Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Wednesday afternoon

5 weeks on from my hip hop yesterday. Progress is good, I’ve moved to using one stick or crutch around the house (the crutch is turned around so my arm is not inside the arm hole) and I try to walk without it several times a day, to get me used to being fully weight bearing on my new joint. Next week will be a milestone week as I can finally ditch the gorgeous white compression pop socks, the latest in fashion statements, not, and I can stop having blood thinning injections. Also I will have my 6 week checkup where I will find out when I can start driving again, if I can abandon my hip precautions and generally start getting back to a more normal lifestyle.

Further news on our very own Squirrel Loftkin saw that little blighter in our loft the day after he arrived, but Rick kept banging the soffits and scaring him off. He also installed a noise scarer thingy that will annoy him and hopefully any other small furries that contemplate taking up residence at the top of the house. We also have Everest coming first thing tomorrow to block up the hole he made so hopefully that will keep him well and truely out. I have to admit though, that he looked so cute peering out of the hole and blinking away, but looks far cuter doing it in a tree.

Friday tea time

The end of another working (well, not for me) week. I’m feeling so tired after I’ve done my numerous exercise sessions, walks outside, trips up and down the stairs, getting my lunch and all those mugs of tea, that I’ve decided I’m not going to do any work for another week or so. Hah. So there. My goal now is to actually finish reading the last Terry Prachett book that I started over 2 years ago, and somehow didn’t manage to finish quickly like I normally do. I think it may have had something to do with the final Harry Potter book which came out last summer in time for our family holiday as I normally only seem to get time to read on holiday.

Of course this not working malarky might be a bit of a risk as I have Open Houses coming up, both in the 2×4 Artists communal room in Horsham and at my friend Edith’s in Plummers Plain. Also I’m considering not doing the fair at Winchester Cathedral, I just don’t think I can take the pressure at the moment, and I’m finding that if I want to be awake enough to work then I don’t do as much exercising as I should be doing if I want to get better quickly and maximise my hip’s potential, which after all is what this voluntary stick leave (Rick coined that one) is all about. So there we are, nearly at the end of another weeks recuperation at home.

On another note, Congratulations to Peter Westwood (Rick’s work mate and one of the lead developers of WordPress – I use this for my blog and various pages of my site) and his Bride-to-be Sam who are due to tie the knot tomorrow. I hope you both have a lovely day and wish you all the best for your new life together. I probably won’t be at your evening party, but I do hope you have a great time.

Tuesday afternoon

4 weeks on today. The sun is shinning and I’m kinda housebound. Rick went back to work yesterday so I’m home alone for the daytime now, oh well, I’m a growed up girlie so I should be able to cope. I still can’t get over how fast the days go at the moment, especially as I don’t seem to be having as much fun as I thought I would, mainly due to my brain still being on a go slow, and I want to do stuff but can’t be bothered. How bad does that sound? Still, if I was not self employed I wouldn’t be expected to return to work for at least another 2 weeks, if not 8 weeks from now. I think I should take my own advice and not be so hard on myself.

Today’s excitement was lots of very loud scratching and noise that emanated from the roof and could be heard all over the house and outside in the back and front garden. I hobbled outside to the back, looked up and saw a squirrel peeking out from under one of our roof tiles, very cute but immensely annoying as the racket continued for about 2 hours then stopped. I hate to think what the damage is like in our loft. We suspect the poor thing went in then got stuck and was trying to get free, at least we hope it hasn’t set up a nest. I guess we won’t know for a few days.

Friday evening

Hi there again. I’ve been putting off posting today as I can’t seem to be light hearted, I’d remembered but also forgotten how hard it can be getting over hip surgery, one day you’re really up there, make lots of progress and feel really happy, and the next you can be in the doldrums, and soooooo tired. Today is one of the later, I’m tired of seeing the same view and really annoyed that I can’t find the 2 projects that I was planning to do while recuperating. I started a Kaffe Fassett tapestry 14 years ago, the last time I had surgery, and haven’t had time to finish it, and now that I have, can I find it anywhere? can I heck. It’s the perfect piece of art to pick up and put down as I feel, but it just ain’t in any of the places I thought it was, and I’m too immobile  to wriggle around in cupboards to look for it. Nnnnrrrrrggggggg.

OK rant over. Guess what I did yesterday? I walked all the way around the block, which is apparently 1 km, yay! also I’ve been practising using one crutch and putting more weight through my hip so I can be more independent, and now use only one for most of the day excepting for my daily walks. I have no idea if I’m on track with my improvements but hey we’re all different, and I am getting there, one day at a time. I’ve also done a little work……some of you will have had some email replies, but I haven’t managed all of them yet, please bear with me, I’m still on sick leave (with a bit of tinkering)!

Wednesday tea time

I missed a great blog title last time, so I thought I’d use it today, especially since just over 2 weeks ago I was clamped to the surgeons table. The last couple of weeks have flown by, Monday I had a really good day of new achievements and felt so much stronger, but yesterday was so pooped after all the excitement that I started this post and gave up, all of which is completely normal for this type of thing. At least the heatwave I predicted will be with us by the time I’m able to cope with the steps out to the back garden (I hope).

So what have I been doing? Not a lot really, just sitting resting, watching telly, doing the occasional sudoku and being waited on hand and foot. Of course I have my exercises that I have to do several times a day, and my daily walk outside that I try to increase the distance of each time, and I do make the occasional pot of tea. I even managed to do lunch on Monday with my daughter, but shhhh, don’t tell Rick (he does know really). And I have to scale the giddy heights of our stairs every time I want the loo, which in itself takes more time and energy than when you’re fit and well. So time is passing really fast, I’d forgotten just how much longer everything takes to do when you’re on crutches and limited in how you can move. Even the simplest of tasks like carrying a mug of tea (remember I have both hands on crutches) and putting it down takes a lot of planning and thought. It really does help give one an appreciation for what it’s like to be badly disabled.

Roll on 4 weeks from now………….