Holiday is coming

So nearly there - this week has gone quite slowly after our very busy week last week. I am so looking forward to our holiday and have nearly finished all that needs to be done before we go. Leaving our boy behind has good and bad points. Great for the cat and to have someone in the house. Not so good is that I need to make sure he has food to eat -- not that I think he would starve! 

Me at the stepping stones

 These photos are ones we took last year. How wonderful it is to be able to go back again. I am tearful just thinking about it. I am so grateful to be well enough to go on holiday and to not be doing dialysis. We take so much forgranted but for some people holidays are a luxury they can never have.

Our hotel

 Last nights bookclub was great - good conversation and great company. I love spending time with these ladies. Today bible study with some more lovely ladies. Tomorrow packing and possibly a trip to Savil Gardens to see the roses - hopefully at their prime, just a few weeks later than last year.
Then Sunday - up bright and early to catch our train to the Lakes. Chloe and Ed are meeting us at the station.

Lake Derwentwater

The view back to the hotel from the stepping stones

My view - this is where I went in my head during dialysis

Snobby Estate Agents and flats

Phew we have had a busy busy week. Thankfully the weekend has been quieter and I am feeling more on top of life again!
Chloe and Ed have found a lovely duplex in Kent overlooking the river. It is in a block of flats which is highly sort after so she is very glad to have found one available. It is also part furnished which is an added bonus and has all the white goods. She did encounter some very snobby attitudes from estate agents who assumed she was a student and even told her that one of the flats wasn't suitable for her.  It was very interesting to see the change in attitude once they found out she was a Dr and her partner was a naval architect! Suddenly nothing was too much trouble and everything was suitable! Today she and Ed are sorting the camping stuff and packing ready for their week in the Lakes.  They go on Wednesday and we follow next Sunday. We overlap by 4 days.

So this week is a quieter week of packing - for Chloe and Ed for Lakes and then France, for us to Lakes and we also begin to sort Chloe's stuff for moving. I will be doing some cooking to leave for Ben to keep him going. I am really looking forward to being in the Lakes again, for my second holiday since stopping dialysis. Each time we go away it is amazing as I am so aware of how different my life could have been.

Matilda and colour in our garden

 Matilda was wonderful yesterday the staging was fantastic and the children carried the show. The little girl playing Matilda was amazing - so much work. 

London was so so hot though! and the train packed (with no working air conditioning) which made the journey home quite unpleasant. 

We did quite a lot of people watching during the day - plenty of wonderful hats! Ascot is one of the stops for our train!

 It was lovely to arrive home to our beautiful garden. Paul has worked hard and it is looking so wonderful. Full of summer colour.

I am looking forward to a few quieter days now! My feet are exhausted with all the walking I have done over the last week and my muscles are very tired. As I am understanding my body better it is easier to cope with. I feel much less frustrated by what I can't do knowing all that I can do. Being stricter with rest days is really helping - especially writing them into the diary.

Cut and come again leaves

 I am beginning to plan what to do with Chloe's room when she  moves to Kent. I need a project to fill my time. So I am hoping to make her room into a craft room - I have always wanted a place to be able to leave stuff out during its making. It would be good to have everything in one place and easily accessible. So this will be my plan for August.

The photos are of colour in our garden.

Busy!

My absence has been caused by extreme business! I won't give you all details as that would take me hours but I will give you highlights of my days! 

• Saturday - yummy womens breakfast with a great speaker, cooking for Sunday and Paul's wonderful concert of African music - African Sanctus which included a beautiful rendition of the Lord's Prayer and some great drumming.
• Sunday - family celebration party for Chloe, a really lovely day together 
• Monday - trip to Kent with Chloe to do registration stuff at the hospital and look at the area (decided there were some areas she def. wouldn't be living in!!!!!)
• Tuesday - rest day we were both exhausted and some tutoring
• Wednesday - we are off to see the musical Matilda (planned as a celebration or commiseration day) 
• Thursday - another rest day!!! Chloe goes back to Kent for a few days to find a place to live
• Friday - flowers and bible study
• Saturday - recovery!!!! 
• Sunday - church and bookstall 

As you can see it has been really busy and I haven't managed as much resting as I should but so far I am coping. Monday was so busy and involved a lot of walking. It was encouraging to know that Chloe was exhausted at the end of the day too! (and she is young and healthy) Our food on Sunday was very successful - especially the choux buns - all 63 of them! Although the chocolate sauce was a little more tricky and took 2 goes! 

My girlie is surrounded by house/flat details as she needs to find somewhere this weekend as they go to the Lakes and then France next week. It is all go for her. I am excited to see her new adventure begin but sad because I know that  she will never live at home again. We have had the joy of having her around a lot especially this last year and I will miss her. I have offered to go and be their maid - that didn't seem to be a plan they were happy with! Letting go is hard - whenever it happens. I am thankful for phones and texting and emails so that we will be able to keep in touch.

This is Josh's new company - District     http://www.designbydistrict.com     do have a look.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….. This has been our week beginning with a lovely weekend and  lovely birthday for Chloe at Woburn followed by the longest of weeks waiting for results. Chloe had convinced both herself and the rest of the family that she had failed one of her exams, which would mean repeating the whole year. So she has spent a very sad week hardly sleeping or eating. So today arrived and we were all very grateful to have reached the day whatever the outcome!!! Unfortunately the results aren’t released until 11.00 so we had quite a long morning. In the end we decided a visit to Stitchery-Do ( a craft shop) would help pass the time. So it was on the top floor of Stitchery-Do that we heard the news that Chloe is now

Dr Chloe White

As you can imagine (especially if you know us) there were tears – from Chloe and me and the lady in the shop! It was a forever moment! One that I will remember for the rest of my life. Made all the more precious by her completely believing she had failed. For the first few hours she was in shock! I can’t tell you how proud I am of her. She has passed every single exam and essay she has taken in the 5 years despite all the trauma that has gone on around her. She has been my constant companion through some of the most scary days and has coped with such bravery especially when I was so very ill in hospital. Being a rock for all the family to lean on. She has worked SO hard and learnt so much. I think she will make a wonderful Dr.

My wonderful cake maker has made the most fantastic cake and has coped with me emailing this week to say that it need adapting so that it just said Chloe and not congratulations in case she did fail. If you need a special cake then do go to Laura at Crowthorne Cakes she is a star. 

Chloe and Ed are now in full planning mode. They have to find a flat/house in the Medway area before the end of July and have nearly 2 weeks holiday booked during that time! The next few weeks are going to be busy, busy, busy!

We are really looking forward to our family celebration on Sunday.

We are going to the zoo zoo zoo ......

So today will be another quiet day - I have been up most of the night with a tummy bug, eventually sick at 4.30am - yuck! Thankfully this morning I am ok. Tummy bugs are very worrying for kidney patients as they can attack the little function we have. I did have kidney pain all night but it is also better this morning. So thankful.

 Our day at Woburn was magical. Our plan had been a day at the seaside for Chloe's birthday but we decided it was just too cold. Even at Woburn I had to wear a coat and my gloves. I am still struggling with the cold when we are out - often because i am wearing the wrong clothes - always hopeful for sun!

These photos are not very good as they were taken with my phone - often througha window. But they give you a flavour of what we saw.

 Going in term time was lovely as apart from some school parties it was quiet. There were 2 big school parties - one very well behaved with 6 children to 1 adult all very engaged and listening to their adults. The other with 1 adult to 2 children and the adults all talked to each other and the children were just pulled along behind. There was a lot of screaming and crying from these children! It reminded me how proud I was to take our school children on trips and how well behaved they always were.

 I had so many favourite moments during the day. I will just tell you a few (you can miss this bit if you don't like detail!)

• Young bears being fed by a keeper right in front of our car. The bear caught 2 fish and couldn't carry them both to the grass so he left one which was then taken by a beautiful red kite swooping down. Poor bear was very confused when he returned for his fish.
• 2 lionesses walking straight towards our car and then just passing by close enough for us to touch them (if we had had our window open)

•  Monkeys with tiny babies playing by the side of the car
• Monkeys climbing on top of the car, a passing car laughing and us realising later that the monkey had used the car as a toilet! 
• Birds of prey display - such magnificent birds 
• Penguin feeding
• A mummy penguin sitting on 2 eggs - right by the side of the path
• Marmosets - swinging freely around the park

• Tigers - walking slowly in front of our car closely monitored by the keeper in his landi. 
• Lemurs sitting on the fence right next to us with their beautiful tails
• Babies and even more babies of all sorts
• Beautiful elephants and giraffes at the entrance
• Informative keepers who were so interesting to talk to
• Yummy picnic (and warm blanket)
• Ed's patient driving as Chloe and I said just a few more minutes! And returning for a second drive around because we wanted to see the bears again!

 As you can tell I loved SO much of the day. What a lovely way to spend a birthday. Not sure why it has taken us 24 years to do that! I was glad to see that the animals had a lot of space but we had the joy of seeing them close up. Chloe saw many of these animals in Uganda in the wild but often they were much further away. 

So the rest of the week includes cooking for Sunday - we are hoping to have a go at Cox buns in a tower! Flowers, bible study, womens breakfast, Paul's concert and Chloe's family party. We would like a bit of sunshine for Sunday if possible.

RA

Everything Meets Here

I have decided to tell you about the last 2 days over 2 days! I have had 2 really lovely days and am now exhausted! On Sunday we went to the Royal Academy to see the Summer exhibition, which I love. It is such an amazing mixture of art all collected into one place. One minute you are looking at landsacpes and another, very strange modern art. Some by very famous artists and some by artists who paint at home for pleasure. It is difficult to take it all in and I would love to go back again this year. 

I chose 4 pieces of art that I loved this year and would have liked to take home, interestingly they were all different price brackets. 

Ken Howard 

1. Sarah at Oriel by Ken Howard. I can't find a picture of this on the internet but interestingly I loved a painting by him last year too. He is a member of the RA and paints using lots of light.This is another of his paintings on the right.If I had bought his Sarah painting it would have cost £50,000. 
2. Tour de Force by Lisa Takahashi. A linocut showing cyclists working hard up a hill. It so reminds me of the sky boys as they cycle out in front of the peloton and I love it. This would have cost £215 to buy.
3. Everything Meets Here by Jessie Brennan. This is a pencil drawing with SO much detail, an amazing amount of work. The people are so tiny. You can look at it in detail here http://art.tfl.gov.uk/project/9479/jessie-brennan. This would cost £7,200 

4. 

   Tour De Force

After our visit to the RA we had planned a picnic but it was just too cold. So we had lunch in the RA which was very lovely. We then went over to the V&A to see the Popularity painting which was painted of music hall artists and includes my great grandmother. If you remember she was Bella of the act Bella and Bijou. It was so loevly to ee it in real life. It is a large vibrant painting. I am so glad it is being seen. I really wanted to tell the people that were looking at it that it was of my great grandmother!
Yesterday was Chloe's 24th birthday and we went to Woburn Abby Safari Park. We had a wonderful day - more details tomorrow! 

This week - recovering from the busy weekend and preparing for next weekend! Chloe gets her results on Friday, we have our Womens breakfast at church on Saturday morning and Paul is singing in a big concert  on Saturday evening. Then on Sunday we are having a family party for Chloe. It's all go!!!!

Popularity Painting

Grace and more grace

In bible study we are continuing in Galatians and being immersed in GRACE. The underserved favour of God. But oh how I am struggling to get my head around all this. I understand that Jesus took my punishment and because of that I am going to spend eternity with God. That is grace. I deserve to die but instead I get to live in heaven with the King of Kings. Wow! It is not at all about what I do – nothing I do can earn this gift. Ok I get that. But what we read yesterday is that God now clothes us with Christ. Where ever I go he is there – I take him into every situation and circumstance of my life. When God looks at me he sees a son – adopted into his family.  Fully accepted and fully loved. How this should change me and my reactions to life. But so often it doesn’t. So often the pull and business of the world means I react to situations and circumstances as if I face them alone and as if it is all about me. But I am a new creation – changed forever and therefore my reactions should reflect that. It goes back to my desire when I was first ill – to know God  in the depths. He is saying – of course you get to know me – I am with you always – I am clothing you – changing you to be more and more like me. Little step by little step. Grace is an initial act of love but it is an ongoing action too - grace and more grace. Wow that is a lot to take in on a Saturday morning!

Today – visit to Josh and Debs new flat and a party for my friend C all in the sunshine – lovely.

12 years ago –early in the morning we said goodbye to our Mum. It was in that moment I learnt that heaven is just a breath away. Since then so much has happened – to all her 4 children. At her funeral someone called us a good work. I think we still are – she and dad would be proud of us I think. And of all their grandchildren. How much I would love 5 minutes – or maybe half an hour with them to tell them all our news and to hear theirs.

3 chicks

My chicks together

Today I had lunch with my three chicks - wonderful! It reminded me so much of shopping with them when they were small but now - so much easier. No arguing,  moaning or groaning just delightful shopping followed by pizza for lunch. We chatted and laughed for the whole of the lunchtime. What a joy they are  - I am so grateful for each one of them. We have been through so much as a family and yet we are all here and loving life despite some very difficult situations. I am very proud of them and so glad that they are such friends too.

Josh and Debs have done an amazing job of unpacking and their flat is all sorted. Josh has finished his first project and is setting up his graphic design company. I am looking forward to seeing the flat on Saturday.

More Chelsea and this week

 This week feels like a holiday week. Chloe is home - making and Ben is home saving the world ( gaming). It is sunny and we are eating outside every day - lovely. I am catching up with friends I haven't seen for a while. The rest of the week - we have some shopping to do, some flowers to care for, some planting to finish, some bible study to prepare for, a flat to visit, a party to go to, a Royal Academy to visit, and a picnic to eat. Lovely business!

 The photos are selected ones of Kit's from Chelsea - showing the planting. More to come! I have also included her photos of the sculptures in the arthritis garden which I loved.

Living beyond Arthritis

Coming to terms with the diagnosis

Pain of arthritis

Craft Day 2

Table set for craft day

 Our craft day went really well - we had such fun and we talked and created all day. It was so lovely to spend the time together. We managed to finish 3 of the 4 projects we had planned. The canvas took the longest but was such fun to do. Each one is so different from the others and reflects the colour preferences of the person making it. Thankfully we had enough choices of fabrics, ribbons and buttons - although we could always have more!

Equipment for craft day

 Josh and Debs arrived at about 8pm last night for a meal having successfully moved into their new flat in Reading. I am looking forward to going to see them there once they are settled in. Today they will be putting together furniture and unpacking boxes and making their new home .

It feels so wonderful to have them near again and to be able to share their lives. It's great they chose to come back here.

Button glasses

Ribbon baskets

Yet more ribbons

Shoe cupboard turned material cupboard!

Finished button jars

Kit, Chloe, Heidi, Katie and Joy - making

Finished canvases

Slightly out of focus handbag charms

Talia joined us for the end of the making and made a card with Chloe and Katie