"Mothgate" and Squirrels

Hello all, hope you are having a sunny Saturday!  I think the kids at No 6 have just worked out that it is back to school this week (hurrah) and have spent the morning trying to kill each other - well, that's what the screams sounded like anyway.  How can small people make so much noise?

Anyhoo, a few of you noticed something I blogged a couple of posts ago about almost killing myself on Tuesday so I thought I had better own up.  But you have to promise not to laugh.  While you are preparing yourselves, I thought I would share a "necessity is the mother of invention" card with you.

Those of you who have seen the new Lili release will have spotted the squirrel stamps - well I had to have those didn't I?!  And I made this little CAS card today

This is Red Squirrels Pine Tree

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is also Lili from Christmas Handwritten Phrases

Matting layer is white card edged with Pine ProMarker

And the snow.....well that's where the invention came in

I thought I had a pot of FlowerSoft that I could use, but I couldn't find it and reckon it must have gone to Church in a bag of donated craft stuff for teenagers with disabilities, so I had a think and a rummage and found a pot of sparkly embossing powder.  I used some quite thick glue so it kept dimension and sprinkled.  Hey presto!

Are you calm yet?  Are you sitting comfortably?

"Mothgate"

I toddled off to bed on Tuesday night about 10.30, got myself sorted and settled down with my book for a little while.

As I was reading I became aware that I wasn't the only one in the bedroom - you know, you can sense it.  And then I saw it.  Well, I say "saw" it, I didn't have my specs on and anything beyond two feet is a blur but I could make out a black shape whizzing around the room.

I don't do bugs.  In any shape or form.  So I got out of bed, toddled off downstairs to find the flyswat.

Back upstairs this "creature" was all over the place, and it was big.  Ugh.  I took a couple of poorly aimed swats at it but naturally missed.  Then it decided the safest place for it was to hurtle about up near the ceiling.  I'm short.  Even with the flyswat it was out of reach.  So I did what any sensible, short-sighted, middle-aged woman in a nightie with bare feet would do.  I climbed up onto the bed.

It's at this point that I ought to mention my poorly knees.  I broke my right leg badly (is there a good way to break it?) in two places in 1988 and was in plaster for six and a half months.  Because the breaks weren't pinned, the tibia (shinbone) healed but with a slight outward curve to it.  Because of the curve, the knock-on effect is a knackered knee full of osteoarthritis.  Which lead to the opening-wedge-high-tibial-osteotomy surgery I had.  Basically the hospital broke my leg and re-set it, this time with pins and a plate.  The osteoarthritis is still in the knee (and the joint will need replacement in about five years) but the realignment of the bone has postponed the replacement surgery.  Everyone who suffers with OA will know how painful and debilitating it is.

Still with me?

I took a half hearted swipe at the bug.  Missed.  Tried again.  Missed.  It came a bit lower.  I took one almighty swipe at it that Andy Murray would have been proud of.

And lost my balance.

Time freezes.  Honestly, it does.  In that nano-second, your brain can actually work out that if you fall forwards you are going to kill yourself by head-butting the bedside cabinet, and that if you go backwards there is every chance you will land on your Kindle.  So I sat down.  Literally dropped my bum to the mattress.

There was a horrible and grusome cracking and popping noise from my knee of bone grinding against bone, which is now bent up an at angle it hasn't achieved in many years.  I am now rolling around the bed in agony thinking I've broken the bone, popped the pins, dislocated my kneecap ...... and trying not to scream because Toad is asleep in the spare room.

After 20 minutes of silent weeping, I sat up and tried to put my foot to the floor.  Ok, that's not too bad.  I shuffled forward a bit to put more weight on it and stood up.  Ice cold fire shot up from my ankle to my knee.  I sat down again.  Another 20 mins or so and I tried again.  This time I could stand.  Well, it's not broken.  I've probably pulled a ligament or something.  The pain eased enough for me to try and get some sleep.  I didn't want to wake Toad to take me to A&E or anything because trying to explain that to the hospital ........ you get the idea.

Anyhoo, the pain subsided and sleep I did.  I am pleased to say that apart from a very swollen knee on Wednesday and feeling like I have been sat on by a hippopotamus, I seem to be ok.  I just have to be careful and think about where I'm walking.  

Oh come on, you PROMISED not to laugh .............. and yes, I did get the bug!

Hugs, Squirrel xx