November Days

 

Despite another Lockdown here in England and the ever shortening days, life had started to get into a pleasant rhythm of daily dog walks and beautiful sunrises at the beginning of this month. I'm trying not to sound like a cliche but finding the simple pleasures in life seems more important than ever right now, and getting outside and appreciating our surroundings is one of those pleasures.

I  launched my final online class of the current series of three this month and although I am working on a short free class to launch next month I had decided to take a little break from creating new classes

Instead I thought I would try to get back to some painting. I've not picked up a paintbrush since before breaking my hand in the summer so I have been easing myself back by working in a sketchbook and following Laura Kemshall's sketchbook challenge to fill a sketchbook in November. It is a series of eight classes, two per week, just colouring pages, stencilling, printing etc, all very relaxed and informal... and excellent value. It was all going so well...

Then out walking with the dog on Friday afternoon, on our way home, literally ten yards from our back gate, Hector spotted another dog and lurched to say hello. I was completely off guard, so the lead whipped around my legs pulling me with it and the next thing I knew my head was smacked against the road. I thought that 'seeing stars' was something that only happened in Beano cartoons but it happens! I've never known my head hit anything so hard. What followed was a blur of trying to sit up (I couldn't), being moved to the pavement (I was in the middle of the road), hearing someone say there was blood and Stewart calling an ambulance. Neighbours came out with blankets and a hot water bottle and all I could think was that I couldn't possibly die as I hadn't finished sewing our grandson's advent calendar and there was no way Stewart would know what to do!

I was taken by ambulance to hospital and it was scary for a few hours - I've heard way too many horror stories of brain damage and worse after head injuries - but although it wasn't really what I had planned for a Friday night, I cannot fault the hospital staff who ran just about every test possible. A ct scan showed I was lucky, my head was just bruised so besides concussion, vertigo, some minor cuts and a headache I was fine. In fact, more than fine... blood pressure, heart and lung function and everything else was absolutely tip top! They let me go home at midnight.

Saturday morning the dog wouldn't leave my side... you might be fooled into thinking those doleful eyes are saying sorry, but I'm not. He's a hooligan and would do it all over again if another attractive pooch were to wander past. I do wonder what we achieved with all those months of puppy training.

Meanwhile I'm confined to the sofa. My headache has eased but the vertigo not so much. When I get up and walk I feel like I'm on a boat. It's very strange and quite disorientating. Fortunately, if I don't move my head too much I can still read, type and knit so there has been a lot of progress.  The painting and other activities will have to wait again until I can safely get out to my studio. You can find details of these hats on Ravelry. I've been on Ravelry for years but only recently started to figure out how it works! Well, how some of it works at least.

And I'm still counting my blessings and appreciating the simple things in life because to be honest, I was grateful to wake up on Saturday morning (even if it was at 4 am with a stonking headache).

I hope you are all keeping safe and well.

Just when you least expect it

You guessed I would be back didn’t you, although I’m here for reasons I would never have guessed! Since I was last here it has been quite a month one way or another. 

 

It all began with my daughter in law being taken into hospital in labour three weeks early. After four very stressful days for them (and considerable worry for us), the labour wasn’t progressing and so Rosie was delivered by emergency caesarean. Fortunately, all was well eventually and we have another beautiful and very tiny granddaughter

Meanwhile, Stewart had received a call that his father was very poorly. He drove straight up to Scotland not knowing if he would get to see him. As it happens his lovely Dad hung for another week before passing away peacefully, so Stewart, his Mum and sister were all able to be with him. Not entirely unexpected but sad, nevertheless. Meanwhile the dog and I carried on at home, with one more weekend of Open Windows and then the launch of my online course. Amid all the stress and sadness, it was an incredibly successful launch and the class was full within a week. So far so good and there have already been some beautiful results, so I have started to plan and film for some more shorter classes to be launched in the autumn, although I’ve had to put a temporary stop to that for now. Read on and you’ll understand why.

Couple of the finished landscapes from my course.

Of course, we have since both returned to Scotland for the funeral, which was a beautiful send off for a much loved man, despite only being allowed twenty people, all masked. Given what a tough few weeks we’d had, I suggested we stop off for a couple of days break on our journey home. Despite what seemed like the entire country choosing to vacation in the UK we eventually found a fabulous B & B in Ambleside in the Lake District.

The town was too crowded for my liking and there was an awful amount of litter everywhere, but it was still beautiful and the weather was kind to us.  There was a lot of rain overnight, however it was dry during the day and we managed two wonderful days of walking. Until…

I slipped on some wet mossy rocks on a steep descent falling heavily on my lower back, putting my right hand out to stop my fall. After lying in the wet for what seemed like an age, I got up, brushed myself off and walked gingerly back to our B & B. After a hot shower I decided I was a bit shaken up and bruised but okay and we even managed to go out for pizza. Fortunately, I can still hold a wine glass in my left hand.

We drove home the following day and despite not having much pain in my hand it was very bruised and swollen and I couldn’t grip anything or apply any pressure so called 111 for advice. After endless questions and answers, which I then had to repeat an hour later to the clinical practitioner who called back, I was told I should not go to A & E but rest, ice, compress and elevate my hand for 72 hours. 72 hours later, with virtually no improvement, I called 111 again as advised. Despite them having all my notes cue all the same questions all over again… four hours later when I got the call back I went through them yet again for a fourth time… questions designed to ascertain if I had internal bleeding, was about to have a heart attack or had contracted an infection. All I needed to know was could I get myself an x ray! And the diagnosis… ‘I can’t tell from your answers whether it is bone or soft tissue damage’ No shit Sherlock! As a result, I was advised to call my GP who could book me in for an x ray… hooray! Except after going through it all again, I discovered he could indeed book me in for an x ray (although he was reluctant as he didn’t think my hand looked swollen enough from the photo) but because of Covid there would be a six week wait. So finally, the next morning we drove 25 miles to a walk in critical care centre, where the staff were wonderful.  I was seen within an hour, received x rays of my hand… and received the diagnosis. A spiral fracture of my fourth metacarpal on my right hand, plastered to my fingertips there and then and referred to plastic surgery to have a pin inserted, which will happen tomorrow!

I’m not complaining… when it works our NHS is wonderful and when I finally received it, my care was excellent but it does feel like the right hand hasn’t a clue what the left is doing… bit like me at the moment really. The nurse who did my plaster agreed 111 needs to get its act together!

 

So here  I am trying hard not to focus on all the things  I can’t do which are many, like write, draw, paint, knit, crochet, sew, tie my shoelaces, cut up my own food etc and instead think of all the things I can do, which are few!

 

I can type very slowly with one finger of my left hand, which is why I’ve written a blog post, although it has taken all morning so I can’t really see it becoming a regular activity.

 

I can read and fortunately have a pile of books to get through. I have just finished ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ which I really enjoyed despite finding bits of it hard to believe. I also felt the last couple of chapters were superfluous and it could have done without all the explaining… hard to say much without giving away spoilers but I prefer an author who leaves something to the imagination. I have also read ‘The Distance Between Us’ by Maggie O’Farrell who always writes a good story and I’m currently loving ‘Moon Tiger’ by Penelope Lively.

 

Of course, I can watch TV and we’re working through the entire ‘Line of Duty’ boxset.  I’m not sure how we missed this up until now but it is edge of your seat amazing. So cleverly scripted and well-acted, I love it.

 

Well meaning friends in the art community have suggested it is an opportunity for exploring work with my non dominant hand but I’m not really feeling the urge for that right now. Maybe in a week or so when I’m really bored.

 

So that’s my news. I’m now going to stop as I have cramp in my left hand from all this unexpected activity. I’m going to see what I can rustle up for lunch as Stewart is at work and I’m on my own today… could be interesting. And then I’m going for a walk (without the dog, who I can’t manage on my own) to borrow a jigsaw from a friend, although it now looks like it's going to rain and I'm not sure I can get my coat on. Can’t remember when I last did a jigsaw!

 

A New Normal

I don't think I'm going to write at length about the current situation sweeping our country and the world. We are all in the same boat, with the same problems to face and everyone going on about it doesn't help anxiety levels. It's going to be tough but I believe we will get through it and hopefully come out of it a kinder and more caring society. Of course it will also bring out the worst in some people but let's hope they are the minority. I'm not used to having so much time on my hands though. I'm not working from home because all my work has been cancelled for the foreseeable future - no talks, no classes. I've starting investigating how to produce teaching material online but it's all new to me so it's a steep learning curve... but at least I have plenty of time to learn.

Yesterday we cleaned the house, I did two loads of laundry (which dried outside... yah!), washed the windows outside, which were very dirty after recent storms and then decided to clean and sort out our larder cupboard. We don't have a lot of space for storage so I probably have potential to rummage up four or five unplanned meals at the most, Ready Steady Cook style! Most of the contents are spices, vinegars and jams... so many pots of jam! No hoarding going on here (apart from the jam of course, although it is mostly homemade), but at least I can see what we've got. 

All that was done and it was still only lunchtime so in the afternoon we decided to take advantage of the fine weather and go for a long walk around the villages. It was quite cold and blustery, but lovely to be outside. There were more people than usual out walking but still not that many and all at a distance!

There were lots of signs of spring arriving which was a cheering sight. Mother Nature carries on regardless.

It was Hector's fourth birthday so an extra long walk was a treat for him too!

I've also managed to set up my new website in the past few weeks, which I'm really pleased about. It's very simple but I do quite like it. You can find me here if you want to take a look

www.ginaferrari-art.co.uk

Plans to sell my art are now on hold however!

This is my most recent painting... I found a tiny rough sketch in one of my sketchbooks and based it on that. I like it enough for the moment but it may get changed or painted over. I've only a limited number of canvases to keep me going over the next few months!

So that's what I've been up to this week... staying at home, pottering in the garden, making lots more phone calls than usual and sending more messages. It's going to be our new normal!

A Feral Weekend

Last weekend I headed up to the English Lakes for a spot of feral spinning (I didn't know it was a thing either!) and rustic camping. I admit I hadn't the faintest idea what I was letting myself in for and I decided to go on a bit of a whim. To be honest the lure of the Lake District was enough - it's been far too long since I was last there, plus the weekend was being organised by the lovely Lucy Locket, a long time friend and blogger and the chance for a get together sounded too good to miss.

After a long seven hour drive I eventually arrived at the beautiful Dodson Wood on the east side of Coniston Water. Our home for the weekend was this amazing off-grid eco barn. No electricity, no washing facilities and compostable toilets but surprisingly cosy and comfortable. After depositing my bags and picking out my mattress I headed back to the lakeside with a couple of the other women where we paddled in the cool water as the sun set. After a delicious meal and an evening getting to know each other (I had only met Lucy before) we put out the candles and turned off our solar lights and settled down in our sleeping bags to cries of "Good night John Boy..." , each of us hoping we might make it through the night without unzipping, finding a torch and venturing outside for a wee. None of us managed it!

In the morning we split into two groups and I went out with the amazing Debbie Zawinsky author of In The Footsteps of Sheep, who took us on a circular walk foraging for dye stuffs such as lichen, heather, gorse flowers and oak leaves etc. We cut our own hazel sticks to make spindles and gathered sheep's wool from the fences. We also climbed a few gates and stiles and let's just say I'm not as young and agile as I used to be!

It was great to be out with someone so knowledgeable about the trees and countryside.

 

In the afternoon we swapped groups and I had an afternoon soap making with Maria from the Soap Dairy and came back with a bag of deliciously scented natural soaps.

In the evening after another hearty meal Debbie showed us how to cut and whittle our sticks to turn them into spinning sticks, nostepinnes, spindles and niddy noddies!

The next day Debbie demonstrated how to use our collected dye stuffs to make dye baths for the fleece we had collected and we produced a range of colours from yellows, to olive greens and browns. At lunchtime we ventured on a short hike up the hillside where we were rewarded with magnificent views.

At the top of the hill we arrived at Low Parkamore Cottage, a grade II listed 16th century farmhouse where gathered around the wood burning stove and Debbie demonstrated spinning using our hand made tools. It was like taking a step back in time.

On our last evening a few of us ventured back down to the Lake where three brave souls actually went for a swim. I was very tempted, never having tried wild swimming before but I didn't have a cossie with me and although I would have happily swum in underwear more importantly I had no cosy towel to dry off with. My small hand towel just didn't really feel adequate. Plus my niggly cough that I had come away with felt like it was building into something more than just a niggle! So I rolled up my trousers and made do with another paddle.

The rest of the evening was spent eating and singing when Debbie and her friend each a produced eukulele  and entertained us all evening with their songs and playing. We joined in and sang, we knitted and spun and there was even some basket making but most of all we laughed. I can't remember laughing so much.

I came home on Monday after a much better journey armed not only with a new skill - I have never tried spinning before - but also with new friends and lovely memories. I have spun two tiny skeins of yarn but I think it might be a while before I manage enough to knit a pair of socks. At least I have Debbie's book to inspire me.

I also treated myself to a couple of Lucy's beautiful knitting kits

And of course, I have my lovely soaps to try too.

I might have left my voice behind, it was full blown laryngitis by the time I arrived home, but it was a wonderful weekend and I am so glad I went. Although I have to admit the flushing loo and a hot shower at home were heavenly!

Catching up.

I think that blogs posts from me in the coming weeks might be a bit like the proverbial hen's teeth as I am finding juggling the job at the cafe along with everything else all consuming at the moment, not to mention exhausting. I'm not sure I'm quite rocking the 'struggling artist waiting tables to make ends meet' image at my age! All I can think about is this particular waitress!

Friday was a fun day at work though as we held a Wear it Pink day to raise money for Breast Cancer Now. I brought in some raspberry ripple cupcakes which were sold alongside all the other goodies and lots of friends popped in to support the good cause.

I then worked all day on Saturday and another five hours on Sunday but despite being tired I was determined when I finished on Sunday not to waste the last couple of hours of sunshine. Rather than venture further afield we just headed out of the house and walked the footpaths around our village.

As always Hector enjoyed the extra long walk and a chance for a good run.

We stayed out for almost two hours until the sun started to go down... it was beautiful.

I was also given a huge bag of quince (is quinces a word... I don't think so, it sounds wrong?) before the weekend so I couldn't let them go to waste. They look so gnarled, knobbly and unpromising but I know they yield the most exquisite perfumed jelly. They are ridiculously hard and difficult to cut when raw but I chopped them up and boiled them to a pulp before passing them through a jelly bag.

The result liquid was then boiled up with sugar and some lemon juice and I now have several jars of beautifully fragranced amber jelly.... fifteen jars to be precise! What on earth I will do with fifteen jars of quince jelly I'm not entirely sure. No prizes for guessing what I might be giving people at Christmas!

I also had a yearning to make Welsh cakes. My Mum used to make them when we were young although nowadays she buys them ready made from the supermarket. I thought if I made some I could take her a few... except we seem to have eaten them all. They really are best eaten warm and fresh... just saying! I promise I'll make more for my Mum.

It's probably not surprising that my own sewing seems to have taken a back seat over the past couple of weeks but I just had to share these two beautiful little gift boxes made by a couple of my students, Ruth and Julia, at my weekly machine embroidery class. They are just 5 cm square and really are gorgeous. Ruth has only been doing machine embroidery with me for seven weeks... how clever is that!

So that's what I've been up to over the past week or so... tomorrow I'm back at the cafe so life feels a little like a merry-go-round right now.

What have you been up to lately?

Weekends

Hello... anybody out there?

My last blog post seems to have gone out into a black hole. Having written a long review of what I had been reading lately and then only receiving two comments, I came to the conclusion that either it was totally uninteresting or possibly I had offended in my opinions (it wouldn't be the first time). Then I wondered were people put off by me slipping in another little mention of my India trip (Did you see what I did there?) But no, when I checked the stats it would seem hardly anyone even read my post. So I am consoling myself  in the knowledge that you have all been away doing something fabulous all weekend that has meant no time for reading blogs... so please don't burst my bubble and tell me you just weren't interested!

Our weekends have taken on a rather nice routine lately in a concerted effort not to let all days drift into one. With both of us at home for a large amount of the time is is easy for each day to seem the same as the last and there is a temptation to carry on with work related stuff seven days a week. Monday to Friday I am trying to concentrate on work related activities around teaching and making art but for the past few weekends we have perused the guide books and have taken ourselves off for longer than usual walks, exploring different neighbourhood areas.

The dog is especially pleased with this new routine with lots of new places to sniff and explore.

Yesterday we discovered Houghton House, the ruins of a 17th century mansion that was built as a hunting lodge in 1615 for Mary, Countess of Pembroke. With loggias possibly designed by Inigo Jones, it commands impressive views over the Bedfordshire countryside.

We also walked through an ancient wood where we literally were fighting our way through overgrown brambles... until we spotted a pathway only a couple of yards to our left that had been cleared for a mountain bike race. Funnily enough the walk became much easier after that!

We have walked across meadows, around lakes and along river banks enjoying spotting the various wildlife. We nearly always manage a church or two for a wander around as well. Last week we found a palace in Buckden that had been home to former Bishops of Lincoln. Five of them were buried in the churchyard

But the work life balance isn't going to always be divided so neatly between the weekdays and weekends as I have just started a part time job in a little cafe to supplement the household income. I did five hours on Saturday, wiping tables, operating the till and serving food and coffee after which I came home and pretty much didn't move until I crept into an early bed... shocking...9.30 pm on a Saturday night! I'm hoping the exhaustion induced inertia won't last as I get used to it. I managed to go in and help out for a couple of hours again yesterday before we went out for our walk and I was fine, so maybe I was just extra tired the day before.

It is a very pretty place to work as you can see and friendly too. I was also given barista training last week and was probably a little too excited at my first attempt at latte art. Especially as I think it is all a bit of nonsense really... Who cares what it looks like as long as it tastes okay... but that's just between you and me, okay!

This might just be the limit of my barista skills... could it be another 60 x 60 maybe? Which would mean I only have to do one more new thing to get to number 60 before I begin my 100 count down!

So what did you get up to this weekend?