rain's thursday art date

Hi everyone, 

I hope you've been enjoying a lovely week.

I think this may be my first time participating in Rain's Thursday Art Date.  The theme for this week is 'Pink'. I hope the pink Easter egg in my finally completed Easter spread will do. I know Easter was back in April but I've gradually been adding elements to the pages and only completed it last week.

The eggs, chick, and bunny were done with watercolours and ink. I collaged some stamps and the packaging from the vegan chocolate my son and I tried for the first time over Easter — it was delicious! The Carrie's Coconut bars remind me so much of the Bounty bars I used to love — I actually like the vegan ones better which is saying something because I've always been very picky when it comes to chocolate and the English-recipe Cadbury's was always my favourite. 

To see the work of other TAD participants for this week, click HERE.

Temperatures have dropped a bit here with Winter officially arriving on the first of June. I do love our winters despite the fact that the cold, dry air brings on frequent asthma attacks. I have to remember to wear a mask if I go outside in the mornings or evenings. If I forget, like I did the other morning, I suffer with violent fits of coughing followed almost immediately by chest congestion which makes breathing difficult. I end up feeling quite ill and weak for two to three days. Not fun at all especially when I'm still dealing with neck issues from the fall. I'll battle on regardless.

Before I close off this post, I thought you might like to see a picture of my studio muse. If Kya isn't draped across my art desk, she will sometimes lie on the rug directly behind my chair, mostly because I've kept putting her down after her failed attempts to lie on top of my work — while I'm actually trying to work. I'm fine if she lies on the desk right beside me but that isn't always the case. Instead of an art muse, I should call her an art block because she hates me working at my desk and constantly tries to stop me. Crazy cat! 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and the upcoming weekend. Stay safe and well. 

Love, Light and Peace

floods, more lizards and a catch up

I've been feeling quite overwhelmed of late. 

 

The rains came a few weeks back and they turned Biblical — non-stop torrential downpours which caused major flooding from the Sunshine Coast (including Hinterlands and Inland areas) down to South East Queensland. I'm so grateful to live in an area where we have been safe from flooding despite having a creek at the end of our street. There were a lot of road closures, our region included, due to flooding over the roads. Sadly, so many homes went under with people being rescued from flooded homes and rooftops. In a span of just three days, we received 80% of our annual rainfall which, for a sub-tropical area when not in drought, is a lot! Sadly, 11 lives were lost due to the floods. Not all, but some were due to attempts to drive across flooded roads and then being washed away. People don't account for the strength of the current, not to mention the fact that, once the water or moisture gets into their car's distributor, it dies and they're stuck in rising waters. It's heartbreaking to think that some of those deaths were avoidable.

The rains eventually cleared and moved down through New South Wales where it wreaked havoc with floods and loss of life there too.  A major clean up is in progress now. We have more rain on the forecast but not another deluge, I hope. 

We've had major flood events like this in 1974, 1996, 2011, and 2013. We've had significant flash floods in the years in-between too but the thing I notice is that we've had more major flood events in the span of 10 years whereas, previously, it was decades between major flood events. Add to that our biblical bushfire event through 2019/2020. Bush-fires here are seasonal due to our extreme heat but I believe global climate change is making them more extreme. I know that La Niña has played a role this time with the torrential rains but scientists have also stated the event has been a lot worse than would have been expected.  Some scientists say that it will eventually get so hot here that living on the surface will become unbearable and we will end up moving underground, like in Coober Pedy in northern South Australia where summer temps can get to 52.7°C/127°F. Most of the town is underground. 

 

 *****

During the torrential rains, I had a fall — slipped in the water the doggies dripped after having a drink...didn't see it. My legs went out from under me and I came crashing down onto my butt and hips. I couldn't put my hands out to help as I was carrying stuff. For hours, from the mid-back down and my hips felt frozen with weird sensations, if that makes sense. I wasn't in pain but it was extreme discomfort, pain came later. So I did see the doctor who ordered X-rays and an Ultrasound of my right hip. I kinda knew there would be no fractures as I wasn't in severe pain. I was most concerned about my hip tendons after having tendon surgery in 2019 and the symptoms were much the same as when I tore the tendons. Unfortunately, ultrasounds aren't great for picking up tendon tears. Last time, one U/S said there was no tear yet an MRI clearly showed there was. Anyway, this U/S said 'no tear' but there is Bursitis and inflammation —same as when I had the torn tendons. The plan is to give it a couple of weeks. Do some Physio. If it hasn't helped, my doctor will refer me back to Orthopaedics. I hope that won't be necessary.

*****

After the rains eased, Aaron (son) found a teeny-weeny baby Eastern Bearded Dragon lizard in the large drain we have in the back yard. He must have become trapped and then exhausted himself trying to get out. We thought he was dead at first until I spotted a slight movement in his eyelid. We immediately went into rescue mode. Aaron set up a more suitable environment and we popped to the pet shop to buy heat bulbs and UVB bulbs, and crickets. Reptiles use thermoregulation to manage their body temperatures. This means they rely heavily on external factors, heat from the sun, and cools spots in the shade, so we had to replicate that artificially.

He was about 4" in length so possibly only 2 to 3 weeks old. He was eating the crickets and enjoying the warmth, and recovered very well. Sorry the pics are a little blurry. It was hard to focus in on him as he was so tiny.

 

 

Australia has very strict laws when it comes to their wildlife. It is illegal to take an animal from the wild and keep it as a pet. The next morning, we dropped this precious baby into our local vet who would then have contacted Wildlife Carers in the area and they will care for and rehabilitate him. 

The lizard story doesn't end there so stay tuned for more in an upcoming post. 

This is the problem after being away from my blog for a month. I have so much to talk about. 

 

 *****

 

On a more unsettling topic, I'm sure you are all in shock and disgusted with the events happening in the Ukraine — as am I. Putin is downright insane and dangerous! This war was unprovoked. My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people and my thoughts and prayers are with them. I pray that Putin doesn't succeed. He has made sure that a lot of Russians are being fed fake news. He is telling many lies to his people and they believe him. Remind you of someone else? I've read where Russian soldiers are shocked that they are meeting with resistance because they thought they were on a peace-keeping mission and would be welcomed. More of Putin's lies. I wish there was more that the rest of world could do to help the Ukraine, apart from the Sanctions. Thank goodness, neighbouring countries are taking in the refugees fleeing this horrible and unjustifiable war. It's heart-wrenching! Where will it all end? Scary thoughts...

 

On the home-front, our Prime Minister has committed to setting up a nuclear submarine base in either Newcastle, Port Kembla, or Brisbane (where I live). Scott Morrison said it is to support the future nuclear submarine fleet in partnership with the US. Our relations with China haven't been the best since we agreed, along with other nations, that there needed to be an investigation into how Coronavirus started in Wuhan. China turned very nasty. Our Prime Minister believes that Russia and China are aligning to reshape the international order. More scary thoughts...

So finally I will end this post. Is that a shout of joy I hear from the Peanut Gallery?

I will post again soon. 

Love, Light and Peace

dusting off the cobwebs — again!

So it's been three months since my last post which is pretty dismal considering all my plans to post more frequently. I have lots of excuses but there are two main ones. 

Firstly, not long after my last post, I woke up one morning and as I walked down the hall, I felt a clunk inside somewhere between my lower back and right hip. It stopped me dead in my tracks for a few minutes. From that point, my back pain worsened to the point of being debilitated. It was the type of pain that made it hard to focus on anything at all. I dreaded getting up or down as the pain was so severe. As my last CT scan had been 3 years ago, my doctor ordered another CT scan on my back which revealed severe multi-level disc degeneration (Osteoarthritis), substantial changes in facet joints in my mid to lower spine, narrowing of the spinal column (Canal Stenosis), and Spondylolisthesis (Slipping Discs). The Canal Stenosis is particularly worrying to me. My doctor wants me to see a Spinal specialist in the new year. Wish me luck.

Secondly, towards the end of October, my 86 year old Mum ended up hurting her back again.

 Photo taken of Mum in 2016

Three years ago, Mum fractured two of her vertebrae and recovered as well as could be expected with Osteoporosis. Mum was very stubborn though and felt she was okay to do all the heavy stuff again.  She ignored all our warnings, even doctors' warnings, and continued to do heavy stuff that she should not have been doing at all. Every time we visited, her lounge room furniture was changed around. I'm talking heavy recliners and solid pine tables, not to mention yard work.

 

Mum's back did get sore but she ignored it until it finally gave in and demanded her full attention. CT scans revealed that Mum had basically been crumbling her lower back away. One of the vertebrae had lost 75% in height, the others are badly worn down too, hence all her pain. The bad news is that her back will not recover and will gradually get worse. With Osteoporosis, there really isn't anything they can do except manage her pain.

 

It was clear that Mum needed assisted care so, the only decision that could be made was for Mum to go straight from the stay in hospital to a Permanent Aged Care facility where all her medical and care needs would be met. Mum is angry at herself and deeply regrets not listening to all our warnings. She misses her home and her little dog, Teenie, who is now with me. That said, she has come to terms with her situation and understands it is necessary.

[ Added next day — I should clarify that Mum was a big part of the decision-making process regarding her going into Assisted Care. She was actually afraid to go back home and said she knew she could no longer cope alone. She needs daily medical assistance, unfortunately. Despite that, it was a big change for her and she still had to come to terms with it all. They allow pets to visit the Assisted Care Home but Mum hasn't wanted Teenie to visit as yet. Mum misses her but wants what is best for Teenie. More on Teenie in a later post. Mum admitted that she was having trouble caring for Teenie properly prior to her recent back injury. She is so happy that I have Teenie and it has given her peace of mind in that regard.

My sister takes her dog in to visit with Mum and Aaron, my son, took his little dog in the other day. I think, in some ways, even though Mum misses Teenie, she is relieved not to have the responsibility for caring for her any more. ]

 

Teenie is 10 years old, a Pomeranian, and adorable! She already knew us so has settled in very well.

 

After a few weeks, Mum's back seemed to be doing a little better where she was able to move about with a walker. although she was still reliant on regular pain medication. Just over a week ago, Mum injured her back even more when she participated in a group activity which involved dancing to Christmas songs. She had fun but overdid the dancing and is now in agony and being given stronger pain medication (Opioids). It's been very hard to see her in so much pain. It's like she is back to the pain severity of when she fractured her back.

As you can imagine, it's been an emotional roller-coaster ride for me regarding my Mum and also dealing with my own back plus hand pain issues. I keep praying for Mum's pain to ease while she screams out for God to take her. It's been bloody hard I can tell you but I keep hoping she will improve.

Taking all of the above into account, on top of daily responsibilities, I haven't felt like posting.

*****************************

Have I been doing any sketching? Barely!

 

Back in October, I did manage a rough, incomplete, pencil sketch of Aaron's miniature poodle., Scarlett. I will be doing an acrylic painting of her soon.

 

My Kindle has been my best friend over the past few months. I met my Goodreads annual Reading Challenge. I elected to read 40 books for 2021 and exceeded that. Currently, I'm at 46 books. YAY!

Sorry if this post has seemed like a bit of a downer but that has been my life of late.

Things are also getting scary as our Government opened our State and International borders a couple of weeks ago and our Covid case numbers have risen dramatically. I can't wait to get our 3rd booster. We wear our masks whenever we're out in public and sanitise regularly. How are things in your area re. Covid?

I will be back tomorrow with a Christmas post as it's already Christmas Eve here. I hope you are all keeping safe and well. I hope to get around to visit you all very soon.

Love, Light and Peace

Tuesday Reviews Day - Books & a quick update

Not long after my last post — yep, almost a month ago — I came down with a terrible chest infection followed straight after with the flu. I was bed-ridden and in a lot of chest and back pain from all the deep coughing which totally exhausted me.  About all I could manage during my sickness was to read my Kindle and watch Netflix. Anything else was too draining. It took three doctor's visits and 2 courses of different antibiotics to get on top of the cough. I'm still recovering but, on a positive note, yesterday was the first day I've felt half-human again despite still coughing, blowing my nose constantly, and some lingering muscle pain. I hadn't been sick like that in quite a few years.

On with the reviews —

First up is Down Under by Bill Bryson
This book is titled - In a Sunburned Country - in the USA

Bill Bryson is a travel writer and this book caught my attention because he was writing about his travels in Australia. Bryson first visited Australia in 1992 and, from what information I can find, this book was first published in 2000. Naturally, a lot has changed in Australia in almost two decades but, for the most part, it was at a time I remember and can identify with. I liked how he portrayed the Aussie sense of humour and how laid back we can be, especially when it comes to all the dangerous creatures we share this country with. He also expresses clearly how vast Australia actually is and how much of it is uninhabitable.

I thought this book would mostly focus on his personal experiences and travels in this country which it did, however, Mr Bryson also goes into A LOT of Australia's history even pre-Captain Cook times. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the history lessons too — I loved history at school — but the history aspect could get a tad boring at times. Of course, bear in mind, I was quite sick when I read it so may not have always been in the mood for some history lessons. Taking all that into account, I gave it a 5 star rating.

**********************************************

Next up - The Thing About Clare by Imogen Clark

This book spans back and forth over 4/5 decades and focuses around the lives of Dorothy Bliss and their four children - Miriam, Clare, Anna, and Sebastian.  Dorothy's husband, Frank, is on the scene but not a focal point in the book. In her later years, Dorothy dies, supposedly without a will. However, not long before she passes, Dorothy entrusts Anna to find her Will, plus a letter to Clare, with instructions to burn them both. Why? Does Anna follow her mother's instructions? What is it about Clare?

I loved Dorothy's Irish way of speaking in the book. I enjoyed the book but not really sure the story-line was very effective overall. It hints early on in the book that Clare's parentage may be in question and the possible reason she was always different to her siblings — the tear-away of the family and very rebellious. Each sibling wrestled with their own issues at different stages of their lives so I'm not sure Clare really had a valid excuse for her behaviour. Guess you'd have to read it to understand what I mean.  I was tossing between 3 and 4 stars and the 3 stars won out.

**********************************************

Lastly, my Amazon First Reads choice for August - The Secrets of Lost Stones by Melissa Payne

Jess, a grieving mother, finds herself in Pine Lake after her car runs out of fuel, among other issues. As luck would have it, she lands a job as a caregiver to elderly Lucy who is rumoured to be the witch of the mountain town. Lucy seems eccentric, has a keen interest in crossword puzzles, and seems to know things before they happen. Star, a teenage runaway, is invited to Lucy's home. Like Jess, Star suffered a tragedy, and unbeknown to them, their paths have crossed for a reason. Jess lost her 8 year old son while Star watched her best friend die. Lucy seems to be guiding them in a certain direction. Has a call from beyond the grave brought them together?

I read this book, on and off, over a period of 36 hours. I found it so hard to put down. LOVED it!  There are mysterious happenings afoot right from the start and it keeps you wanting to turn the pages to seek answers. It does not disappoint while it builds to a climatic ending. I gave it 5 stars!

**********************************************

And that wraps up the reviews for this week. 

Recovery update after surgery

I know, I know....I did say I'd be back with a post on Wednesday but time clean got away from me and it's now Sunday already...

Since I last posted, Bradley, my eldest son had surgery to remove all his wisdom teeth plus a molar that was damaged by one of the wisdom teeth. He is now on Day 12 of recovery and doing really well. I think he will be glad to get off the soft food diet come Tuesday though. Soups, mashed veg, porridge, vegan yoghurt, vegan ice-creams, apple sauce, mashed banana etc. are all yummy but he will be happy when he can munch down a vegan burger or his regular granola cereal.

Pre-surgery

I can tell you that he didn't look this happy after the surgery.

About five days prior to Brad's surgery, I made the mistake of doing too much walking at a shopping centre, using only one crutch, and I ended up with strained oblique muscles on the left side of my back. I was laid up in bed for three days and every step was agonising, even with two crutches. Lesson learned not to overdo things. The muscle strain did recover enough where I was able to be at the hospital for Brad's surgery day. Angela, my sister, drove us there and stayed for the duration. She helped Bradley at the hospital where I was unable to. We would have been lost without her over the past couple of months and we are so very grateful for all her help.

I'm now managing to get around at home using a walking stick but I still use one elbow crutch when I go out because it gives me more support and stability.  My surgeon said to keep using the crutch if I felt I needed it. All in all, I'm happy with how I'm progressing with recovery. Still a long way to go with only 2 months done of a 10 month recovery but I'm glad the worst pain is over with.

I can also drive again which feels great! It's a little difficult getting in and out of the car because my operated hip gets crushed and pulled a bit, plus the steering wheel gets in the way, BUT I'm managing okay. I'm loving the freedom of being back behind the wheel again.

**********************************

The cat, Kya, is still hanging out here. It feels weird having a neighbour's cat practically living here but her not belonging to us. She is a sweetie though and seems to be getting quite attached to me.

She sleeps a lot! 

And likes high places

Eyes OFF, Missie!

Since my previous post about Kya, I had a visit from the owner for a second time —  nearly three weeks back — and the mystery of why Kya started showing up here just over two months ago is solved now. While here the second time, the owner told me that they bought a new kitten which Kya apparently hates and won't accept. Oh, and the owner remembered that Kya is actually 10 years old, not 7 or 8, as she bought Kya when her daughter was born. She also said that she feels we may end up with Kya as she seems to have chosen us anyway. Hmmmmm... I guess we will see what happens...

So, that's it for now....

I hope you have a great weekend! We've had rain on and off this past week but it's a fine day today (Sunday).

Happy New Year!

I know I've been slack as it's been almost a month since I last posted but I just had to hop on the computer and post for the start of the New Year.

I wish you all a very happy, creative, and blessed 2019! 

I have felt exhausted for most of the day after Brad and I followed through with our New Year's tradition of staying up all night to greet the dawn of the new year. We played Yahtzee and watched movies. I couldn't really dance this year due to my back and hip but we had a good time nonetheless. I tried to catch a nap earlier this morning but I've always had trouble sleeping through the day-time so it didn't work. An early night tonight is definitely on the cards.

What did you do for New Year's Eve?

******************

Thank you for the concern and well wishes for my 83 year old Mum after a fall in her back yard landed her in hospital in November. She is now back home with a Transitional Care Team visiting every second day to assist and help her with daily needs and physiotherapy etc. Mum is improving albeit very slowly. Osteoporosis and spinal fractures are no fun at all.

******************

I start 2019 with a certain amount of trepidation after learning that my elderly fur-kid, Cody, has a terminal illness (Cushing's Disease). I don't know how much longer he will be with us but I'm making every day count. Our other elderly boy is almost totally blind now and he has health issues of his own. Our vet said I would need to make some tough decisions in the near future. I trust that Cody and Jack will let me know when it's time to say goodbye. I am dreading it as they are my precious babies. I've already shed lots of tears.

******************

I'm looking forward to getting back into a more regular routine come February. I have big plans although a possible major surgery may be on the cards for me to repair the torn tendon in my right hip. If it goes ahead, my big plans may take a hit as my orthopaedic surgeon said it is a ten month recovery — the first three months being the hardest — but we'll see what happens. I am trying to stay positive and will discuss more on my plans in a later post.

I'm now off to have a Chamomile tea and then it's off to bed for me.

I will leave you with a pic I took this morning of the first sunrise for 2019.  I love that the crescent moon is featured too.

Nighty-night...

Tuesday Reviews Day - Books and a medical emergency

I've kinda been missing in action the past couple of weeks.  I'll skip all the gritty details but we had a bit of an emergency with my 83 year old Mum who has ended up in hospital with two fractures to her spine - L4 and L5. Mum has Osteoporosis so not the greatest thing to have happen.  If all goes well, Mum may be back home by the 8th with a Transitional Care team visiting daily to assist her with all the basic needs while she recuperates.

Mum will need to be very, very careful though as, with osteoporosis, fractures can take a longer time to heal. One of the fractures is actually an older one and still not fully healed. We believe that one happened when Mum was trying to move a bed frame in her spare room, lost balance, and ended up with the frame on top of her. The latest fracture we believe happened when she was out doing yard work, lost balance, and fell backwards against the wall of her garden shed.

The first day we realised Mum was in very bad pain, I brought her home to our place to stay overnight as we thought it was muscular and she just needed to rest. My back injury flared up quite badly trying to assist Mum getting up and down from the bed/chair during her stay. My 35 year old son, Bradley, tried to assist and he ended up with a bad back that required strong painkillers, a visit to the Doctor, and a Physiotherapist. Mum is quite petite but it was more the awkward positioning that strained our backs. Mum was off to hospital by ambulance the next morning. Brad had a nasty fall around nine years ago and his back seems to be a soft spot for him. If it doesn't rain, it pours, right?!

While Mum is in hospital, I am minding this little bundle of cuteness.

Her name is Teenie and she is Mum's little doggie. Teenie is a Pomeranian and she is being such a good little girl while here with us.

***************************

So, onto the book reviews -

First up, Heaven Adjacent by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Roseanna has been a powerful attorney all her adult life but, when her law partner and best friend dies of a heart attack, she snaps. Uncharacteristically, Roseanna drives her car upstate until it pretty much runs out of fuel. From there, she finds herself living in a run-down shack, on 76 acres in the foothills of the Adirondacks, with no plans to go back to law. A mother and young daughter are squatters there and Roseanna allows them to stay, albeit reluctantly. There is a lot more to this story as other characters come on the scene making for an interesting read. Her son and her other law partner look for her and, when they find her, they both think Roseanna is nuts for giving up the life she had before. Roseanna's newfound lifestyle soon comes under threat. What will Roseanna do? Can she convince her son that she wants to stay put? Will she lose the property she desperately wants to keep?

I instantly connected with Roseanna's sudden desire to lead a simple, minimalist lifestyle. I love the way the story unfolds in such a lovely setting despite the hurdles that arise.  This is the second book I have read by Catherine Ryan Hyde and I'm sure it won't be the last. I loved it and gave it a 5 star rating!

***************************

Next up - Without a Country by Ayse Kulin. Translator - Kenneth Dakan

This Historical Fiction novel begins with Gerhard and Elsa Schliemann, and their two children, fleeing Germany as Hitler's reign of terror takes hold. Along with many other German Jews in similar predicaments, they end up in Turkey.  Gerhard's qualifications as a medical professor are greatly needed by the hospitals and universities at a time when Turkey is undergoing expansion and major changes. The story of this family spans four generations and covers a lot of ground. Things go well for a while but there are troubled times ahead as several military coups cause a lot of unrest and anti-Semitism rears it's ugly head. Will they have to flee Turkey? Their children are now grown and with lives of their own. Are they in danger?

I was torn between giving this book three or four stars. I went with four because I did enjoy the book and I'm a bit of a history buff and learned a lot about Turkey's past. I considered the three stars because it seemed quite rushed to me.  It felt like the author was cramming three generations mostly into the second half of the book whereas I would have liked her to delve a little more into those later generations. Still a good book, nonetheless.

That wraps up the reviews for this week. 

Stay tuned...

Cyclones, Emergency room visits, and Scribble Picnic

Hi friends,

The past ten days have been crazy with Brisbane being battered by the backlash of Cyclone Debbie which had previously caused massive destruction further north of us on Tuesday, March 28th.  It continued to move further down the coastline and, by the time it reached us on Thursday, it had been downgraded from a cyclone.  However, we weren't out of danger.  The severe weather system brought tons of torrential rain which caused flash floods here in Brissie and outlying areas — and right across the New South Wales border.  We were pounded by torrential rains on Thursday and severe winds on Friday, and it was enough to cause a lot of destruction.

If that wasn't enough to deal with, my 81 year old Mum had to be taken to the Emergency Department on Thursday, March 30th...yep...the day of the severe weather crisis in Brisbane. What rotten timing! On that day, schools were closed for the first time since 1974 and businesses were closing by noon so staff could get safely home before the worst of the severe weather was expected to hit. Over 200 roads ended up being closed due to the flash floods. It was an absolute nightmare! Five people died due to the severe flooding. It was heartbreaking! Some areas are still flooded as the water has been slow to recede.

Getting back to Mum, she had suffered double vision for about a week prior and a CT Scan via the Eye ER on the Wednesday showed a possible aneurysm behind her eye.  On Friday, she had to get an angiogram but suffered an embolic shower during the procedure. This means that oxygen was blocked from getting to parts of her brain which controlled the eyes and this caused little mini strokes.  The procedure was stopped immediately when Mum told them she had lost some of her sight. There was about 50% loss of vision in her right eye.

They were able to see that her double vision is caused by a Carotid Cavernous Fistula.

Some of her vision returned by the end of the day and she was allowed to go home on the Saturday...still dealing with double vision as well as 25% vision loss caused from the angiogram. Unfortunately, with all Mum's health issues, they can't do anything more for her.  She is too high a risk because she also has an aortic aneurysm on top of this new issue. All they can do is monitor her condition and will only intervene if a life-threatening emergency arises.

Needless to say, I'm still not in a good head-space right now as I'm quite worried about my Mum. This month marks the two year anniversary of my Dad's passing. I still miss him terribly and I can't bear the thought of losing Mum too.

I wasn't able to participate in Scribble Picnic last Wednesday because I was up at the hospital Eye Emergency department all day with Mum and felt totally exhausted by the time we got home at 8 o'clock that night. This week, I have only managed to produce a pen sketch. I will colour it and add more detail later.

Anywhoo, this week's Scribble Picnic theme is Grandfather Clock.  It made me immediately think of the song we learned in school about a 90 year old man dying and his Grandfather Clock stopping short the moment he passed. Do any of you remember it? I've linked the video below. Not a song you would expect for children but then, some of the old nursery rhymes such as 'Ring Around the Rosy' have a darker meaning. In addition - I actually don't see this song as being dark or not suitable for kids because I believe it teaches them in a nice way that death is a part of the life cycle and not something to fear.


No, my sketch is not an old man but rather a little girl looking up at the Grandfather Clock...could she be wondering why the clock hands have suddenly stopped? Sorry if that creeps anyone out but I can't get the Grandfather Clock song out of my head. Perhaps she is just listening to the chimes?

To see the work of other Scribble Picnic participants for this week, click HERE.
Next week's theme is RABBIT.  To find out how to join in on the fun, click HERE.

Hopefully, things will get back to normal by next week — well as normal as they can be.

Sketches from my week

Thankfully, we had a little rain through the week which gave us a reprieve from the horrible heatwave temps.  The forecast says tomorrow's temperature will be 34°C/93.2°F — not quite heatwave temps but hot, nonetheless.  I know I'm a whiner when it comes to high heat and humidity but I can't help it. What can I say — I'm a winter gal at heart.

So, I have more pen sketches to share for Paint Party Friday.  To see the work of other participants for this week, click HERE.

I forced myself to be super-duper-fast when sketching the wheelie bins below. Loose, simple, and not a lot of detail. It happened to be 'bin collection day' hence my choice of subject. The yellow-lidded bin is for recycled stuff.

We often enjoy a healthy snack of Medjool dates and Brazil nuts.  Dates are high in potassium and Brazil nuts help lower cholesterol. I used to hate dates many years ago but then I discovered the fresh, fleshy Medjool dates and now, I'm hooked on dates.

Long-nose pliars are a must in my tool box. They have come in so handy over the years. Funny, in school we were taught to spell it as 'pliars' but now, 'pliers' seems to be the go. Which way do you spell it?

My son's folding white cane — an aide for the blind that he could not do without.

I ended up sick with asthma after last Sunday's heatwave temps so relied heavily on my inhalers. I'm doing much better now thanks to these babies.

I don't think I mentioned it but the results from my lung function test were good. No signs of emphysema so it seems that asthma could well be the reason for why my lungs showed as slightly enlarged on an X-ray and during the actual test. Phew!

It's been a busy week with appointments so I'm looking forward to a restful weekend.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend whatever you are doing.

More sketches for Paint Party Friday

We've experienced another week of unbearable heat and humidity and, to top it off, we are expecting a heatwave this weekend where temperatures could reach 42°C/107.6°F in our area.  It's times like this that I wish we had air-conditioning but I guess I'll be grateful when the electricity bill arrives. Looking for the positives, people... It's the humidity I can't handle — give me a dry heat any day.

Below are some messy pen/ink sketches from the past week or so. First up is Cody, my baby. He will be 11 years old this year and I love him dearly.  He is a Maltese/Shihtzu/Chihuahua mix but looks mostly like a Maltese.

And here he is having a good stretch after a nap

This is an extra large kennel which sits by our back sliding door. Cody and/or Jack only ever go in their kennel when they come inside with wet paws so they are only in the kennel long enough for their paws to dry off — which can be anything between five to thirty minutes. Both detest being put in the kennel yet, sometimes, I will wonder where Cody or Jack are and yep, you guessed it — I will find one of them curled up inside the kennel fast asleep. Crazy dogs! 

A messy, loose sketch of my foot

And lastly, my mobile phone

I'm linking up with Paint Party Friday again. To see the work of other participants, click HERE.

I'm having trouble with my hands again. Aaron (son) and I were refurbishing our old dining chairs and I was spraying them with a can of paint.  Well, the pressure of having to hold the nozzle down kept seizing my hand to the point where I would have to swap the spray-can back and forth between hands repeatedly. Now, I'm feeling quite a bit of pain in both my hands, particularly the right one. I'm finding it difficult to do simple tasks like opening or closing a peg, squeezing out toothpaste, lifting the water jug, using hairspray type nozzles, etc. I'm hoping it's just muscular as the pain travels all the way up to my elbow. Either that or arthritis.

I haven't had much luck with my hands over the past five years. My regular readers will know that I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands last year at different times due to long term issues.  I then went and fell in a puddle of water at a local shopping centre a few months after the surgery on my left hand which happened to take the brunt of the fall. Major OUCH!

I'm hoping the pain will settle down soon with a bit of rest.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.  I hope those of you suffering our heatwave conditions somehow manage to stay cool.

Sunday Sketches: My morning coffee

A very quick post today as I'm feeling so tired after my late night trip to the hospital emergency yesterday.  I didn't get back home until after 1am and didn't get to bed until after 2am.   You can read all about it on my previous post HERE as well as see my first Inktober sketch.  I have today's ink sketch done but the artificial lighting is terrible for taking photos at night.  I will photograph and post it tomorrow morning instead. 

My foot is doing much better today thanks to the anti-inflammatory medication and resting it.  My hand is still in a fair bit of pain though.  If it doesn't ease in a week, I might go back to my own doctor just for a second opinion.  I would have felt better had they done an X-ray.  A chap from the Plaza's Centre Management rang today to check up on how I was doing which was a nice gesture. 

As you know, I've been quite busy with online classes of late and I will share more about that in another post.  For now, I thought I'd share a journal page I did last week. 

Brushwork first 

Followed by the ink

The finished page

I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches this week. 

To see the work of other participants, click HERE.

It's INKtober time!

This will be my first year participating in the INKtober challenge and I'm quite excited about it. Anyone who knows me will already know that I love to sketch directly in ink/pen but can I pull it off daily for 31 days?  Wish me luck. 

Yesterday's effort

This old paperbark tree resides in one of the streets not far from where I live.  I admire it every time I drive by it.  I think it's because of the way the branches bend downwards. I sketched this beauty with a Carbon Platinum fountain pen from a photo I took.   Unfortunately, it's not in a safe spot on the road -side to just pull over and sketch from the car. 

***********************************

I'm posting the sketch a little late because I had a bit of a setback with my left hand and left foot yesterday (Oct 1st). You may remember I had carpal tunnel surgery four months ago and my left hand still wasn't fully healed.  I was unable to bear any heavy weight on it such as using my hand to help myself up from the floor or use it for any heavy duty tasks.   Well, yesterday afternoon, I was at the local shopping mall to pick up a prescription for my son when, my left leg slipped in a puddle of water sitting right outside the pharmacy.  Down I went and my reflexive action was to put out my left hand to break my fall.  I have an old back injury from years ago so my first instinct is to always protect the back.

My hand took the brunt of the impact with the floor and it began hurting a lot with a weird sensation through all my fingers!  Needless to say, I alerted the pharmacy about the puddle of water so they could get  it cleaned it up before some other unsuspecting person went for a slip-slide.  They also took down the details of my fall and told me to go and note the incident with Centre Management also.  At Centre Management, the security guard took down all my details, applied an ice pack, and sent me on my merry way.  They were all quite concerned and full of apologies.

By early evening, I was also in agony with my left foot which had seemed okay after the fall.  The pain was so bad that I nearly passed out and I ended up being taken by ambulance to Hospital Emergency.  They took an X-ray of my foot which was thankfully clear so they deemed it to be a sprain from the fall.  As far as my hand went, the doctor didn't feel the need to X-ray it because I could still move all my fingers and close a fist, albeit gently.  He feels the nerve, now unprotected due to the carpal tunnel surgery, was injured and my hand will take some time to heal.  Nerve damage can take years to heal. I know that from my back injury.  Obviously, if the hand gets any worse, they will X-ray it just to be on the safe side.  So there you have it.  My drama for yesterday.  I feel so lucky that nothing was broken but I will be nursing my left foot and hand for a little while yet.

Thankfully, it wasn't my right hand either so I can still sketch and participate in INKtober.  YAY!
I will be posting again later today to keep me up on track with the challenge.

I've been sick...

Hi everyone!

It's been THREE weeks since my last post and 

that's because I have been so sick with a very nasty flu. 

I was pretty much bedridden for a week and a half of that time. 

The constant deep coughing caused me to strain a muscle 

in my chest/rib area and it hurt to even breathe.
It even caused a sinus infection too
which had even my gums aching.
So painful!

I ended up at the doctor's and was given antibiotics 

and anti-inflammatory medication.
I had asthma on top of it all too
so it has not been a fun time at all.

I apologise to all my Sunday Sketches pals and other online friends 

for not visiting and commenting on their blogs over that time. 

I was just too sick to do much of anything but now I can. 

I'm happy to say that I'm about 90% better now. 

So, onward and upward. 

******************************

I learned recently that an online friend
who I have known for close to ten years
nearly drowned in a snorkelling incident
while she was vacationing in Hawaii
with her Grandchildren.
Thankfully, she made it through
the emergency surgery that followed.

SO scary!

It was lovely to see her friends and family
come together online in prayer and support
as it was a very close call for her.
One of her friends said she would make a Book for Gemma
if we wanted to contribute.
A great idea!

This was my contribution for Gemma

I figure it could be a reminder of the turtles Gemma saw in Hawaii.
It was sketched on a 7" x 5" piece of paper from a sketchbook.
I then used watercolours and my Pentel pocket brush pen to finish.
I printed a friendship saying for the reverse side of the page.

I thought it could pass for my Sunday Sketches contribution this week too.
You can check out the Sunday Sketches participants for this week HERE.

******************************

It feels great to be getting back into the swing of things.

Today, I've been working on a quick abstract painting
for my ensuite to match my new bedroom colours
which you saw in my previous post.

Stay tuned to see the end result in my next post.

A peek inside my studio and a very quick sketch

I have been busy reorganising my studio/office over the past week
with a little help from my sons for the heavy jobs.

If you are anything like me,
you love seeing pics of other artists' studios
so I thought I'd share mine with you.

This is my computer desk area.
I painted that bald eagle many moons ago.
He was done with acrylic paints on canvas.

My storage baskets inside the built-in robe are all reorganised and labelled now
so I no longer have to pull out all the drawers to find something.
SO much easier!

On the opposite side of the room is my art desk (view from doorway)
which is actually two tables from IKEA side by side.
The set of three drawers consists of the following...
top drawer is filled with bits and pieces
such as favourite sketch pens/palettes, rulers, mechanical pencils, erasers, etc.
second drawer is filled with many ballpoint pens all sorted by colour
the bottom drawer is filled with many markers and ink pens.

When it comes to art supplies,
a girl just can't have too much, right?

More art/sketch-related storage in the built-in wardrobe
and a cosy bed for Cody to lie in while I'm working.

A different view of my art area
All those books are art/sketch-related organised by spine colour.
The framed print of the girl and butterflies was done by daughter, Michelle.
It makes me happy and I love it!

And that's about it for my in-house studio.
I do have other art supplies stored in the garage
which are more related to my acrylic painting.

It's still slow going with my recovery from carpal tunnel surgery.
I'm just past week four and
 the wound site is still very tight, lumpy, and tender.
A couple of little mishaps over the past few days have set me back a bit too.
One of them being where I inadvertently put some of my body weight on my hand
when I went to help myself up from the floor.
It only took a split second to realise what I was attempting
because the pain was massive.
My hand was so sore for the rest of the night
and I was getting shooting pains too.
Thankfully, it settled down within 24 hours.
Lesson learned!

I did manage a simple sketch today.

It's the first sketch I've done since my surgery.

It was a little shaky and slow-going

as I have to be careful how I hold my hand to avoid pain.

Writing is easier to manage whereas

I need more wrist/arm movement with sketching.

I can't lean on the wound area either....it hurts.

I'm using a brush case to rest my forearm on

so that my wrist and hand are not actually touching the desk.

Despite the awkwardness

it feels good to be sketching again.

I decided to sketch the tube of ointment I use for the wound site.

Papaya Fade by PURE Phytocare

100% vegan ingredients and not tested on animals.

It's supposed to be great for scars and stretch-marks.

Moleskine watercolour notebook - A5 size, landscape format 

Graphite, PITT pens and watercolours 

I'm hoping to get back into the habit of daily sketching

so stay tuned....

366 Daily sketch challenge was an epic fail...

...considering we are now nearing the end of February. 

However, I have a darned good reason,  

Something that was out of my control.
More on that further down...

That said, I AM very happy that I did complete 

31 portraits for January! 

The last two January portraits below....

30/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
BIC Cristal ballpoint pen
Highlights are done with a POSCA white acrylic pen

31/366 daily sketch
Hahnemuhle D & S sketch journal - A5 size, 140gsm, landscape format 
BIC Cristal ballpoint pen
Highlights are done with a POSCA white acrylic pen 


I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches this week.
You can check out the other participants HERE.

**********************************************

My big excuse for stopping the challenge so early....

I had carpal tunnel release surgery on Feb 4th
on my right/dominant hand. 

The theatre nurse only called me less than a week prior 

so I knew that February would be out of the question 

as far as my sketching and other hands-on activities went.

I came out of surgery with a bright pink hand and forearm right up to my elbow.
It's the solution they paint your hand/arm with before the procedure.
I had open surgery done with local anaesthetic using a tourniquet block.
It felt SO weird being awake for it all.
Thankfully they covered me with a tent so I wouldn't have to see it.
Watching a procedure done on YouTube was enough to turn my stomach.

Day 9 after the surgery
That bruising mid-forearm was actually individual finger marks
that were merging into one big bruise.
I'm not surprised because I could feel my arm
being forcefully pushed and pulled around
during the procedure.
It looked pretty gruesome under that dressing
so I've spared you the photo.

I was able to drive again at two weeks thanks to power-steering,
however, sharp turns and reverse-parking can be a little awkward
as my hand is still healing.
The surgeon said it can take up to three months
for it to be fully healed.
I've read some horror stories on the net
where some people are still not healed after seven months.

The stitches came out at the two week mark and
a couple of them were very painful. OUCH!
Obviously, a lot of healing still going on under the skin.

I'm now just past the three week mark and things are going pretty good.
I can touch-type again and I can write,
both for short periods of time.
I can't lift anything heavy though,
nor can I do things like open heavy doors
that require pushing or pulling.
My hand lets me know when it's had enough.
It feels very tight at the suture site
and the surgeon said that will be due to
the healing and scarring process.

I am also on the waiting list to have my left hand done next.
It was actually worse than the right for carpal tunnel syndrome
but I noticed the right hand more being that it was the dominant hand.

At least, I'll know what to expect now
so I'll be better prepared at home
by making some freezer meals prior to surgery.

SO!

In light of the fact that my 366 Daily Sketch challenge
was abruptly interrupted by hand surgery,
I have decided to just go month-by-month
as far as challenges go.
I'm hoping to kick it off in March,
my birthday month.

On another note, I was so limited and bored while waiting for my hand to heal,
I bided a lot of time in the first two weeks watching YouTube videos.
 I came across some great home organisation channels and caught the bug!
I've been crazy busy following through with some of the ideas/tips
so will share more on that in a later post too.

Stay tuned.....

It's been a rough month...

Life has been tough for my Dad over the past month or so.  After I last posted on ANZAC day, we went to visit my parents as Dad had not been well after being diagnosed with gallstones three weeks prior.  During our visit, Dad had a severe attack and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital ER. From there, things went downhill fast as we were told Dad was a very sick man and needed emergency surgery.  After the surgery, we found out that the two surgeons had not expected Dad to live as his gallbladder was badly infected and had turned gangrenous, It had also ruptured which meant a life-threatening crisis.  After a stint in ICU, Dad was labelled their miracle patient.  Naturally, I've been beside myself with worry and, while my Dad is now at home recuperating, it is still a worry because he is not a well man in general and must now go for further tests.  Dad is 80 years old and, on top of everything, he has Parkinson's Disease.  It's been very hard to watch this once strong and vibrant man deteriorate over the past couple of years. 

My Dad and I a few years ago

Needless to say, I haven't had a lot of time for sketching or art. 

I started this one but never finished it. 

I only managed the first layer.

Pencil-free sketch using ZIG Millenium pen and watercolour pencils in large Moleskine sketchbook.

Due to Dad's frailty and unsteadiness on his feet, 

he has pretty much been housebound and bedridden a lot of the time. 

My sister and I have been helping out where we can.

I did the following sketch during a time of sitting with Dad 

while Mum popped out to get some shopping done.

Pencil-free sketch in large Moleskine sketchbook using ZIG Millenium and PITT pens.

In other family news, Aaron had plastic surgery on his lip over a week ago.  Cody, my Malt-Shih-Chi, was on my sister's lap who bounced him towards Aaron, just as Aaron was bringing his face in towards Cody and, Cody grabbed out in play, as he often does, and caught Aaron's lip. It was all a big error in misjudgement due to each of them doing their own thing at the exact same moment in time.  Unfortunately, the lips are very soft, vulnerable tissue and little dog's teeth are small and sharp.  You could have sworn that someone had taken a knife and sliced Aaron's lip cleanly....no tearing at all which made the plastic surgeon's job a lot easier.  The stitches came out on Friday and it's looking great. The scar will be barely noticeable with time.

Beau is also moving back home for a while which means reorganising everything. 

It's a big job as we had turned his room into a study and bought more furniture to do so. Beau has also accumulated more furniture whilst away from home so I have to figure out where to put everything.
Wish me luck!

And NOW, I'm dealing with an impacted wisdom tooth that has decided to flare up.
I was in a lot of pain with it last night. :(

Lots more to say but I don't want to cram up this post.

I hope to get back to regular blogging as well as catching up on 

everyone else's blogs too.  I have dearly missed you all.