Crafty Update - Hooked loveliness and a whinge or two

While I haven't been a prolific hooker and stitcher as before, I have been making.  I still find it hard to sit down and create.  I've pinned lots of inspiration but just can't get myself into the making part.  I have made stuff, but only because I needed the money, doing it for the sheer pleasure has long since left me. I think my life is out of balance, health-wise, financially, relationships, and my home.  Maybe blogging will bring me some satisfaction.  I started a writing course a few weeks ago, everyone else is finishing week 2 I'm struggling to get motivated half way through week one.  Perhaps I should just stop fighting this lethargy, and rest and allow everything to just flow along as it is for a short while. But enough of my whinging you came here to look at pretties. 

Not 2017 but just before christmas 2016.  She was such a pretty girl

These little guys went buzzing off down to On the Verandah..  

Add caption

Mutant bunnies made from leftover body parts

I thought I would try something different for the trees latest bikini.
Freeform crochet inspired by Prudence Mapstone.  I did actually love doing this and I
 am amazed by the tourists taking photos of it. I actually saw a queue at weekend.. 

Just a few flowers before bedtime.  I needed to use up some yarn and there was also
nothing on tele that night. During the day I also embroidered a rose button.  

The next night, the garden grew.  All made in the advert breaks

The third night the garden was finished.  Though 18 leaves had been made
 at the hospital during the day while I was waiting for a biopsy

Over the years of making ami's I have ended up with a few failed ones and have collected quite a few body parts.  I also had bits of yarn that needed using up.  I made these snuggly lovies earlier this year..  I played around with some of the octopus legs I had left over.  Mmmmmmm, that gave me an idea. 

See the octopussy, isn't she cute.

I keep telling myself if this is what I can do when I am not in the mood or feeling inspired then just think what I could do if I was. I've only posted a few of the things here that I have made.  In the past I was too obsessed, this is probably my limit now and I should accept that.  Nearly everything has sold or been given as gifts.  I have a few ideas floating around and rather than trying to do 6 of them all at once I should concentrate on one at a time. I need to discipline myself.  

Till next time.... 

Apologies....

I love to write, well I did.  Now it seems such a chore.  There is no point making promises to be here more often, I know I wouldn't keep them. I found two draft posts from earlier in the year.  I don't even remember writing them. I am such a baaaaaad blogger.

It was so windy, Ryan had to hold
on to his little mum to keep her from blowing away.

So what is going in in my life... Not much, same old, same old but we did have a couple of moments of joy, and of tears.   My youngest son got married.  I am now officially a 'mother-in-law'.  I plan on being a very good one.  It was a very windy day.  The wedding chapel was on the beach, a beautiful spot, but very windy.  There were lots of happy tears and laughter.

Many years ago, probably 32.  My late beautiful mother-in-law,
my wonderful late husband, and me. A family wedding in Chorley. 

The sad tears came a few weeks ago as we farewelled my wonderful mother-in-law.  She had been an inspiration for me for over 40 years, never judging, always there if needed. For a long time she had welcomed death, but he chose not to visit her.  Her body and mind failing her eventually she slipped away.  She had a life well lived and was loved by everyone that knew her.  She had a way of saying 'oh Jan', sometimes it was in exasperation, sometimes pity, sometimes joyous.  She didn't have to say anything else. I knew what she was saying and I knew she was there for me. I miss our long chats, she always forgot the time difference and most calls were either very late at night or very early morning - but they were always welcome.  She will be my guide as I enter my new role in life.

Not a lot going on in my world now.  Still hooking away, a bit of embroidery and a lot of volunteering.
Study has stopped for a while. I need to work out whether I am going to do more. Not sure if I'm going to go for a BA, majoring either in English or History.  Is it worth it at this late stage in my life. I do have inspiration from some of the lovely older ladies who graduated recently in the Diploma of Family History.  One amazing woman graduated at age 85.  Now she really is an inspiration.

More later.....

Jan

The cute stays...

I can't fight it, the cute has to stay.  Maybe I'll do cute and weird together.

I love these guys

Yungaburra Wacky Birds

Pink Flying Pig

I've been cruising through my photographs. The cuteness just jumps out, I cannot escape it.
Unfortunately I am not in the mood. I had thought perhaps seeing all my creations would fire up the old creative juices.  There was a little stirring, not enough to make me jump up for my hook though.
Rereading though years of old posts, I can see this is a regular occurrence. I can also see that this is the longest slump I have been in.

Family history and writing have taken over. I
am immersing myself in the past.  I have a few weeks before the last unit of the Diploma in Family History that I am doing starts and I had hoped to have quite a few ami's made.  But time-travelling takes up all my time.


The uni is talking about extending the Diploma and adding an Advanced Diploma.  That's all I need.  I have got addicted to learning.  I recently did a course in Understanding Dementia and now have an opportunity to further it.  The uni is offering three different levels in Dementia Care studies.  I suppose if I was still in the workforce and expecting to work till I was mid 60's it might be a worthwhile pursuit.  The level I want to do is a two year + course.  That would take me to just over 60.  It does interest me. I found what happens to the brain when Alzheimer's takes hold fascinates me.  My mother was diagnosed a few years ago and is now in a care facility in the UK.  Slowly, slowly we are losing her.  The upheaval of being taken out of her own home against her will and being put into a substandard care home greatly affected her.  By the time my brother was notified of this, the damage had been done and her overall health was compromised.
Eventually my brother was able to get her into a home nearer to him.  I researched homes in his area and gave him the list of the top ones for him to check out. We found a lovely one, very caring and with special Dementia Carers. We have SKYPE calls and she is a lot happier and her health is improving.  She still knows who I am but is forgetting certain words, this is distressing to her.  She thinks she is in a posh hotel and is on holiday.  But she is still very independent and finds it hard to have her meals prepared for her and her cleaning done.
The home is expensive, but we would rather this than a cheaper alternative with bad care.  It is 'end of life' care and she deserves to be cared for in a respectful and dignified way.
I'm working in the information centre this morning.  As always, I'll take my little bag of crochet... little tiny flowers.  I never get chance to do any, even if I was inspired to do so. School goes back next week I think, so there might be less tourists around.  There hasn't been many tourists around but what there has been have been very demanding.  Not in a bad way, the majority of them are lovely, but some are unused to the distances they have to travel and the weather and how it affects our roads. With all these wild storms  along the east coast the roads can be very dangerous. There has been a lot of flooding and people tend to take chances when crossing flooded roads.  Believe me, I know how scary it can be.  On that note, I better get a wiggle on.  I have to open up the centre, put on my happy face and be sweetness and light.

Jan

Flora, the first ami doll I designed

Lunch Date

Yesterday, I took my youngest grandgirl out for lunch.  We opted for the Whistle Stop Cafe in the village.  My favourite eatery for great coffee and cake.  We found a nice table under the trees in the shade with a cool breeze gently blowing through.  A friend recommended the home made pies - that's if they had any left.  We were lucky, YAY.  Yes, they were the best homemade pies I have eaten for a long time (except mine of course).  No photo's, I left the ipad at home.  But here are some I made earlier.

The Whistle Stop Cafe

Peterson Creek

Rather than going back home and slobbing out in a heap we went for a walk. Through the trees, over the suspension bridge and along the creek. We found a nice spot to sit in the shade and just watch the water go by. No platypus at play, but they were there, hiding away from us.
It was getting quite hot, so we went back home and

Peterson Creek

slobbed around, watched a movie and ate
popcorn.
It's a long time since I have actually sat and watched a movie without doing something else at the same time. I enjoyed it - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I had always thought it was a kids movie, but when I saw Tim Burton's name on it I knew it had to be a bit 'dark'. The highlight of the movie was seeing Blackpool - where I grew up.  I developed my fear of clowns at the Tower Circus, and spent a lot of my older teenage years on that pier. I also remembered a quick snog on those benches with a distant ex-boyfriend.
I don't have very many memories of my grandmother and I like to think days like these will stay with my granddaughter.  I might not have captured our day together in a photo but it will always stay in my heart.

Christmas 2014

I'm over cute

The little grubs on my header just had to go  I'm so over cute. Cute sells though. Perhaps I should look at all my ami's and uncute them.   Once I get back in my crochet mood though.  Not sure what sort of mood I am in.
I can't even be bothered to tell you about my boring Christmas and uneventful new year. Or the deluge that poured in over the cooker, from a hole in the roof.

2004

December 2016

Tinaroo dam dropped to around 31% and people from all over came to look.  We took the usual 'once in every ten to 12 years' photo on the bridge, except this year Ryan held his dad's photo.  It has poured down for a week, the ground so hard and dry that the rain just ran over it, causing flash floods in many areas. Our village alone has had nearly 500mm in a week.
 There's a small respite from the rain today and I can hear so many mowers being rushed around newly sprouted grass.  Not this little duck, the mower can stay securely locked in the shed.  Spoke too soon... Matt has decided to mow before the next shower comes down. Judging by how dark it is going he should have enough time to get the front done.
No energy today for anything. I should be working but decided I didn't feel like it.  I'm only a volunteer and feeling taken for granted, and I don't like how things have changed within the system.
Lunch time.  The fridge is bare except for a couple of peaches and pears. I'll shop tomorrow after I take Stacey home.

Jan