and this desperately needs to be potted on



but I need to buy some compost, which I'm not supposed to lift!
The tomatoes are coming along,




we need sun to help ripen them. Theres alot more than in these pics!!!
I have more cucumbers that I currently need! What do you do with an excess of cucumbers?
Although my neighbours have been feeding and watering the chickens, I feel its unfair to ask them to move them as its a bit of a 'palarva' so we shall be doing this either today or tomorrow! I also need to go to the tip as our cardboard and plastic bottle containers are overflowing!! Its all the silly little jobs that have been ignored over the last 10 days!

Plus today is the day when Calne has over 3500 motorcycles descend on it!



so no doubt hubby will want to go and have a look around!

Sleep, Cook. Eat, Drive, Visit etc.........................

I have so much that needs doing and not enough time to fit it in! The jobs I need to do are BIG jobs, all day jobs, not an hour here and an hour there type jobs! The weather has been dry enough for me to do them to, which I need as I shall be using electrical tools.
All we seem to do is sleep, get up, cook, eat, drive, visit, drive back, water, maybe eat again, then collapse! Sometimes we do the drive, visit, drive bit twice and thats a 50 mile round trip each time!!



We are still none the wiser, they have still not done the scan, and oh! yes they started him on antibiotics today! What for? Who knows! As they haven't done the scan. So how do you treat something you know nothing about!!!
I am getting mad! If you looked at him and talked to him yesterday and today he looks as fit as you and I, he is taking up precious bed space because they can't sort themselves out.



I want him home, but he can't keep having these attacks!



I picked some of my French Beans yesterday, they where lovely and scrummy.




Bet your bottom dollar as soon as he is discharged it will rain!!!!

Plans!

I had planned to get back to blogging full time this week, but other things have yet again taken a higher priority!
Hubby is back in hospital again, taken by ambulance Monday evening with the same pains as the previous week. At the hospital they took blood, gave morphine and we sat and waited! 3hrs 20m and we saw our first doctor who said it was probably Gallstones and he would be discharging him, but would check his blood tests first. Being close to the nurses station I was able to 'earwig' in on conversations. He spoke in person to two doctors and one on the phone.
I said to hubby, your not coming home! Back came the doctor to say there where a few problems with his blood test and they where showing 'flags'(?) and as the hospital didn't know if they where going up or coming down he would have to be admitted.
We got home at 01.30. I didn't get to bed till well gone 0200 and was up at 0700!

When I phoned the hospital I was told he had had a comfortable night. 30 mins later hubby phoned to say the pain had returned and he'd been vomiting all night!!! Thats comfortable? The hospital have still not said in words what I overheard on them talking about in Accident and Emergency on the phone 'Pancreatitus'.
We where told on Monday evening once admitted he would be given a scan to confirm whether it was Gallstones. When I went to visit him yesterday, he didn't really want visitors, so I left and asked about the scan, nothing was booked for yesterday or as far as they could tell for today either!!!!

When I spoke to our private medical insurers, apparently, because he has an 'acute' problem he can't transfer over to the Private sector (on our insurance)and has to be discharged by the specialist not by himself. But once discharged and if this reoccurs we can then go private!

So now we wait!

We are all pretty bushed, but on the plus side T went and signed up as a volunteer at our local 'Scrapstore' we have had long discussions about her getting a job, but she really only feels confident working in a library and sadly there are not many of those jobs available here, so I suggested she became a volunteer somewhere and she chose here and went yesterday and had a ball!
I can't recommend 'Scrapstores' highly enough if you craft then do see if you have one in your locality and support them!

Holiday Happenings!

Well life sort of takes over when all children and hubby are home. I'm (currently) enjoying the chaos!

We where supposed to have been on holiday, this wet and windy week, having upgraded hoping to have something decent to sit on and sleep the caravan and site was lovely




but nothing decent to sit on or sleep in. The day we arrived was glorious



After the first night I was up at 0430, eldest 0500 and youngest who can sleep for england 0750!! We took a vote and came home. I was crippled.

then

on Friday whilst out for a walk hubby was rushed (blue lights and sirens) to hospital! It was quite traumatic as we had walked about 1.5 miles and he said he had to sit down, I said do you want me to go get the car, yes he did. So eldest and I power walked our way home leaving youngest with him. 400yds from home we heard sirens I flipped but K said T would have phoned, neither of us had recieved calls. So got to the car, drove back round and they where gone, a gentleman was waiting to say they had gone to Great Western. K phoned T and said we had got the message when she got off the phone she said they had the sirens going, so we knew it wasn't good. I broke every speed limit by double and arrived minutes after the ambulance, as they where from Bristol and had taken a MAJOR detour as they didn't know the direct route to hosp
Anyway when we arrived he was in major pain and they looked after him very well. T collapsed in my arms sobbing her heart out (she has learning difficulties and considering what she had been through coped remarkably well)/.
Anyway after the morphine everything calmed down, they kept him in overnight and he was discharge yesterday, they don't know whats wrong with him but has to go back for all sorts of scans etc, etc
Since his 50 birthday, he has been to hospital every year without fail for something, once he gets the morphine he's fine is this telling me something??

The advantage to being at home apart, from the above, was I got to see this






The chooks are on there holidays, in a neighbours huge garden, and he's happy for them to be there for a couple of weeks which rests my plot!
I will post more this week and hopefully get back up to speed again!!

A Quick Post

Just a quick post to let you all know I'm OK! The op went fine, the specialist undid the leisions(sp) that had occurred and 'hopes' that will solve the problem BUT apparently the cysts on my ovaries are bigger than he thought from the scans and he believes that this is what is giving me the pain. So he wants to see how I am and if I still get the pain, I will be referred to a gynaecologist who will do another op, (keyhole) and remove my ovaries!!
Back later.

Back again!!!

No I haven't been in for my op? that was due to be this Friday, but could very well be cancelled, I've had flu!!!!!!!!!!!!! Me? Flu??? I never get flu??? I'm always the last one standing and usually get a bit of a headache, but this time I was floored, totally and utterly.
I was fine Sunday morning, got up had breakfast, then we decided to do a surprise visit to K, gave her a ring and left about 11.45ish. I was quite cold but over halfway there and I had 2 fleeces on and couldn't stop shivering. Ache, I have never ached in so many places at one time.
We carried on cos K was so looking forward to seeing us, didn't do too much, went for a slow wander along the river, had a bite to eat then told her I had a very bad headache and left!!! Fortunately she was pleased to have seen us and was quite happy and cheerful when we left. I came home and went to bed and stayed there..................... by Tuesday I was crippled, my back and bed for long periods of time don't mix, so I had to get up, so sat in the lounge, plenty of fluids and paracetamol a warm fire and a good film or 2 or 3!
Phoned the hospital who want me to phone back Thrusday!!!
Today I'm still headachy, but in need of fresh air so have been up and down the garden, how much can change in a few days.

We had lots of rain and the temp really tumbled last night! I'm thinking of cancelling my op for different reasons, 'twit' head here, forgot to order the rubber glazing strips for the greenhouse glass!!! So the 2nd hand greenhouse is still glassless!!!! not very good for the tropical plants!!! The temp last night, in the other greenhouse went down to 5C which means it had to be about 3C outside!!!!!!! Getting a bit close for comfort........

but

the brugmansias are going potty, it always amazes me how many of them flower so late, especially as it gets colder!

These are up on the patio next to the new water butt, it is quite warm here and they are on the side which gets the winter sun.




Then my big Brug, as you know its my favourite. I have never, ever seen so many flowers on it before, it has been well protected by my baytree but sadly I will have to be quite brutal with it as it will never fit in the greenhouse otherwise. but isn't it gorgeous and the scent mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!




then really great excitement, my variagated one is in bud, yeha!!!



then these are just a few of the rest I have that are also inbud






Both my red bananas are still outside (dangerous) but both seem to be happy as they are sending up new leaves, the 2nd one looks a bit erm! rude!!!! Sorry!!!




So I still have the cannas to get out but they are still flowering, dahlias too! Glaze the greenhouse, finish the floor in there, sort out the heating, clean and insulate with bubblewrap the small greenhouse, clean and insulate the big greenhouse, once the glass is in!!!! The pineapple lilies, need to be dug up, move my palms in, prepare the frame and chickenwire round the bananas for the straw winter protection etc. etc

So what to do? Well provided I'm feeling OK I shall leave the decision to the anethetist, (sp) the hospital said provided I don't have a temp or a tight chest?? I should be alright! I'm fairly fortunate not much slips to my chest! Its just my boobs that have slipped to my waist!!!!!

Oh! by the way, so far no one else has been 'got' by the flu!!!

and

Do you know where I think I got it? The hospital!! I was there Friday mid-day for my pre admission appointment!!!! 48 hours later I was down! Coincidence? or not?

Another Day in the Life of me and my Bum!!!!!!!

Like Ruth my Red Caster oil plant has decided to flower!



Been off to the specialist today and I now have to have a full body CT Scan on friday, I don't think he's worried I just think he's trying to get to the bottom (No pun intended!)of the problem!

Now this is no jungle plant even though its planted in the jungle, its a Jersey Walking stick



I then have to go in for another small op, on Monday 13th!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember what happened to me when they operated on me on Friday 13th!!! Should I be worried?????

This is a Echium Pininana Plant (top picture)aka Tower of Jewels and can get to 15ft



This is a Paulownia Tomentosa (foxglove tree) which will hoepfully look like this one day



then once that has healed he wants to take another look with another camera!!!!!!

I think I have had more photos of my bowel this year than I have had of me!!!!!!!!

Double tagged!

I have been tagged by the crafty Vallen as one of her 5 favourite blogs and the photographic Anna. I am totally honoured as they both said how much they enjoyed reading my blog!!! Thank you!

Now I need to pick 5 of you ( all run and hide quick)so I will, but please don't feel obliged to do this I know some people have been tagged so many times or have so many readers if they answered all there tags they would not have time to blog!

With out fail I would always pick Lottie and Mrs Nesbitt Their blogs are so different from one another but are full of such info. I have already tagged them but fully understand if they don't/can't/won't do it!!! To this I would add a new blog I would always tag Ruth she is a person I have never met but who I feel drawn to! She has recently lost her husband so I certainly have no expectation of her doing the tag, I just wanted her to know I picked her!!

You must all pop over and visit Yolanda she keeps you up to date with gardening fashions and has the nost stunning garden, which I am going to pinch one day!

Then Petunias Garden from my photo a day blog she always has some useful info and beautiful pictures!

So what have I been up to today, well first off I went to the specialist and he is very pleased but has not signed me off, yet, I have to go back in 3 months!!! Then I spent 4 hours doing something I can't blog about because I don't want someone to know about it!!!

Then my neighbour but one, has a huge pile of wooden pallets that held his patio slabs which he was about to burn!!! I whizzed round at the weekend and persuaded him not to have a bonfire so my other neighbour and I are going to dismantle them, so I spent an hour today pulling some apart. I will have to keep going back this week! But they are really tough to part, well they did hold huge slabs!!

So what has happened in the garden today, nothing, zilch, zero!!!! Which is not good as I am so behind now. Provided none of my local friends phone up tomorrow as they haven't seen me for 2 weeks, I shall try and spend it 'outback'! But I have the builders coming in on Wednesday to fix the roof and I still haven't done any housework!! You see I have this problem, because I'm a 'big' lady I don't like people to think I'm fat & lazy!!! As you know I'm not, I just hate housework! So what do I do? The whole house needs hoovering and dustng, I have piles and piles of ironing, the bathroom and downstairs loo are OK, the kitchen floor needs sweeping and washing and in fact the whole kitchen needs a tidy up! But its sooooooo boring cos I'll only have to do it all again in a few days!!!!!! Aaaaargh!!!

I have a though!! (Only one a day aloud!) I could do the housework this evening or even the garden this evening!! Cunning! Must cook tea first then maybe a G & T whilst I think!!!!!!

Likes & Dislikes!!!

There are days when you really dislike lots of things you normally like!!!

For example I love my Rayburn (normally)but today having let it out last night, I had another battle to get the firebricks back in!!! For all future owners of Rayburns, I can assure you it is not normally like this! After it has cooled they should just slot in!!! But for some unknown reason mine don't! I had a battle to get them out at the end of last year as well, so something is not right somewhere!! I think I will have to get 'the man' in during the summer!!! But because I had to scrub the sides with a wirebrush etc just look at the mess and the dust





Now this layer of dust has covered everything, and I mean everything in the kitchen so I have had to wash down all the surfaces, cupboards, shelves, toaster, kettle and other items normally left out plus washed the floor, hoovered and dusted the dining room (as its part of my kitchen). The only thing I haven't done, because I can't bring myself to do it, is along the tops of the cupboards, I will have to do those in the summer!

How can something as lovely,cuddly and adorable as this (I'm talking about the cat!!)



cause me so much grief!!!!! Well its done with these.....



he always comes in with the most dirty feet! Even Sassy's aren't as bad as this! The thing is he likes to dry them off on 'you'! So there you are minding your own business, drinking coffee and reading/knitting or what ever and plonk! he arrives on your lap walks all over you (if you haven't thrown him off first) wipes off all the mud and only once he's practically dry will he go and lie in his favourite spot!!!!!!!!!!

I used to have a Draylon suite and I must admit towards the end of its years it had an odd aroma! When you look at the state of my leather suite you can understand why!!





Now I don't want you all to think that I don't do housework, I do (sometimes)just not as often as I probably should do, theres loads more interesting stuff to do, but these chairs had been cleaned on Friday so thats 2 days worth of cat prints, no longer, honest!!!! But at least now I can wipe the mud off!!!
Actually this reminds me of a story Kathryn told me, she was busily working on her computer in her room, when she was hit on the back of the head by something, as she turned round another 'something' came flying past her and either stuck to the wall or her computer screen, it turned out to be the mud off Sassys feet that she was loosening with her teeth and as she pulled it her leg sort of boing off and the mud flew across the room in a catapult (no pun intended) sort of motion!! So they are both as bad as one another!!!

But how can you not love this



or this



Went back to the specialist today, as things aren't right yet he wants to give things abit longer to heal and see me in 2 months (for free!!!)then we will decide where to go from there!! I am releaved as I thought he might have said,'sorry I can do no more for you!!'

Kathryn has gone back to Uni and Tori is back from Amsterdam tonight!

Oh and this is just for Vallen, I would take up the challenge to show you where we live, but theres not alot around! Our house is in the group of houses in the middle of this picture!!!!

Not a Short one!

I have been trying to keep myself busy today! So went out and filled the cupboards with food, visited a few friends, should have done the ironing but haven't (yet!) and then this afternoon I measured up the vegetable area of my garden and drew it to scale!! Now I haven't done anything like this for ages and it kept my mind busy! But I was quite shocked when its on paper how it looks like I've wasted alot of space!!!
I only wish I could work out how to get it on here mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
What I keep saying to myself is 'Yes I could very well have made the veg beds bigger etc etc but this is first and foremost a garden and not an allotment'!!!






What a clever girl am I!!!! I know its abit wonky but it gives you an idea of what I have... Looking at the plan it seems obvious to me that I should ditch the flower bed on the left and make that more vegetables, but when we created it I wanted a 'Potager' look. Click the link and I can assure you mine looks nothing like this but you can dream!! Part garden part veg patch!!
The chickens have definately got to move from where they are onto this plan. They are to exposed and should we need to, we would be unable to put a roof on where they are!!!

So on to the planting plan?
Anything that climbs I grow on arches across the footpaths, so this year, it will be French beans, peas, runner beans, mangetout probably some butternut and gem squash, sweetpeas and nasturtiums. One bed is completely onions! With carrots in between. Garlic somewhere! Sweetcorn, not sure it grew well last year but tasted awful! I don't grow any brocolli, cabbage, cauliflower kale or anything like that! 2 courgette plants.1 Pumpkin!
Tomatos, and cucmbers well I am going to grow some in the greenhouse and some outside and see how different the crops are. Peppers and chilli's in the Greenhouse.Beetroot, spring onion and a variety of lettuce in another of the beds. Parsnip Potatoes and Chard in another bed! I think that is all I have room for!!

All you knowledgable veggie growers I would appreciate your feedback on anything in the above.

I'm off for my op! tomorrow, supposedly a day but after last time you never know. I hope to be posting again soon, so please don't forget me and pop back soon!

£339 gone, just like that!!!!

A bit late posting today!!!!
Both Tori and I had eye appointments today! Need I say more. I need another pair of glasses, they can't change the lens in the ones I've got because I need these for working on the computer, the new pair are for all the close (craft) work I now do!! I wouldn't mind but I don't ever use them in the summer!!!!! I always make sure I have very good light to work in as well, I suppose thats old age, at least I know how it gets into the body, eyes first!!!
Tori has had a bit of a scare though, she to needs new lens's,also, but he found a 'bobble' at the back of the retina and has refered her to a specialist!!! Not really the year for eye problems what with GCSE's coming up!!! But I will keep you posted.

Yesterday was my pre-admission appointment for my operation a week today. Well my blood pressure was off the scale (understandably) Oh!(for those that don't know I had the same operation on October 13th, discharged 14th, emergency re-admission for a 'significant bleed' on the 16th and operated on again then kept in for 4 days!)but it didn't solve the problem so I have to do it all over again and have been told the pain will be even worse this time!!!!!!!!! They couldn't find any veins to get blood out of, so I'm like a pin cushion!!! and apparently I am just a day case this time!!! All this has been done privately (hubby has private medical insurance)so I am not feeling very confident!!

I am saving my knitting for when I'm not well, but I really need to find something to do in the meantime!!




I bought this little fairy about 16 years ago, she used to smell wonderful, her body is one of those wooden balls that smell lovely, for the life of me I can't think of there name! The red material is wrapped round and glued at the top, then the gold ribbon is put round and glued, some gathered lace as the ruffle. The head is a smaller ball with eyes, mouth and nose drawn on, the gold ribbon is used for the hair. The head is then attached to the body, a large sequin is used for her halo and 2 gold leaves for her wings and a ribbon is glued to the halo so she can hang from the tree.
When I first got her I used to keep her wrapped up in a plastic bag, slowly the scent wore off. Wouldn't it be nice to make a couple of new ones!!!!

Is anyone else having problems with blogger??? I can post photos in the main post but nothing in the side bar! Any clues as to what I'm doing wrong!!

Christmas Pressie Preperations!!!!

I was really out of sorts this morning as I had to go for my follow up appointment with the specialist. Anyway the reason I was so nervous is, the op! hasn't worked and I still have the problem! I have mentioned in a previous post what I had done, it is a very painful operation and because I never, ever wanted to go through it again I have improved my diet 100%! I have lost 1 1/2 stone and I must admit the specialist noticed, he said 'I was a shadow of my former self'. I think he exagerated, but never mind I was thrilled!

Anyway he was, shall we say totally befuddled, when I told him what was happening, and he sat very quietly and shuffled and re-read all my papers. Mark was with me and he said the same as me, it was as if he was thinking 'what on earth can I do now!'

So I had more (very painful) injections, I have to take antibiotics and some steroids and go back and see him in 2 weeks! If this doesn't work I have to go back to theatre and he said' Mrs Woodlands if you thought last time was painful, this will be far worse'!!!!!!! So I am stuck between the devil and the deep!

So I came home and got on with what I like doing best...... making....... so look what I've been up to this morning..

8lb of Medlars

Quartered and put into a pan and covered with water bring to the boil and simmer for 1hr 30mins


put the contents into a jelly bag and strain overnight! Oh alright I started this yesterday!!!

Measure what is collected and for every pint add 1lb sugar

Boil until setting point is reached, spoon off the scum and put into sterilized pots!

the colour is amazing. Unfortunately it only has a shelf life of 6 months... if it lasts that long!

I cheated on the next one I went to the super market and bought little bottles of Olive Oil. Soaked the labels off, opened them up and filled them with Garlic and Rosemary. I would have used Chillies but my Mum is not keen on 'hot' but I think I know someone who would like it???

I still have to label them and will post a pic when done. Yes I could have bought bottles and oils seperately, this just worked out more economical for me!!

Then the cakes needed marzipaning!!

Whilst I was out getting bits and pieces after picking Tori up from school! It came to me, so I now know how I'm doing the Christmas Cakes! There will be nothing rustic about them either!!