Positivity

My ex-DiL and the twins came to stay overnight and we went to see Ian McKellen in Hamlet.  We had all bought each other tickets for our  birthdays  .

I had expected some social distancing with the seats, but the old theatre was rammed.

Most people were wearing masks, but not everyone was so considerate

It was a great production   At first, an eightyplus year old playing a young man was a bit odd, but I suspended disbelief and it was fine.

ExDiL and the twins stayed overnight and went home the following lunchtime.   

The following morning, I did a lateral flow test.  It was only 2 days since my previous one, but it seemed like a good idea.    DD had arrived for a quick visit on her way home.

It was positive.

I was surprised. 

DH did a test. While we were waiting for the results, I phoned exDiL to let her know.  She  and the girls did tests immediately. 

I arranged drive through PCR tests for DH and me, and we were able to get them in the next couple of hours.

Everyone else's Lateral Flow (LF) was negative, which was confusing. 

 Of all of us,  I was the one who hardly ever goes out.  

We assumed it was from the theatre  although it did seem a bit quick.  We had all been doing regular  tests, and each had done one on Tuesday morning.

 Maybe it came in on a parcel?

Maybe it was a false positive, but that is -according to Google - rare. 

DD was so supportive and kind. She stayed, keeping to the other side of the room from me, until we left to do the PCR    

DiL was lovely.  She got her mum and stepdad to do a LF test as well, and they were clear. 

We cancelled our arrangements for the next few days.    We would both need to self isolate,  which was easier than me trying to isolate in the spare room. 

We only had to wait for an hour before leaving to do the  the PCR test.  It was a drive in set up, in a car park , in a billage about half an hour's drive away.   It was all done and dusted very quickly.   The chap told us we would have the results within 48 hours . 

 When we got home, I did a second LF test. ..and it was negative!  This gave me hope.

And then in the evening, the results arrived.

Negative.

Both of us. 

II messaged DXDiL and DD to let them know.

I've done a LF test every day since, just to make sure. 

I'm relieved. 

If it happens again,  I'll do a second lateral flow test anyway,  I'd still go for a PCR test, even if the second LF showed a different result. 

Half Tern

We had Miss Tween staying with us for early a week.  There was a lot of homework to be done, and
some of it was going to be formally assessed.

One of the pieces was a graphic representation of a creation story (from any religion). She wanted to do the 'Christian' story,  and had an idea about using a balloon.  We discussed that on the way home from school,  and then considered a ball,  and then some sort of cardboard model.

We settled on the idea of making a hexagon shaped 3D model, with the six days going round the side. Day 7, and a quotation, was on the top.

She had to learn how to create a hexagon from a circle - and how to make the circle the right size based on the required width of each face. She made templates, then cut card.    She had to plan each card to see exactly what she was going to put on it, and how it would be done.


I had a moment of inspiration when I saw her sketch for the  "let there be light" card,  and I rummaged around and found a set of lights that she could use.  We tried a few things, and ended up with just sewing the lights around the edge

It was mounted on a carboard tube (covered in felt) , which really increased the effectiveness
 

Day 6: animals of the land, Adam & Eve

Day 5: Animals of the Sea and Birds in the sky

Day3: Vegetation, plants, trees

Day 2: separated sky and water

. 

Old News

I forgot to post that, sometime ago, I whipped up another skirt. 

 It's yet another  Pattern Emporium Heartlight Skirt.   I didn't use my projector, I have a card template for this.   Imade a slight adjustment to the waistband, and it's now both comfortable and it stays in place.

The wardrobe mirror is too narrow really but it gives you an idea.     

When I had the fabric on mmy cutting table, DH walked past and said "Ooh, scuba!".    It made me chuckle that he knew what it was and was so proud of himself for knowing.

 I'm proud of him too .

We had been watching reruns of old series of The Great British Sewing Bee so pattern matching was at the forefront of my mind.    It's a quite flowy skity, so I've had to pull it to show the seam.

It's not perfect, but I am really happy with it.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total crafty things this year: 42

Sewing based makes: 
123) Inner pad for foot muff; make cover for foot muff;  trim down Superking Duvet to KS and recover edges;
456)Cushion cover for Miss T; Gift bags for Miss T and GDK;
7)Dressing Gown;
8-10)Cat Duvet, Duvet Cover and Pillowcase;
11) Cushion cover for living room;
12-15) Sleeveless tops (x4);
16) SBCC top
17) Overlocker chicken
18) Curtains for nest boxes (4, but counted as 1 make)~
19,20,21)Boxers for DH (test pairs for sizing - counted as 1,  and then 2 pairs)
Abandoned muslin for LoveNotions Willow Wrap Dress (not counted in total makes)
22)Apostrophe Patterns Joggers (jellyfiah and space)
23)Apostrophe Patterns Flared Joggers (black, with big red roses)
24)Boxes for DH (3 pairs using black cotton lycra with patterned fly)
25)Shorten the hems and sleeves on 4 of Mum's day dresses (count as 1 task)
26) repurposed  old tee shirt as cover for mini cushion
27) Burrito rolled bag (from Jane's July Zoom)
28) Replace waistban on massively oversized maxi skirt
29) Salvage DH's Firestorm tee shirt (using stretchyfix)
30) Yet another Heartlight skirt (July) feathers scubb, great pattern matching, goof fit onwaitband

Learning activities:
1) Scanning pattern pieces; 2) Making movies; 3)Babylock demo day; 4)Gathering using my overlocker;   5) Euphy training (circles,using elastic in looper);6) Gail Yellen's binder course; 7) Inkscape 1; 8) casting on;  9)purling; 10)casting off

Non sewing based craft makes: 
A) Painted bisque butter dish and had it fired

B) Knitted Infinity scarf, first attempt (pinks)

Echo

 I decided I'd get an Echo done privately.    It would either reassure me that nothing was wrong (which would give me peace of  mind at  a price), or it would identify something was going on, and I'd be able to take it to the GP for help in getting it resolved  earlier than otherwise.

The place I chose had a spot at 8pm last night, so I took that.   It was an easy 40min drive and a three minute walk.   I was 15 mins earlier, so stoof quietly in reception, waiting.   

Mayble it was the sitting driving, or the standng idly for 15 minsm  but my heart decided to choose yesterday evening to be fairly quiet.  For the first time in weeks I couldn't actually feel it beating (and skipping). Even when I touched my pulse, it was all unusually quiet.

This meant that whilst I was having the echo done, it only did a couple of pathetic ectopic beats.  It wasn't doing the usual, four betat regular,  lub dup, lub dup, lub dup. BAMBETY BAM, pause, lup dup, lub dup, lub cup, BAMBETY MAM, pause,lub dup.   It wasn't even doing its mega drum solo.  Nope.

So the Echo didn't really get a chance to see what was going on.  I also wasn't lying flat and, on reflection, I wish I'd asked him to let me do that.

However, it did show that there was no obvious damage to the valves etc, so that's reassuring.

It means that we still  don't know what is causing the ectopic beats.  It could be a virus.  It could be coronary disease that an Echo can't pick up.   It could be an auto immune thing, but there is no damage to the valves to suggest it is.     Of course, for the doctor who did the Echo,   all he saw was a couple of minor blips,  so I can imagine that he thinks I'm overstating the issue a bit.  (I wish I was having it done this morning, as it's been going mad all morning)

So.  All he can do is look at how to reduce the symptoms.  Vitamin D may help.  Magnesium may help.   He gave me  a prescription for beta blockers which should stop the ectopic beats.   I'm going to wait before taking betablockers, as (a) I really would like to try and find the cause of the problem rather than just treating the symptoms, and (b) I'm still going to go for my Echo at the beginning of September, and I need to be symptomatic for that to have a chance of showing the real issue up.

 

Distractions

I didn't get the three things done.

I did one item on the list - I sewed a new waistband on to a skirt, so I can no wear it without it falling down. It was at least 2 sizes too big, but is great for wearing round the house, in the garden, and for chickening.

One of them, the leggings, I decided to start again with better fabric.  I haven't actually started again, but I did make that decision.

The third one, the bra, is still waiting.

I've been a little unwell  (including another hospital visit early this morning), so I'm happy that I did any of them.

When I got back from hospital  today, my double sided sticky interfacings had arrived.  This meant I was able to attempt to salvage a special tee shirt for DH.   I did a test run, and then I did the real thing.

The original tee shirt was a promotional one, and it's been worn to death.   I decided I wanted to try and cut the promotional bit out, and attach it to a new tee shirt.  I'd worked out that I needed some form of double sided interfacing/stabiliser, and that  I would need to sew round the edges afterwards to make sure they didn't fray or lift up.

My test run showed me that I needed to apply an oversized piece of stabiliser to the back of theold shirt before cutting out,   then cut out,  then trim to size.

It all worked really well.

I picked an heirloom stitch to go round the edges, and I worked hard to make it appear reasonably straight.  I used embroidery thread to match the new tee shirt, as sewing thread just looked awful on my test.  

I picked a grey tree shirt to pick up on the grey in the logo,  a white tee shirt would have looked dreadful.

DH was a bit surprised, and seemed reasonably happy. Not ecstatic.  Not over the moon that I had saved his tee shirt. 

But at least not annoyed that I had destroyed his original  tee shirt.

He has another tee shirt that needs doing, one which has a front and back design.  I'm not entirely sure he'd be happy about it, so I'll ask him first next time.

 I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total crafty things this year: 41

Sewing based makes: 
123) Inner pad for foot muff; make cover for foot muff;  trim down Superking Duvet to KS and recover edges;
456)Cushion cover for Miss T; Gift bags for Miss T and GDK;
7)Dressing Gown;
8-10)Cat Duvet, Duvet Cover and Pillowcase;
11) Cushion cover for living room;
12-15) Sleeveless tops (x4);
16) SBCC top
17) Overlocker chicken
18) Curtains for nest boxes (4, but counted as 1 make)~
19,20,21)Boxers for DH (test pairs for sizing - counted as 1,  and then 2 pairs)
Abandoned muslin for LoveNotions Willow Wrap Dress (not counted in total makes)
22)Apostrophe Patterns Joggers (jellyfiah and space)
23)Apostrophe Patterns Flared Joggers (black, with big red roses)
24)Boxes for DH (3 pairs using black cotton lycra with patterned fly)
25)Shorten the hems and sleeves on 4 of Mum's day dresses (count as 1 task)
26) repurposed  old tee shirt as cover for mini cushion
27) Burrito rolled bag (from Jane's July Zoom)
28) Replace waistban on massively oversized maxi skirt
29) Salvage DH's Firestorm tee shirt

 

Learning activities:
1) Scanning pattern pieces; 2) Making movies; 3)Babylock demo day; 4)Gathering using my overlocker;   5) Euphy training (circles,using elastic in looper);6) Gail Yellen's binder course; 7) Inkscape 1; 8) casting on;  9)purling; 10)casting off

Non sewing based craft makes: 
A) Painted bisque butter dish and had it fired

B) Knitted Infinity scarf, first attempt (pinks)

Waiting

I feel like I'm treading water. 

I had some bad (but not the worst) news about my cousin (MIss T's dad) last week:  he has throat cancer.  It's treatable, and the treatment has a reasonably high success rate.    He has a few additional MRI type scans to be done before he can start treatment, as the last scan showed some other oddities that need investigating.

We'll know about the scans sometime next week, and all we can do is wait. 

He's (or appears to be) quite sanguine about it.  Mrs Cousin, understandaby, not so much.  

......

Separately, and starting before I got that news,  we are waiting for Nora to die   She's had something happen which means she can't see (she's blind in one eye anyway) properly, and can't feed herself.   I've given her daily doses of vitamins, and I've been helping her feed and drink several times each day.

She's not going to get better, and I thought about asking DH to cull her.    I haven't asked him yet because , she isn't ready.     And I mean she isn't ready, it's not me pretending that she isn't ready because I'm not ready.   

Unlike Gloria, who made it clear she was ready and sat in the nestbox patiently waiting to slip away,   Nora  comes out of the run into the garden each day. She finds a spot away from the others, and sits in the sunshine.   If I go out with treats,   she comes running (but then can't actually get any, so I have to take her out and hand feed them to her.).   She goes to bed each night and, until last night, was actually going up the steps into one of the coops to sleep. 

Last night, she chose to use one of the nestboxes in the run. These are easy for her to get into and out of, and I'm a bit surprised she didn't take this option earlier.   Last night she refused to eat, but she did drink.

She's our oldest girl, 10 going on 11, so we've known for a couple of years that she's likely to go at any time.   As always, I keep hoping that she'll go of her own accord, before we have to cull her.  We won't let her suffer, and I have to remember that it's "better a week too soon than an hour too late".

I guess it won't  be long.

.....

I'm waiting for my Echo.  

......

I'm going to do some sewing.  I started to make a pair of leggings using Apostophe Patterns MyFit Leggings.  My fabric choice wasn't right, so I'm not hopeful about them.  I got so far and stopped, and I've been procrastinating.

Today, I will  finish them.

I will  replace the waistband on that skirt.

I will  try the Velcro Hook and Loop on the bra that I use for exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Burrito Roll

Burritto rolled bag

The lovely Jane, from Jane White Tuition and Babylockshop,  ran a Zoom Sewcial this week.   We made an easy bag, with two fabrics, and she showed us how to use the burrito method to roll it up before sewing so that there were no exposed seams where the two fabrics met.

It worked really well!   Sadly, I didn't realise that it was going to be two coordinating fabrics, so I made mine out of two pieces of the same fabric.

No exposed seams (outside)

The "no exposed seams" only applies to where the two fabrics are joined. The inside side seams are still there.  I did try and work out if I could add a lining to hide the inside seams but I don't understand enough, about how and why the burrito method works, to be able to work it out.

Noexposed seam (inside)

Although I can now technically do it (while making a bag),  and I could follow instructions to do it while dressmaking,  I don't understand it well enough to be able to work out how to apply it to clothes myself.  

 I need to sit down and play a bit, and I need to be in the right frame of mind to learn.  I'm not there at the moment.

But the bag is cute, and I can see me using the idea for present wrapping as well.  Thank you Jane.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total crafty things this year: 39

Sewing based makes: 
123) Inner pad for foot muff; make cover for foot muff;  trim down Superking Duvet to KS and recover edges;
456)Cushion cover for Miss T; Gift bags for Miss T and GDK;
7)Dressing Gown;
8-10)Cat Duvet, Duvet Cover and Pillowcase;
11) Cushion cover for living room;
12-15) Sleeveless tops (x4);
16) SBCC top
17) Overlocker chicken
18) Curtains for nest boxes (4, but counted as 1 make)~
19,20,21)Boxers for DH (test pairs for sizing - counted as 1,  and then 2 pairs)
Abandoned muslin for LoveNotions Willow Wrap Dress (not counted in total makes)
22)Apostrophe Patterns Joggers (jellyfiah and space)
23)Apostrophe Patterns Flared Joggers (black, with big red roses)
24)Boxes for DH (3 pairs using black cotton lycra with patterned fly)
25)Shorten the hems and sleeves on 4 of Mum's day dresses (count as 1 task)
26) repurposed  old tee shirt as cover for mini cushion
27) Burrito rolled bag (from Jane's July Zoom)

 

Learning activities:
1) Scanning pattern pieces; 2) Making movies; 3)Babylock demo day; 4)Gathering using my overlocker;   5) Euphy training (circles,using elastic in looper);6) Gail Yellen's binder course; 7) Inkscape 1; 8) casting on;  9)purling; 10)casting off

Non sewing based craft makes: 
A) Painted bisque butter dish and had it fired

B) Knitted Infinity scarf, first attempt (pinks)

Batch processing

We usually cook from scratch.   We usually have a drawer full of home made 'ready meals' , and cook extra specifically fir thus purpose  

There are exceptions.  Usually its things that we just cant make as well ourselves.

I do quite like Meica hotdogs, so we buy jars of those.   I also like Albert Bartett frozen crinkle cut chips,  and rgeir classic fries, both of which are superb in the airfryer.  They are better than home made so we now we rarely (i.e. never) make chips.  

I bought some pies from a local pie company, and some of them were really good and were  fillings I  probably wouldn't make myself.   We have a few of those in the feeezer.

Recently, we've been having  lot of easy meals:  shop bought fish fingers (big ones),  hotdogs, sausages (the sausages are made by  us),  the odd steak.    Few proper meals. 

 

The drawer has been empty of ready meals for months.  No energy or enthusiasm fir cooking.

Today, I decided to make a double sized chilli.   I decided that, as I was going to be doing  it oldschool,  I'd make other stuff as well,  specifically for ready meals.

So, I did a double portion of shepherds pie filling [we use mutton for extra flavour],  znd I did a huge pot of bolognese.     In fact, I started with the bolognese as that takes over 3 hours to cook down.

The kitchen smelt lovely,  3 completely different meals.   DH said he could smell it from outside. 

We had chilli and rice for dinner.  

All the meals are now in two-person portions ready for the freezer. 12 of them.

No Sunshine

Last night I went out to put the Girls away and, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something dead under a shrub.    I thought it was a hedgehog, and I'd seen something pink, so I guessed it had been half eaten.

I hurried the Girls in,  and then I went to investigate.  It wasn't a hedgehog. It was Sunshine,  one of my lovely leghorns. (The pink I'd seen, and out of the corner of my eye assumed to be guts, was her comb).

I ran to the house to get a towel and to get DH to come and have a look.

Sunshine (centre) with Astrid (right) and Sylvia

We could find no obvious cause of death.  No trauma, no blood.  She was a good weight, she'd been eating happily the night before, so we don't think she'd been dying for a while.    I guess it's possible she ate something, but we're assuming that a heart attack was the likely cause.

We wrapped her up carefully in one of my good towels,  and then double bagged her.  She's currently in the freezer, waiting for the next bin day.     

It was a complete an utter shock. and it upset me much more than the death of Gloria because of that. 

I've got 5 girls that I fully expect to go at any time.  Norah, Poppy, Katy, Phyllis and Fleur.   I'll be sad to lose any of them (some more than others, to be honest) as they have all been part of my life for a long time.  But they are all old (for hens), and I've already made sure they've been told (and told and shown) how loved they are, so I'm prepared for them.    The younger hens, well, I just didn't expect it.

I've always loved the character of Leghorns. Loony, flighty birds, with a reputation for being difficult to tame.  I've never found that.  All my leghorns have been the friendliest birds, and I will always have space in my flock for one.

Sunshine and Astrid,  my golden partridge leghorns, are both lovely characters, and very different to each other.   

Sunshine is  was a particularly interesting little girl because she is was so fascinated by Other People (those who aren't chickens).

She studied the cats at great length, and always wanted to chat to them and talk to them through the netting. 

She studied us, very carefully.  She liked to observe when we had visitors.  

She was always interested in what everyone was doing - not in an attention seeking way, she didn't want to be part of it,  she just liked to observe closely just from a distance.   She always seemed to be studying us scientifically, like we were mice in a maze she'd created.

She loved her food,   happy to accept treats from my hand,    was very tame., and tolerated being picked up.    She knew and responded to her name. 

It's just not right without her.   I'm happy and lucky to still have Astrid, of course,  but hens aren't interchangeable.  Yes, I can hatch another leghorn (at some point),  but it won't be Sunshine.

I don't have any individual photos of her as an adult,   

Bye bye poppet.

 

Disheartening

Hmm, well,  the thuddiness came back with a vengeance.   The ectopic beat is no longer regularly every 4 beats, it's very erratic... and it's now sometimes an extra lub dub, sometimes a lubduplubdup, and sometimes worse.   

The cough also returned.  Four days ago I was in hospital so, although unlikely, it was possible that the cough was  Covid.  The News has been full of how different the symptoms of the Delta variant are,  and how many people just aren't bothering to get tested (and thus why the virus is spreading so quickly).

So, I booked a proper PCR test.   My local test centre didn't come up on the options.  There was a walk-in place relatively close,  and a drive-through place  a bit further away.  I didn't want to be walking or queing near people when I was coughing so much,so I opted for the drive through.  

I was assigned a half hour slot, with instructions not to be early. 

I arrived at the beginning of the half hour.  It was a pop up mobile unit in a temporarily requisitioned public car park. It wasn't signposted, but it was easy enough to find.   There was just one other car in the car park when I arrived, but by the time I left, about 15 minutes later, there were probably 12 cars.   Some cars had one occupant, some had several.

It was easy to do.  I'm used to doing lateral flow tests, and the swabbing bit is the same.  The test result came the following morning, and was negative.

No surprise, but a relief all the same. 

The heartbeat symphony continues.