The Moon.

I know I've been very quiet lately. I seem to be tired all the time. Plus I've got major toothache, which I'm now on antibiotics for.

Dad is in the nursing home. He is very poorly... he spends a lot of time in bed now and not eating very well. We have been told that he has to pay, until he is assessed and it's found that he can't walk or he can't feed himself. If he was a foreigner just turned up in the country I'm sure he would get his place for free.

Anyway... here is a photo that Justin took with his telescope and my camera attached to it. I like it.

 

Elijah x

My grandson, Elijah looking at his grandad tonight. He's so lovely x

New camera lenses!

My trusty Canon 400D SLR camera was desperate for new lenses. So I bought a fixed focal 50mm lens, and a 55-250mm zoom lens with IS (Image stabilising). WoW. I love these lenses! 

I have taken some lovely photo's in the past, but these are so much sharper! The 50mm one replaces the kit lens really. A fixed focal lens should always give a sharper image. 

The zoom is fab as well!

Here are a few pics from the first day that I took the camera out with the new lenses.

 A close up of tree bark, lol, it's good, really!

 

 I'm sure this is a Mallard duck... he was moving, and I was zoomed right in!

 The swan. I love this photo. I love the green leafy long plant hanging from it's mouth. He too was a moving target!

 Erm.... a few boats!

 Just a nice picture...

 Just a nice bin! LOL! I really do love this bin.

 What a fab tree?! It reminds me of the Womping Willow in Harry Potter.

I wish they'd make up their minds!!

So today I was told that the woman who told me that dad is staying in the home for free shouldn't have. He needs to be assessed! Apparently, as he has now become "predictable" in the home, he could very well have to pay the £850 a week. He was unpredictable at home... well aren't most people now predictable in the nursing home with 24/7 nursing care?

The latest happenings in a very long year...

My dad is now in a nursing home. 

Dad has had bowel cancer for over a year, and it had spread. For the past 3 or more months dad wasn't interested in anything and spent all of the time laying down on the settee in pain. 

On Christmas Day, instead of the usual day at dad's, it was dinner at ours and then we took dad a dinner to his house... but he didn't want to eat it.

On Wednesday 28th December, I made my usual trip over to see dad with his shopping, but when I got there he was still in his pyjamas and dressing gown, and looked very ill. He actually said that he thinks he should be in hospital. I called one of Dad's very good friends to come over, and then we decided to call an ambulance. I knew the paramedic, Andy, from work. Andy spent an hour with us. He said that he wasn't taking dad into hospital because that's not where he needed to be. I kept trying to change his mind, but instead he called the GP out and had a go at him because nothing was in place care wise for dad, and recommended that the GP got him into respite care asap. I knew the GP from work as well, lol. Anyway... the GP said that he would fit dad with a pump to stop him feeling sick - dad had only picked at food for 7 weeks coz of feeling sick, and then nothing to eat for 5 days. So that afternoon the pump was fitted, and the following day an emergency crisis bed was found in a nursing home. Couldn't have been a better one, and his brother in law is in the same one! 

So today I asked what was going to happen to dad now that the two weeks respite was due to end this week. I was told that it's not just respite, he is there until I don't want him there, and he doesn't have to sell his house either to pay for it - £850 per week!! Social care are paying for it. I should think so too... if he'd been a foreigner coming into our country he wouldn't have had to pay.

Anyway... dad loves it there. They get entertainment once a week, the nurses/carers are fantastic, always ready with a smile, I can't fault the place. This is the first week in a very long year where I have felt relaxed... 

 

A Christmas Warning!!!!

Warning:

Anyone planning to dash through the snow
in a one horse open sleigh, going over the
fields and laughing all the way are advised
that a Risk Assessment will be required
addressing the safety of an open sleigh for
members of the public. This assessment
must also consider whether it is appropriate
to use only one horse for such a venture,
particularly where there are multiple
passengers.
...
Please note that permission must also be
obtained in writing from landowners before
their fields may be entered. To avoid
offending those not participating in
celebrations, we would request that
laughter is moderate only and not loud
enough to be considered a noise nuisance.

Benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are
now available for collection by any
shepherds planning or required to watch
their flocks at night. While provision has
also been made for remote monitoring of
flocks by CCTV cameras from a centrally
heated shepherd observation hut, all users
of this facility are reminded that an
emergency response plan must be submitted
to account for known risks to the flocks.

The angel of the Lord is additionally
reminded that, prior to shining his/her glory
all around, s/he must confirm that all
shepherds are wearing appropriate Personal
Protective Equipment to account for the
harmful effects of UVA, UVB and the
overwhelming effects of Glory.

Following last year’s well-publicised case,
everyone is advised that Equal Opportunities
legislation prohibits any comment with
regard to the redness of any part of Mr R
Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R
Reindeer from reindeer games will be
considered discriminatory and disciplinary
action will be taken against those found
guilty of this offence.

While it is acknowledged that gift bearing is
a common practice in various parts of the
world, particularly the Orient, everyone is
reminded that the bearing of gifts is subject
to Hospitality Guidelines and all gifts must
be registered. This applies regardless of the
individual, even royal personages. It is
particularly noted that direct gifts of
currency or gold are specifically precluded,
while caution is advised regarding other
common gifts such as aromatic resins that
may evoke allergic reactions.

Finally, in the recent instance of the infant
found tucked up in a manger without any
crib for a bed, Social Services have been
advised and will be arriving shortly.

Christmas digi scrap!

 I used part of a gorgeous kit by Just So Scrappy... love it!!! Click here to get it too!

A few images of our Christmas...

... so far!

 When you're making gingerbread you need.......... a lot!

 There's something strange in this pic............ the telly's not on!

This Christmas is going to be very strange. With my dad being terminally ill with cancer it's all change this Christmas. We normally spend the day at dad's, but he gets tired really quickly and lays down for most of the day as he's in less pain then... This year Christmas dinner is being cooked by Justin. Darryl, Abby, and Elijah are going to Abby's nan and grandads, but still coming to ours on Christmas Eve. I'm working both Christmas Eve and Day, but finishing Christmas Day at 11am. In the afternoon we're going to go to dad's and take him a dinner, we'll spend about an hour and a half with him. Darryl and Co are going over on Boxing Day to see dad.

I will post pics later of how my first attempt at gingerbread turns out!!

A cosy candle...

I saw the pattern for this lovely Christmassy candle jar trim on Attic 24, click here to go to the pattern. I took the photo with my mobile phone so it's not that good. I enjoyed making it and it was quite fast. I added some Flowersoft Polar White snow stuff mixed with crystal glitter. Tomorrow I'm going to buy some cotton yarn so it's not quite so fluffy. 

Below are some gorgeous photo's of my grandson, Elijah. Hasn't he grown?! He's two years old now bless him... He's such a happy little chap.

I love Teddybo!

I have found a fab site called Teddybo, click here to go to their site. 

I love teddies, so this site is made for me!!

I created this card using one of the fabby teddybo digi stamps. The image comes with a blank sign and also another one with text on. I made up the text on this sign. Do you think my mince pies are too expensive?? lol

This is for this weeks Papertake challenge.

The gerbils escaped!!!!

I was busy upstairs creating this card and hoped it would fit in with some challenges this week - I've not entered any for ages!! 

Card made for the Papertake Weekly Challenge. 
See below card for the gerbils adventure!

 ...and whilst I was making this card, I could hear the gerbils, but the noises didn't sound like they were from within the Rotastak. I couldn't believe it when I saw Blackie sitting on top of the bedroom unit and Sid was running around the floor! I managed to pick Blackie up as he's always been the more friendlier of the two, but with Sid it took me an hour and a half!! 

I sat on the floor with a box full of goodies for him - toilet roll middles, sawdust, and food... ready for him to climb into. But no. He spent most of the time climbing the three storey's of Matthew's storage unit. 

I put the Rotastak onto the floor, blocked off the inside hole and then put a loo roll tube inside a now open bit of tubing... I'd forgotten Blackie could go up straight vertical tubes, and then he poked his head out of the hole I'd just made, lol... I soon poked him back in. 

Anyway... Sid had decided that he was going to nibble a big hole in the cloth cover this storage unit has... so I let him get on with it, and then placed the box full of goodies the other side of the hole, to which he climbed into once he'd climbed through his hole... ahhhh... 

I then put him back into his home, both gerbils were very happy to see each other again.

Catching up.

I've not written to the blog for almost two months. It's been difficult as my dad has a terminal illness, and it's only going to get worse, so it's hard to write upbeat in here... but...

I've made a few Christmas cards over the last couple of days, and also my son enjoyed Halloween. 

Here are some photo's of both!

I know he looks pretty much the same as he did last year, lol... maybe next year he can have a new costume...

 We loved our pumpkin this year!! It's the best one Justin has cut.

Halloween Baking. My Almond, raspberry, and orange spider sponge cake.

 

Rocky Road anyone?

 The above card used a free stamp that came with this month's Cardmaking and Papercraft, but I think the stamp was exclusive to Sainsbury's. I love Fizzy Moon!!

 I've found that it's easier this year for me to just use decoupage sheets for my Christmas cards. I've of course added extra glitter, and 3D gloss for noses.

 Justin has published a book!! It's a specialist book for lovers of the Gizmondo games machine. Nice glossy cover as well!! He put a dedication in the back for a few people including me and Matthew.
And below is Matthew trying out the new picnic bench over by the riverside park in Huntingdon.

A few weeks back I emailed Scrapbook Magazine with two of my pages... and here it is in print!!

Recently I bought a Kindle. I love it! I have read five books in the last two weeks. Two of the books I read which I loved were...

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. Click to buy on Kindle UK site. A very atmospheric ghost story set in the Arctic. Fantastic.

And...

Asylum Lake by R.A. Evans. Click to buy on Kindle UK site. Another ghost story, set around an abandoned Asylum. I can't wait for the sequel to be published.

A jewellery phase?

So this phase I'm in now is about making jewellery. I used to make earrings, and sold them on Ebay, then for some STUPID reason I gave all my beads away!! Luckily I kept my tools, and this week I decided to buy some more beads and make a few bits and pieces.
They are all for sale... so if anyone is interested, leave a comment :D
Any of the ear wires can be swapped with sterling silver wires, but this will incur another £2.

 Bracelet and silver plated earrings set - £6, plus P&P.

 Beautiful beads - Burgandy "moon" glass beads, amethyst silver lined Japanese Toho beads, pink Swarovski crystals, tibetan silver spacer beads, and glitter glass Stardust beads. 

 Childs silver plated charm bracelet - £3 plus P&P.

Tibetan silver charms and a Swarovski crystal, a Stardust glitter glass bead, and Japanese Toho Beads.

 Bracelet and silver plated earrings set - £6 plus P&P.

Gorgeous sapphire blue Swarovski crystals, dark blue glass faceted rondelle beads, AB clear Swarovski crystals, clear silver lined Japanese Toho beads, tibetan silver spacer beads, Stardust glitter glass beads. Very pretty and delicate looking. 

All come with an organza bag.

A Photographer in the Making.

I seem to be using a lot of greens/blues in my layouts lately.

This was a day out in Godmanchester by the river. Matthew is using the camera he got for Christmas, to take lots of photo's. He is a good little photographer and took over 200 photo's this day!

I used K&Co Kazoo Kids for the paper, and the Cricut E for the cut out shapes and text.