Wandering and Working on Wednesday

Percy was dropped off at the Veterinary Hospital first thing this morning for his five weekly round of chemo.  They are supposed to be extending the duration between treatments this time, but we have asked them to speak to the cardiologist with regards to the steroids and his heart murmur.  If there is a likelihood that they are causing it then we want the steroid dose reduced more rapidly.  We have been recording his at rest respiratory rate and the vet was very pleased with that which is good.  It is heart breaking leaving him there each time.  

I went for my group walk this morning which was very pleasant, although unfortunately not as nice weather as we had yesterday.  It was such a gorgeous day yesterday with a lovely clear blue sky.  I thought typical, on the days the group walk isn't on we have a fabulous day!  I think I could probably duplicate the walk we did today now...  It is mostly over fields which is really nice.

My daughter in law recommended a hair treatment that my son had bought her, so I ordered that and it arrived today, so looking forward to trying it.  

I also ordered a lamp that goes round your neck which I hope will be useful in the evenings and during darker days when sewing, knitting etc.  I will report back once I have used it!

The other day I pulled out the wooden doll I had started carving, gosh, a long time ago now.  This is how she was left.

 Some grain has appeared since I first started carving her, which is a bit of a nuisance as it is down her face on one side... which goes against my 'symmetrical' leanings.  I've been waiting for a day when it has been dry enough to sit outside and do some more work on her.  This afternoon I also had the time so made a start.

I got a bit carried away with the carving on the shoulders of her arms and they have ended up thinner than I wanted, so now I need to thin down the rest of her arms.  It is so easy to just carve a little too much off!  I used some carving knives I have as well as the dremel.  Turns out the dremel is not nice to my nerve pain. Now I know why I had stopped carving her!  My right arm from the top to the bottom, and the side of my ribs is now tingling, and has been for some time, with pain running down the arm as well.  Hopefully it will ease up soon.  

I find the faces extremely hard to do...  I was reasonably pleased with how it was starting to look when a bit of her lips shaved away, so I had to start again!

Still quite a bit of work to do on her before she will be ready for her final sanding and painting, but she is starting to look a bit more like I want her to.  

Saturday Sewing

I haven't finished the Conservatory/Utility room yet, I am still sore after my trip into London to the hospital on Thursday, but what I did manage to get done the other day means I was able to do some sewing today. 

I cleared this table that had become completely cluttered, pulled it out and washed the windows, frames, sills and floor.

I covered the table with a wipe clean cloth I had that I cut down.

I cleared out the drawers, folded fabric and reorganised a couple of them.

This is just a tiny fraction of fabric that I had that was just waiting to be folded and stored.

A drawer with some useful bits and pieces.

Table reorganised, sewing machines cleaned and put back on them.  I will sew here until such time that I have the Studio back operational.

A few books that are currently out from their usual book shelving.

So back to today!  It was pretty miserable outside so I thought I would do some sewing.

I copied out and cut the pattern pieces, and got the fabric for a pair of boy (doll) knickerbockers.

The still need buckles on the legs, if I can find some, and a button on the waistband.  I am not happy with the stitching on the 'fly' so might undo it and stitch with a colour that blends in more.  I'm not sure they are going to fit the doll that they are intended for and unfortunately I can't try them for size as I don't have the doll in question!  Hopefully they will look better on than they do in this photo. They were rather fiddly to make.

Matched up some fabrics and zips

To make two little zipper pouches/cosmetic or whatever you want to use them for bags.  

Last night I started sewing my hexagon flowers together.

I am just sewing them together randomly, as I grab a new flower each time.

This afternoon I went down the garden to pick the apples before we lose anymore.

They look especially good this year and rather delicious!

Journal 52 - Week 25

This weeks prompt was 'Questions and Answers' 

Here is my page, done quickly outside before the rain came pouring down!

Not all the questions ask show up in the photo...but those are questions I have often pondered....

Journal 52: Weeks 12, 17, 18, 19, 21 & 22

A few more pages from my Journal 52

My intention with these pages is to not spend to long thinking about what to do, but rather doing...

Week 12:  Inspiration Board.

This is not what I originally intended, but seeing some feathers and leaves on the grass gave me the 'inspiration' for this week.

Prompt here.

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Week 17:  Treasure 

Prompt here

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Week 18:  Observations

While sitting outside one afternoon.

Prompt here.

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Week 19:  Outside In

Prompt here.

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Week 21: Top Ten Lists

The first ten things that came into my head.

Prompt here

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Week 22: Wings

Prompt here.

Art Class Weeks 12 & 13

'Sophie' is finished and I am now trying to find a mount for the picture so I can send it to NZ.  I would like to get it framed, but it just adds to much to the weight and cost of postage to the parcel unfortunately.  

I will take a final photo once mounted...and hopefully capture the true colours.  On a whole I am really pleased with this painting and really hope my Mum and Dad like it.  I am not overly happy with the back end, but some of that will be covered with the mount anyway.  I want to get it posted early next week as I want it to arrive in time for Mum's birthday.

This week I spent most of my time staring at a blank canvas...the class tutor wanted me to paint a scene with a Chinese Pagoda in it, but I find those straight lines and buildings really difficult and my heart wasn't in it.  Try as I might I just wasn't happy with anything I came up with.  

In the end so I didn't go home with a blank canvas I decided to paint a bird.

This was done in about the last half hour I think.

It is painted from a photo I took of a shag on a rock in Whangarei.  Interestingly, having just put this photo on here, I can see things that I need to add to the painting.  I had printed it out on paper, but some of the detail was missed.

So thirteen weeks into my very first ever art classes having not painted or drawn since I was at primary school - I didn't take Art at secondary school as it was an 'optional' subject and I chose to take Woodwork and Music instead - I can say I am rather enjoying the experience.  On a whole it is something I can do that doesn't hurt too much...sometimes it is a bit problematic when I am having a flare up, but as the class is quite relaxed, I can get up, move around, stand or sit and paint and sometimes I swap hands I am painting with to give my right hand and arm a rest.

Art Class Week 11 & Roses in the Garden.

I continued working on 'Sophie' at art group today and think I am making reasonable progress.

This painting is to be a gift for my Mum and Dad, so I hope it will be good enough that they will like it.

Meanwhile my little wooden doll 'Hitty Madge' has been working on her own art ;-)

These are some of the paintings she has produced so far.

'Out of Dawn'

'The Jetty'

'Over the Serpentine'

Not bad for a wooden doll eh?

Sometimes a little bit of madness is needed to cope with continual daily pain, especially as it has been spectacularly bad today.

We had a spectacular short lasting storm this afternoon, the wind blew, the rain poured down and the thunder and lightening clashed. A little while later the sun is out again!

This rose 'Happy Birthday' hasn't flowered for years.  My MIL told me it was because a 'sucker' was growing up and to cut it off....fortunately I ignored her well meaning advice and it has an abundance of buds on it this year and is starting to look glorious.

Designer Sunset is about to bloom.

Brother Cadfael is another lovely rose with a gorgeous fragrance

This gorgeous fragrant rose 'Korresia'  is one of my favourites.  

Purple Tiger is looking good.

My first ever iris is flowering as well!  

'Iris Nibelungen'

Art Class - Weeks 7 & 8

A couple of weeks ago at art it was suggested we try a painting 'in the style of....'  I started with a few ideas, but then I think it became more my style and certainly not like the artist we were supposed to be emulating!

I sketched a few things on the canvas...

...and started painting....hmmm. this is when I realised that I really didn't have a clue about what I was doing.

Or why!

Not one of my best birds that is for sure.

This is how it was left last week.

I guess it is a form of symbolism, of loss...with the sun setting.

This is how I will probably leave it today.

As an experiment it was interesting.