Life

The regime that we have devised for Sandy and Jim is hard work, no other way to describe it but we feel it is worth it. Sandy almost 3 months on from being diagnosed with Osteosarcoma is still very well, happy and as cheeky as ever. Jim is much more settled these last few days and all we can do is hope for the best.

Eric took this photo yesterday of me Jim and Alfie Bear. Jim was saying thank you Mum for me lovely grub!




and here sis the lovely grub in the making



all mixed up and ready to be scoffed




and all tidied up and ready prepared for the next 4 days!!!!



Bet you'd like to see the photo of when I'm actually cooking it all, not a chance LOL, the kitchen looks like a bomb has gone off with every pot and pan I own in use.

Off to Easton Farm Park with Vikki and Ben tomorrow, better remember the camera.

Jim, Sandy and my foot

Jim is more comfortable now he has medication to relieve his pain and had a really good walk this morning. he is loving the new food but is not so keen on the herbal tea and other alternative treatments we have put him on. Basically he is getting the same as Sandy but Sandy is very good at taking all the stuff we syringe down her throat whilst Jim is a big girls blouse and makes such a fuss over it.

I went to hospital Tuesday for my foot and the surgeon seemed fairly pleased with how it's doing. Whilst the bone is in very poor condition due to years of rheumatoid arthritis and drugs the screw has actually stayed in place. So the plan is to start wearing shoes yay!!!!! and go back in 4 months unless I feel the screw moves.

Not much crafting taking place but alot of cooking for Sandy and Jim LOl.

Thank you to everyone who has sent such lovely messages about Jim and Sandy.

How can life be this cruel

Last night we received the shocking news that yet another one of our greyhounds has bone cancer.

Sandy was diagnosed at the beginning of June and now Jim has been given the same devastating news only his is much more aggressive.



Jim was playing in the garden on Monday evening with Alfie Bear when he suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. A huge lump which most definitely wasn't there before appeared, so thinking he had sprained something he went off to see the vet. The vet thought he had a green back fracture and said he needed to stay in overnight for x rays and morphine with a view to operate this morning. The x rays showed no break but a huge bone cancer tumour.

Eric is going to collect Jim this afternoon and discuss treatment with the vet but all we're talking about is controlling the pain and keeping him as happy and comfortable as we can.



Ironically Sandy and Jim came to us 5 years ago within two weeks of each other and now it seems they will be leaving together as well.

I cannot believe how bl**dy cruel life can be to our beautiful hounds.

Any good thoughts you can send their way will be so appreciated.

Sandy and Jim in happier times

Papermaze crop

Vanessa and her Mum were off on their holidays, so Karen who works at papermaze stepped in and did a wonderful job. She put together a lovely class kit which I shall look forward to doing and opened up the shop for us all. I spent a fortune on new papers, well I hadn't bought any since April LOL.

This is the layout I did with the last of my paper bought in April. My Minds Eye - Bloom and Grow. Photo is Ben and Mathew on the beach at Great Yarmouth.



Karen (not the same Karen) gave me some waves cut out of acrylic and outlined and was the perfect finishing touch. Thank you Karen.



Eric has dug out the porch base and is now ready to fill it up with concrete, think I'll have a better idea of how it will look when the porch and conservatory bases are joined.

Sandy is still good and Alfie Bear is recovered but now Lucky seems to have whatever AB had !!!

Scrap day

Most Thursday;s Dawn and I spend scrapping. Best day of the week when I finally get some time out LOl. We had a super day today and I actually started and finished this layout.



Gangley had gone missing, I spent ages calling her and eventually found her in the huge bag (one of those that get delivered with building stuff in and lifted off the lorry with a crane). The bag had week old grass cuttings in, so you can imagine the smell and she emerged very green LOL. Paper are Basic Grey Archaic.

Talking of papers, I'm off to Papermaze crop Saturday and shall be treating myself to some new papers. I've not bought any since April........

One of my friends had to go into hospital this week for a mastectomy and as she loves birds (Eric set up CCTV in her bird box) I made her a little bird box card. I finished it late Monday evening and Eric took it Tuesday morning. I had quickly taken some photo's but didn't c heck the camera until today and was so upset. They were all rubbish because the light had gone.

Best of a bad job !!! but you get the idea.



Sandy is till doing very well but poor Alfie Bear has been off all week. Not sure what's wrong but he is very quiet. He's eating fine so maybe just a bug but if he doesn't get loud and noisy soon he'll be off to see Mr Vet.

A relaxing day

Saturday was Bramford crop and I had a super day even if Dawn was missing. Poor Dawn had carefully arranged her weekends away so not to miss any crops but we hadn't realised this crop has been moved back a week and clashed with her trip to Edinburgh LOL. Jannina you are so in trouble but I had a super day thank you.

Anyway after yet another hectic week I really needed a chill out day and that's just what I had. Unfortunately I came home to the farmer doing the harvest on the field behind me and a dust cloud covering everything in DUST of course. Never mind I had been waiting for him to do it so I could get curtains down and washed etc.

I spent ages trying to arrange these four photo's into a circle during the week and had a clear idea of what I was trying to achieve, UNTIL the cricut chewed up the 1 piece of suitable paper !!!! I ended up having to carefully hand cut around the chewed up pieces to end up with this.



Sandy continues to do well!

The clue is there

So who do you think walked on the wet concrete?



Alfie Bear of course, see 1,2,3, no 4th paw print LOL...I was out and Eric managed to stop yelling at him long enough to take the photo for me....

I've been doing a few more the the Jessica Sprague photo editing classes, well I'm only upto day 5 and it goes upto 14 and everyone else finished about two weeks ago hey ho.....

So I started with this photo of Gangley running with a plum in her mouth but it was so green



so I de saturated the colour and hand tinted the plum from green to purple and added a soft light effect and got this



then I added a grungy clipped mask and got this



and after all that work decided to scrap it and did this



Papers are leftover scraps from MME and Crate.

And finally one more photo I've played with adding another clipped mask. Our garden actually looks good from this angle and you can see why it's called "Wind in the Willows" LOL

Wasted weekend

Spent all weekend feeling rotten. Sniffy runny nose, aching limbs and a headache. Saturday I mostly slept all day, did manage to wake up to eat LOL. Sunday I got up long enough to cook another batch of Sandy's food and finish a layout off but that was it.

A wasted weekend !!!!!

Still not feeling right today but have at least finished a few chores. No dusting etc for me as Eric will be chiseling out brickwork soon to tuck damp proof stuff in and I know from past experience what a mess brick dust makes, it is able to find a way in even when you think everywhere is sealed up !!!!

This layout is of Vikki going back to blonde. i swear she's tried every colour going LOL, She was almost a white blonde as a child!




papers are from BoBunny Alissa.

Made Mum a word book for her birthday card.

Front



Back



Sandy and Lucky are off to Mr Vet this afternoon. Sandy's visit is so the vets can keep an eye on her lump and general well being and poor old Ducks has gingivitis again.