WOYWW

I'm just barely getting back to the land of the living... after weeks of bronchitis and serious sinus infection and coughing so hard I've damaged tissue in the breast and rib areas.  I feel hard done by (what a whine hey?) as I never even usually get colds....ever !!..... but, finally I've given up fighting it on my own and am taking antibiotics on the insistence of my doctor.

Two days of that and my gut hates it... nausea....but, I persevere ... as I must.  A big sinus infection has lodged itself and won't be shaken without them it seems.

Today ...I am trying to also get back to WOYWW...(check it out here) and this is the bit of fluff that I did some half hearted playing with yesterday and today.

I began the actual shape weeks ago...before we went off to Portugal....but, am refining it and almost have it where I want it now.  (I hope to get some more Portugal photos on here soon too....) I'm trying to only play for a short time each day to ease my wonky elbow back into things.  Man, what a wreck I am for somebody who bragged how healthy she was and who seemed to think she was pretty amazing....sigh ..... right now I feel crappy.  Yep...that's all I can say about all of it.

Anyway... back to fun and fluff ....

My attempt to make a Gretel Goosie.... with fluff that she actually sent me so that I would have the real stuff instead of the rather stiff and fuzzy stuff I was trying to use.  It just wasn't going to make the same goose at all! This wool is soooo soft.  Thanks again Gretel... hope I can do a good one and make you proud.  I know at the moment it looks a bit more like the Lochness Monster...but, trust me...it'll be better later...... honest......

This is more the size of tiny guys I am used to making ...  hahha... only as big as a beak..... and how do I get that beak smaller...?  I'm stabbing away and it isn't happening... maybe I'll have to try again with a smaller piece of fluff.  Or, maybe I'll try squeezing it a bit and stabbing more and even some on the long angle of the thing...yeh...maybe that'll work.

I've only ever tried tiny bears, hippos and one mouse and erm....what else..? ...... well, that's it really.  Kind of got stuck on bears I guess.  It seems because I am used to making them of fabric...I can get a pretty good little face on a needle felted one too.  Well, I think that's the reason.  I can actually almost 'see' a little head shape taking form before I get too far along at all with the stabbing of the wool puffs.... and I like how they turn out for me.   This is Scruffy.  He actually won an award at a pretty big local fair .... at our Stampede...which is world famous...

They all begin the same though....huge puffs of varying types of wools.... stabbed thousands of times with a barbed needle til they become the desired shapes.  My pen tool will hold up to 3 needles ...or as few as one.... and gives something better than the skinny tip of the needle to hold onto while working on a piece.

If you'd like to try your hand at needle felting, there is lots of stuff online to check out.. and if you'd like to play WOYWW ... come on... do it.

Bright straw..

that's what I like to call the colour of this grass.   It's actually Pink Ribbon Grass ...and in summer it is lovely deep green with a light pink center area....

I leave it most winters ....so there is something interesting in the yard even in the snow.  I cut it back in the spring.

This year there was hardly any snow on it..it remained in perfect shape.. .and now... no snow for a long time except last week and a bit yesterday...but, it's all melting quickly.  Lovely days this week again temperature wise... and this looked so pretty from the window.

PS....just out of curiosity....what became of the little gold pencil that used to be at the bottom or our postings on the blog page?  So we could click on it to change something?  When did that change?  I liked it.  How do you go back into a post now to add something without having to scroll through dozens on the edit page? .... how? .....

Friday flowers....

......taken over and through fences of various gardens in Entroncamento on our walks about town on days we actually stayed home.  We put in a lot of miles ....same as last year.... but, this time even stayed away for days at a time.

Who can conceive of being able to grow Bird of Paradise in their backyard when one lives in Canada?  ...hahahha..... they would be covered in snow if they bloomed at this time of year anyway.  Well, every year with the exception of this one.  No snow and temperatures of guess what, today?   a great summery type golfing day here at +14C (courses won't open til end of April ) ....sunny and blue....sigh..... how I wish I wasn't coughing too hard to go outside.  I would surely wet my pants half way 'round the block if I went for a walk.

My sister mentioned that these are definitely not the golden years...not even remotely close to resembling the silver ones either ....she was thinking probably closer to rust and corrosion would be more like it if one tried to describe things.  Yep.  I feel exactly like a rusted out old car body.  Look like one too for that matter.

So, instead, I send flowers..... check out  Susan's header and pics on her post .... beautiful... and Sylvia's too....alway so lovely ...  I saw several blogs with flowers earlier today whilst trying to keep myself occupied and in a position that least initiates coughing.  Because it reeeellly hurts!  Which totally negates lying down....drat.  I just want to lie down and go to sleep for about 4 days right now........

Don't know what these actually are ..but love the watermelon colour....

update:::   some say it is quince....... okay then, we'll go with that.

And, finally, some blossoms above the hillsides of grapes at one of the Port quintas we visited.  The blossoms were alive with bees.... buzzzzzzing......... I thought I was very brave leaning right into the tree.  Of course I didn't think to zoom in......sigh.... shows how light headed I was already.  Hahahha...what an idiot...

Lipstick and White Linen

This afternoon I actually put on lipstick and some lovely White Linen body cream after my bath.  Got to try to make myself feel much better than I do.  Been having uncontrollable coughing fits that got to be a bit scary.  And, of course, they finally took their toll.  Ribs or tissue is now painful...but, today finally I am saying I've rounded a huge corner.  No coughing fits today.  Thank goodness..

Word from the doctor is .... bronchitis and severe sinus infection.  Gee... already knew that.... especially from the gunk I am blowing out...oh, sorry who wants to hear about that .. if you were drinking tea or having a nibble...sorry.

This is ridiculous. The cold didn't actually go away.  It just got progressively worse after the one day I almost fooled myself into thinking I was feeling a bit better.  Silly me.  I probably should have just succumbed. Or at least one of us should have. Gone to bed and moaned our way through a few days and told the others to go on without us  But, no....not any of us ..... Nope.  Instead, like somebody on holiday and be damned if a cold was gonna keep us down....onward we went.  I kept thinking and saying 'intrepid'; mostly to myself, but was really and truly thinking the other "i" word.  You know the one.  Idiot.

First to Porto, where we made things worse I'm sure and by then one or two of the others had a cough too. Walked by the river Douro after dark ...yeh..really good for us all.....like I said...we were nuts.  It was pretty though....I don't remember much...but, I've got photos to prove it....thank goodness.

We even walked across that lower footbridge to the other side and up and down hill and dale over there in the neighbouring town called Vila Nova de Gaia.  More on all of that for another post.
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For now... it is Thursday.  And that means there is Equine Therapy happening at the centre.  My friend Maria volunteers here..... I thought it would be just a little place known to locals and I tagged along on one of her days.  WOW!  It is a world class training centre!   Who knew?  It has it's own site where you can view the beautiful horses trained and raised on the quinta.  What an amazing day it was.  I hope I was not so very contagious that I passed on my illness to any of the little guys and gals having fun at the riding ring. I did not stand beside them too long and was out and about taking photos and looking at the other horses and land and stalls and exercising areas etc...and getting a slight shock before I realized the rope I was holding was a lightly electrified enclosure.... sigh....   Good luck everybody on not getting my plague.  Please all be healthy.

This huge Stallion... called Pino... was pounding his front hooves on his stall door..trying to get some attention... then grabbing his blanket from way outside his stall door...and trying to unlatch the upper lock...they have one placed on the lower part of his door just because he can..... and in general being waaaay too frisky for my liking.  I have been bitten twice before by horses...(I still love them but I am a bit wary nowadays) and know what it feels like so I wasn't going to even try pet him when we walked one of the handicapped kids up to his stall.  Maria was too brave for my liking and it made me nervous. ...she petted his nose and he did try to nip on her....he bared his teeth and nipped at her plenty of times and in general made a nuisance of himself...and was doing a lot of very frisky hopping (hopping as in how very BIG guys do if ya know what I mean)  around in there .... and then.....


suddenly..........this....

 

Little Joao stood close to the stall door and just raised his hand ....no words at all...just raised up his little hand........

That big horse just became a gentle giant.

This my favourite photo of them... I love it.

The kids were having their ride around on a very gentle much smaller horse in the arena...but, Celine, the trainer and manager of the quinta was training one of the big horses while they were doing so.  I am betting that if that horse gets to the top rings nothing will startle him in his beautiful routines.  The kids were busy doing what kids do and of course, it included a bit of squeaking and giggling and nonsense.... especially since somebody new was there.  Me.  Even Celine had to ask for a bit of respect for her horse finally...and then all went back to more or less normal humdrumming .....

Here she is on one of the horses in training...

Meanwhile on the outside of the ring...the kids were having their fun...... and standing very close to that very low barrier you see in the background...under two feet high I would guess..we stepped easily over it... .... and the horses are encouraged to use the whole arena... sometimes actually brushing you with their tails if you stand too close.

Kids riding around the outside ...Celine in the centre again.....

I think this one tells it all.  Celine. Slim and wiry as a whip.....master horse trainer.... looks like she means business doesn't she? ...

hello blog buddies...

I've run away for a few weeks...  ....to Entroncamento, Portugal ....  same little town we visited last year.  It wasn't planned and was last minute, but we decided to come anyway......

Yep...we've run away...so don't have access to my own computer...and I wanted to post a photo...but, am having trouble figuring out how I did it last year....hmmm... so, you might not see any Portugal for a week or so... oh, hey.... there it is, finally, at least I found one from last year that I could move around.... this is from a seaside area called Peniche.

Poor Mr. BV had a terrible time with pain in his sinuses on the descent into Amsterdam....and it didn't really go away til we got to Portugal.... and I got off the plane with a sore throat and it escalated into a rotten cough and lots of nose blowing .....and then?  I gave to everybody else.  Bad me.... .... second cold in as many months after not having one for 17 years....horrible.... and, now I am quite a bit better and everybody else is down and out with it...... not good at all.

Not quite the fun start we expected on what should be a good time in Portugal.... but, somehow we have still managed to put in lots of miles and see lots of country and taste some Port in Porto, the city of port.  Later today, we are headed for the Algarve.... if everybody feels up to it.....

A Valentine's Day gift

It was an amazing day.  I opened the door to the postal guy who was delivering a package....along with special encouragement and generosity from a fellow blogger, needle felter, artist extraordinaire and friend.

Remember me saying I wanted to make my own Snowdrop?  Just like Gretel makes..?  Well, of course, it would be pretty well impossible to make a twin of anything she makes because she has a special knack and plenty of talent and ... hahaha.... a much healthier, working arm/hand..etc.... .... ...but I so wanted to try one.  Beginning slowly due to this silly arm business.... I did make a start ... but, then had some questions....especially about the type of wool...

This is mine that I was using and I have used it for several little bears of course..but, the finished surface will never be very smooth when the wool is kind of rough textured like this, and  ...well, ...almost kinky by comparison ....  but mostly I put on some extra 'fur' after making the little shapes for my bears anyway...so it doesn't really matter with them, does it?











However, her Snowdrop looked so smooth to me...I was sure I needed something different for wools...so I asked.... and she explained how different her wool is compared to my rough stuff.  And, then...she sent me some lovely soft Snowdrop wool ... (I could hardly stop caressing it) and a close up picture .. so I have a better chance at playing copycat.  How lucky am I to have a friend like that?
Look at the difference in the texture of the two wools.

And, this says it all.... one of her amazing whimsical art cards. A special fantasy boat.. swan figurehead and all ...  an intrepid passenger aboard... . Guess what it is called?

 The Hopeful Quest...

It's me sitting there I'm sure .....  .... the intrepid traveller ..  ..on my quest to make my own little Snowdrop.... thanks so much Gretel.....

                                                                 

WOYWW(T)

Missed it.  The day that is.  Wednesday came and Wednesday went.... just like that! Snap... sooooo ....I added the T in brackets for Thursday...cute hey?  hahaha...oh, alright ...it's no big deal...but I kinda like it and thought I was being pretty humorous.

I haven't done much at all with anything crafty since last week.  All I managed to do is stitch into place a gusset on the head of my guy.

Here is the head with the 'gusset' in place.  That is the part on the top of the head that gives the head some width and some shape.  Different shaped gussets totally change the shape of the finished head.  However, they all look strange to me before they are stuffed.
Doesn't it look like a crocodile shape to you?  It does to me.  Always ...even when I make totally different shapes of gussets.

 Many of the other WOYWW participants will have much more to keep you intrigued.... check them out.... perhaps join in the fun...

Happy Valentine's Day

Not much exciting to show that looks like it belongs to the day though....so I give you, instead.... flowers from my garden last summer.  I love peonies .. they look like fluffy pink clouds.

I gave away my heart cookie cutters a couple of years ago to another blogger... silly me.... and haven't come across a new set yet.

 I didn't always use them just for cookies either....they were handy for all sorts of things.  See how cute they look as part of my table decorating on another Valentine's Day?

So, no cookies..but, I did bake a cute little loaf of bread yesterday... and we had a slice of it hot ...slathered with lovely butter.  And...I declared it was our "day before Valentine's Day treat" ... does that count?

Actually the recipe, which is Carson's, from over at The 7 MSN Ranch, makes two cute little "couple" sized loaves (or one bigger loaf), but I took the other to a neighbour.  Bread is so lovely hot and fresh.  And, the husband of the couple wants to learn to make bread...so this is the very simplest of loaves to make ...and,....it tastes great!  I'm encouraging him.

It finally looks like winter here this morning....we had a few inches of snow yesterday........

Soggibottom Giveaway....

acckkkk!! almost didn't give you a chance to win this little guy!  I went to Soggibottom blog to enter..and part of it was ...of course.... letting friends in on the giveaway.... which I totally forgot to do.
How rude of me.

I was busy hopping about from blog to blog and got lost and then found my way again...and ...well... you know how it goes.  And...it can go on for hours...as some of you also know.... I waste a bit of time on here some days.... okay.... a lot of time.  Too much time.  If I crafted as much as I do 'computering'..... well...I might have a body stitched up already for my little white fluffy guy. Oh..... bad me.


Anyway.... look at this sweet little donkey we could win.  Any of us.... yes...I'm serious.....you still have time..... so,  hurry over to  Soggibottom and check out some real donkeys too... all fluffy with their winter coats... so cute.... ..

WOYWW

Almost missed it!  It's after 11 at night.....

But... if I want to play...I must try to be regular...so here I am.  Better late than not at all I guess.

A friend came on Saturday to get some pointers on making a bear of her own.  I found some old pattern pieces I had cut over a year ago... and managed to put a head together while she did some stitching.  It's not a bear...... but, actually from the look of it ....well, hey...it could be anything at this point, right?

We yakked and laughed and had some fun.  Oh, and some biscotti too...

more pieces .... just hanging out ....waiting for some stitching......

If you look closely..you will see that I traced my pieces with a ballpoint pen.  Don't do that. Especially on white fabric.  It might show through the fabric at a later date.  And, if it gets wet... there could even be some dye leaching into the fabric from the ink.  I do some dumb things sometimes...and now...I am stitching in from the edge further than I usually do...so that I can just trim off the lines.  More work.  But, that's me for ya some days.  Duh......

I won't do it again.... .. honest.... ...


If you would like to play along with us on WOYWW ...why not head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and see what it's all about? ..

Day after Groundhog day..

I didn't see any groundhogs yesterday, and actually...didn't even hear about or read about what the famous ones had to say regarding how much longer our "winter" will be.  Who cares?  La la la la la ...... We have been so lucky with our phenomenal weather...I don't dare even think about it becoming winter at this point.... we have been totally lulled into some kind of trance .... with sunny days..plus temperatures...and great driving conditions. In Canada..in the winter!  Unbelievable!

Besides...I was busy admiring Gretel's goosie... on groundhog day... and trying to get a decent photo for my show and tell.  Each month of my beautiful calendar from her has a different little Middle of Nowhere creation.
This guy... yikes! sorry Snowdrop....this girl!! sorry Gretel... the diamante collar should have definitely given that away! ..it's me old eyes! .....  makes me want to get out my barbed needles...and start stabbing!  I want to create one too....or ...well,  ...I doubt I can do one quite this lovely....but, you know...something even remotely resembling Snowdrop would be great...

If I get going on her soon ...she will be done by about ...oh,.... say.... summertime?

WOYWW

Found this tiny needle felted mousie (and the panda head too; he wonders.. can he have a nose please? ) during the whirlwind week of desk tidying.  Sort of 'forgot' where I put her too in the wildness of it all.  Oh, man....somehow I must get more organized.  And then...must give away some of the stuff I just never get around to using.  We know we won't be able to ever do the many and varied crafty things we want to try...but, we keep on trying ...don't we? ..

But, this week, I am definitely looking in all the bags and boxes and containers to  make sure exactly what I do have. ...and there she was. Half finished. .... well, more than half actually...but, I do wonder what I was using for that dainty pink of her toesies.... hmmm.... maybe I'll come across some of whatever it was if I continue to tidy. I know it was not wool...I have never had any pink wool. I'm sure of that. Nobody will want a mousie with only one or 2 toes...must find it....

She doesn't look much different from my little felted bears... although, if turned sideways...she does have a bit of a longer and point-ier snout.... and those are just test eyes and a test nose.... on pins. To check for size and placement.  She is just all pinned together and her little flower pinned on too...

And, they are not even on my workdesk.  They are hanging out on the dining room table...so I don't forget about them.  They want action.  And, they want it now.  Good for them.  So tiny and yet so insistent...ahhahha.... kind of remind me of me.
Karen stopped by and asked if they were felted.... and I thought I should just pop back to say...yes..they are.  See that little bit of purplish fluff at the front of the foam block they are sitting on?... that is how she began.  Needle felting is bits of wool that have been stabbed ...many hundreds and thousands of times with a barbed needle...til you get them into the shapes you want.  Then I join the limbs and head to the body with upholstery thread.  The eyes are black onyx beads and the noses will be embroidered with Perle cotton.  The pink bits...I'm not sure...hahha...but, I think they were tufts of rayon pulled from some pieces of fluffy rayon fabric... and then needled in.  I have discovered that all sorts of things felt up alright..

Aha.  She found him a nose.  Too tiny.  Makes him look more like a racoon....but, it'll keep them happy for now.

I have no idea how it can possibly be Wednesday again...already.  This is craziness.  Another week shot.  Warp speed.  Sigh...

Check out all the other ladies and their workdesks at Janet's on a Wednesday...

Commenting...

I hear every so often that some folks are having problems leaving comments on other blogs ... apparently this might help. Found it through another blogger....

http://downourcountryroad.blogspot.com/2012/01/cant-leave-comment-not-getting-comments.html

it is as simple as changing some settings... for those NOT using Safari or Firefox...

just popped on to say......  and I'm afraid that's it for today.... off to physio now....

catch ya later...

Huh ???

Yes, I guess I obsessed.  More than just a bit.  I had to figure out where I had put poor little Rumpel.  It totally freaked me out that I had absolutely no recollection of having put him anywhere at all... am I losing those last three marbles?... is it happening already? ...

So... back in there again I went.  He had to be there...somewhere... in that room!! No place else he could be.

I looked in every drawer and cabinet..once again...after already having looking several times.  This time I even climbed onto a chair to make sure I hadn't missed him ... perhaps on a higher shelf.
It was kind dim up there with no lights..but.... hey.. just a minute!

What's that? ?

Are those two trying to conceal something?
Is that a tiny foot ? ... a spindly leg?....

What the ????

Oh, sure ..just pretend nothing happened.  Nothing at all.  Weirdoes ! ...

.... oh, alright .... it wasn't all their fault.  I have to 'fess up.  Suddenly, I did remember.  During the week, I did a reeeellly good tidy in my craft room because we were having neighbours over.  I placed him in an inconspicuous spot... safe til I wanted to work on him again.  Yeh...safe... til about 2020 if I hadn't spied the poor little guy....

You know how we like to make sure there is not a lot of 'stuff'  hanging around making things look messy if somebody other than us peeks into a room... ...even if it IS my craft room.  Well, I do anyway.  And..I guess I figured I would make him disappear for the night.  Just like poor Harry Potter ...pretending he didn't exist.. and then... after a week of excitement and busy-ness....totally forgot what I did with him.

Whew!  I did actually have the awful thought ..for just a moment... that I had perhaps done away with him for some reason.... ...

Missing.

Last seen in my untidy craft room.
Then,....I cleaned and tidied.

Uh, oh.....

Now...I can't for the life of me find him.

Rumpelstiltskin.

Gone.

Remember him?  He still needs proper booties....and I was sort of thinking maybe I could do something with those to get me going on crafty stuff once again.  But, I can't find the little guy.

I've opened and shut every darn drawer in the room... looked under and in every single box, package and basket.

Where the heck did I put him?

Oh, man...I bet I won't find him for a decade or two........... and he'll still need boots.

WOYWW

Hahahha...if you haven't heard it or seen it before it could throw you for a loop, eh?  What's on Your Workdesk.  Wednesday...   


I see it on Twig's blog every Wednesday...and she, and her sister, are always sooooo busy... it boggles my poor little mind.


This is my workdesk today and has been for months now.....my kitchen counter.  Yep. That's about it.  

 Seems to me all I've been doing is baking and cooking.  Which I do enjoy...but.... I must try to get back to some sort of crafting and fun stuff.... and soon.  When one bakes...and eats; one must spend an inordinate amount of time working out to get rid of excess calories!


After golf season (which was waaaay back in early October!) and my extremely painful elbow...I could not do any small things with finger and thumb at all!  And... now... just seem to have grown away from it all.... no motivation or inclination to do much of anything...and my elbow still is pretty painful if I try to use my hand.  Last time at physio they froze my elbow and my neck and upper scapular muscles...supposedly to try to break the pain loop, damage the muscles a bit and try to initiate more of a healing response.  So far...all it did is produce a huge lump on my upper back...and a painful lump on the lateral epicondyle of my elbow area... fingers crossed.  Oh, yeh...hahhah.... and the young sports medicine doctor jabbed her own finger, had to retire to her office for a brief time out and to get a new needle ... I had a laugh at her expense.   


This is my workdesk today.... all tidy and waiting for somebody to play in there.  Can you tell an ex dental assistant lives here?  hahahhah.... All the tools of the bear and doll making trade...neatly aligned, organized and just waiting to be used.  Look...I even splurged and bought a pair of Ginghers, (yikes! the $$$$$ )  Those pretty patterned ones.... blue and yellows, see 'em?  Can hardly wait to try using them.  But...on what?  

Today ...it will be Banana Chocolate chip muffins.  Check out my other blog for more recipes some time.  Mr. BV likes to take a muffin in his lunches and I try to make sure he has a few choices in the freezer.  Who wants to take the same muffin 8 days in a row?  Right now the only ones in there are strawberry ... so today's will be a nice addition.


There are lots of interesting blogs to see on WOYWW.  Check them out here.  All of a sudden...you are hopping here there and everywhere from those as well...ooohhhhhh it boggles ..... but, I have found two neat tutorials already, what fun!  I definitely want to try the pincushion/box I hopped to from one other blog ... maybe that could be my jump starter....     

another little cutie..

Not that long ago, I had him on my Etsy page as one of my favs.... because he was so sweet looking... and then...he went on sale ...and then... well...it's just one of those little faces who have to come live at my house because by then.... erm..., who could refuse him a home?  Not me!

Same as the saying about "beauty being in the eye"..blah, blah...I'm sure cute is also probably only in the eye of the beholder and how each beholder perceives cute...... and my perception of cute is Ogi...

He came all the way from Poland... and his little toque and scarf are hand knit...  worth the price just for those.  I must ask her if she would knit a few more little things for some of my tiny bears.  I don't know how to knit.  She obviously has it down pat.
Agnieska (check out her Flickr site to see her felting) is a needle felter I met via my Flickr site.... she stopped by to see my needle felted bears one day and we struck up some conversation.  Check out her Etsy site to see her little bears, dogs and other critters.. her prices are very affordable if you would like to get a little fellow of your own...

It doesn't have to be Christmas for me to appreciate a snowman...this is Canada after all.  Lots of us have "after Christmas" wreaths for our doors...or huge pots of twigs, greenery, pinecones, berries etc... usually no glitter or ribbons .... just lovely-to-look-at winter decor.  And, why not?  Winter is going to be hanging around these parts for many months yet.  We like to put some colour and fun out there to complement the snowy or dull surroundings.  Right now... we do have some snow and it is pretty...but, some weeks... it is just dull, brown, and dead really.... except for some doorway and porch decor.

My little snowman will be an indoor guy.  Sitting on my dining room table... with plants.  He won't melt.  And he has an occasional bear to keep him company...

I love brown paper packages!

Especially from 'Royal Mail'  .... ooooh   ....  always sounds so posh doesn't it? ......Tied with string or taped...I don't even care about that.  And, why can't I get my print over to the left side now that I have changed out a photo?   arrghhhhn....... 

I'm going to show you each month and its photo as we go through the year... January is Oscar, the blue elephant.  Last year I missed out on a calendar from Gretel.... not this year!  I was at the ready the second I knew there were some in her shop.

                                                                       








Each month has a lovely photo of one of her amazing creations...my photo is not amazing in this case... I'm a blur myself today.  Trying to get some clearing out and sorting done.  And... taking every single teeeeeensy bear out of my curio and washing all the glass, inside and out.. plus the shelves and mirrored backing..... a very loooong procedure if you are me.  Plus...the glass shelves are a bit tricky to get out with this wrecked wing.  I may have to wait for help if they defy me....

Have you seen her Mrs. Mouse's Cupcakes?  They look yummy enough to eat.  I'll have one with berries on top please!

Mmmmmmm... yes !....thanks.........

Contrary to popular belief...

I am still alive and kicking.  Haven't been kicking very forcefully though, because my Christmas gift was .... a cold.  Yup.  That's what I got.  And other than two sort of sniffly days last year the first real honest to goodness cold I've had since 1995.  It was a doozy.  I hope my body has now renewed its vows with some wicked cold antibodies and that together we are good for another wonderful 15 years of cold free bliss...

After a full 13 days of varying stages of feeling crappy....I declare this...the 13th....to be the end of it.... although, I still don't think I sound like me when I speak. Maybe one more day.  The usual 10 to 14 days plus lingering symptoms for 3 weeks is definitely at work here.

Yesterday... when I was still at the giantpuffballforahead stage, I tried to get some appointments organized...ohhhhhh....I wish I had waited one more day.  I had to actually drive to two separate doctor's offices because I couldn't get past hanging on this end of the phone waiting to speak to a real person.  Nobody seemed to be answering phones when I walked in either...hmmmm.... and then the confusion that ensued between me not asking the right questions or the receptionists not getting my drift or them not being very helpful.  I felt totally confused, small and very weary by the time I pulled the van into the driveway.

I do now have an appointment with a specialist for my ongoing elbow problem and am organized with more physio.  I can't believe how quick the doctors are to assume a person just wants more or stronger painkillers.  Without even looking at you really.  Just walk into the room and ask what you are taking and if it is covering the pain.  I don't want painkillers doc....I want this darn arm fixed.  Shocked silence. Not my regular doctor, but still....    I have been suffering ...without pain killers .. just taking an occasional Ibuprofen more for the anti inflammatory part of it... since August ...with October being the very worst and when I could hardly move the arm.....  which I told her.  More silence.  We finally got on the same page, as they say.... and she referred me to a guy I have seen before.. for other injuries, but, he is backed up 4 months... and, I'm definitely not waiting that long as it has already been far too long.  So... his 'second'... and in the same office ... good enough.

Nobody knew where she worked at the onset though,  so it was a confusing thing to take my referral note to the first guy's office only to have the receptionist say she would put it on the desk after saying he couldn't see me for months.  Huh?  Whose desk?...why the second doctor of course.  Oh, silly me...of course...sheeesh.... I had no idea she worked in the same office. ..and nobody actually said... oh, well...loong story shorter...I'm organized.  I wrote it all down.  They can't fool me forever.  But, needless to say I felt like an idiot after the conversation went around in circles long enough for the actual doctor to come out of her office to try to clear up the conversation...only to be sucked into it totally and from there ... it got even worse..hahahhahahha.... oh, brother.

Enough of that.

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I had some cranberries left ...fresh ones.  So, I found some relish/chutney recipes and made some.  I have no idea what the difference is really, although some references point to chutney being more about fruit than vegetables..as is relish.  Jury still out I think.

As usual, it's my own concoction anyway...and does have some onion in it... along with some orange peel and other goodies.  Mmmmm... it is yummy.  And, seeing as the days after Christmas are pretty much a blue blur...I will be using it soon.  Because now I have some energy, and am planning to make Tortiere...which is usually a French Canadian Christmas Eve tradition.  I didn't get around to making one, and now...I want one.  With a big dollop of my new chutney beside it.  Which I managed to do just fine even with my puffball head.  Maybe making it up as I went along was better than trying to actually read directions ..hahha.... but,  honest...I did read some of it.... really I did.  I just improvised a bit...... to make my life easier.  And..it would seem.... pretty tasty at the same time.

here's what I'm doing today...

baking some of these.  Double Chocolate Chunk cookies...with cherries.... mmm... and with the link....reprising an old post from 2009 on my other blog.. Tea and Scones .... and.... figuring out how to make some photos smaller so that I can continue loading them ..even though I am nearly at 98% as far as blogger is concerned ( and, thank you to Catherine for helping me figure that one out)! I guess other people probably figured all of this out long before I did.  I AM a bit slow.
And...perhaps my way is still a bit convoluted... I am now exporting them to my documents..in smaller size and then uploading them from there to blogger... but, it does make them much smaller files to upload so perhaps I will have to go back through many postings.......and reload the pics.... smaller.....oh, dear...... I see a lot of work ahead of me......sigh...... or...I could just pay a few bucks and add more space to my blog....
Anybody have a better solution?  If so, please let me know.....

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