Of health and aged family

Mr Mog had his six monthly oncology check up today. They are very pleased with his progress. the consultant had mentioned that she may take him off the hormone treatment at this appointment but they have now decided to wait another six months to ensure he has had maximum time on them. I don't think either of us are too worried, as Mr Mog said better them than cancer recurring.
After the appointment we drove up to see the aged parent in her care home. I'm glad to say that she is settling in well and is looking much better than she has for a while. Such a relief for us all.

Sadly however Mr Mog's aunt who is 92 is struggling to stay at home due to worsening health. She has accepted that she will most probably have to go into a care home and is quite philosophical about it. She has only just started receiving help and after an assessment? last week has been told that she is eligible for one hour of care per week at a cost to her of £13. Ridiculous as she is having care several times a week already to help her wash and so forth. This is barely adequate for her needs. Her fridge and freezer are down a very shallow step and she can no longer get to them. She is dependant on an (other) elderly neighbour coming in to get food stuffs out for her. It is 2 years I think since she has been out of the house.
We are going down to Essex this weekend to see what help we can give both on the care home front and on ensuing that she has more help in the mean time.
I sometimes wonder where the assessors get their criteria from on deciding these things.

There has been spinning

As promised some time ago;) here be pictures of the spinning latest.

Firstly a group picture

then individually.
This is Limegreenjelly BFL purchased in Ravelry destash. 262 yds 100g.

Warratah crafts 70% shetland 30% silk, very lush to spin 266yds from 100g


This is my own hand dyed blue faced Leicester, colourway Midnight Melody, 280 yards from 100g, colour is actually a little darker than it shows.

Fibre heaven- Adelaide Walker a review

One day last week we took a trip to Otley with Laal Bear.
Why did we decide on Otley? Read further and you will see:)

Mr Mog and I didn't get to Masham sheep fair last year but by all accounts we missed a great weekend out. Many of our friends came back extolling the delights of fibre they had purchased from Adelaide Walker in Otley.
When Laal Bear asked did we feel like a field trip to the mill we of course jumped at the chance.
After a delightful trip over the border and a spot of lunch to fortify us we finally arrived at the mill. Now I will add here that the moggie was expecting a big building and this did not disappoint but my visions of Adelaide Walker occupying the full mill were soon put right.

This one room is their share of the mill but as you can see it is full of wonderful fibre and delightful colours.

Everywhere we looked there was more fibre, much more.
The merino feels like silk and comes in over 40 different shades. What to choose? I wanted merino for batts, Laal Bear had kindly offered a day on her drum carder for making same so it only seemed fair to have fibre didn't it?
Mr Mog was tempted by the various natural fibres and soon had his choices picked out.
Here you see Margaret from Adelaide Walker starting to weigh out some of our choices. In front are some art yarns Laal Bear took to show them what she was doing with the merino
There is everything from coloured merino via Wensleydale, Swaledale,Cheviot and Corriedale. Add in luxury fibres such as mulberry and tussah silk, linen and bamboo.
Then maybe some alpaca, camel and silk, cashmere and silk or perhaps mohair. The choice is all yours.
Ian and Margaret welcome visitors and are usually there Monday to Thursday between 10.15 and 4.15 but they do advise that visitors ring prior to their visit so they can ensure they are there.
The website gives you a taste of the choice but I do strongly recommend you visit if in the area. They don't have an online shop as such but welcome mail order.
In these days of internet shops and the like ,where you never actually see the store owner, it was very pleasant to find a shop where old fashioned courtesy and quality are present. The prices were very cheap and they do a discount if you order certain amounts.

Did we qualify? I'll let you guess;)Mr Mog and Laal Bear could barely carry the stash.
These bags did contain our goodies but also some for Artis Anne who hasn't yet been able to visit the mill in person. I'm guessing when she gets the fibre she will be making plans for an Otley trip:)

Of this and that and drum carders and English wool combs

We had a fabulous weekend in Wales with our friends. It is always a pleasure to visit Artis Anne and Tony, they make us very welcome and it is always with reluctance that we return home.
This time was no exception, much enjoyment and much spinning.
One of the other reasons for visiting Wales was to attend a workshop with Amanda Hannaford on Sunday. There were only the four of us and it was very reasonably priced at just £25 each for a full day workshop plus lunch and unlimited drinks. Amanda's husband Ginge made fresh broccoli and blue cheese soup and served it with his own freshly made bread and rolls.
The workshop covered types of fleece, preparing it including carding with hand carders, flick carders and English wool combs and long draw spinning. I had never really wanted to work much with fleece but this workshop converted me:)
I realised that it wasn't much harder than working from prepared tops and you have the satisfaction of making something from fleece to garment.
Amanda was a very inspiring tutor and I will definitely be taking more workshops with her should the opportunity arise.
Moving on from this Mr Mog would like a drum carder and some English wool combs if anyone has any to sell or knows of any?

5th annual Cyberspace poetry slam for Brigid

Happy Imbolc

May your day be filled with Brigid's energy

To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, the Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Healing and Craft

On this inspiring day I thought I would share 2 poems with you

February

Today I saw the catkins blow
Although the hills are white with snow

White throstles sang "the sun is good"
They waved their banners in the wood

They come to greet the lurking Spring
As messengers from Winter's King

And thus they wave while Winter reigns,
While his cold grip still holds the plains.

Oh though the hills are white with snow,
Today I saw the catkins blow

Dorothy Una Ratcliffe




In February

The frozen ground is broken
where snowdrops raise their heads

And nod their tiny greeting
In glades and garden beds

The frozen stream is melted
The white brook turns to brown
And foaming through the coppice
Flows helter skelter down.

The frozen air is golden
With February sun
The winter days are over
Oh, has the Spring begun?

P A Ropes

Would you like to join us?
Feel free to copy the following to your blog/facebook/website and spread the word. Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again! WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2010 WHERE: Your blog WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post February 2nd. RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on this post. Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in cyberspace than I could keep track of. So, link to whoever you hear about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.

Imbolc Eve

Imbolc for me is white.

light after darkness
cold but white everywhere you look

The white of snow on high ground, but this year in low areas too.

The white of crisp hoar frost as it sparkles in morning skies.

The white peaks of the waves as the tide rushes into shore, encouraged by the February winds that are so harsh on nose and fingers.

But mostly Imbolc is a white festival because of the snowdrops. The tiny white flowers unfazed by Nature's gifts of snow and ice, of wind and chill.

Snowdrops bring a promise for us within their delicate blooms.

A promise of sun and warmth. A turning of the wheel once more towards the light.

Days are longer now with more hours of light betwixt dawn and dusk.

There is more sun and a thread of warmth within its rays.

Our hearts lighten with this turn of the wheel.

We feel the energies rising and the hope.

The joy in snowdrops makes me smile, it makes me want to sing.

To throw open doors and windows to welcome back the light.

Brigid brings her creativity to us all on days like these. Everything we do is an act of creativity.

We have a need to spring clean, to brush away winter's gloom and dust.
To bring in freshness, new projects, more joy.

Can you feel the pulse of the earth's awakening?

It echoes through us all. It is a siren call.

Wake up and see.
Wake up and feel.
Wake up and be.
It is time.

I dance with anticipation on Imbolc Eve.

I search out snowdrops growing in gardens or in parks. Anywhere so long as I see them.
It isn't Imbolc for me until I see my first snowdrops.

Not in pots as these crocus and daffodils are, but bravely waving in frozen soil.

5th annual Cyberspace poetry slam for Brigid

It is that time again:)
As per Deborah Oak

Feel free to copy the following to your blog/facebook/website and spread
the word. Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again

WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2010

WHERE: Your blog

WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day

HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to
post February 2nd.

RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on
this post. Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in
cyberspace than I could keep track of. So, link to whoever you hear
about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.


Please pass this invitation on

!

I'll be participating will you?

Of full moons and mystery

Yesterday was the full moon and what a moon it was.
We were in Cumbria visiting the aged parent and began the journey home just before sunset. We were coming back to the motorway over the hills and saw the sunset in all its technicolour glory.

Impossible to take pictures of it as firstly it was far too bright, secondly too busy and thirdly it was one of those views that were to be treasured but not captured. Do you know what I mean?
Sometimes it is great to take lots of photos of the sky and sometimes they are almost uncapturable if there is such a word.

A sacred experience to be appreciated on more than 1 level.

But the moon I did try to photograph, not very successfully I am afraid. When she first rose above Caldbeck fell she was so large and so pale it took me quite by surprise. As our journey continued she became more silvery and more beautiful by the moment.


The sky was tinted lilac around her and it was incredibly cold up there on the fell road.
We could almost touch her it seemed, save for the constant traffic speeding past us unaware of the beauty of the dusk.
How could you miss this?
Or indeed this with the snow coating the distant peaks of the Pennines.
The moon lit our way home as the sky darkened and the next pictures were as we arrived safely chez moggie.


I never tire of the moon in all her phases, they all speak to the inner child, encouraging and protecting. Giving me the courage to create and to enjoy each day what ever it brings.

A new Goddess figure came into our home recently.
She calls herself Maiaa Gaiaa. Why I don't know but no doubt the answer will make itself clear sometime. As soon as I saw her the name came into my mind so may I present Maiaa Gaiaa?

We found her in our local charity shop where she was standing on a shelf awaiting a new home.
A few, very few, of her beads are missing otherwise she is perfect as you can see.
She measures approx 18 inches high and carries an air of reassurance and protection.She looks as if she has always been here.
I am very pleased that the tiny amount of damage meant someone sent her on her way to a new home.
I will repair the little damage and she will be as good as new.

Today was bl00dy

Today I tried to amputate my finger.
Not intentionally I hasten to add.
I wanted to chop some garlic and the skin was tough to say the least. The garlic bounced and the knife cut into the side of my finger by the nail bed:( Extremely painful.
I thought I had got away without blood but after some seconds it started to well up.
Yuck.
Not easy to type with plaster on.
I've been knitting on something new the past few days, a neck warmer that reminds me of a Victorian collar.
All my own handspun:)
Pictures when it is finished.
Tomorrow we go up to visit the aged parent and see how she is doing. I am hopeful that the doctors will have done a mental assessment and that we can move towards getting her into a care home. Somewhere she will have constant care and where she won't be rattling round in a large house with steep stairs.

Spinning is going well, I am still spinning 4ply to DK weight yarn. Haven't tried to spin finer yet as I can't see me wanting to knit laceweight.
Neither have I tried to spin thicker yet, that I do want to do as I prefer thicker yarn for knitting with.

Today the sky smiled

It started out a grey dark mizzly day with intermittent rain. I saw no end to it even at 3 this afternoon.
But now, as the clock strikes 5pm, the sky is transformed.
Indigo blue with bands of red and vivid orange shading to gold.Some highlights of crimson, scarlet and magenta. The moon has risen and she shines down upon the beauty of the evening display.
I feel a lifting of tension, a lightening of worry. A giddy feeling occasioned by this simple pleasure of looking through the window.
Such colours I could never hope to reproduce with dye and fibre but I'll try some day as a shawl shaded dusk with moon highlights would be beautiful.
A magical shawl to take you into the night, to warm and encourage all endeavours.
A simple thing made from skies of mystery.
Who knows what magic could be made when wearing such a shawl? What places the mind could travel wrapped in threads of light and dark.
What energies could be spun within the yarn made from colours such as these?
To sit with coloured fluff and turn it into yarn so bright, so deep, so special.
As the wheel turns to twist the threads I need it twists in strands of stories not yet heard or seen.
A promise of a journey through landscapes new and old, seeing the path with eyes wide open.

Following a silver thread uncoiling before us as we walk.

The time at dusk and dawn is when the veil is thinnest. It is when we can glimpse the mysteries that lie all around us should we chose to see .

If only a fraction of these colours could be copied they would still bring all the magic with them.

aged parent problems:(

It has been an extremely harrowing couple of days for us.
Yesterday morning we had a call from MIL's carers they were worried becuase she had scorched some clothing drying in front of the fire and various other stuff. Forgot they were there.
We went up to try and find out what was happening and to help her.
She was extremely confused to say the least. House was unlocked, it was pitch black in the house and MIL was asleep, also the back door was wide open.
Fires in both living rooms on full.
Saw the doctor and no beds in local hospital but would be today.
Got her comfortable and sorted out then went to stay at friends for the night. MIL's house and facilities not suitable for us with steep stairs etc to bathroom and bedrooms. Not wanting to use commode either;(
Went back this morning thinking we would have fight to get her in hospital but she was very tearful and said "I think I am going to have to go to hospital." She was seeing figures that weren't there and telling long rambling tales of things that weren't happening:(
She is now ensconced in hospital, very happy watching tv in her little room.
Hospital are going to do a mental assessment as well as medical check ups and we are going to make sure that this time they do not let her go back to a dangerous environment.
I must just tell you social workers comments yesterday when I rang her to explain about the scorching clothes, bear in mind here that MIL has fire alarms around the place and they are checked by fire service, social worker thought it would solve any problems if she arranged for more fire alarms.
I think she soon realised from my response that that wasn't the answer:)

Why is it that we have to fight so much to get help for our elderly? The doctor was very helpful but the social services have ALWAYS passed the buck back to us and don't want to know.
Poor Mr Mog has been really worried as you can imagine. I have but of course being that one step distant from MIL meant I had no problem with haranguing the appropriate bodies to get her help
Shame I had to though and that it wasn't forthcoming otherwise.