Thank you

Thank you so very much for all your lovely, caring messages. We truly have a fantastic support network of stitchers in cyberspace.

I’m still feeling sad about Bobbi, but I now have my other gorgeous girl Catkin here with me. Dad is still in hospital and it’s been agreed that he’s going to go into a residential rehabilitation centre for several weeks, so I didn’t think it fair on Catkin to be left alone, with just the neighbour popping in to feed her twice a day. She’s a people cat and would get very lonely, so I have bought her back with me. I’m going to try and keep her in for two weeks and then only let her out when she’s hungry. I’m right in the middle of the countryside, so it wouldn’t take much for her to get herself lost! We’re on day 2 of incarceration and she’s already tried to escape through the inch gap I left with the top window open for ventilation! She seems to have made herself very much at home already though and the area is a wonderful place for a cat to explore.... I just hope she doesn’t try and catch too many rabbits or birds :o(

Dad is going to receive intense physiotherapy in the rehab centre and the occupational therapists will also work with him so that he can regain some mobility. The idea is to encourage and support him to be able to do more for himself, so that he is less worried about returning home as he will be able to look after himself more. We’re meeting at the hospital tomorrow to discuss when and how it will happen. Andy and I went over to look at the place on Saturday and I was pleasantly surprised. Very clean, nice accommodation with very friendly staff. There’s also a large lounge/diner with an enormous TV which I know Dad will like very much! There’s only a dozen residents of the rehab centre which seems to indicate they receive plenty of care and attention. I’m sure that it’s going to be a really good experience for Dad and I hope that he will be able to return home afterwards.

I have been doing a little stitching, so will share some piccies with you. Firstly The Guardian:

I've also been working on Taj:

And here's how the whole thing looks right now:

I'm hoping to finish my first Taj side soon! Happy stitching everyone :o)

New wheels

Yay! I finally picked up my new wheels and took them out for a spin today. I didn't get very far as the garage had put probably around a cup of petrol (gas) in the car, so it promptly ground to a hault, nowhere near a petrol station, but thankfully my good friend was off work today and drove over to pick me up and took me to get some petrol. Thank goodness for friends!

Welcome to the new look blog by the way - hope that it is as clear to read as the old layout, I just fancied brightening it up a bit :o)

I'm spending a few days at Dad's as he had a cataract operation on Monday. All has gone well and I'm trying to teach him how to administer his eye drops, which is no easy task at all.... he seems to have managed to swallow (yes, swallow!) more than he's got in his eye so far!

I've nearly finished the page of Snow Princess I've been working on, so won't add any photos until I've got there. I can't not add any photos at all though, so let's see what I can find.... here's a pic of two of my sister's cats Bertie (l) and Kitten (r). Kitten is Bertie's mother, though is absolutely tiny. They both seem to like sleeping on my bed and snuggle up together, washing each other and helping me on my laptop ;o)

A few piccies

I picked up Crescent Dreams from the framers yesterday & I'm really pleased with the results:

I decided to take some arty type photos in Dad's garden, by the lavender I planted as a tiny plug a few years ago & it is now this enormous bush, which is always swarming with bees collecting pollen. The frame is silver with a tinge of gilt and both mats are in shades of lilac. I shall be giving it to Sharon next week, although I don't really want to part with it now! :o)

To the left you can see the aforementioned lavender bush. I love lavender as a plant, although the fragrance I find quite sickly. Give me a beautiful rose fragrance anyday!

Catkin (right) came up to see what I was up to. She doesn't like having her picture taken & doesn't usually stand still for long enough! Catkin is approximately 8. She turned up unannounced on my doorstep one day and decided she wanted to live with me - she tried to follow me in my front door! I already had 2 cats at the time and didn't really want to have another, but when she was still hanging around a couple of hours later, I felt sorry for her & let her in. She made herself right at home and has been there ever since.

Her elder 'sister' Bobbi is now 14 and I've had her since she was 6 weeks old. I was first introduced to her when she was a tiny 1 week old kitten - she didn't even have her eyes open! She sat in the palm of my hand & mewed contentedly. She's never been a lap cat, but has a very sweet temperament. She is the image of the 'Felix' cat, although a little rounder in the tummy department! Unfortunately, Andy is allergic, so my kitties have to remain with my Dad.

Last but not least, I have a stitching progress picture for my one and only TW - Egyptian Sampler:

I've been stitching this on & off since 2004, in the run up to my holiday in Egypt. I've left it at Dad's house, so now whenever I visit him, this is the one I work on. I've been working on the Queen square, as you can see. After that, there's two bands to complete and then onto the border...! I have several TWs in my stash, but they have so many colours & blends, I don't think I could cope with having more than one on the go at any one time! I will definitely start another TW once this is finished. I'm wondering if her beautiful Illuminati will be finished by then - I saw it on her blog the other day & it looks amazing so far. I have more than enough to keep me going in the meantime though! Have a great weekend everyone. :o)