Friday 16 April 2010

Day by Day

Hello dear blogging friends.

I am writing today surrounded by boxes of tissues and am generally feeling a little bit fed up. For the past week, me and the Little Girl have been suffering with a nasty cold. It all started at the weekend when the Little One's cough got so bad she was finding it hard to catch her breath...we rang our on call doctor on Sunday night for some advice, and to cut a long story short we ended up at the A&E of our Children's hospital as the doc was rather concerned....after being examined, she was given the all clear, but a couple of days later we were both still coughing our heads off. We felt things weren't as they should be so headed up the hill to our local doc, who pronounced us both to be with chest infection. Hmmmph.

Still, we have wrapped ourselves up and gone out into the back garden for half an hour today to enjoy the sunshine (which I assume is penetrating through vast swirling amounts of the volcanic dust we have heard about on the news). The skies are strangely quiet - our house is on the flight path to Manchester airport so we often hear and see aeroplanes heading in or out, but not today as all flights are grounded until the ash blows away!

We were delighted to discover our little cherry tree had dressed itself in a frothy gauze of delicious pink blossom! Other parts of the garden are being smothered by juicy purple coloured primroses which originated in my Grandads' garden many years ago...over time my Mum has taken cuttings and replanted and re-homed them throughout the years - they're still going strong here!

Our pot of spring bulbs is looking pretty now the tulips are out too...

...Im sure this variety is called Lemon Meringue, or something like that - I love the colours though, very reminiscent of that tasty dessert!!
So, due to the huge feeling of apathy around here, not much has been achieved art or craft wise - lounging, reading the new Country Living mag, drinking juice and herbal teas and watching Little One draw pictures has been about the extent of the efforts this week. Still, I have a little something to show you, something I made one evening last week before the deadly virus struck!

A little crocheted cuff for a jar!

I had seen something similar to this in a book on Amazon, and quite liked the idea that the coverlet stopped three quarts of the way up the jar instead of going all the way to the top. I added a little ceramic button to finish it off and have been using it in the evenings with a tea light in it - the glow through the crochet stitches is rather pretty but I'm afraid I couldn't get my camera to take a good enough picture to show you.

I made it using Rowan Handknit Cotton DK in white and aqua using half double crochet stitches for extra support (I find HDC work better with things like this instead of my usual double crochet).

I was thinking of making some more of these, and creating little wire hangers from craft wire so I could dot them about the garden when the weather is warm enough to sit outdoors - I imagine they would look quite pretty in different colours!

Being under the weather and not well really makes me crave wellness and getting out and about again as soon as possible. However, being ill again so soon after a recent head cold has made me sit and think a bit - I wondered why I was getting bug upon bug, and like most simple things, the answer was staring me in the face all along.

I was run down (without realising it), I do far too much and my diet is a bit rubbish.

(Well, that's to say there are perhaps one too many cakes in my diet and perhaps not as much of the green good stuff that there should be! :D )

With not much energy to do anything other than sit and ponder, I gave the matter a bit of thought - you could say I did a bit of a Body MOT, looking at my bod as you would a car you can safely say I've been running on a very low fuel tank for rather too long...which isn't good is it?

So I'm making some real changes. Things lie taking time for Me each day (even if it's just a nice soak in the bath) saying 'No' if something feels like it's too much or not possible - eating more fruit and veg (as well as the odd slice of cake here and there) and learning a bit more about the healing nature of food. I have started reading a book about nutritional health to pick up some tips and I'm hooked!! I had no idea there was a whole pharmacy in my backyard!! It's very inspiring and when I'm recovered from this chest infection, I'm going to be planting lots of immunity boosting salads and veg in my garden! :D

So, day by day, I am getting healthier and healthier...this is my positive affirmation to remind myself how important our little Bod's are, that we must love and nurture them as much as we love and nurture everyone else, otherwise they won't work properly.


Well, I've gone on long enough I think for today! I hope you are all well, and next time I write I hope to be fully recovered and full of zing and zest!!

Sending you quiet moments, cherry blossom, peach tea and sunshine

Love Julia x

26 comments:

  1. Hello Julia -

    Sorry to read about you & your little one - there are some nastie bugs out there.

    Sounds similar to what I had a few weeks ago & the need to sit back & look at how I was too busy looking after everyone else & not taking care of me. So now i am trying, but i haven't turned into a WAG just yet!

    Love the crochet jar covers - I think they would look pretty in the trees.

    Hope you & the little lady feel lots better soon.

    Take care

    love Lydia

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  2. Oh Julia ,sorry to here you're under the weather .Love all the images in this post.Those tulips are amazing!!!
    Love your crochet jar cuff too,more great inspiration . Hope you are feeling well soon.
    Jacquie x

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  3. Hiya Julia - sorry to hear that you and your little one have a chest infection, they're horrible aren't they!

    Sending you lots of get well wishes :)

    Love
    Louise
    xx

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  4. Sorry you and the little one are not well. Such lovely weather too. I too have been planting lots of good green foody stuff, i always seem to come out of winter feeling like i need to change our diets what with all those lovely stodgy casseroles and steamed puddings!!!!Lets hope the weather lasts and you are all feeling better x x x x

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  5. Hi Julia,
    Sorry you and your little girl have not been too well, hope you're both on the mend now!
    I love your little crochet jar cover, it's very pretty. :)
    Your 'lemon meringue' tulips look lovely too.
    Take care of yourself!
    Vivienne x

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  6. Sorry to hear you have been feeling poorly Julia...hope you are on the mend now!
    I love your idea for the wired jars in your garden...fabby!
    Have a better end of the week!
    xx

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  7. Julia~ so sorry to hear you and your little one have been ill. Two illnesses in a row will make you sit up and pay attention, tho! Sounds like you have good insight and your plan will definitely make a difference for you. Keep feeling stronger and I look forward to your next post. Cute jam jar cover, by the way!
    xx Jennifer

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  8. Wishing you and your daughter lots & lots of good well wishes to come your way. Also love the little crochet cuff, it looks great.

    qwiksave xxx

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  9. I too have had a horrible cold this week Julia - it started on Sunday evening and I have felt bad all week. Hope you 2 are on the mend - looks promising for the weekend weather wise! Your blossom is beautiful. xxx

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  10. What pretty blossom! I hope you both feel much better soon...that's the one good thing about being poorly - you really appreciate your health when you're better! x

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  11. Ooo, I love cherry blossom, in fact I was pondering buying one at the garden centre today.
    Sorry things are not improving much for you both at the moment.
    I hope that next week you will start to feel more like your bubbly self.
    Your little crochet cover looks very sweet.
    Take care Julia,
    Love and hugs Rachael xx

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  12. Oh Julia, I hope the worst is over and that you'll be back and rested. Inventory taking is very good and I have appreciated doing some of that myself this week.
    Sometimes is it good to stop and re-access, take pictures of pretty flowers and read great books! I hope you share more healthy tips with us!
    xox
    V.

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  13. Hi Julia,

    It's so awful when you seem to get rid of one thing only to get another and feel so rotton. I hope you and your daughter are on the mend and begin to feel right as rain soon. You have given us some real eye candy photos, they are really uplifting, so thankyou! I love your jar cover, very, very beautiful. I have been the same....not really achieving much crafty wise, but hoping once the kiddiwops are back at school and peace can return during the day, I can get going again! Love and hugs Vanessa x

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  14. Not good that you've been feeling so poorly. It always seems to go in runs of illness though, so I guess you're right about your immune system needing a good pick-up.

    Don't ask me for advice though as I'm notoriously rubbish about looking after me.

    Take care.

    Lisa x

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  15. Oh dear, sorry you're not feeling well..
    you need sunshine!!
    Lovely post..can I ask a question?
    How do you measure the jar, so the crochet cuff fits??
    It's a wonderful idea..thank you..

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  16. Hi Julia! I am so sorry to hear that you have been feeling unwell and the little one too! It is probably the shock of the good weather! I have tried all sorts of food regimes in my life and know when I have overdone it with too much of a good thing. I have had a lot of digestive upset recently and indigestion so I have been drinking cooled mint tea before I go to bed at night. It really helps when I haven't got any Rennie's to hand! My mint tea comes out of a packet so I think I may grow some mint to make my own mint tea fresh from the garden. x

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  17. Hello Julia
    Sorry to hear you're both feeling poorly, I'm sending you both a get well hug, I hope it does the trick.

    Thank you for your kind comments, coming from an artist like you they really mean alot. Thank you very much.

    Love Fi x

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  18. I do hope you are feeling better Julia - ther is nothing worse than being down with the lurgy.

    Love the little crochet jacket,

    take care,

    Nina x

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  19. Hello Julia,

    I'm sorry to read that you and your little one are not well. I do hope that you feel better soon.

    The crochet jar covers are lovely. I noticed in your blog that you have been making a ripple blanket. I tried to do one once and failed miserably. Yours looks stunning, I think I may have to try again.

    Take care x

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  20. Hi Julia

    So sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. How worrying for you to have to take your little girl at the hospital...It must have been frightening for her.
    Last Sunday night I started a sore throat and on Monday I had a full blown head cold, it's still not over. Alan has been taking Miss P here and there visiting friends and doing all the shopping. I've been stuck indoors..boring ;-((

    I rarely get colds but this year I've had laryngitis which lasted for almost a month a now a really strong cold. I have felt very rough all week.. Poor Alan has just started it too. Like you I really feel I have to make more of an effort to eat more healthily, I have been so busy of late that I have been going for the easy options: pre-cooked meals...and cakes, sweets...all very naughty really... I must go back to eating more raw foods...I felt really good on that type of food.

    The skies are very quiet indeed, although it is nice to have the quiet skies, I do so feel for those poor people stranded every where.

    I hope that you and your daughter feel much better soon.

    Take care Julia

    Warm wishes
    Isabelle x

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  21. I hope you and your daughter will feel better soon.
    Love the jar!

    ~X~ Karin

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  22. Our cherry blossomm isn't anywhere near open yet, and I do worry with these frosty nights if it will get nipped in the bud.
    I mad a cuff for an old rock salt cardboard container, to hold scissors. Made it in bright stripes of trebles, and added a crochet flower for the front. I looks quite jolly I must say, and I think your idea of hanging some jars around the garden is lovely. Will you put a tea light in so that it can shine through the cuff? Maybe a string of them hanging somewhere inside a window with herbs, or little flowers? Or down the centre of a table.... so many things you will feel more like doing when you get FIT and HEALTHY... good luck with that! Interestingly the word verification is 'greent'- is that some sort of sign???

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  23. Hope you're both now well and truly on the road to recovery. It's OK to eat chocolate and cake when you're ill. Actually, it's the law!

    Love those tulips. I thought I'd planted some in pots but it's looking like I didn't!

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  24. oh I hope you are feeling better. Beautiful imagery of blossoming flowers and your own creations - very inspiring.

    I like your idea of going to the allotment to sketch. I might try some of this (not that I have an allotment though!)

    Amelia.x

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  25. Hi Julia, sorry to hear you and your little girl have been poorly. Although it's horrible when the children are ill, it does mean we can cosy up at home and I can spoil them a bit! Love your yellow tulips. Feel better soon! (And thanks for dropping by my blog). Lucy xxxx

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