Just because…

My day was brightened and inspired by these lovely chrysanthemums that the Tallest and Mr GT bought for me the other day (that’s why her tunic got finished!) so I thought that I would share them all with you.

Enjoy your day xxx

Finished at last…biggest crochet project so far!

The Tallest sporting the play tunic that I have (at long last) finished for her, this was made through following a knitting pattern and then adapting this to fit for crochet.

I normally knit larger projects but have really enjoyed hooking this, although I think that the next few bits will be smaller things as I definately began to lose momentum with this one!

Button and cuff details, I used combinations of cotton and wool yarns for this, I inherited a very large collection of yarns in colours that are not necessarily to my tastes (the grey) but as you can see here in combination with the fushia and the red it has worked really well and I’ve managed to use up 3 balls of it so it’s all good!

Bottom hem and colour interest. The Tallest said that she wanted a rainbow and a rainbow she got. I love the way that this space dyed yarn crochets, as the colours block so much nicer than when knitted, and the colours stay so much more vibrant.

So there it is finished at last!

The Bionic Dog Returns…

Here’s Poppit doing a rather good job at looking very sorry for herself! She has had to have two titanium screws put into her bones and a nylon artificial ligament stranded between them, on one room confinement and on a lead for toileting needs, she’s one grumpy pup! But as the Vet said the first four weeks rest are essential for healing and scar tissue growth which will ultimately help stop the injury from re-occuring.

Stitches are due out by my own Vet in 7-10 days time, and then she will have a follow up assessment with the Orthopaedic Vet in 5 weeks to assess how good her recovery is…

I’m off to alter one of the Tallest’s old sweaters to cover her rather large bald patch! (it also extends across the other side of her chest) as it’s getting a bit chilly round our way and I don’t know how long it will take to get a good covering of fur!

Happy Halloween

These are our offerings for Halloween this year, Dora is the Tallest’s favourite, the face is hers also and I did the haunted house – the jack-o-lantern is behind bars as the only available room is behind the fire guard on the hearth, but like the Tallest said it’s that scary that it has to be kept in a cage!

We missed out on Trick or treating this year as the Smallest had what I believe is stomach Flu yesterday and it is only a matter of time before the Tallest is struck down with it – and the friends she was going to be out with have already had a dose recently so we had to content ourselves with some house bound activities.

I had thought that we would see some children tonight but I think that the foul weather has kept them away.

Happy Halloween

from the GT gang x

Poppit the Wonderdog!

So she went to vets yesterday after not bearing any weight on her front leg for two days, so under sedation she was examined and x-rayed and was found to have dislocated her shoulder and ruptured all of the ligaments holding the bone into the joint.

We were given two options reconstructive surgery, involving a prosthesis of some sort, or amputation.

Not much in the way of choices there! It’s practically unheard of and none of the Vets at our practice had ever seen an injury like hers on a dog let alone had any experience of them so a specialist was our only sensible route.

We’ve opted for reconstruction, as the Orthopaedic specialist sounds pretty hopeful that he can do something, the only problem being that it will have been a full two weeks since the injury by the time she goes into surgery, so even now we may end up with a three legged dog.

But I think that it is only fair that we give it a go, she’s at home on strict rest and pain killers…so until Monday…

Visit to the Specialist Cardiologist

Wednesday was my first visit to the Cardiac Specialist who’s care I will now be under, once again I have come out with mixed feelings about the whole affair, but purely on an ignorance is bliss basis, and lets face it I wouldn’t be saying that if I had sudden complications and a rather fast visit to the nearest hospital.

Its just, I don’t know, it churns it all back up again, we’ve had a good few weeks, one week without any phone calls, letters or appointments, and then off I go and it all rears its ugly head again!

Because our diagnosis is so new, we are still undergoing all the tests and investigations, and it feels so intrusive, don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining as I have nothing but praise for all the health professionals who have dealt with us so far, it’s just I personally want to take command of the situation (control freak talking here) and I have to accept that that isn’t going to happen until all the investigations have finished and the monitoring has started.

Anyway, it appears that my Mitral Valve Leakage is of no consequence right now only 1 on a scale of 6, but my Aortic Dilation is not great it should be around 38mm. It is 45mm. So I’m off for a MRI as due to my concave chestbone (a common Marfan thing) She was unable to see clearly just how far the dilation goes up, so I’m off for a lay down in a noisy tube at some point.

I will be starting on Losartan, something that has in some places been dubbed the ‘Marfan Wonder Drug’ which should at the very least help stop the growth of my Aorta, perhaps if I am lucky even reducing it, but it will be nine months before the next scan and we shall see then.

She is also referring me to an eye specialist, as I am severely short sighted and she wants my eye health to be assessed to give her a clearer idea of just how affected by this syndrome I am.

So thats where I am now, waiting for mine and my daughters medical alert tags to arrive in the post, and then we can get down to making them some nice beaded neclaces / bracelets to go on!!

Tallest will have her appointment with the Paediatric Specialist Cardiologist on December 1st, he works closely with my Specialist so there is some continuity of care there which can only be a good thing. The Tallest’s heart is not in as good a shape as mine, and I think that half my worries from Wednesday are just what will be said to us as a family in December, she is more affected by Marfan than myself, and I keep finding that there are a lot of ‘what ifs’ in a situation like this, and you just have to remember not to drive yourself mad thinking about them.

I just have to take a leaf out of her book, she doesn’t let it worry her so neither should I (easier said than done isn’t it?!).

Log Cabin Patchwork

Our cushion covers are looking rather sorry for themselves of late, the corners have worn through as the fabric has worn so thin. So here is the first offering to the sofa,modelled very ably by the snoozing Tallest after a hard day at Nursery…

This one was made in honour of Mr GT, I am planning to make one for each of us according to what we like, evidently the girls cushions will be pink / fluffy / sparkly, but hopefully I’ll be able to make as tasteful offering as possible, so that Mr GT doesn’t feel the need to remove them to their bedroom!

The button embellishment works really well, and has fascinated the children, so I will definately be doing some more.

Happy Sewing / Growing

GT

Last of the Pumpkins

A quick visit down the allotment resulted in a whole wheelbarrows worth of produce.  I KNOW the pumpkins fill most of the space, but that was the intention, the Tallest had specifically requested some that were of carvable proportions, and this year we have finally delivered.

Sweetcorn is a favourite in our household (minus Mr GT) and these are the absolute last of the cobs, the girls will be tucking into the for dinner tonight and I shall blanch the rest as half or whole cobs, and freeze them. They survive surprisingly well and make for not bad eating considering.

I promised myself that one year I would follow John Seymours directions for drying them, but once again the modern convenience of the freezer wins over – that and the fact that the Tallest can’t join in as it involves boiling water, and is then managed in half the time. I LOVE love love the fact that she is feeling useful it just tends to come at the most inconvenient of times!

Poorly Poppit

The Collie took a taste for misadventure this weekend, and during a run on the beach took a tumble and has we think sprained her ankle, having fallen badly when jumping for the ball – she is a bit out of condition and slightly overweight and I think that this little accident has reinforced her need for more exercise. We are going for the sprain option as although she will not entertain putting any weight on it, it is not swollen and she can tolerate in being touched.

She can’t use the dog flap, which is a disaster for her as she can’t keep her vigil for the many comings and goings of next doors cat! We’ll see how she goes if she makes no improvements over the next couple of days we’ll take her off to the vets…boy is she feeling sorry for herself!

Slow Cooked Sausages in Apple Juice

With the advent of my returning to work two days a week, the slow cooker has been dusted off and put to good use on the days when I am out of the house, as work is fifteen to twenty minutes away by the time I pick up the girls and get home they are well in need of their dinner and won’t wait for a meal to be cooked. I’ve tried a few things this being one of the more successful.

Bare in mind that this recipe is using gluten free sausages, but as long as they are a good quality thick pork sausage you won’t go too far wrong.

Ingredients

2tsp Olive Oil

6 – 10 good quality gluten free pork sausages (depending on how many you’re feeding)

5 rashers smoked streaky bacon cut into small slices

4 eating apples, peeled, cored and diced

2 leeks trimmed, cleaned and cut

300ml of apple juice as this is a family recipe or you could use cider for a fuller flavour

• Heat the oil on a large frying pan, on a medium heat and brown the sausages, once coloured evenly spoon into slow cooker
• Return pan to heat and add the bacon and the leeks and fry until softened and coloured (about 3-5 minutes) spoon into slow cooker dish
• Add the apples together with the apple juice (or cider) cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours
• Serve with lashings of creamy mash and your favourite vegetables, I recommend purple sprouting broccoli, the kids recommend carrots!

I really enjoyed this and felt that it warranted sharing with others.

Bon Appetit!