Yule giveaway

I decided to do a giveaway for Yule to celebrate the turn of the wheel. You will find the item further down this post:)

I decided to pass Minerva, my shop model, on to a new home as she was a little too large for the craft room and too heavy when she needed moving. I obviously still needed something to display the shawls on so I decided to go for something a little more dainty.

Meet Dorothea. Why Dorothea? That is what she said she is called and who am I to argue with that?

 I didn't like the duck egg blue or the black areas where the paint had rubbed off so the paints came out. I think this will be a very slow project and goodness knows how I will get the inside part painted. All ideas gratefully received. I'm starting with purple as a base coat then will add various Lumiere metallics and irridescents. Then finally a sparkle.

 As you can see there is rather a long way to go yet.

I seem to be a little better thankfully. I had a chest X-ray on Friday, results tomorrow. The infection appears to be gone but I still have a very wheezy,tight chest. Possibly the asthma lingering rather than leaving with the infection which it usually does.
The doctor  didn't know why I was still ill hence the X-ray. I'm hoping this may be the end of infections for the Winter.
Mr Mog succumbed to it as well, after all it seemed unfair to keep it to myself, he also is getting over it now.

So Yule or Winter Solstice. The shortest day, longest night of the year. A time to celebrate the turn of the wheel as it heads towards the light half of the year . I recently finished a new shawl and as the colours remind me of Holly I thought it might be a good gift for someone. It is quite a large shawl and very warm. The yarn is Zauberball 4ply so it isn't too heavy despite the size.

 If you would like to be considered for the giveaway please leave a comment. I'll choose the winner on the 8th December which will hopefully give time for the shawl to get to you before Yule

 I haven't shown any spinning lately have I?  This first one is oatmeal BFL dyed in the copper colour way by Freyalyn I love her dyeing she has a great eye for colour. There are 590yards here and it weighs 104g

 This is merino silk from the Threshing Barn There are 475yards and 117g here.

I seem to have a bit of a thing for merino silk at the moment. I've some of Freyalyns copper in Merino silk waiting to be spun up. There is merino silk on Tilly Traveller and Merino silk on the Victoria also.

Still here

Sorry it has been quiet, I am still here. Mr Mog is doing well and his energy levels are a little better. He had a flu jab 2 weeks ago when I did and it made him a little off for a few days but he is a lot better now. I sadly am not. As you may or may not know we always have flu jabs because of my chest problems. Normally we get away with a sore arm and that is it. Last year we didn't and it laid us both low for a week. This year was much worse. I started to become ill around 2 hours after the injection and by evening was very bad. I rang the doctors next day to be told by the triage nurse it was a coincidence, give it a few days you will be ok. Next day Saturday we had to ring emergency doctor, I eded up with antibiotics. Tuesday much worse Mr Mog had to call in doctor, he asked for home visit was told ok if triage nurse says, she will ring back. Two three hours later the nurse rang and kindly allowed that we could have home visit. Doctor gave me new inhaler and steroids. Friday antibiotics finished. Steroids due to finish next day and no better. Doctor appointment after triage nurse assessed,more antibiotics more steroids. Still minimal sleep each night. I have to go back Tuesday for chest X-ray if no better. I had a little better day yesterday but then bad night and today is worse if anything. It would appear that I may have caught a viral infection as well as the effects of the flu Injection. Very very long time since I have ever felt as ill. Poor Mr Mog is shattered as of course he is doing everything and I am keeping him awake every night. So how are you?

Long ago memories

I woke this morning with long ago memories and 2 songs.

A little background first, bear with me.

When a  very small child I first contracted my health problems. I spent many a time in hospital from a baby and had quite a lot of operations.

It was decided that a spell of convalescence and a change of air might help. I lived in a small village near a mill town so not a really bad place health wise. However at the age of seven I was sent to the Lake District, Cumberland as it then was, to a school for delicate children. 

As an aside I went back many years later to see what it looked like and it was then a school for maladjusted children. It wasn't when I was there though:)

 Can you imagine what it was like in the late 50s being sent at such an age to a strange place? Not coming home for holidays? I stayed there for nearly 2 years.

 My 2 uncles who were lorry drivers came to see me often and that was wonderful. My dad came once on his moped as he didn't drive, I think that was all. I didn't recognise him and didn't want to see this strange man who had arrived. I can remember making my self sick so I could finish the visit early. I never saw my mum until I went home after the almost 2 years I was there. By then she had had 2 more children so from having 3 brothers and sisters I now had 5.

 Once I got used to the castle I loved it, I loved the woodlands that the castle was situated in and spent lots of time out there. My bedroom was a shared small dormitory in one of the turrets.  We had wonderful staff and I found myself at the top of the class in our school. The teachers there instilled my love of reading and creating. I can remember weaving a scarf for my nanny, orange and vivid turquoise and she wore it:) I spent a fair bit of time in bed with various ailments but books and crafts  helped take me away from the pain and discomfort.

 When it came time to go home I cried, I wanted to stay there. The local doctor used to take me home to play with his children and one of the nurses and the main teacher ( Nurse Walker and Miss Crawford I think? ) were very kind and helped make the place not so frightening.

 I can remember that it was for 7-11 year olds and the Cumbrian air was supposed to be beneficial for rheumatic fever, asthma and other ailments. As to that I don't really know but I think it certainly instilled a love of the Lake District that has never left me.

 It seemed strange going home, it wasn't my home and there were more people in it which made it crowded as we were exceedingly poor and lived in a 2 bedroom house with no electricity. My grandsons find it amusing that we had gas lighting, an outside loo that also housed a pig in between our necessary visits and if you got up in the night to go to the toilet and played the torch light on the living room walls they were crawling with cockroaches. My dad didn't work, he never did much in all the time I knew him. My mum went to work in between pregnancies but there wasn't much money.

So what were the songs?

I presume the other children taught them me, I certainly didn't make them up.

I had rheumatic fever, I had it very bad
They wrapped me in a blanket and put me in a van
The van was very shaky it nearly threw me out
and when I got to Broughton Towers I heard the kiddies shout
"Mummy , daddy take me home
from this convalescent home
I've been here a year or two and all I want is to be with you
In comes the doctor, Doctor Brown
asking questions all around.
Are you better?
Are you worse?
If you're worse I'll call the nurse
In comes the nurse with a red hot poultice
slaps it on and takes no notice
Ow said the patient that's too hot
Oh said the nurse I'm sure its not

That is all I can remember of that one
And the second one?

There is a happy land far far away
Where we get bread and jam three times a day
Fish and chips you never see
dirty black beetles in your tea
but they are gradually
fading away
fading away