Christmas greetings and update

Well here it is, December 20 already and I see I have not posted on this blog since April.  There are reasons for that which I will go into but first I want to offer Christmas greetings to all readers.  I expect most of you gave up on me months ago but hopefully your feed mechanism might alert you to this new post.  As it is almost Christmas here is a photo I took last week which you can regard as a Christmas card.  It is of Sennen Beach near Lands End.  Being mid-week and mid-winter it was almost empty which suited us fine.

The second half of 2016  has been a terrible six months for us and that is why I do not have any work to present.  I was making new baby quilts but had to abandon this project when in mid-July I fell off the sit-kneel chair at my computer and broke all three bones in my right ankle.  I also had one of these chairs for the sewing machine which was out in the studio and I am just glad that I was in the house when the accident happened.  Both chairs have now gone to the charity shop!

The break was due to osteoporosis.  I will not go into details but after the best part of a month in hospital followed by six dire weeks in an old people's home I was allowed home.  I could not be at home until the plaster came off.  You can see why from this photo.

I was sent home wearing a think Velcro boot.  After only ten days I tripped off it and broke my left hip so it was back to hospital.  While I was there, Pania, one of our two Siamese cats, died.  She was only seven but had suffered from feline asthma for a couple of years and I think she just faded away.  Here is a photo of her taken in August 2015 after she returned from a lengthy stay in the vet's hospital.

Fortunately I was allowed home after ten days but my recovery is extremely slow because of my underlying Inclusion Body Myositis which effects the left leg badly and I do not expect to make a full recovery.  I have now graduated from a walking frame to a stick and am waiting for a walker with brakes so that I can attempt to get down the road outside.  My aim is to have a mobility scooter but there are other issues related to traffic, narrow pavements and hills which, together with the winter weather mean that I am leaving decisions about this for a couple of months.

I have not been able to do any sewing or art work since all this happened.  Initially I could not get out to the studio because the surface of the yard was uneven but it has now been resurfaced.  However, I do not think I should be working out there (there is no internal access) and am still considering if I can work in the house as because of the IBM there are issues about mobility including the height of chairs, getting up off them and where I would have the iron.  I now realise that to sew using a machine you need two good hands and a good right foot!  Unfortunately my right hand (I am left-handed) is beginning to be effected by the IBM and I know I will have to stop sewing sooner rather than later.  So I am thinking about these things.  Art work is ostensibly easier but I do not consider myself an artist and my skills are not that good.  All things to consider in the New Year.

In the meantime, here is the last known photo of both cats taken on Christmas Day 2015.

I am glad to say that Hinemoa (on the left) has adjusted well to being an 'only' and appears to be healthy.  Siamese are susceptible to various illnesses and some have short lives but we hope she will go on because there will be no more cats after her. And do watch this space because I will post.  If you are on Facebook you will find more there and I even have a page called Reensstitcher.  Meanwhile Happy Christmas.