Update On My Mum....

Firstly, may I thank you all for your kind words and prayers for my Mum.

She went down for her surgery at around 8.45am on Monday - they allowed us to see her right to the doors of the theatre and we had a very emotional and tearful goodbye.

Sis and I went off back to Sis's house (which is a lot closer than mine to the hospital) and had a bit of breakfast and then spent a tense morning until we could call at 12.000m. However, she still wasn't out of surgery so we called again at 1.30pm to be told she'd been out an hour and all had gone well.

I was so relieved I cried.

We were advised to go to hospital in the evening as they wouldn't be bringing her out of sedation until at least then.

So we popped to the shop, had a bit of lunch and I had a snooze in my nieces bed before we headed back to the hospital about 6.15pm.

When we arrived Mum was in the High Dependancy Unit (this is because as a "fast track" case she is a straightforward one so didn't need to be in Intensive Care) and she was still intubated and anaesthetised.

Not long after we arrived they began waking her up. She was very woozy but kept talking and knew we were there.

There has been some difficulty getting on top of her pain. When she awoke she kept saying "Hurting, hurting" and they gave her morphine into her central line which I thought would help but it didn't seem to be easing things for her.

If my Sis and I went quiet she would say "Gone?" and we'd tell her we were still there. When we whispered to each other she told us off - as children we were never allowed to whisper between ourselves in case we were up to no good!!

She'd also ask where one or the other of us was and she'd say "Sarah?" and I would tell her I was there and she'd go "Knitting?" which tickled us.

As she kept fearfully asking for us we settled in for the night. I didn't want to leave her, I couldn't bare the thought of her asking if we were still there and them saying we weren't.

But at midnight the Ward Sister came and persuaded us to leave. I was in floods of tears and my Ss virtually frog marched me out. The Ward Sister said Mum wouldn't remember any of the night and that we needed to get some sleep.

I got home about 1.30am and after 20 draining hours fell into bed.

Yesterday morning we returned to the hospital about 9.30am. Mum was still in agony but much more lucid and the first thing Mum said was "I asked "gone?" and you were" - OMG I was in floods. That is exactly why I hadn't wanted to leave :0(

We were quite shocked at how poorly Mum still was, I mean we expected her to be weak, tired and very sore but not to still be in agony. All day they tried to get on top of her pain, I spoke to two doctors and they kept her on Oramorph.

Her oxygen sats were low too so they had her on oxygen and in the afternoon the physio sat her in a chair which seemed barbaric but would help her sats.

Sis and I had to bully her a little to get her to eat as she was afraid of being sick as it would be so painful. She managed a little food.

We left her shortly after dinner as she was exhausted. Since returning home I have felt the worst since it all happened as she is still so poorly. I wasn't expecting it. Everyone else in HDU seems much, much more "normal".

Today my Sis is there and I am going a bit later. Her oxygen sats are still low so she has had to go onto CPAP. I'm going over shortly.

Sorry this post is so rambling and wordy, I needed to unload it all out of my head I guess.

The one thing I mustn't forget is to mention how wonderful the nurses are. The care and compassion with which they look after my Mum and other terribly poorly patients is amazing. They truly do a most fantastic job....

Hugs,

S x

 

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Shocking News....

My lovely Mum is in hospital following a heart attack.

She came to my house on Monday and said her chest hurt, in fact (as we both suffer from health anxiety and so are always worrying that something is wrong with us) what she actually said was "I'm having a heart attack today" and we both went "Yeah, yeah, what again, haha!!"

On Tuesday her chest was still hurting, but Mum being Mum she went to work (she is actually a retired florist but works 9 hours in a gift shop). She felt unwell and nearly came home but didn't want to trouble them (!!!!) so she completed her shift and then rang the surgery when she got home.

They advised her to call an ambulance!! And yet again she nearly didn't as she didn't want to trouble them.

Long story short is she is having triple bypass surgery in the morning.

We are in shock.

Even when it was concluded she had had a heart attack we didn't think for a minute it meant she would need open heart surgery.

I am terrified. I am not ready in any way to be an orphan!! I want her for many, many more years. I want to be laughing and arguing with her when *I* am an old woman....

So, if you could send good vibes and prayers from 8.00am I'd be truly grateful....

Hugs,

S x

 

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Meadow Gate....

You may or may not remember that the catalyst for my becoming crafty was watching the lovely Suzie Johnson from The Wool Sanctuary teach Kirstie Allsopp to knit in Kirstie's first crafting series "The Homemade Home".

This was the series in which Kirstie renovated the dilapidated cottage Meadow Gate in North Devon. I clearly remember Kirstie saying to Suzie "My Mum told me I'll never knit as I'm left handed".

I thought similar (though I am right handed) as despite having a Mum who excelled at them I had never mastered crochet, knitting or any other textile craft. After watching Kirstie learn to knit I was prompted to give crochet another try.

And then sewing; knitting; embroidery both by machine and hand. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So, imagine my delight when my dear friend Cuckoo invited me on Suzie Johnson's Knit Club holiday to Meadow Gate!!

I spent last Monday- Friday there and it was just bliss. There was lots of nattering, less knitting (I discovered I too much of a novice to knit and natter simultaneously!!) and cake was the main food group.

I have lots of photos for you!!

Meadow Gate

The view from the front of the house, just between the cliffs is the sea....

The back....

Looking out of back door there is a stream....

Lovely Aga, you can't see from the pic but even the oven nearest to us was part of it, it is mahoosive!!

The gorgeous Kerry posing next to the famous WOW in the kitchen!!

Suzie chatting to Cuckoo while Cuckoo makes a yummy stew....

View from my room....

Sitting room with the remains of our cake lunch....

About to take a dip in the lovely Art Deco bath, I remember Kirstie getting this from a salvage yard - it's very long!!

Shelves in the Art Deco bathroom....

Playroom....

With the log burner roaring....

Kirstie's notebook....

On the last night the twin room was free and so I jumped in as I loved this room from the show!!

Such a pretty, girly room....

There are three baths at Meadow Gate (I had a go in all 3!!) and this is my favourite in the master bedroom....

Due to my anxiety this trip was way out of my comfort zone, and I did have a wibble on the first night when I got to bed. But the next morning I felt much better and I so enjoyed getting to know the lovely ladies that were with me (there were 12 of us in all) - some of which I had met before and some of which were strangers.

I have come away with some true friends.

Really looking forward to the next one!!

Hugs,

S x

 

 

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Big Catch Up....

Time to do a big catch up post - I have really meaning to blog more regularly but yet again I have been slack - I had a chance to talk to some fellow bloggers last week and it definitely seems to be Instagram which has contributed to myself and a lot of my favourites blogging less frequently.

It's a fab app, which I love and I have met lots of people on there, some of which have become firm friends. In fact a bunch of us met up last week at the lovely venue of Barnet Hill for a whole day of crafting:

We were in the library, the door at the end....

Although only a few of us had met before we all got on swimmingly and we had a lovely day, not least because there was lovely food (including cake) flowing all day!!:

My dear friend Ashley from Country Rose was there and that meant of course so was the lovely baby Arthur (I don't seem to have a decent pic!!) and he was as good as gold.

Also this week I took delivery of some pretty yarn:

This weeks bargain was a pink polka dot Cath Kidston duvet set from eBay for £24!!:

And my lovely Stepdad gave me some gorgeous china:

Crafting wise I have finished a couple of my house portrait embroideries:

I also made a sign as a christening gift for a friends little girl:

At the christening my knitted shawl had its first outing:

And that's all I have to report for now, for tomorrow I am off to Meadowgate!! Kirstie Allsopp's Meadowgate!!

I am beyond excited about this as it was the Kirstie's first crafting series "The Homemade Home" where she refurbished Meadowgate that started me on my crafting journey.

Will be back soon with all the details!!

Hugs,

S x

 

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