Still Here

I'm sorry, I know some of you have been concerned about me.....thank you for your emails. Yes I have been unwell and, fearing that I was in danger of becoming one of those professional sick people who can only talk about their illness, I thought it best not to talk at all until I finish my current round of treatment and come to terms with a few things .

Of course, there's much to look forward to including a June wedding (moved forward from September, hope it snows) and the news that the happy couple are planning to start a family in the next year or two. I absolutely adore babies and can't wait to be Grandma Pammy!

 I'm also being kept busy with my ebay store.

My blog has had so many stops and starts, I'm surprised anyone bothers to look in but thank you to those who do and especially to those who leave comments.

I'll be back again sometime around the end of May beginning of June.

Pamela xx

Tomorrow

morning at Westmead Private Hospital in Sydney, I will undergo my last chemo treatment. In some ways it's been a long 6 months and in other ways the time has gone very quickly.

I've met some incredibly inspirational people, especially the young and the very old. And I'll miss the love and care of the chemo angels, (oncology nurses).

I now have a break of a month before starting 5 weeks of daily radiotherapy (called radiation-therapy in N. America). I'm really hoping that in this time I will regain some energy and interest to do some of the things I love, such as gardening. I might even manage to blog more often and maybe even finish the cover for that poor old wing chair which sits forlornly in our kitchen!

But today, I thought I'd show you what my little perennial border usually looks like at this time of year when not all smashed and straggly from too much rain.

And this is what the lilies usually look like in the border  

and along the front just before Christmas

                                        

Still, all is not lost. This morning I found these brave little foxgloves daring to send up a few more flowers. 

And what I hope won't be the last of the clematis

Of course in my native garden, the feeding goes on

Honeyeater

And the black cockatoos have began their annual visit to our precious 'Old man Banksia'.

Gardening teaches you patience.

Pamela xx

Australia Day

On this Australia Day, I looked through my personal files to find what I think of as a typical Australian picture. I've come up with this one of Russell, our youngest son, taken during his jackarooing years.

Russell spent 2 years on the land, beginning with 9 months on a remote cattle station, 350k north east of Alice Springs. He then did a stint of droving through the stock routes of Queensland, where he learnt to ride, and finished up on a sheep/wheat station in outback NSW.

Russell now has friends across 4 states and thinks nothing of driving up to Longreach for the weekend, or taking annual leave to help with a mate's harvest or lamb marking.

For anyone with a son who is thinking of spending some time as a jackaroo, I would say, let him go. Your son will not only get to know his country and its people but, he will experience things he and you probably never thought possible.

Happy Australia Day......with special thoughts for all the flood victims across the eastern states.
Pamela xx

Starting the New Year with a Thud!

Make that a very loud thud followed by a lot of screaming as I slipped and fell down the stairs in my house. For a horrible 10 minutes or so I thought I'd broken my leg. I've never broken a bone so figured there's a first time for everything and that the time had come. Fortunately, x-rays revealed nothing anywhere near as serious and all I've got is a badly sprained ankle, cracked rib and very sore funny bone. Not quite the way I was hoping to start the year, but it could be a lot worse.
Speaking of worse, how bad is the flood situation in Queensland? My heart goes out to all those who have had to leave their homes and the farmers who have lost crops. I have a lot of lovely customers in Queensland and hope and pray you are all ok.
Pamela xx

Over and Out for 2010

  

My Beautiful Waratah 

                                 

Yesterday I developed a fever which can be a concern for chemo patients so I took myself off to hospital.

I'm home again now with a normal temperature and nothing to worry about but....but, I've been told to have a complete rest for the next week or so. Ha! Don't you love it when male doctors tell you to do this?

I must admit, I've been finding weekly chemo a bit of a strain and have become increasingly tired. I've already stopped making things for my ebay shop but just wanted to finish the chair and hem some fabric for a tablecloth before Christmas. Well, the chair will have to wait (it is only in the kitchen after all), and I've decided to just fling the fabric over the table in a "I just happened to have this stunning piece of fabric which I cleverly thought I'd use as a cloth" kind of way!

So it's over and out for me for the year. Thank you to everyone for your kind comments. I hope all my bloggy friends and ebay customers who read this have a lovely Christmas.  See you again soon.

Pamela xx

Wing Chair Update

I'm nearly there and should have the cover finished by next week. I have taken pictures of the process and will put together a tutorial in the new year when I have more time.
Many of you seem to have furniture with similar doggy designed alterations so hopefully, if you want to attempt a loose cover, I'll be able to at least show you where to start.
My chair is quite old and has been recovered several times. I went with my mother to David Jones to buy it and seem to remember being in my school uniform, so that was a few years ago now!!! I also remember it was called an American wing back as apposed to other chairs which were more European in appearance with cabriole legs. Anyway, it's very comfortable and a great spot to sit to flick through a mag or cook book, or just to have a break from slaving over a hot stove!

Urgent Makeover Required

This old wing chair usually sits in a corner of our kitchen where it normally wears a loose cover. However, when a certain puppy person was teething, she took quite a shine to the cover, chewing through it in several places and even getting her nose up underneath the cover where she had a go at the upholstery. It's amazing what a determined set of puppy teeth can do!

I've been looking at the chair for some time and thinking I really should do something about it. Then last week, when the same puppy person had an upset tummy, she managed to be sick over the chair. I guess she was sitting in it at the time and I'm surprised she still fits but, at 30 kg she still likes to be nursed (even though I tell her she's too big to be a lap dog) so I guess anything is possible.

I removed and washed the cover and threw out the seat cushion. Now I can't see the point in putting the cover back and think if I'm going to get a new seat cushion, I really should make a new cover. Fortunately I still have plenty of the Laura Ashley by Kravet check fabric which I've used elsewhere.

I tell myself, if I spend a little time on it each day I should have it finished by Christmas. Well that's the theory at least. So watch this space.