Extreme Knitting Redhead: Ta da!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Ta da!

I decided I should get Mike to take a photo of the finished item even though I'm not looking my sparkling best - wadd'yamean that was 30 years ago?!!!! The colours aren't very vibrant in this photo but in real life the deep purple and sharp green combo really zings and I love the brooch as a closure.

The finished shawlette

Next time I wear this I want to be feeling really good. I've got until I get up at 4am tomorrow to decide whether I'm fit to do the South Downs marathon as I still can't make my mind up. It's a 2.5 hour drive there as it's a long way away. I really don't want to let people down by pulling out even though I know I could just reschedule my marathons and do an extra one in the Autumn. Decisions, decisions. I'm sure I'll know what to do when the time arrives.

Another moody sky at 8pm last night

When we opened the local paper today we had a laugh as there were photos from all the local Jubilee celebrations and this photo of me appeared with the caption "Every village needs a Princess"!

What an expression!

You can see Mike behind me on the left wearing a grey jacket and carrying an umbrella. He too was dressed in red, white & blue - red tee under a white shirt and blue trousers.

1 comment:

Shan said...: "Whaddya mean that was 30 years ago!" just killed me...still laughing.

I think you look great! Good bones, girlie.; June 12, 2012 at 11:15:00 AM PDT

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Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.