Friendship Vignettes - Week 4 - Cascade

This weeks theme is Cascade chosen by me and here is the photo that prompted that theme...

This was a serious contender for this weeks photo along with a few others! Choosing this week was so hard but I eventually chose this one...

and Maria's...

It is interesting how without discussing it we both took pictures of Fuschias and water! just to show you here's mine. Obviously not my favourite but interesting!

Pop on over to my Friendship Vignettes 'Rejects' page for the other pictures I took on the theme Cascade! and check out Maria's blog Maria Divine for her choice this week and also to her Photo blog Maria Sees where she has posted her 'rejects'

Hope you like this weeks photo's! Thanks for stopping by!

New Books!

I went to a book sale and lunch at my dad's church today.

 Christ Church, Lancaster

I took 8 or 9 books with me to sell and only bought 5 back so that's downsizing...isn't it? LOL

I thought you might like to know what I bought and maybe once I've read them I'll write a little review! don't hold you breath though I'm reading very slowly at present! Just a chapter or 2 before bed! 

 'The Reading Room' by Ruth Hamilton

This is what Amazon says about it...

Leanne Chalmers has made a career for herself presenting her own style of home decorating and design on the nation’s screens. That was her past life, at least. For now Leanne has been forced to start again as Lily, leaving her name, job and marriage behind.

No-one in the Lancashire village of Eagleton has a clue about Lily, save that she’s come up from the South West with her best friend and a small child. But it’s hard to lead a solitary existence in a small place, and Lily and Babs are swiftly embraced by some of the local characters: Mike, the Catholic priest, who the girls can’t help noticing is easy on the eye; Eve, a Liverpudlian, who has a big mouth but a heart of gold; the hairdressers Paul and Maurice; and Dave and his love, Philly, both shy yet determined not to be cowed by Dave’s mother, the domineering matriarch of the village.

Soon, Lily’s new life is full of promise and as she joins Dave’s reading room, a shop come café and library, she begins to relax. But then Eve is wounded in a burglary, and suddenly, Lily is afraid that her secret is out: her husband Clive may have discovered where she is, and, having left her for dead before, is now out to kill her…

Full of Ruth Hamilton’s unique warmth and humour, THE READING ROOM is a rich, compelling novel of love, life and courage. 

'The Orchid Thief' by Sarah Orlean

This I was surprised to see is a true Story which I'm sure will make it all the more interesting! 

A review on Amazon said this...

Essentially a portrait of John Larouche, orchid hunter and thief extraordinaire, as well as (surprisingly) supporting the conservation movement, this laconically humorous tale takes us into the depths of the Everglades, the forests of the Far East and the hot-houses of the rich, famous and crooked.

There are some strange asides, that illustrate the type of enigmatic person who goes in for the underworld orchid trade; tales of frog poachers, happy in their slimy occupation; capsicum and bromeliad growers who dump the whole crop in a fit of pique; collectors who also spray-paint pigeons' tails.In all, this reads more like a novel than an investigation into the illegal orchid trade, but loses no credibility for that, rather, it lends a more accessible quality to the book than it would otherwise have.

A very funny, worthwhile read

'What's so Amazing About Grace?' By Phillip Yancey

 Philip says it best when he describes "grace" as the one unique word that distinguishes authentic Christianity throughout the ages. It's what I need every day; it's likely what you desire every day. Philip's book will prod us all to receive grace and dispense it. The results will surprise and delight us.

'Marshmallows For Breakfast' by Dorothy Koomson.

 What a great title! Makes me want to be in their house at breakfast eating marshmallows with them!

After Kendra Tamale returns to England from Australia, she rents a room from Kyle, a single father of two, and looks forward to an uncomplicated life.

Kyle’s young twins, Summer and Jaxon, have other ideas and quickly adopt Kendra as their new mother – mainly because she lets them eat marshmallows for breakfast. Even though Kendra is hiding a painful secret that makes her keep everyone – particularly children – at arm’s length, life improves for her as she becomes a part of their family.

Then Kendra bumps into the man who shares her awful secret and everything falls apart – especially when the kids are taken away by their mother. The only way to fix things is to confess all about her past, but that’s something she swore never to do…

Sadly in looking for a blurb for my blog here I found some very damning reviews but as I tend to like films that only get 2 stars hopefully this will be the same and I will enjoy itfor what it is and not what someone else thinks about it. After all it's my opinion that counts!

'A Vintage Affair' by Isabel Wolff

Phoebe Swift, has just opened a vintage dress shop in Blackheath. At the same time she is coping with the recent loss of her best friend, Emma. So Phoebe takes refuge in her work - restoring these wonderful old clothes to their former glory so that they can go on to have new lives. But what of the past lives these clothes have lived she often wonders? What stories would they tell if they could speak? One day Phoebe meets an elderly French woman, Therese, who wishes to sell her some elegant dresses and suits. In Therese's wardrobe Phoebe also finds a child's sky-blue winter coat, from wartime France. At first Therese wishes not to reveal the coat's history but, as the two women become friends, she opens up. Phoebe listens to the poignant story of the little blue coat not knowing that it is to have a profound and uplifting connection with her own life...

I think this is the book I'll start with. I'm just starting up my own business and I'm sure I'll identify with the theme of this novel! How I would love to have my own shop! Online shops will have to do for me now.

Well I hope you are interested in my choice of books. Have you read any of them? If so let me know if you enjoyed them. Just don't give anything away! Hehe Or if you would like you can read any or all of them alongside me. Let me know if you are joining me and we can chat about how we found them, what we liked or disliked and maybe start our own little reading circle!

Friendship Vignettes - Week 3 - Seed

Welcome back to Friendship Vignettes! This week our theme chosen by Maria was seed! I went out for a walk to Wray with a friend and we found loads of seeds in their natural setting! It was so difficult to make a choice that this week I am including the other pictures that didn't quite make it to the official cut!

͏♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ ͏ ♥ 

So here are the other photo's that I had to show you! 

I hope you have enjoyed our choices this week! Don't forget to pop over to Maria's blog Maria Divine to see her post and all the other creative things she is up to and her photo blog Maria Sees where she will be putting her other seed pictures!

Don't forget to pop back next week to see what our theme has been for this coming week! 

Friendship Vignettes - Week 2 - Patch

Welcome to Friendship Vignettes week 2! This weeks theme is Patch. I hope you like them. Please leave a comment and let us know if you are inspired to try something because of our little project! Here are the pics...

 

Don't forget to visit Maria's blog Maria Divine to see what wonderful creative things she is up to!

Thanks for visiting!

New Brooch...for me!

My friend just said to me that she is going to make a rug and she is starting it tonight. See the details on her blog. Well she was making me feel like I should be making something too! And then I remembered I had made something today! And here it is....

This a gorgeous dress that I haven't worn yet because it is too low cut so I have made a pretty brooch today! In the spirit of reuse and renew the beads came from a necklace I bought in Sainsbury's! There will be a lot of people wearing that necklace but my brooch is unique!

I hope you like it as much as I do! If you do please leave me a message!

Introducing Friendship Vignettes

Welcome to Friendship Vignettes. This is a project Maria and I are doing inspired by Happy Snappy. Happy Snappy are 2 friends separated by distance (one in Scotland and one in Finland). Maria saw their blog and was totally inspired to do something similar as we too are separated by distance. I live in Lancashire and Maria lives in Herefordshire. Maria and I have known each other for 14 years now. Wow I can't believe it is actually that long but we met at a friends wedding and her son is 13! Oh actually the date we met is on our banner. August 1996! How many times can you remember the exact date you meet a friend and have a photo of you on that day! But then Maria is a very special friend so it is lovely to have that memory preserved forever!

So back to our project! Every week one of us picks a theme. Then without discussing it we go and take some photo's on that theme. On Thursday we swap photo's and then post them to our blogs so you can all see what we have each taken and how similar or very different our photo's are! This week Maria chose 'Hole'. Check out her lovely blog Maria Divine. And here are our pictures:-

Hope you like them! If you do please leave a comment!

Crafting for my Niece

The day after my birthday is my Niece Caitlyns! So with my birthday looming I have had to get busy getting hers ready! So today I made her card and a headband to go with the gifts my parents were sending! I thought you might like to see them!

Hope she likes them!

Me and Cornwall Reunited!

Well I though it was about time I followed up my last 2 posts by telling you what it was like to go back to Cornwall after 5 years and what Cornish Delights I experienced!

On my first morning in Cornwall we went into Newquay! It was exactly like I said in my blog about Cornwall...The sun was out, the sky was blue, the sea was like the colours found in the Mediterranean and I took one look at it all and my heart filled with emotion fit to burst! I was HOME! It was a magical feeling!

My next stop was a quaint 'shabby chic' tea room where I had my first real Cornish cream tea in 5 years! it was gorgeous and just added to my growing happiness and contentment and feeling of being home!

During the rest of my trip I enjoyed Saffron buns, Cornish pasties and the lovely Cornish Mead! Sadly not all of my party appreciated mead (I can't understand that! How could you not like mead? hehe) Oh and my favourite Cornish fudge, strawberry and cream flavour, bought from Presingoll Barns just outside of St Agnes. 

The total Cornwall experience was finished off by meeting up with much loved friends and finding out that despite my lack of contact we are still as good friends as we were and value each other's friendship still and just picked up as if no time had passed!

And so after this very emotional journey I come away with new found confidence, a greater tolerance to activity (from an ME perspective), new dreams and the determination to hang onto them and this car sticker!

I never imagined when I decided to take this chance and just go for it that I would have a truly life changing experience and rediscover all the things that are important to me but you just never know what experiences in life are the important ones so grab every opportunity that comes along and don't let your inhibitions get in the way!

The Taste Of Memories

When I was a little girl we didn't have a car so our trips out were always by train. I do love train journeys. 

Ok so they weren't Steam Trains! I'm not that old!

 But you can sit and look out of the window for all kind of beautiful, wonderful things and imagine what places are like from the sound of their name. 

 I used to play race when the train ran alongside the road and of course we always won which was fun! We used to play cards games, I spy and all those other kind of games you used to play when we didn't have computer consoles and Ipods!

At the station we always used to pick up a packet of Murray Mints! You know the little packets? And every time I eat a Murray Mint I am transported back to those days out travelling by train!

Well tomorrow I am off on another journey. not by train this time but by car and for the first time ever I am taking my Murray Mints in the car with me and making new memories which eating Murray mints will remind me of...or will they always just remind me of those days gone by when I travelled by train to a miriad of adventures with my family?

What do you think?

I'm off to Cornwall!

I am a very excited bunny right now! Having not been back to Cornwall for nearly 5 years I have just been presented with a last minute opportunity to go on Saturday! I can't wait! I will be able to see most of my friends who I haven't seen in 5 years!!

So here are some of my favourite Cornish spots and why!

 Mevagissey! I love Mevagissey! I love the quaint little shops which I understand now include a Bead shop (always fun and exciting) I love the tiny little streets definitely not made for today's traffic and I love walking around the harbour and seeing the wild sea just the other side of the harbour walls!

Idless Woods! This was a gorgeous wood just outside or Truro and quite near where I lived in Shortlanesend. I once had a headache when I was working from home so jumped in the car with my camera and an hour later with my headache gone and some gorgeous photo's of the bluebell full wood I returned back to work refreshed and renewed!

Port Isaac was my very first experience of Cornwall. We used to go to a little Christian guest house there when we lived in Leamington Spa. I loved the cliffs, the beaches and the sea! I have loved the sea ever since! Though I didn't like the hill climbing on the way back from the beach! Cornwall in all it's beauty has many, many steep hills!

St Agnes. A favourite spot with gorgeous views and the location of many adventures! I did once grab my camera one evening and do something I had never done before or since. I drove out at sunset right by that very tin mine and used 2 1/2 films just shooting away at the gorgeous sunset remaining in the wind with my hood up until the sun had totally disappeared into the ocean!

The Eden Project! every bit as marvellous as advertised in fact it might even be better! I had the experience of visiting it when it was still under construction! A memory I will never forget as I visited with my brother and we watched a life sized, mechanic, puppet show made of wood telling the story of life without trees. You saw the fridge empty, the clothes disappear, the table disappear, the people die and then the cat keeled over and my brother...laughed!! heartless wretch!

Truro! My home of many years (about 15) Every time I went away I would get up about 5 mins before we were due to arrive just so I could stick my head out of the window and watch this vista appear before me sometimes in daylight like this and sometimes at night when Truro Cathedral was lit like a beacon in the midst of house and street lights! This scene always gave me a thrill and said "I'm Home"

My final picture has no place name. I don't know exactly where it is but it is probably the North Coast as they have the best, sandy beaches. This just sums up everything I miss about Cornwall, the majestic cliffs, the beautiful azure sea, the sandy beaches (best experienced with bare feet) and the blue, blue sky!

After The Rainbow

Today has been a good day! Despite my alarm not going off I managed to get up and out to the Summer Fayre at Dad’s church. 

I was a little later than planned and sadly without Mum as she’s not well but it was lovely to look around and find some pretty bits to buy and to be able to be out in the glorious sunshine for a while! I felt great! Not just because the sun is shining and hot but because I tried on a dress I bought last month that was a little close fitting and it looks great! Since trying it on when it first arrived I must have lost a little weight! Knowing I’ve lost some weight always makes me feel great and gives me more confidence! So here is a picture of me in my new dress! 

The sun is making me feel more able to do things too so I hang out the washing for mum and found a little shabby chic storage chest upstairs which I have brought down to my room to put things I make in it for my next home! 

I have an urge to start sorting through boxes and getting rid of things I don’t need to make more space for the things I do want to keep for my next home! I know I have to be careful to not over do it though so it will be doing just small amounts at a time, not going mad and ending up making myself ill again! Check out Teri’s Handmade Home blog for more information about my plans for my next home! 

So today feels like I might have made it to the other side of the Rainbow and it’s lovely and sunny!

New Start

Hi All

You may or may not have noticed I have a new Page on my blog entitled 'Looking for the Good in Things!' though I may decide to change the name to simply Good Things it's content and purpose will not change!

It is a list that is going to grow day by day listing all the good things in my life! Having ME, Depression and Diabetes means there is an awful lot of bad stuff in my life and sometimes it can be hard to see what good is going on! So I am going to start to look for the good things! Some of them may seem like silly little things but it is a good place to start and as I continue I hope to start to see bigger good things going on! It's all about trying to look at things from a different perspective and focus on the good and not the bad! I am hoping that it will also help me get better if not physically then mentally!

I am also trying to learn to rest more and spend less time on the fun but energy zapping laptop! so if you see a bit less of me don't think I have forgotten you, I haven't I am just trying to focus on getting well! This is also a big learning curve! Isn't amazing how fast time zooms by when you are online? So I am going to try and remember to set an alarm so I spend only 1 hour at a time on there! I will let you know how I am doing and what works for me!

So as I am writing about looking for the good in things I am reminded of the name of my blog...Rainbow Days! Do you see the rain and be sad or look for the rainbow? The good in the bad. I am seeking rainbows!

New Hair, New Me?

I love having long hair! I love feel of it swishing against my back!

I tend to fall into a pattern of growing my hair long then cutting it quite short (by comparison) and then growing it long again! This time it was below my waist and the longest it has ever been!

The thing is when it gets long it drags my hair down and it loses all bounce at the roots! So it was time to have it cut again and get back some lovely body and curl to my hair!

So yesterday I had my hair cut and it is lovely! I really love it and had loads of
lovely comments from friends from the pictures I posted on Facebook
so I thought I would share them with you too.

Now doesn't that look better? And I feel happier too! Bring on the curls!!

I Love!

My last few blogs have been very serious and rather sad and today hasn't been any better! Last night mum fell off her chair, this morning she fell down the stairs! A couple of friends are having a tough time and I have felt rather blue! BUT I though that I would write about things that I LOVE! Simple things like:-

I love the sound of the birds singing in the rain
as they were when I was in the bathroom just now,

I love the way my doggy responds to my touch!



I love the sound of my cats purring and the way
my bunny bounces over to see me whenever I pass her cage!

I love the sun as it falls on the houses just before it sets!



I love movies that make me laugh and songs that make me cry

I love getting a text from a friend just to say hi and
getting a letter from a friend who lives a long way away!

I love the Chinese takeaway we're having for tea tonight!

I love to have a reason to indulge in Chocolate Lumpy Bumpy Cake!

And finally I love the smell of Lilies and
the way you can smell them even before you enter the room!

Learning Tough Lessons

Hi

I have been hit hard by an article I read the other day called 'I Surrender' on (In)Courage written by Sara Frankl. Like me she suffers with very restrictive health issues although more severe than mine as she is totally house bound. I went on from her article to her blog Gitzen Girl where she had also written some of the same powerful words that hit me again!

How I came across this was seemingly by chance but I don't believe in chance and do believe in God's guidance!

I get Dayspring Devotions to an email I hardly use anymore and sadly I tend to delete them without even looking at them but today I was sorting out my emails and somehow found myself reading that piece on (In)Courage!

So much of my life mirrors Sara's description of hers in her article although our illnesses are different the effect is the same! (I have already talked about this a bit in my previous blog entries and some of this you might already know about me. But as I went to Sara's blog and added my own comment I felt like it was very powerful and important and so I am bringing it to my blog.)

You know I have ME. I would say it's not very bad and I'm managing it and I'm ok. All those things you tell yourself to hide from the truth and because there are people out there who have so much worse than me! Like my friend who is in hospital with her ME cos she is having trouble breathing, she is in a wheelchair, she can hardly eat and is on morphine for the pain! But reading Sara's article I've had to look at myself a bit more honestly. She talked about fighting it and that is what I am doing. Fighting, fighting, in the hope if I keep fighting it I am doing something, that it might make me better, that I might feel better because I am achieving something! But ME doesn't work like that! If you fight and push and do that something, you suffer for it afterwards!

My poor doggy hadn't had a walk in weeks, maybe months because putting the dog in the car and driving to a field, letting her have a run and then driving home again was too much for me but walking causes discomfort and aches! Never the less something needed to be done. Maybe I could manage a 10 minute walk around the block everyday at least that would be better than nothing. So I took her out but 10 minutes didn't seem enough so we walked for 30. I felt great! What a sense of achievement! So the next day we went for a 20 minute walk despite the fact my calves were sore. The next day I was in agony and resting in bed! It hurt every time I moved and every step downstairs that I couldn't avoid because that is where the toilet is! The last few days have been pretty much a wash out I have been so tired and feeling foggy, struggling to wake up!

And so it is this state I come to Sara's article and then from there to her blog! Knowing that somehow, although I thought I had let God into every area of my life, I was trying to do it alone and that I need to let God into this area too. Allow him into the frustrations of not being to get out for a meal with friends, not being able to go on holiday this year, not being able to get back to my old home to see all the friends I left behind, whom I haven't seen in nearly 6 years and miss like crazy! And it hurts like hell! I'm not sure how to do it! How do I let down those barriers? I struggle to hear His voice! I don't know how to stop burying myself in the internet and little bits of activity I do to let go. The frustrations of not being able to manage to push my little business of selling online the things I make for fun and therapeutic benefit.

I am not totally housebound yet but I'm worried that I will be for a while so I can find out what I CAN do without payback! That God might take me down to zero activity. That things might get even worse than they already are! Isn't that usually the way when God asks you to let go of the control of part of your life? Fear can really get in the way and, as fear does, paralyse you. In this case spiritually!

This all sounds really depressing and it is really emotional for me to write. But it is a beginning of a new journey, one I have no idea of how it will be and where it will take me. Hopefully I am ready to take it, maybe strong enough to step onto it. I want to do what God wants me too and follow His plans for my life! If I didn't, I wouldn't be 36 and still single but I believe that God's plan is perfect and that no matter how hard things are now one day everything will fall into place and I will look back at the tough times and say "so thats why that happened!"

DC Talk sang a song called 'In the Light' and that is where I want to be! In God's light. I will leave you with that to watch courtesy of youtube

ME is Pants!

Hello!

Today is a rant day! I am feeling very depressed and have very painful calves all because I dared to take my dog for a walk not exceeding 30 mins for the last 2 days!

I hate the fact that having ME means that putting the dogs in the car to run on a nearby field is so taxing that I couldn't do it more than once a week so I think lets try and get out for a little walk around the block each day even if it's just for 10 minutes! It's better than what my poor doggy has been getting.

So off we go and the weather is lovely and so we walk a bit further than planned. We had a lovely time and my little doggy was such a good girl and we get home tired but refreshed!

Me and my lovely doggy, Dulcie

The next day I'm a bit tired and rather achy so we don't go so far and again really enjoyed being out in the fresh air which is meant to be good for ME and depression!

But by evening my calves were really hurting! they hurt every time I moved throughout the night and painkillers and ibugel aren't helping!Talking of which I ought to take some more! I consult my ME friends with more experience of dealing with this damn illness and the general feeling is that I am overdoing it already!! Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!!!!!!!! I am so frustrated!!

The sun is shining and I want to be out in it! Instead I am lying on my bed watching tv and pouring all my frustrations out on my computer! Even my doggy has deserted me for the fresh air and lying at the gate watching the world go by!

When M.E. Gets in the Way

Well today my local ME group that meets once a month is meeting today. For the first time since I started going they are having a meeting where people can share how they are doing and if they have tried any alternative therapies that have worked for them. It would have been great and I'm sure that the group will find it very helpful in a deeply emotional way! There is nothing like talking to people who totally understand how you are feeling from a place of experience especially when it is exhausting having to explain how you're feeling and why!

And I can't go!

This is the reality of having ME. You can't even access things you need to access because events have stripped you of your energy! As has happened to me through the events of the last 48 hours!

It all started by a filling falling out and a visit to the emergency dentist. Now I am a dentist phobic of massive proportions and have all my treatment under sedation. So when I went I wasn't expecting to have any treatment and to have another appointment scheduled. So it was a shock and very upsetting to be faced with an extraction under local anaesthetic or days or weeks of pain while I find an NHS dentist and be referred for sedation! Well I couldn't cope with another night of pain so with tearful trepidation I agreed to have the tooth out.

My Dad was with me and came to hold my hand through the injection, ooh how I hate injections in my mouth! Injection over I now had to wait for it to take effect. Dad went to sit down again because he wasn't feeling well. You might think he was just squeamish and feeling faint but he has a rare heart condition that comes on suddenly and it was doing it now in the middle of my tooth extraction! My mouth was now numb enough to take out my tooth and Dad came to hold my hand again but couldn't stay. In the middle of my tooth coming out he is now feeling really ill and the dental team have divided attentions as they are trying to see if my dad is ok! Well my dad hates hospitals and suddenly he says he thinks he needs an ambulance! Ok so I'm now toothless and very worried about my dad. He is very pale and pasty! The dental staff are getting out oxygen and defibrillator (which he won't need) and unpacking all the bits so it's ready if needed while I have a pack in my mouth to stop the bleeding! Then the dental nurse accidentally presses a button on the defibrillator and it starts talking very loudly about stripping the patients clothes off before launching into instructions on how to use it! It made us laugh as she quickly whisks the machine off down the hall still loudly instructing her how to revive the patient! Dad is beginning to look and feel better as is usual with these attacks and then the ambulance arrives. They talk to him about the medication he's taken and how's he's feeling while I'm shooed out of the room for no real reason which was a shame as I held an important piece of information but thats ok cos I can impart that later in the ambulance. Based on the fact that I've had a tooth out and probably a bit shocked because of Dads collapse it is agreed I'll abandon the car, go in the ambulance and come back for the car tomorrow.

So in the ambulance dad is talking about how he didn't get any warning and had only taken 3 tablets (to reduce his blood pressure) when I said my bit. "you did get warning dad. You took a tablet at 6.30!" He had forgotten and that meant that he had taken too many tablets which explains why his blood pressure was through the floor! The ambulance man explained that he would only ever administer half that while dad had been told he could take 3 he had actually taken 4! It was very funny, you should have seen the twinkle in the ambulance mans eyes every time he recounted to the necessary member of staff that dad had taken FOUR tablets!

Well we arrived at A&E at 7.45 and had to wait in the corridor for a while before getting seen by the nurse who ran the usual tests ECG, Blood sugar level, blood pressure which is, by now, looking more normal. We are expecting that the dr will look at the ECG and then sign him off and we'd be home at 9pm or a little after. Well at just before 9pm and then I rang mum to tell her that. I went back to Dad to find they were doing a round of blood tests and would need to take another lot in 90 mins! That is when I wilted and said thats enough for me! Dad bargained with the dr that he would stay for tests if the dr would get me the painkillers that had been promised me, for which I had also had to register as a patient, as the anaesthetic was wearing off and I was beginning to hurt! Tablets were administered then I went and phoned mum again arranging for her to come down by taxi and me to take her taxi home where I finally got to have some dinner! Mum and Dad finally arrived home at 11.30 and we then had a takeaway as neither of them had eaten! By the time I got to bed it was 1am!

The next day we had to get a taxi to take us to the bank to get some money (my MOT had been on thursday and I needed the money to pay for it) and then on to the dentist to pick up the car. I hadn't had breakfast and it was lunchtime so after getting the car we had to drive around to find something to eat, missing the chip shop by just 2 minutes, we eventually found a bakers. We then had to pop in a couple of shops for some necessities then get some petrol and finally home by which time I was very tired.

I was still hopeful that I would make the meeting today but unfortuanately as one of my ME friends warned me the stress of all of this has intensified my tiredness. Well I hope the meeting goes really well and they decide to do it more often. I look forward to hearing all about it all. My day today will mean staying in a bed and resting. And it is from there that I am writing this. Hopefully if I take it easy today and tomorrow I will be well enough to help mum with food shopping on Monday!

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TAG! You're it!

Here's a bit of fun! I just got tagged by Scarlet Butterfly ... go check out her lovely blog where her picture is of her parents wedding!

The rules of this tag are:
1. open your first photo folder
2. scroll to the tenth photo
3. post the photo and the story behind it
4. tag five or more people

.... so this is my picture ....



This our Bessie! She is about 3 or 4 weeks old here! We were very privileged to have been able to been able to know her from birth as my doggy, Dulcie had 8 puppies Jan 2009! Bessie is asleep in her doggy mummy's bed! Bess was one of the easiest puppies to identify with that cute little white spot on her rump! Now she's a year old it is lovely to look back at the oh so cute baby pictures!

So here is who I am tagging ... have fun and I can't wait to see all your photos!

Beaded Tail
The Blooming Wildflowers Project
Understanding Severe ME
Counter Cultural Mum
The Shabby Chic Cottage

Love Teri xxx

A Rainy Day!

As I write this I am sitting on my bed with my leg resting on a rolled up duvet! I have a poorly ankle! I don't know what I have done to it but it has been really painful for a couple of days and yesterday after a phone call to a dr I went to A&E for an xray!Thankfully it's not broken just badly sprained and I was sent home to rest it! I was offered crutches but with Me they would be more trouble than they are worth! I was very grateful not to have broken a bone and need them! they would have put a lot of stress on the rest of my body and particularly my arms! So here I am sitting on my bed with my laptop and tv remotes to hand so that I can rest!

Now having ME you would think I would be used to resting! It's not the same though! I only rest on my bed for 3 or 4 hours a day and the rest of my day I spend with the family. I can potter about or go to the shop to get a few necessities, take the dogs for a little walk (which might be how I sprained my ankle in the first place!) but instead I am not allowed to drive and I'm not allowed to walk the dogs and I'm in my little room all alone! Well not so little room and not completely alone as I have my Dulcie dog to keep me company! (That said she has just taken herself off to my parents room! I've been deserted! "Dulcie Come here!" and I have my companion back again!)

Despite the 'Rainy day' feel of all this I think I might learn a few things! I'm not very good at pacing myself and not overdoing things which makes my ME worse! Maybe these few days in bed will help me to recoup some energy and maybe show me that I need to spend more time resting. I may find that spending a bit more time alone in my bedroom will help me feel more peaceful and reduce the number of arguments between me and Dad. I'll have more time to write my blogs and get to listen to more of my own music. I may find myself drawing closer to God and letting Him guide my actions more. I have already learnt some new skills on the computer which I have to say has been very encouraging! I sometimes get scared of trying things because I'm unsure of my own ability so maybe I can use this time to try some new things.

So as with all things we need to try and see the positive in what seems to be a negative situation and I am going to give that a try! I hope if you have something negative going on in your life right now you will try to look for the positives! Don't forget to look for the Rainbow after the storm!

God bless you

Teri xx

Living with M.E./C.F.S.

Kay Gilderdale was accused of murdering her severely disabled daughter. Lynn, who had lived ME most of her life, was bedridden and in constant pain. With the trial now over and Kay cleared of blame I have found myself asking how much people really understand what living with ME is really like? So last night I had to get up and write down my thoughts on living with ME. I want you to know that I do not consider myself to have Severe ME, in fact I would say it was moderate. These issues apply to most ME sufferers at some point during their fight with this debilitating illness.

So I would like to ask you a couple of questions.

Do you have a friend or family member with ME? Do you understand how ME affects them every day? Do you know that there are some things that they may be reluctant to admit for fear you might think less of them?

Things like a 15 minute shower is so exhausting that they may not manage it more than once or twice a week?

Did you know....

That food shopping or meeting a friend for coffee has such after effects that those might be the only times they leave the house that week?

That housework has to take a back seat as to do it would make them too ill to manage the rest of the things that need doing like making a meal, also something that is a big job and very tiring?

That hobbies have to be put aside and reading can become impossible?

That owning and walking a dog becomes a burden despite the fact that their very presence brings joy to your life?

That they can be utterly exhausted but unable to sleep?

That every activity or invitation to even the most special and important events have to be assessed based on how ill they will be afterwards and how many have to be turned down because they are not well enough to make it, often at the last minute?

That plans for the future are practically impossible and yet without them life is barely worth living?

That even writing this has made my wrists and hands hurt?

Did you know all this or has this been news to you? Has it helped your view of your family member, friend or colleague with a new understanding of what they are fighting? Maybe you now have a greater admiration of them and how much they still manage to achieve? I have several friends with ME and one who has it severely and is wheelchair bound but I have to say I have great admiration for all of them and how they are able to continue fighting this disease with a smile on their face and a positive attitude!

I hope you not only read this but you will pass this onto your friends so they too will understand a little more about ME. This is a condition that is poorly understood in the medical profession and less understood by the public who question if it is even real! Help me to change their minds. Please pass this on!

Thank you for taking the time to read this

Teri

Singles Summit

HI All,

I just wanted to share with you about a TV program on Sky (or Free Satellite) It's called Singles Summit and it is aired on KICCTV. It is really good to be able to watch a Pastor speak specifically to singles in a God filled message!

For those of us that find it hard to concentrate on sermons, these come in nice comfortable 30 minute slots!

Some of the sessions are specifically aimed at those of us who are over 30. It is so refreshing to hear a man of God say that it is rare to be called to singleness permanently and that it is denial to say that we are ok on our own and don't need that relationship that God ordained from the beginning of Life! Pastor Matthew also talked about cycles in our lives that happen every 6 months where in one cycle we accept our singleness and know that God has it in control and then in another cycle how we cry out to God with our whole being and offer compromises like "Anyone will do!" "I'll go to Africa instead, Lord and work full time for you!". I can so identify with that and I bet you do too.

I have found so much truth and encouragement in these sessions and take time to watch another session. I have spent so much time crying over the thoughtless things that married Christians say. The absolute worst being "when you tell God you don't want/need a husband, that's when God will send him to you!" When your whole being cries out for something you can't just let it go and say you don't want it anymore. That statement encourages hypocrisy and denial! God understands your deep desire and he knows how important it is to you. He also knows who is right for you and when is right for you and so we have to continually trust in our Father that He will bring this to pass in His timing and acknowledge that His timing is best for you/me /us.

On an update on how I am doing, I start group therapy at the end of October. I believe this is important not only for my mental health but also for me as a Christian single. I am praying that this will help me overcome problems in my life that are barriers to me meeting and marrying the man God has for me! I have recently realised that all the men in my life, my father, brother, abuser, friends have left me with hangups about relating to men. Now while I have only just realised this, God has always known it and He is helping me to this realisation so that I can face it, deal with it and move on!

I hope that you will be able to find your way to viewing these sessions and finding Gods truths through it. If you don't have sky, try to find a friend who could record them for you.

God Bless You greatly as you meet with Him during this time.