Sleeping time

 I seem to be sleeping a lot now, maybe catching up. No energy for much, but at least not weaker than I was. Sorry about the endless medical notices! Just letting you know I'm still vertical more or less.

Slept through two texts and a Skype from an increasingly nervous handsome Son! 

I did lose internet access most of yesterday so I'm behind on blog reading and replying. Actually read books!

Happy day everyone, try to be as vertical as your own situation permits.

Making something, a good sign

Last evening, a sign I was doing better, I just had to make something. I've been thinking about Tunisian crocheting for a while, haven't done it since this

and this

And, since I didn't have the energy to cross the room and search for materials, I rummaged in my knitting bag for my repair crochet hook, and the yarn I'd been using for the gloves.

All set, I started on what will be a phone purse with a strap to wear it. I've made and given a lot of these to people who keep losing their phones.

You can do Tunisian crochet with a big hook but I didn't need mine, which was upstairs anyway,  for this little project. 

It's a two part process: work the stitches, here I'm using Simple Stitch, then work back casting them off ready for the next row.

I think this is probably a sign of returning health. Handsome Son had told me most people he knew who went down with whatever this is, were down for about seven days, which is where I am. 

Gary stopped in last evening, was distraught I hadn't called on him to help, but I explained I had what I needed and didn't want to expose people. 

He took out my garbage and instructed me to call if there was anything. He noticed the Christmas table and I explained we haven't celebrated yet. I think I may have to dust the dishes when we do!

All in all, a better day than for a while. The temps are going up to the 50s f. which suits me better, more humidity in the air.

Happy day everyone! I think I may resolve next year, which is next week, not to try to catch up, just to accept that some things didn't get done and there's no rush to get all up to speed. 

That will be an entire new way of looking at the world for this driven little person! About time, though.

 Cheers!

Misfits and Textiles and Tea

 So the good news is that the Misfits box finally arrived early last evening and I managed to get it indoors. Why me you ask, wasn't it hard to wrangle? Yes, but there's no one else available to help. 

Same with the dishes. I need clean dishes, live alone and have to manage somehow. Explaining not complaining, to people who wonder if I'm being too ambitious, no choice.

The other good news is that most of the produce is  edible, only the scallions looking past it, and refunded already.

I couldn't do the prep, so that has to wait. I'll wash as I go. Usually I scrub everything as soon as received, so I know it's done. I have to adapt. And I noted that the box is, as I thought, the corrugated type I need for that art idea I showed you earlier. 

It has to wait till I can break down the box, and keep a section. Usually I do the recycling the same day, but I simply don't have the strength today, so it can wait. But I'm still looking forward to making the art.

News from the Invalid Quarters: The coughing is reduced and I can lie down to sleep now. Good progress. No fever.

But the exertion of dealing with the Misfits box yesterday has laid me low today so I'm doing very little. This is definitely a tiring sort of virus. My oxygen intake is fine, in case you wondered,  I have one those oximeters to measure it, and I've been masking and isolating anyway, no matter what this one is, and treating symptoms. That's about all I can do.

I did manage to watch Textiles and Tea yesterday, with weaving from an interesting German-born New Zealander whose work reflects biology and DNA discoveries.

And her political statement teatowels encourage kindness to the earth and avoiding disposables. 

In other news, Handsome Son was able to come over yesterday briefly, got my car started, mainly for my peace of mind, visited, masked and distanced, but I didn't encourage a longer stay, just in case. 

It was lovely to talk to a person, if only for a little while. He works so many hours that it's good to see him. He lives locally, so not a significant journey.

He departed with his Christmas Trifecta: card, check and candy, after asking if I'd rather he waited till we celebrate, but I said at this rate it's going to be a Valentine's dinner, so no. He pointed out that Christmas has twelve days anyway, plenty to go!

His Christmas present to me when he can do it is to check and adjust my tire pressures, fluid levels, all that, to save me a dealer visit. My request. I always prefer service to stuff.

Bit more healthfully hopeful today but I'm bearing in mind all your caring advice, dear blogistas. I take it seriously, though you may not always realize that! 

Happy day everyone! One foot in front of the other, or possibly one nice lie down in front of the other!

Levels of activity and how to measure your health!

This week I've been out of action with a virus, I think it was, at any rate something that had my innards in great turmoil for several days and is starting to improve to the point where I can tolerate sitting up and writing.

It occurred to me that there are levels of illness that I tend to measure thusly:

Level One, disregard it, do the whole day's activities as planned, feel tired at the end
Level Two, try to disregard it, but find a need to sit down abruptly every now and then and wait for the feeling to pass
Level Three, cancel outside commitments, able to make it to the mailbox, a 150 yard round trip for me, and maybe do a load of laundry, feed the cats, eat a bit
Level Four none of the above possible, with the exception of staggering downstairs to feed the cats. 
Level Five call in reinforcements to make me tea and feed the cats.

This week has been largely passed at Level Four then Three, and I'm hoping that I will be reacquainted with food quite soon, and get away from various medications, and claw back my usual energy.

However, none of that stops me from reading, a great way to enter a world where current ailments lose their importance.  And I've found, amazingly, that some of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, never heard of her before this week, not knowing anything about kidlit, have had a lovely antidotal effect. Well written, astute and with interesting characters. Great illustrations. Also short enough to read before I fall asleep again.

And I'm in the middle of Agatha Christie's autobiography, much more interesting than I expected, since she jumps about, giving interesting anecdotes rather than a long chronology of name dropping, which bios often fall into.

Then I've watched a few episodes of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, very funny, bit hard to follow if you aren't up to all the details of current UK politics.  Watching YouTube on a tablet is a bit like following an animated postage stamp, but worked fine.

I did get one thing done last evening, finished the embroidery frame I was building with pvc pipe until I had to stop for parts to arrive.  And here, to show I'm still on the planet, it is

If you want to know more about this project, and see links to the plans and so on, go here