Saturday 20 September 2014

Counting blessings

Oh, just read back over my last post from May on this blog, and the optimism, the sheer bloody minded optimism...... well it's now September, and time has indeed flown. I have been so busy with 11 puppies, two dogs, huge family, friends and neighbours, hobbies and interests and...
I am LOVING having time to myself for probably, realistically, honestly.... the first time in my life. I was a mother at age 19, and have been "on the go" ever since. Until today!

Earlier this week I had a fall, nothing really serious, nothing broken, but it's knocked me for six, my fingers on the left hand took the brunt of my weight and are severely bruised and swollen (and grazed!) along with a very sore and bruised left shoulder. So, I have been given real insight into how my lovely husband feels every day, with severe arthritis in his fingers and joints. 

I keep reminding him to take painkillers, as he's in pain pretty much all the time. I've had trouble brushing my hair, stretching a hair band to put it up in a bun, pegging clothes on a line, all sorts of surprising little episodes where I realise "Oh, I can't do that - it HURTS!" Of course, that's put paid to knitting (Loopy jacket and hat for baby Nancy), crochet (Cushion covers), cutting fabric for patchwork quilting, embroidery, etc etc. I'm left handed of course but hey at least I have my right.

Well I did, until yesterday when I developed two blisters on my right hand through excessive gardening. I've been raking dried grass and leaves up, pushing a lawn mower, using hand tools and hoeing weeds. It's all too much.... and there's no point in moaning I only have to look at Alan's misshapen fingers to see that other people have problems far worse than me. Constant niggling pain leads to short tempers and poor concentration. Frustration that you can't do all the things you want to do. Like EVERYTHING I wanted to do today, so this has brought me up short..... we are SO dependent on our health for wellbeing.

Bless him, Alan does so well, and between us we achieve a great deal across all our interests, and generally count our blessings every morning. 

Our lovely dogs bring us so much joy and the perfect reason to get outside. We enjoy walking together and  explore different places to go, sometimes on foot, where we're blessed to live within miles of green belt in Outer London. We have woodland literally on our doorstep and open parkland for the inevitable ball games.   Often we drive for a few minutes and visit other parks just to ring the changes. The doods love going out in the car and bounce in, and we often see people in cars behind admiring our girls as they look out of the back window. We actually chose the car with the dogs in mind as we travel long distances with them. Unfortunately having them means the car is NOT up to the standard of cleanliness one might expect (nor is having allotments for that matter) I am often deeply embarrassed to offer people a lift as the state of it is so bad, but life is definitely too short to waste time cleaning a car more than once in a while. 

Anyhoo, enough of this blah.... I don't have any excuses now, so at least I can update this blog. And get out with the dogs! For now, my legs still work ok! I must appreciate getting out and about and at least I can still hear the birdsong, and taste the blackberries. Life can be sweet!