What’s Your Covid-19 Story?

Please click here to read my Covid story. It will take you to my sister blog where I originally published it back in April.

How are you coping with the uncertainty created  by Covid-19?

Crafting! No seriously, of course crafting helps to focus the mind and relax you. However, if I am ultra stressed I cannot even attempt to sit still let alone craft.

My mantra during these unprecedented times is “Be kind (especially to yourself), go for a walk and exercise."

Being kind to myself allowed me to put a few pounds on and deal with my ever changing reflection without the normal visits to the hairdressers and beauticians. Trips to the beauticians were solely for hair removal. Being a lady of a certain age the odd chinnie chin hair and slight "tache" are never far from the door.

For me being outside in the open is paramount for my well being. A little green space helps to clear my troubled mind and calms my anxiety. Unfortunately, I live in a space hungry, tangled urban jungle of a city. So my local park and canal path had to suffice. Walking by the water watching the cygnets slowly transform into swans has been just one of the simple pleasures I have allowed myself throughout the pandemic.

Finally Thank Goodness the gyms are open again. Exercise is the one thing that keeps the ugly shadow of depression from my door. Yes I did try: the odd on-line gym class; going for a run and cycling but, those adventures will keep for another time.

So to recap if I had to sum up my coping mechanism during Covid-19 in just three words. They would be Kindness, Outdoors and Exercise!

What would yours be?

Meanwhile this week I have been working on Autumn Candles. I put together little displays of Autumnal leaves, conkers from the Horse Chestnut tree, red berries and pine cones to produce a festive background for the candles.    

                                                                         

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The leaves are a mixture of either paper or polymer clay. There are Oak, Holly and Sycamore leaves which have been painted or dusted with gold to give the effect of changing colour. The cones are real tiny cones collected during my many walks. The conkers are made from clay and the berries are glass beads.

 

The displays would look great in a Fall, Thanksgiving, Halloween or Autumn scene.

Why Do I Bother

Day started well, thought I would wash the sitting room’s curtains. As the room needed a refresh and to be honest I could not remember the last time I washed them. It was a lovely warm morning they would be sure to dry. 

Managed to safely get the curtains down and remove the hooks. But this act introduced me to the detritus of human life that was busily developing into a new eco-system between the curtain rail and ceiling. As much as I tried to ignore the cobwebs and strings of dust. It was no good I had to get the hoover out. 

I rammed the curtains into the washing machine and forced the door shut without a thought that maybe, I should wash them one at a time. Hoovered the curtain rail and ceiling. Only to realise the whole ceiling needed hoovering. Unfortunately this madness spread to all the ground floor ceilings.

Huffing and puffing and covered in dust with bruised shins (up and down the ladder) I attempted to hang the curtains on the clothe's line to dry. All good lots of space after the first was hung. Just put the second curtain on the line and it...... snapped. Depositing clean curtains on the lawn. 

After the internal screaming, rant of expletives and return to serenity I noted firstly, I had been Mis-sold said washing line, it was supposed to have a steel core;  secondly the  disaster was not so bad, lawn dry curtains not muddy. What to do now? Light bulb moment “Let’s tie the snapped ends together.”It is enough to say after much toing  and froing it did not work and curtains were back on the lawn. 

Now had to go and purchase a new washing line but, what to do meanwhile?

On my return clutching my brand new steel cored clothe's line I decided to re-wash one of the curtains as packing the machine so tightly had not been One of my best ideas for the day. With new clothe's line in place and now two clean curtains hanging merrily on it. I could finally start crafting. 

It would seem the moral of this short story is “For goodness sake do as little as possible housework and leave more time for crafting!”

After my somewhat stressful morning I managed to get these finished and listed.

Earrings and Gingerbread Houses

For more about my earrings click here.

For more details about the dollhouse miniature food click here

Dementia Stole my Mother

My wonderful mother

My son and I went to visit my lovely mum at the care home today. She was so pleased to see us well, I say us but, to be honest it was Ollie she was pleased to see. I was just happy mum was having a good day.  Sadly during some visits mum’s dementia is foremost leaving her once beautiful, animated eyes devoid of any life and her mumbling go away!

Dignity

Smelling of shite, my nappy needs changing.

Breath like a sewer, a cap lost from my tooth.

Plaque and food detritus ruining my smile.

Hair greasy and frowsy, I don’t want to shower.

Slouched, nodding off in my chair.

Mouth agape dribbling and catching flies.

Large purple and yellowing bruise to my forehead.

I fell again or so they say.

My feet like overstuffed sausages 

protruding from my sandals. My shoes have been lost.

My handbag caked in remnants of yesterday’s meals.

My mind, what mind, who’s mind?

You call it living, I call it abuse.

Where is the dignity

Then I had an epiphany moment mum is not suffering, she is as happy as can be in whatever world she now occupies. It is only those that knew her before this, awful plague on humanity stole her wits and left behind a shuffling shell, that suffer.

Childhood Revisited

I am warm, I feel safe, I can hear music.