Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Sorry about yesterday. No excuse.

Medical

No more news about Little C. That's (reasonably) good news, in all likelihood. My husband continues to improve overall, and therefore to become, if possible, even crosser. I spoke to his consultant yesterday, who suggested a care home. We won't do that, except perhaps temporarily. I'll speak to his Elderly Care dr today, I hope, and try to find out about her plans, including perhaps the Royal Victoria where all the rooms are singles. He is now suffering badly from the ambient noise.

Knitting

I should finish the 12-lozenge rank of the Fantoosh today. If I were knitting the smaller version, there would be only one rank to go. I've reached the stage, familiar to every triangular shawl-knitter, when every row has become an Undertaking – and the next one will be two stitches longer. Still, I have knit the centre triangle of the Princess shawl. I can do anything.

Zite came up with this yesterday, a sort of silliness I much enjoy (even though it is only crochet).

And with this, this morning. I like the hat, the Spinster Slouch, and like sound of the yarn its knit in. But I've given you the link to a blog entry (which contains the necessary Ravelry links) because it also includes Andy Goldsworthy, an artist of whom I am very fond.

We saw an exhibition of his once at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Included was a whole floor-to-ceiling screen made of leaves woven together. An elderly couple, contemplating it:

He: “All very well, if you have nothing better to do.”

She: “What better have we to do?”

Non-knit


I've got to face up to renewing my driving license. That's the sort of thing that doesn't get done, these days. I'm also falling short on the getting-up-to-Boots sort of errand. One gets so tired, and then the afternoon is not a refreshing nap but an exhausting hospital visit. Too much to contemplate.

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:17 AM

    I met Andy Golsworthy's work at the Royal Museum of Scotland years ago... Slate tiles that made a black house. Then in Grand Rapids, Miq....I saw an arch that I knew he had made. And later, watching the DVD I bought in GR, I saw the fence at Storm King which I admired every time I drove to the house we were building in NH. I love his work...the ephemeral and the eternal.

    Jean, again you have made connections and made me remember. Thank you!

    Barbara M. In NH

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  2. I do love overheard conversations that stay in the memory - I hope the Elder Care doctor has some help to offer you and that you get a nap in.

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  3. Anonymous2:16 PM

    Jean, thank you so much for introducing me to Andy Goldsworthy. Just the kind of thing I enjoy. Love the overheard comments - sometimes (maybe especially when looking at some textile art) I just want to lie down, thinking of the labour involved. Just found a comment from that artist himself: 'He has likened the repetitive quality of farm tasks to the routine of making sculpture: "A lot of my work is like picking potatoes; you have to get into the rhythm of it.' "
    All the best for devising, with the Elderly Care doc, a suitable strategy.
    - Beth in Ontario

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  4. So jealous that you got to see an Andy Goldworthy installation in person. Love his work. Barbara's comment of 'the ephemeral and the eternal' really nails it for me.

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  5. ooh, pretty hat in one of my fav yarns. Mmm, malabrigo. I would offer motivation to get the license dealt with, but um, mine expired over a year ago and I've yet to summon up the paperwork, courage, and anti-anxiety meds necessary to deal with it (just the thought of trying to deal with it is enough to start a panic response). I have a two year grace period before I need to retake the driving test (which would be bad as I only vaguely remember how to parallel park), so I suspect I will panic in December and deal with it then. So far (knock on wood) the only problem I've had is in being carded for booze and since I can't drink anymore that's not a big deal. I will be in serious trouble if I get pulled over or get in an accident though! So I am a very bad role model and you should deal with it once things are a bit more settled with the husband.

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  6. =Tamar5:49 PM

    I like the Spinster Slouch though I don't quite get the name. (I'd have called it the Double Cross, after the dual cable crossing.)

    Just a thought... While I understand that the whole situation is incredibly fatiguing, I wonder whether you have been medically evaluated for the UK forms of Lyme disease. It exists in Scotland, there are at least half a dozen organisms that can cause it, and the symptoms, including fatigue, can sneak up on you slowly. Aaron Lewis just posted about his late-date diagnosis, and I've had it myself and been told that I was just getting old. After antibiotics, I wasn't 'old' any more.

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  7. I'm laughing at your 'it's only crochet' comment. Oh to be so skilled to even contemplate making any one of his creations (he apparently started crocheting as a way to make friends when he moved to Australia). Is there no-one who could take you to the hospital each day?

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  8. Some years ago a friend made her hospital stay more bearable with headphones and plainsong. Your husband's tastes may differ.

    Never say never on the care home idea. He would have a single room with en suite facilities, and a team of staff on hand to assist with bathing and mobility. My mother spent many years in a care home where I always found the staff genuinely caring.

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