Sunday, October 13, 2019

Broken Things

Greetings dear friends & readers
Goodness I did not mean to be gone for so long - somehow another shiny new month has come along πŸ’›



My Mother has had a fall & broken her hip.  Most of the past month has been spent down in Mum's province, sitting by her hospital bed in two different hospitals.
Mum underwent surgery to pin & screw the break, & a rod was inserted - she then returned to the local hospital 
in her small town for rest & rehabilitation.


At 90 years old my Mum's bones are frail & her lower body strength is rather minimal.
I honestly don't know what the future holds ... it is a period of deep uncertainty & we can make no plans at present until we see what unfolds.
While Mum was in the main city hospital where she underwent surgery I travelled each day to sit with her - a journey of about an hour 15.   After doing this for a week my dear friend Carolyn invited me to stay with her - she is only 20 minutes drive from the hospital.  I spent some nights with Carolyn & the days with Mum.

Carolyn is a talented & creative friend - she had decided to mosaic the concrete entrance ways to her property 
using up some of the large stash of broken china & tiles she had acquired.
Late one afternoon I was able to sit outside & chat with her as she did some mosaicing - & listen to the incredible 
bird life in her garden.

I especially loved the way she had inserted little handles & critters into her work.


One side is complete & she is working on the other side - even her letter box got the mosaic treatment




It was fortunate that I remembered to toss my knitting into the car as I threw some things together before heading off 
on my journey down to Mums
The long days at the hospital has seen my dishcloth pile grow & there have been two more added since this photo


On the exact same day that Mum had her fall I had undertaken a small upcycling project

I have never had a bedside cabinet - always just making do with a stool by my side of the bed.
This little wooden unit had sat in my wood shed for several years, becoming home to a family of spiders.

A good scrub in the spring sunshine & then a coat of chalk paint (color - Old Linen)  - I ended up giving it two coats before being called away down to Mum's



Upon my return it was the first project I wanted to complete.  I had a couple of odd transfers left over from this project *Here* so I cut them out & applied them - Miss Pippi checked it all out for me & gave it the once over !!



            Before transfers                              After transfers                    


Finally a good coat of wax & it was complete - all using up products that I had on hand & nothing purchased.  
I am loving having the drawer to hide my chocolate stash bits & bobs in πŸ˜‰ !!


On Friday I had to pop into town & run some errands for Mum & well - wouldn't you know it, the Op Shop just happened to be right next door 😊
I could not resist treating myself to a few treasures to bring home with me.

Thanks so much for your visits dear friends - I shall get around to visiting you all at your blogs now I am home briefly,
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead - be kind to yourselves & to each other,
With much love & friendship,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

28 comments:

  1. Prayers for a full and speedy recovery for your Mum

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  2. Oh! My! Goodness! Julie..so sorry to hear
    of Mums nasty fall..though as we know it
    is a problem for the elderly..My Mum had
    a few in later life 80+ though nothing
    to serious!
    Lets hope she's on the mend very soon..
    Take a bit of time, but she'll get there!
    Most of the elderly, still have a very
    strong constitution..Please wish her well!

    Do you know, l do like mosaics, l don't have
    any..but..find it very interesting to look at,
    and the lovely designs, some artists achieve!
    Each one being different! Nice! :).

    Pleased to see Miss Pippi still helping, and
    looking over your work..HeHe! Bless!x
    I was thinking of perhaps getting some of those
    transfers..do they stick on skin..thought l put
    one on my chest..save doing a tattoo..! :o).
    "Willie, your mad". HeHe!

    Well..best get on..not quite light over here yet,
    l hate these dark mornings, still, be o.k. in half
    an hour, we've had loads of rain over the last few
    days..it's been really horrible..l hate the rain,
    it's so wet isn't it..! :).

    Never mind..another lemon tea is called for, the
    shooting season has started over here, few pheasants
    to see to later, so pussy~cat Fudge will be round,
    l usually fry up the liver, kidneys and heart for
    him..he goes a bit silly when he sees pheasant!

    Once again..hope Mums o.k. soon Julie..she'll be
    up and about before you know..Bless! Take care now!
    。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆

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  3. Sending speedy recovery hugs to your mum & hug for you too! Thank goodness for our hand crafts at such times when we would otherwise twiddle our thumbs.

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  4. I'm so sorry to hear of your mum's fall. Working with the elderly, broken hips and femurs are the most common fall injury. I hope she will soon recover. Your bedside cabinet is beautiful. Best, Jane x

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    1. Thanks so much for your very kind comment Jane.

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  5. Making that mosaic must have been back breaking, so low to the ground. It's beautiful. Carolyn did a wonderful job. Your little bedside cabinet is lovely. Best wishes to mum, hope she makes a speedy recovery.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your lovely comment Ilona. I agree about the back breaking work in the mosaic - and hard on the knees too I imagine! Carolyn is a very clever creative person.

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  6. You have knitted some lovely dishcloths as you sat with your mum keeping her company. How very distressing for you all at this uncertain time. How lovely you are able to stay with your friend Carolyn. My goodness her mosaics are incredible, aren't they. Love the fun things she added along the way. I must say, Julie, LOVE your new bedside cabinet and yes, those little transfers are the making of this gorgeous piece of furniture. What a beautiful transformation you imagined. Now about you popping into that op shop.....what a cache of treasures you unearthed...unbelievable really. I hope this week is a pleasant one for you. Take care as you drive each time to visit your mum.♥

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  7. Wishing your Mum all the best, a worrying time for sure. Good thing you took some wool and needles with you so you could spend some of that time in a productive way and helps keeps the hands busy when the body has to remain more idle.

    What a lovely mosaic work, so clever and creative.

    The little bedside cabinet is beautiful.

    Great treasures from the op shop!

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  8. Sorry to hear about your Mum, best wishes for her healing. The mosaics are wonderful, love the letterbox. Great that you man aged to get some knitting done. Love the bedside cabinet, the transfers just make it, but most of all I love the frame with the photo of your mother and her great grandchildren, just makes the cabinet. Great haul from the op shop, I was given a copy of the Dairy of an Edwardian Lady by my neighbour last year, it is a lovely book. Take care.

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  9. Hope your Mum is doing better Julie. What a great great way for your friend to decorate the entrance to her home, looks great, as does your new bedside, I'm still painting my monster cupboard, the slats are a pain in the butt, and my hands won't grip the brush for to long anymore, so it is a slow process. Take care Julie, best wishes to your Mum. Chris xoxoxo

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  10. Dear Julie - so sorry to hear about your Mum having this fall and having to have surgery. So thankful you had a friend close by to stay with. The traveling will get to you after a while - I know about that. You and your friend are so talented. Keep your chin up and take it day by day. Love your blog.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your very kind comment Beverly. To be honest - the travelling is getting to me already - I don't enjoy the long driving (Mum is 4 hours away) & I miss my home a great deal. But I still have quite a bit ahead before this is all resolved. Thanks for taking the time to leave your lovely comment - have a great week. Julie xx

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  11. Hi Julie i hope your mum has a speedy recovery and is getting around before you know it.
    Love your dishcloths and wow your new cupboard looks awesome ,what a beautiful finish and a great spot to put your (chocolate ) oops i mean books,hope you have a lovely day my friend and i forgot to say your friend is very clever,love her work xx

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  12. I hope your Mom gets her strength back and can enjoy life once again. Pretty things you found at the op shop! Could I ask how many stitches you put on for the dish cloths and what size needles you use? Thanks. Enjoy your week. Nancy

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  13. Sorry to hear about your mum Julie. It certainly knocks them about, and makes their future plans change as their mobility is never regained back to normal. You are a good girl looking after her, and it is nice that you have a friend to stay with to help lighten the load.

    I like many others no longer have mum or dad here, and would give anything to have an hour or two back to spend with them. And I remember what it was like to have a mum who could still be bossy and in control while lying in her bed!!v

    Julie and Poppy Q
    xxx

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  14. Sorry to hear about your Mum. It is a worrying time. So nice to be able to stay with a friend and also ease the burden of travel also. I have always found mosaics fascinating and always fancied a nice table with a broken China theme. I love your zooshing up of the beside table....looks fab! Wishing your Mum a good recovery. Take care of you too xx

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  15. Oh, Julie--sorry about your situation with your dear Mum. We are truly having parallel experiences, aren't we? My 89-year-old Mom fell 2 weeks ago and broke her clavicle, tore up her face, and may have broken her pelvic bone somewhere. At first they didn't think so, but the pain in that area did not subside, even with steroid injections. In fact, it got worse after the injections. So she had an MRI this evening and we get results tomorrow. I spend hours each day sitting with her in the skilled nursing facility we have moved her to while (if) she recovers--but my commute is only 20 minutes. I definitely have that part easier. But the facility only had a bed available until this Friday and we still don't know where she will go at that point. So uncertain.
    Hoping things take a turn for the better for you and your Mum! Glad you have a friend to stay with and shorten your travel time. She is so very talented, but I am not surprised. "Birds of a feather..."
    You have to have something to keep your hands busy during those hours of sitting, don't you?
    Your new bedside cabinet is adorable! And I am glad to see you were able to sneak in a little retail therapy. :)

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  16. Sorry to hear about your Mum. I'm hoping she is going ok now. Love the mosaic your friend is doing & so glad you were able to stay with her whilst being with your Mum. The bedside table looks fabulous & love you op shop finds. Hugs,xx

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  17. That's not good news about your mother. I hope she is improving each day. It's nice that you can stay with your friend. Sending get well hugs to your Mum. xx

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  18. Beautiful post Julie, I hope your Mum is improving and you get some respite from being on call all the time. Good to see you got yo do some crafty things at home in between. Your bedside table is beautiful. So good you can stay with your friend, her mosaic is beautiful.

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  19. Oh your poor mum I hope she recovers soon. What great projects you have shared, the mosaics and the upcycling. Will you be doing a bit of mosaic after the inspiration from your friend? When everything returns to normal of course. x

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  21. Hi sweet Julie! Oh, prayers for your mending mum. I hope she's comfortable. Your bedside table is certainly cute! Isn't that fun!
    I'm very impressed with your dishcloths! Way to go!
    Take care, friend!

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  22. Julie, I am so sorry that your Mom has broken her hip. Hope she heals quickly. You did such a good job on the bedside cabinet. It's so pretty now. It's always fun to find a thrift store near by...makes the day a little more enjoyable. Take care.

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  24. First of all Godspeed recovery for your Mum. I hope everything mends well and I know of a few people in town who have had hip replacements and they have been better for it. One of them had a fall which began her own journey in dealing with hip injuries and she has come through it well. We know about your op shop addictions. lol lol Beautiful mosaic creation and the little cabinet is so cute. A beautiful week ahead for you and yours. xxx

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