Friends birthday card

Hi my friends

It's been a while I'm really sorry. I think my creative brain has been on lock down too. I have reorganized my room to make things more accessible like my dies. They used to be the other side of my workroom but I have moved things around and they are now on a unit right next to my work space, all in their zipped containers which has made the unit very heavy to move but at least they are near to where I work. It still needs a little tweaking but lock down will give me all the time I need.

Like all of you I am really needing time with my family. My life feels empty without hugs from the ones I really love and need to see and just tell then face to face. Zoom is not the same. We had a lovely zoom session last Sunday with Claire Craig and Phoenix. Phoenix had just had his bath and was running about in Claire's yoga room with not a care in the world and decided to do ballet moves, Well it just made us fall about laughing and the more we laughed the more he posed. The innocents is so precious.

How are you all coping with the lock down?

 Other than Paul taking me to the wholesalers 2 wks ago I have not been out since 12th march. He is going to take me again later this week as my knee has got so bad I'm now walking with a limp and pulling the trolley makes walking for the next couple of days very painful. That was going to be my job next after getting my neck sorted, but there is no way that I'm going to go to a hospital until this pandemic is totally under control, so It's just a case of grin and bare it. Oh I hate this growing old/er gracefully! I always intended to to do it disgracefully. There's still time though, right!!!!

Anyway enough now. I have made a birthday card for a friend we go to see every year to celebrate her birthday in June, but because of the you know what we have had to postpone the trip. Even if the campsites open we don't know if she would be happy to socialise even though Paul & I have had Covid19 ( not tested just our Dr's diagnosis over the phone ). So this year she is just going to get her card and a Bloom & Wild letterbox bouquet this year and we'll celebrate  her birthday later in the year covid19 permiitted.

Anyway here goes!

 

Well that's it.

I really hope you are all staying safe. Please take care and I hope to see you here again soon.

Love & hugs to you all

Tina XX

FELL FOR IT

Hi my Friends

Well what a lockdown! Paul & I are slowly getting over the covid19 ( even though the doctor confirmed it, no testing ). I still can't take a full breath in without coughing so breathing is shallow sometimes but, hey we are so getting over this. I hope you and your families are all staying safe. This is such a scary time in our lives when we are fighting something that we can't see and is taking our loved ones away from us. I'm worried about the front line workers. I know Steph has a good friend that is on the front line and my sister is working in a care home with 3 definite covid19 without proper PPE. As Paul said today it's like sending our troops into battle without riffles. My sister lives in part of our home, we worry about her, but also for ourselves as we don't fully know how this bloody virus works. She lives in a self contained part of the house that is divided by a door and a little hall. We haven't opened the door between us for at least five weeks and only talk at a distance in the garden. Bless her she does our shopping once a week and she knocks on our kitchen doors to let us know our food is outside on the patio. Last week I made her a Thank you card but I forgot to take a photo, Sorry!

Please stay safe, I know it's easy to say but I really mean it. X



On a lighter note. This is what lockdown did to my OH Paul and I fell for it hook line & sinker.

Also Paul went out today for a bike ride around the lanes for his 1hr exercise and I asked him to go through Cowsfield. It's a beautiful lane beside our village, there are stunning woodlands that display their beauty every year of bluebells at this time no matter what is happening in our lives. Nature carries on Thank goodness.

 We have a lot to learn from mother nature," Why aren't we listening". I don't want to go back to vapour trails in the sky, or sit in the garden and hear the traffic in the distance or see the greediness of people in the supermarkets. I Just want to sit in the garden and hear nature at it's most musical, It's amazing. Selfish I know! and life has to return to some kind of normality but I don't think as a human race we would have listened hard enough, and because of this pandemic and pandemics to come, the worry about our little ones looking to the future with an innocents and naivety of our greed this is what we have left them as our legacy, It's so sad. Goodness that was heavy, I'm really sorry.

Hopefully Mother Nature will give us all another chance. I just hope we don't Ball's it up again!!

Thank you all for looking in, I hope I haven't put you off coming back because of my language.

Take care & stay safe

Love & Hugs

Tina XX

How Are You All

Hi my Friends

Now as I am writing this message I really don't know what to say. The news is so frightening as the number passing away due to Covid19 had doubled here in the south. Like all of you I'm worried about my Children and my grandson who I miss so much. I talk to Claire and Craig everyday and Phoenix talks to me in his very special way. He'll say "Grandma" and then he goes off on a babble that he thinks I know and understand, Maybe the odd word in between but it's just lovely to hear his voice.

Claire has been poorly with an ear infection and a really bad cold and Phoenix has had a cold & a really chesty cough. Craig, fingers crossed has been feeling fine while isolating at home.

One of the main reasons I wrote this blog today is to thank Steph Cotterill. She has been an absolute God send to me over the past week or more. I contracted the Covid19 virus after a visit to the hospital or the wholesaler in Salisbury. My appointment at the hospital was the same day as the 1st person to die in Salisbury hospital. While I was having my pre doctor checks the nurse said then that we'll all get this virus but just in different degrees, which made me just want to run for the hills. Although they were wiping the self check in monitor and door handles I did notice that it was with the same wipe. People were coughing all around us but at that time we didn't know as much as we do now. I began to feel unwell a couple of day later, it just started with a silly cough which I didn't think anything about as I always start my colds with a cough. By the Monday I said to Paul would you ring the doctor as I think I have a chest infection. I've never had a chest infection before but the feeling in my chest was worrying me and Paul. I had a feeling way down in my chest of something that I couldn't move no matter how much I coughed. I was wheezing so much at night Half Pint woke me as it was so loud, I don't know if she was worried or just trying to tell me I was too loud and keeping her awake. My kidney's hurt my whole body hurt and my head was particularly painful. The doctor heard me coughing and asked Paul to put the phone on speaker so that he could ask me some questions. He asked a whole list of questions, I answered more yes than no and said that I had no sense of taste or smell. He then asked Paul how he was feeling so Paul said his symptoms and the Dr then said I'm sorry but both of you are showing signs of Covid19 and you now have to isolate yourselves and if I got worse to ring for an ambulance. I also had slapped cheek

Steph kept in contact with me everyday. That's the second time Steph has been there for me at a time I needed a shoulder and I just want to say the biggest "THANK YOU" so much Steph .

Luckily Paul & myself are out the other side of awful virus and just have a cough, but we are still not going out as we are still feeling really tired all the time, so I have definitely slept a lot. Even though the doctor said we had the virus, we were not tested and I'm scared if Paul goes out he will bring something else back. His company thankfully are not letting him go back to work as they said with that cough no one will let you into their premises.

So again for always being there for me a heartfelt thank you.

Thank You again dear Steph XXXX

Evelyn's Card

Hi My Friends

Well!. We had a lovely afternoon over Claire's to celebrate what would have been Evelyn's 4th Birthday. Claire had ordered a lovely spread of food from M&S and it was yummy. She asked if I would do some savoury goodies which I was more than happy to do, then I said  would you like me to do a plate of your favourites which is cheese & pineapple ( how 70's ). It was just the Grandparents and my son Craig there today as we were the only people that got to meet and hold Evelyn ,but it wasn't a sad it's more a bittersweet day but we really did celebrated the day. I know Claire was sad and I made sure she wasn't left alone but I also noted that Claire didn't leave me too much either bless her.

I saw this sentiment stamp on a show on Hochanda a few ago and thought this is just perfect for Evelyn's birthday card and I love the little die of the hands as Toby took a photo of Evelyn's hand in Claire just after Evelyn was born. I think the die was 95p and free delivery from Wish.




Right, Here Goes!

To those that pop in to visit Thank you.

See you again soon XX

Love & Hugs

Tina XX

My Angel

Hi My Friends

Yesterday 4 years ago was one of the most devastating days in my life, we were informed that our awaited granddaughter had passed away in her mummy's tummy. Just the day before I had heard her little heart beating. We got the most upsetting phone call from Claire to say that she couldn't feel Evelyn moving after the best nights sleep she had had throughout her pregnancy, Evelyn had passed away overnight for no reason. Our little grandchild was gone.

We all went to Winchester hospital awaiting hope that the midwife had got it wrong and that by some miracle her monitor had a fault.

Paul was parking the car and Erica & Myself were taken into a room, I thought then this does not feel good as they did that when at 22 I heard that my mum had passed away just seconds before I tried to run into her ward.

I remember a senior nurse talking to me & Erica but I just wanted to get out of that room as I knew the news was not going to be what I wanted to hear. I remember hearing Erica scream. I remember getting out of that room and later hearing Paul's voice and we just sobbed. We both knew that day that we had not only lost our beautiful granddaughter but we lost our daughter too, or the daughter she was before losing Evelyn. I watched her holding Evelyn in her tummy rocking and telling her how much she loved her and as a mum you are expected to make things good again ,but I just sat watching the pain on my beautiful girl's face knowing that I couldn't take her pain away and that she would never be the same again.

At 22.22pm  03-03-16  7lb 7oz  Evelyn came quietly into the world. I will raise a glass to my beautiful little Angel and to my very brave daughter & her husband that had to go through the most saddest & devastating time together. Words fail me at this point.

I wanted to post Evelyn's card today on her birthday but just couldn't. We are having a celebration of Evelyn day on Saturday so I will post it on Sunday.

To my beautiful Evelyn, Happy Heavenly Birthday Sweetheart.

Love & Hugs

Tina XX

Chicky's Birthday card ( my sister )

Hi my Friends

Well here it is the last card for February. It's been full on, card making, cake making and special meals. Tomorrow is prawn curry for Chick & chicken curry for Paul. I've also got Vegetable spring rolls tempura prawns and poppadoms and Paul has asked for onions bhaji's as well, followed by home made fresh cream apple turnovers.

I'd like to say that I will be having a day of rest on Wednesday but I'm going to see Claire & Phoenix so I shall be popping the pain killers and rest on Thursday and maybe ask Paul to bring home a take away.

Chick's card is on the same colour pallet as Claire's, as I'd made more flowers than I could use on Claire's so decided not to waste them. I've change the background and layout, Chick liked Claire's card so much I thought I'd have another go at mixed media, hope you like it.



Here Goes!

Sorry about the lighting I can't seem to get it right in my new room.

That's it for February. Next card is for 3rd March for Evelyn. I always make a card and Claire loves that we remember her on her birthday.

See you soon

Love & Hugs

Tina XX

Claire's Birthday Card

Hi my Friends

I said Claire's card was going to be a bit different for me, I tried a mixed media card. I have to say it took a lot of thought and I raided loads of boxes in my craft room to find things to add to the card. I even went into the summer room and found an old crocheted doily that I cut in half and the other half in quarters. Anyway all the rummaging ended up making this card for Claire.

 Just my sister's card to make for Tuesday and that's my busy February done.

I hope you are all managing to survive the Storm Dennis, He's a real fierce one. The wind is really battering against my workroom window and occasionally they creak, Take care if you are out and about.

Love & Hugs

Tina XX


Here Goes!

Well that's Claire Bear's card for this year. I hope she likes it.