Dear Hubby...
Not that he will ever read this but...

Dear Hubby,

The washing/drying/ironing fairies are getting a bit fed up with the extra work that you are creating for them. They have never known anyone leave their clothes in such an un-washable state. In fact, they are sometimes amazed at how you ever got your clothes off in that particular fashion.

Is it necessary to:
1.  roll your socks up into a tiny ball before you put them in the wash basket/on the floor/in the uplighter?
2.  Take your jeans/trousers/shorts off so that one leg is the right way and the other is inside out?
3.  roll your boxers up into such a tangle it's hard to un-ravel them?
4.  take a shirt off so that the sleeves are still rolled up, the shirt is still buttoned up and one arm is in and one arm is out?
5.  take a t-shirt off so that it's half the right way and half inside out?
    This makes the already tedious job of sorting the washing out into different loads much more of a pain in the ass job and twice as long due to straightening the clothes up so that they can be washed/dried/ironed.

    Is it also necessary to leave several jackets in various places in the house? and several pairs of trainers/boots/bike boots in various other places in the house and then claim you "didn't see them" when the shoe putting away fairies happen to mention that there are six pairs of your footwear kicking around in one room?

    The bin emptying fairy is also getting a bit pigged off with having to empty the bin constantly. Your claims of "I didn't notice it was full" are not believed, particularly when you are seen lifting the lid to get extra rubbish in, or when you 'pop it in the top' thus leaving the swing lid 'swung' because there is so much rubbish in there. Claims of 'I don't know where the bin bags are' are also not believed as you know full well where to find a bin bag to put bike bits in to keep them dry in the garage.

    The washing up fairies also have a small concern at why it seems necessary to use every mug/cup/glass in the house instead of rinsing and using the one you used last.

    Claims of 'I didn't think' are believed, because we are fully aware that you don't think a lot of the time, especially when it's not your responsibility to deal with the above tasks, but a bit of common courtesy would not go amiss occasionally.

    Kind regards

    Your slightly pissed off housework fairy. xx
    Sunday, February 07, 2010 | Category: | 2 comments

    Laughing eyes...
    .

    I still miss your smile and your laughing eyes. I am supposed to take comfort from the fact that you are still with me because I look so much like you, and I have the same laughing eyes that you did. Those beautiful blue eyes that shone when you looked at me. They sparkled when you laughed and smiled, which you did often. Despite deep sorrow inside from what life had thrown at you, you carried on and still laughed and smiled, and I could see how much you loved me when you looked at me, even when I visited you in hospital, the very last time I saw you. 

    Your eyes were different then. They weren't the sparkling blue that I was used to. They were grey and dull, but when you saw me, they lit up and sparkled for one last time. Everyone commented about it after you'd gone. They said it was like a small miracle. You had been so sad and dispondent. They said your soul was dying along with you. They could see in your eyes, the way they'd dulled, that you were going. Yet when I came to see you, they changed for one last time. I have to admit, I was a bit shocked to see your lifeless eyes, to start with but the immediate change when you saw me was uplifting. I knew I'd never see you alive again. It was so very painful for me. And as I said goodbye to you, and told you that I'd be back again the following week on Father's Day I knew I wouldn't get to look into those eyes again. If only I didn't live so far away, you know I'd have been there every day with you. Your eyes changed right before me as I gave you a kiss and told you I love you and I'd see you soon. It was like someone was pulling the curtains over your eyes again. They changed back to grey, no longer the vibrant blue that I knew and loved. You didn't tell me you'd see me soon. You said I love you, and told me to take care and look after myself. You told Mark, not asked, told him to take care of me, you made him promise. I knew then that this was the last time.  Two days later you were gone. I'd never look into those eyes again. They'd never shine with your smile, or say I love you without speaking. No one would ever look at me and adore me again, the way you did. 

    Yesterday should have been your birthday. You should have been 72, but you were taken from me six years ago. You were taken from us all, but I know that your death affected me the most. Six years later, I'm sat typing this with tears rolling down my cheeks once more, missing you so much it hurts. It's supposed to get easier with time, easier to deal with. Whilst I don't cry on a daily basis, I only have to stop and think of you for a moment and the pain of you not being here anymore is so bad, just like it was the day you died.

    I can't talk to anyone in our family about it, although I've tried. They don't get it. They don't understand how it still hurts me so much, afterall, it's almost six years. I should have got a grip on it now. Generally I do, but there are times when I just get so emotional about you not being here anymore. 

    I love you Dad. It's no good wishing you happy birthday because it's no longer your birthday. It's the date of your birth. It's no longer a happy day, it's a day that makes me sad.


    Thursday, February 04, 2010 | Category: | 5 comments

    It's creeping up on me...
    Age that is.

    I've been for an eye test today. I knew my eyesight wasn't right, particularly in my right eye. As a photographer, the easiest way for me to describe it is that my right eye doesn't seem to want to autofocus properly, particularly when reading or watching TV. I've also noticed that I've been working myself up into a very anxious state when driving at night. I just can't see properly. So I booked for the test.

    Eyesight has always been a concern for us all in our family. My dad wore glasses for as long as I knew, and my mum is registered blind. She is an albino, and has no pigment in her skin and her irises have no colour. She was also born with very poor eyesight and is in fact, registered blind. She does have some vision, but very little. I'm sure it was a great relief when all three of us kids were born without albinioism and with good eyesight, as were 7 grandchildren. My nephew has had to have glasses since he was about 18 months old, and my brother (not my nephew's father, my other brother) had to have glasses last year.

    So, the results of my test, I am long sighted. (eh?) After googling it, the summary is: Long sightedness affects your ability to see close-up objects, opposed to short sightedness which is: a problem of vision that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can still be seen clearly.

    Thank you very much for the examination, and now on to choosing some glasses. I didn't want anything too obvious, too dark, too heavy, too square, too round, too small, too big.. lets face it, I didn't really want glasses LOL.
    I have a round face and I needed a pair of glasses that sort of blend in rather than shout out and make a statement. All the 'trendy' glasses are small rectangular shape with heavy rims. eek! Also, the price range was going to be a problem. So I started at the £45 sections which actually turned out to be the Grandma section (by Grandma I don't mean young Grandma's I mean 80 year old Grandma's). I was surprised but happy to find out that the price of the glasses actually included the price of the lenses (they didn't used to be like that) and if I was prepared to go into the £65-£85 section, I could buy one get one free.. pair that is, not lens LOL, so that would mean I could have a pair for in the car as I basically need to wear glasses for everything except walking around and sleeping. I have to wear them for computer work, watching TV, reading, close up work and driving. If I didn't get the free pair I'd spend my life running around looking for glasses wondering where I'd left them, in the house or in the car? I'd get to the car and have to go into the house for them. I'd go to put them on in the house and have to go to the car to get them. So a pair for the house and a pair for the car seems a bloody good idea.

    So, on to choosing them. I tried loads on and didn't like any of them. The opticians guy who was helping me choose said, I bet you don't have this problem choosing shoes haha. (cue smack round the head for him!) He was joking and we'd been bantering for a while anyway in good humour so I kindly (and laughingly) told him I own one pair of boots, one pair of trainers and a pair of sandals. It's my husband that is the shoeaholic in our house, owning no less than two pairs of biker boots, four pairs of trainers, two pairs of work shoes and a pair of walking boots. He looked shocked LOL. So, back to the glasses. He was actually very good and agreed with me on the non-choices. He passed me another pair and I tried them on, he said.. yes, that's them, they look gorgeous. I found it amusing that a pair of glasses can be described as looking gorgeous lol but they did look ok, for a pair of glasses that I really didn't want to have to buy. So that was settled, I'd have that pair. So then he said.. what about the second pair? Do you want to go for similar, something different? Oh god, I'd got to go through it all again for another pair. I would have had the same pair again as the free pair, but there wasn't a second set of frames.. oh grrrrrrr. I finally chose a second pair and got measured up for them. We ended up having a really good discussion about books and one of the opthalmists joined in LOL 

    I was told they'd be ready in a week, but I could ring on Saturday as chances are, they'd be in by then anyway. 

    At least no one will be able to say 'shoulda gone to specavers' because that's where I went LOL. 

    It will be nice to be able to watch TV without it all blurring and I'll be able to read any text on the TV because at the moment, I just can't bloody read it. It all blends into one after a while. I hope it will make driving a much more pleasurable experience, because I enjoy driving. I also have a stack of books to read (another one arrived this morning yay!) from the swaps made on readitswapit.co.uk 

    Wednesday, February 03, 2010 | Category: | 1 comments

    Chalk Street Art
    I've only ever drawn on a small scale and even then, it's never been brilliant. But .. what absolutely astounds me is street and pavement art. Scenes are drawn in chalk on pavements, and when viewed from the correct angle, show a 3D masterpiece.

    There are two street/pavement artists who I think are amazing. I've only just found out about this guy, Edgar Mueller. The images below are © Edgar Mueller and his website is http://www.metanamorph.com/

    Here are a couple of his shots.























     
     
     The first time I came across street/pavement art was when I saw some scenes done by an English artist, Julian Beever. The following images are ©Julian Beever and his website is HERE 

     
     
     
     
    I hope you enjoy them :D




    Friday, January 29, 2010 | Category: | 2 comments

    Read it Swap it
    After my stuck for a book statement the other day, someone I know suggested I try a website called readitswapit.co.uk so I headed on over to see what it was about.

    It's basically a swapshop for books. You register free of charge and list the books you have that you'd be happy to swap. These then show up on the main page as newly listed books.

    You can go through a library of books listed for swaps. You then click a link to notify a member that you would like one of their books and they then go through your list of offered books. if they see one they like they accept the swap. All you need to do then is post it to them. You have to pay the postage but of course, you get a book through the post yourself so it cancels out the postage really. And to be honest, to get yourself a new book for the price of postage, I think it's a good bargain.

    I listed mine about an hour and a half ago and I've already had my first swap! woohoo. What a great way to get books. I never read the same book twice so my bookshelves fill up quite quickly so this is one way to keep them not quite so full and someone else benefits once I've read a book.

    What a good idea!
    Wednesday, January 27, 2010 | Category: | 4 comments

    Stuck for a book!
    I hate being in this situation! I'm stuck for a book!

    Due to current physical state, I read a lot. Last week I read Pillars of the Earth (1000+ pages, and yes, in one week!). I can't read the sequel, because I've already read it last year LOL. It didn't matter to be honest, that I read them in reverse order as there wasn't a cliffhanger at the end of the first book.

    So I'm asking for suggestions.

    What kind of books do I read? well.... Mainly historical or fantasy books. Historical as in, I've not long finished three books by Conn Iggulden about Genghis Khan (Wolves of the Plain trilogy). I also read Tim Severin's Vikings trilogy and one of my all time favourite books is Aztec by Gary Jennings, so that's the kind of historical book I enjoy. Not period drama novels.

    Fantasy novel wise, I've read things like The Dragonlance Chronicles, in fact all the Dragonlance books by Weiss and Hickman. The Sword of Truth series (about 8 books) by Terry Goodkind.

    Some fantasy novelists drone on and on, setting a scene, introducing characters that really aren't necessary and drive me bonkers, so I am a bit choosy about fantasy novels.

    I don't like girly books. Although I did enjoy Watermelon by Marian Keyes. I can't stand Mills and Boon sloppy romance or Danielle Steele. I did read A Boy Called It, but I couldn't read anymore of these child abuse books.

    I did enjoy The Memory Keepers Daughter (Kim Edwards), and Follow The River (by Laura Ingels Wilder) so I don't just stick to Bloodythirsty History or Fantasy. Another one I enjoyed was A Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, and Joe Abercrombie's First Law Series (Before They Are Hanged was the first book). I really tried to read The Timetravellers Wife, but I just ended up confused LOL


    I've read so many excellent books and put so many down that I thought would be excellent and weren't. I know taste in books is a very personal thing.  Mark keeps telling me to read The Gunslinger series by Stephen King, but I just can't bear how Stephen King meanders around through 10 pages to tell you one thing. I don't like horror books, my imagination is too overactive to cope with them. By the time I've read three pages, in my head, there are three people waiting in the bathroom to gore me to death, another half a dozen on the stairs and a vampire in my wardrobe.. LOL.

    Anyway, have you read any good books that you would recommend?


    .
    Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | Category: | 2 comments

    I've started...
    a new blog.

    It's called, What Isabelle says and Does. It's going to be purely a record of all the amusing things Isabelle says and does that makes her my little ray of sunshine. I'm sure she'll love me to bits for this when she gets older, but my memory is so bad that if I want to remember them at all, I need them written down to refer to in years to come.

    Please pop over and take a read (regularly?) of What Isabelle Says and Does
    Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | Category: | 0 comments

    A long week...
    In fact, a very long week.

    I try not to grumble about it when it happens because I feel bloody miserable enough as it is, but when I have a Fibromyalgia flare-up life for me turns to hell. Add to that a slip down the stairs on Russ's college folder that I didn't see, resulting in jarring an already very sore back and it just makes life even more bloody miserable.

    On top of that, add a dose of fibro-fog and there is no hope for me.

    If you don't know what Fibromyalgia is, here is a brief description of what I live with day to day:

    Widespread muscle pain and fatigue plague those with fibromyalgia. People affected describe the pain as throbbing, aching, stabbing or shooting in nature. They will often say they 'ache all over'. It's often associated with stiffness, which, like the pain, may be worse first thing in the morning.  Those with the condition may become hypersensitive to pain, finding that even the slightest touch is painful, and that pain lasts longer than would be expected.

    In addition to these characteristic symptoms, some people also experience other symptoms including such as difficulty sleeping, headaches, numbness, tingling and depression.
    Another problem that those with fibromyalgia may experience is ‘fibro-fog’ which can cause difficulty making decisions, understanding things, and problems with memory and concentration.

    Oh the joys of it all eh? One of the worst things about it for me is that it is invisible. No one can see it. I don't look any different when I have a flare to how I normally look, except when I try to move.  Then I start to hobble around like an 80 year old woman. I can only stand for 5 minutes at a time if I'm lucky. Washing the dishes can take as many as three or four attempts, and I don't have a very understanding husband. He seems to think that I should be able to work through it. If I tried harder I'd be able to manage a task. If it were only that simple. When your whole body is screaming at you and hurts like mad, there is no way you can push through a pain barrier and come out the otherside. The daft thing is, even typing hurts my fingers.

    I am so bloody frustrated with this and it's driving me absolutely crazy after a week of it. I needed to vent and get it off my chest. Now I can smile when hubby comes home for his dinner and pretend that nothing is wrong, because that is what is expected.



    Monday, January 25, 2010 | Category: | 5 comments