Extreme Knitting Redhead: Bits and bobs

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Bits and bobs

It's all a bit of a mish-mash here at the moment.

I have something to share about a dementia research project I've been involved with for many years now - but I can't yet as the Press release hasn't gone out. Very frustrating!

There's running (as always), knitting (Mike's cardigan continues apace), crochet (endless rounds on the latest chair back), gardening (there is soooooo much to do before the garden goes to sleep for the winter), planning/fund-raising for ARUK, jamming (blackberries, plums, crabapples, damsons) and then there are all the everyday things.

The photos today are random and mostly unrelated; just things that have caught my eye recently.

I took this photo early in the morning before anyone was out and about. It was the day before a Triathlon was held there. This involves 3 different disciplines - swimming, cycling and running. When I thought about it I really wouldn't fancy the swimming part as you have to swim in the moat (yuk!) which is full of enormous carp! The next day I saw lots of people riding in the cycling part in the next village so I gave them all a shout of encouragement as I ran along.

Bodiam Castle from the front

Early one morning the mist was hanging in the valley when I glanced over at the castle

Sunday Sunrise - I was out early doing a 20 mile run

I love running down this footpath. It's like being part of a Tolkien adventure

It's that time of year again when I take endless photographs of fungi!

One of my favourites, the Shaggy Inkcap aka Lawyer's Wig and Shaggy Mane. It starts off as a white cone then changes to a black-rimmed parasol shape that bleeds a black ink.
This process is called deliquescence which just means that when it is exposed to the air it absorbs large quantities of water and forms a solution.

The morning light shining through this Miscanthus looked amazing

One morning Mrs New Duck surprised us with 3 new babies. They are so late in the season that we were worried they'd survive as she's lost 2 broods already this year

I love the way she's standing guard. Sadly there are only 2 left as the smallest one didn't survive. The other 2 are growing apace though. Note the mucky running shoes drying out on the table - I have to put them up there or else the ducklings scrabble around in them!

The garden spiders are busy spinning their webs. I love their markings

She struck lucky when she caught this grasshopper for lunch

This web in a Rosemary bush looked so beautiful with droplets of dew early in the morning.

I think this is one of many varieties of Bee-Fly on a Buddleia bush. I loved its transparent wings.

A honey bee drinking in the nectar from this Sedum

The most glorious sunset the other evening after a unseasonably hot day

I've just remembered that I've signed up to do the Kaffe Fassett KAL over on Ravelry too. That starts on 1st October so I need to pull my finger out and finish Mike's cardigan beforehand!

The yarn used is Rowan Pure Wool Worsted but I'm trying to be a good girl and using Rowan Summer Tweed from my stash as I am indeed part of the SABLE club - stash amassed beyond life expectancy!!!

There are 4 different colour ways to choose from but I'm doing my own thing based loosely on the pastel colour way. So there has been much rummaging and playing around with colours until I found the right shades.

Here are some of them:

2 comments:

Helen said...: such beautiful pictures! I love the little ducklings, and the spider is really rather stunning (never thought I'd say something like that!); September 18, 2014 at 3:07:00 AM PDT
Susie Hewer said...: Thanks Helen. I've become fascinated by the amazing varieties of spiders we find on our garden but I have to confess to be a bit uneasy of the larger ones!; September 18, 2014 at 4:15:00 AM PDT

Post a Comment

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.