Extreme Knitting Redhead: Peeping out!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Peeping out!

I can hardly believe that it's been over 3 months since I last posted on my poor neglected blog, its 10th anniversary having been left unmarked. Suffice to say that life took an unexpected turn, as it likes to do from time to time, which resulted in us spending many hours sitting in hospital or doctors waiting rooms, waiting to see 'Specialists', having numerous 'tests' and waiting for results, having 'procedures', trying treatments etc etc. If there's an i-Spy book for collecting hospital departments then I reckon we're halfway to completing it!

Any thoughts of marathoning went right out of the window but I've still maintained my fitness as training runs are just part of my everyday life. Although we aren't completely out of the woods yet, I am feeling much more upbeat about everything and trotted off to complete the Sevenoaks 30 mile LDWA at the weekend which was just the tonic I needed.

I have been exceedingly active on the crafting front as I found both crochet and knitting very calming during the endless waiting. Interestingly, the projects I chose were not all nice, easy, mindless patterns (with the exception of Mike's cowl below) but required much concentration which in a way helped keep me focussed on something other than what was going on around us. I don't seem to have photos of my crochet or the other knitting projects so will just leave these here as a taster with more details to follow.

Mike's cowl in a simple honeycomb pattern

Another shawl (I really enjoyed this one!)

The beginnings of a gorgeous 'top-down' sweater which has been on my 'to do' list for ages

I have a massive collection of photos of many different things to share so hope to crack on with uploading them sooner rather than later although I suspect some things will be left unrecorded.

There's plenty going on with Alzheimer's Research UK too as I've been remiss in updating all the latest News. Must try harder!

Thank you to everyone who's emailed me to check I'm OK (I'd forgotten I used to have my email address on here - until I kept getting thousands of spam emails!), your kind words meant a lot. Hopefully normality will return sometime soon.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: I had missed you! glad you are alright (sort of) Hang in there
Julie; March 21, 2017 at 8:51:00 AM PDT
oldrunningfox. said...: Hi Susie, great to see you back blogging again. You've been missed, and not just here but on the new mature runners forum too.
I'm currently having a few weeks rest from running. Chronic insomnia and resultant zombie state knocked all the stuffing out of me. I'm hoping a wee package that arrived from Arizona today may help solve the problem....
Congratulations on completing that 30 miler. You're obviously in far better shape than me.
I was interested to see that picture of a Time Lord tardis in one of your posts. We still have one of those old police boxes in the village where i live. It's shortly to be taken away for renovation, then replaced.
Wishing you all the best. Cheers!; March 21, 2017 at 10:56:00 AM PDT
Susie Hewer said...: Awwh, thanks Julie x; March 22, 2017 at 2:23:00 AM PDT
Susie Hewer said...: Hi Gordon,

Lovely to hear from you and I promise I'll pop onto the forum soon.

Sorry to hear you're taking a break 'cos of insomnia but intrigued by your special parcel from Arizona - can't you get a decent malt whisky up in Yorkshire?! ;-) Knowing you, the rest will have you bounding off even faster than before, which reminds me that you need to have a crack at that record.........I was surprised that I'd managed to maintain my marathon fitness but I suppose running every day helps keep the old legs ticking over.

How wonderful to still have one of the old Police boxes in your village. I haven't seen one for years so I'm glad to hear it's being refurbished.

Hope you're out running again very soon. Susie xxx; March 22, 2017 at 2:31:00 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.