I passed

I found out on Monday I passed my OU course but as predicted I did drop a grade but on reflection I am not sure if I would have got the next grade up anyway. This is because all my answers ended up being in the same grade band, but as we are not told the actual grade achieved for each section I am not sure if I did better in the disastrous section or not as well as I thought in the others. For the first time this year we also got feedback on our work which I found singularly unhelpful and quite frankly a bit soul destroying. The comments were difficult to put into any real context as they were a choice of five definitions for certain elements we were required to achieve, but without knowing what actual marks we received they were a bit meaningless. What was interesting on the forums for the course were the number of people complaining about this and when two students comapred the comments they got they were wildly different and yet they received the same mark. One was like mine where the comments seemed to suggest a much lower mark, and the other was told he was predominantly good and even excellent and yet they were only 5% above me and in the same mid grade band. Go figure!!
So now I am not thinking too much about those comments and just being happy that I passed and safe in the knowledge that it's taught me loads for the next course and I had a great year of study too.

Sweet treats finished

I finished this today:



I have really enjoyed stitching this as I love these designs and the combination of threads that are used in them. I used all the recommended fabric and threads and am thrilled with the outcome.
In other news I am on my holiday from my course and results are due in next week sometime. I am feeling a bit nervous as the exam didn't go quite as well as I hoped as I got a mental block which threw totally threw me. I think I will probably drop at least one grade now but these things can never be predicted so I hope that maybe, just maybe I could possibly have done enough on the rest of the paper. I am also being hopeful and changed my degree to pure literature, but I did waver for a bit as the section which threw me off in the exam involves the same area of my next course. But in the end I figured that it wasn't that I didn't understand it or hadn't done the work for the exam it was one of those unfortunate things. In the cold light of day I knew what I could have added and have learnt from it so onwards and upwards.
This week has been a bit of a sad one for the town I live in as our pier was gutted by a fire on Monday morning. We saw the smoke on the way to dialysis and at that point we weren't quite sure where it was coming from, but one of my fellow patients who lives nearby told us what was happening when he arrived. It didn't sound that good and then it hit the news and we all sat watching the updates as the situation got worse and worse. Here is a link to a you tube video which shows you all you need to know about this story. I would like to post the video here but for the moment don't know how so if anyone can tell me let me know. It also seems that the link won't work at the moment either but if you search for Weston pier it is the video that titled before and after.
This weekend I am off to Cornwall to visit a very good friend and I am really looking forward to the break away. I am not sure what the weather will be like but it usually doesn't matter when we get together. One of our great memories actually involved this pier as we went there a few years ago just to behave like big kids. I don't think either of us will forget the laughs we had when a group of old folks went on the dodgems and drove hell for leather. One mans flat cap came flying off and he just manouvered his dodgem round and rescued it as he neatly swept passed it with his car. Although we were laughing we were secretly impressed with that move and a bit later when we were by the shooting range he reared up behind us cap firmly on his head to see what was going on which started us off all over again.

Row of cats

I finished this a few minutes ago and I am really pleased with how it turned out. I think I will get the matching dog one at some point and then get them framed the same:

Mabel

I thought I would post a recent picture of her which shows her very unusual clouring:



So as Mack doesn't feel left out I have included this picture which is genuine of us together:

Beekeepers cottage

I finished this Shepherd's Bush design today:



I really love this design but for some reason I kept making lots of mistakes. Some of them were down to me and I either left them or started over, but some came from either the instructions or my interpretation of them being wrong. But I am very pleased with the finish either way and despite the problems it was a very enjoyable stitch.
I think I am going to start the row of cats by Bothy Threads next as my focus piece but that is still subject to change. I am finding this rotation is working very well around my study so I am certainly sticking to it. The function of smaller pieces as a focus allows me some finishing gratification and a good way to get my stash down, but I am trying to plan them carefully. The only obligation I have is my nephews birth sampler which I am going to get soon and hopefully it shouldn't take too long to stitch then I can decide what to stitch from there.

Meaow block flippit

I am stitching small focus pieces in between my rotation pieces and finished this one today:



I am thinking of doing the dog version and making them into a biscornu, but thats for later as I think I am going to stitch a Shepherds Bush design next.
In other news I will have to add a birth sampler somewhere soon as I became an Auntie a week ago to a little boy called Oliver. We went to see him last Saturday just before they all went home and he is gorgeous and very like his older brother Benjamin.
Life is still busy but starting to calm down a little now and even the studying will be better now as I have less hospital appointments so won't have to cram it in so much at the moment. I have been chuffed to bits with the last couple of results I have had and if I keep it up including into the exam I will hit the next grade up. However I am not expecting anything as yet as there is still a way to go, but I am enjoying the course and getting alot out of it which is the main thing.

Winter Sampler

I finished this on Friday and it was a really fun stitch. The picture on the front does it no justice and I am seriously tempted to get the rest, but for now I need to get my stash down:



Life is very busy at the moment with OU deadlines and health related stuff on the horizon too. But the good news is I was discharged from the psychologist this month which is a massive step for me. When I think what I was like at the start of blogging and how it got worse for awhile, I never imagined feeling like this so I have so many good emotions at making it this far.
I also attended the gtg at Joys and had a fab time and compared with many I was quite restrained in the stash I bought. I got a few pieces of hand dyed linen and a couple of balls of wool but overall it was lovely to see everyone and catch up again.
Finally Mack and Mabel are doing well and growing fast and although they can still be mischievous they have calmed down an awful lot. What is particularly nice about them is they spent their early days around alot of people and are very social and people oriented and come to greet us if we have been out. Here is a picture that was taken just a couple of days ago, it is rare for them to be together like this, because even though they are close they don't often cuddle up like this:

Merry Christmas

No I am not going mad and posting this two weeks late, as it is the title of my first finish of the year:



Obviously I should have finished it in time for Christmas last year but with busy schedules and hectic kittens it wasn't happening so as someone told me it is now just really early for this year.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you are all having a lovely and relaxing festive season and making the most of time off, family etc.
Today has been a good day so far and has far exceeded my expectations as although I love the concept of Christmas, restrictions in drink and not really getting a break as I still have to dialyse tomorrow I was starting to feel rather Bah Humbug like. But today I woke up feeling alot more positive and determined to make the most of it and have really enjoyed it. I have had lots of lovely presents and spoken to my family on the phone so know my nephew is having a great Christmas and loved my presents which was great too hear.
I am off now to do some more stitching and watch the evening's television but again Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all my blog readers.

Christmas elf fairy

I have finished Mirabilia's Christmas elf fairy and I am really pleased with how she turned out. I started her a good while ago but due to overexcited kittens my stitching time was seriously curtailed but she is done in time for Christmas. Hooray!! She is on a Silkweaver hand dyed linen so I will also be entering her into their competition this year.

Christmas Shopping

I have finished it and in a record time too. I am usually a very last minute shopper but with having lots going on it has really focused my mind and I am all done. Now there is the small matter of wrapping and writing cards and I can relax completely knowing all is done.
However there is no real rest for the wicked as the OU have decided we absolutely must have an assignment due with a cut off date straight into the new year. It isn't too bad as I am working on it in parallel to the reading and managing quite well, but you would think they could have given us at least a weeks grace. I decided to miss the tutorial today as some of it was covered last time, the weather is fearsome and I am rather tired and a little stressed at the moment. I don't think any harm will come of it as I seem to be getting on ok and the tutor is very approachable by email if any problems should arise so a quietish day won't hurt for once.
Just to make you smile I took some pictures of Mack and Mabel this week and here is one of the very few of them not only together but actually keeping still.

Bah humbug!!

I have to blog this as I am really fed up with how this country is turning into the nanny state. Now dialysis appears to be affected by it and maybe in some ways this isn't a legitimate moan as it isn't actually affecting our treatment. But as dialysis patients we never get any time off which includes Christmas, but the unit does move shifts around so everyone gets two days off together at Christmas and no one ever goes in on Christmas day. All fine but the one thing I like about our unit is that they try and make it as festive as possible and sometimes it can almost be like walking into Santa's grotto-ok a slight exaggeration but they do put lots of decorations up. Thanks to the health and safety police it seems like we are not going to be like that this year and they are fighting to even get a tree let alone anything else. It might be a sign of the times, but I don't know where it is all going to stop and it is like we don't have minds or personal responsibility anymore.

Long time

Sorry it's been such a long time between posts on here but life has been extremely busy. So much has happened that I really should have blogged but now it all seems so long ago there seems little point mentioning it now.
Anyway a couple of things of significance I am writing about are partly due with the lack of blogging are that my course is rather more time consuming than I thought it would be and my motivation for things is somewhat lacking. It isn't for the course as such but just well everything, and I am feeling more tired and although physically and mentally I am doing so much better I just want to veg. I don't think the time of year helps for this either as it is dreary and cold out there now, but it has struck me that maybe I feel like this because I am better. I was so physically and mentally wired to getting through the days that now I am not on red alert all the time maybe I am just relaxing a bit.
However it is impossible to relax here lately as after the sad loss of Taffy in August we have given a home to a couple of bundles of fluff and they are keeping us very busy. Here they are when we first got them 6 weeks ago:



They settled in really quickly and although you can only just see them here the following were taken on the same day as they got used to their new surroundings.

This one is called Mack and he claimed the bed very early on as his but he is very close with his sister so does share it with her too.



This photo is of Mack's sister Mabel and she is alot smaller than him but we gather more of an average size as Mack is apparently going to be a big cat. You can't really tell from this picture but she was ever so tiny when she came here and I was so scared anything would hurt her.



However both are much bigger now and have completely made themselves at home. Although they can go out now they are not keen on the concept at the moment. But I am not suprised with this weather as it isn't inviting for anyone especially kittens who are used to the warm and dry. They are pretty well behaved although like any kitten they have their moments too, especially where wallpaper is concerned but on the whole we have a couple of lovely, friendly cats.
There isn't much more news but I hope to be back sooner next time and with any luck a Christmas stitching finish too.

Apple kissed autumn

I finished this just a couple of days ago and I have to say I was slightly disappointed with it. It is mainly because the fabric from the kit is a wee bit dark for it and some of the very pastel tones hardly show up. The scan of it has come out really well and doesn't show this at all, but then my mum suggested it was the brightness behind so might look at putting something white behind when finishing it off. I haven't decided how it is to be finished or when so for now here it is:



This was the focus piece in my rotation and I figured that if I want to get my stash down then some new starts were in order. But I also want to get my number of projects down, so as I have lots of smaller ones I decided to put them in as focus pieces. Next up is Mirabilia's Christmas elf fairy, but I am also knitting a pair of pink trainer socks inbetween too.
My new course also officially started last Saturday although I was doing some studying before that so my time is going to be curtailed from now on so I will see how I get on with this new rotation. I am enjoying the course so far and Literature has always been an interest of mine so I am looking forward to really getting into it this year.
However instead of hitting the books I went to the Exeter craft show on Saturday with my mum and we had a really great time. I didn't spend much but there was such an aray of demonstrations and displays it kept us both happy for a fair while. I actually took some great pictures on my phones camera but am currently trying all ways to get it on line but a friend mentioned a dongle might be needed so although the mind boggles I will do a bit of investigating on that front this week. For those who asked we didn't go to the NEC in the end as my mum was taken ill that morning and it wasn't right to leave her, even though dad was here so neither of us went in the end. Without going into details she has had several problems this year and it has been a worrying few weeks but all is now getting sorted.
Finally I am really missing Taffy at the moment. It seems to have built up in the last week and not sure why as I have been relatively ok up until this point. I think maybe it is finally sinking home now as the memories start coming back. am a bit of a blocker when it comes to sad stuff then unfortunately at some point down the line
it is like a cork being released and I have a big reaction to it. I have a feeling that is what is happening now, but as several things are happening at the moment that cork has alot of pressure behind it.

A stitching finish-with a picture

After my last update with lack of pictures and Nichola saying she wished to see them here is my latest finish:



This was a class piece by Judy Dixon which I attended with Gina and although a while ago now I remember it was a really great day. I am seriously considering finding a floss box to mount this in as I love this design and it is also the first Hardanger I have done with little easy to sort out mistakes.
Life carries on quite normally here really but although my next OU course doesn't officially start until the end of the month I have made a start today. This is so that I can hopefully keep slightly ahead and also because we don't have even one month from the start date until the first assignment is due-no pressure or sense of easing us in gently then is there? What I did today made sense and I enjoyed it so that is a good start I would think.
All being well me and mum are going to the Knitting and Stitching show at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday. It is quite some time since I went to a major show but I am trying not too get really excited about it as I know my health could prevent it right up until the last minute. That is one of the major things which gets to me about my illness as although I enjoy life and try and embrace it I can't allow real excitement even about the immediate future just in case it doesn't work out. But then sometimes excitement leads to disappointment so taking as it comes is not always a bad thing but hoping fervantly this is going to be a great weekend.

Time for a general update

It's been so long since I last blogged that I am trying to order my thoughts as to what has been going on.
In general I have been enjoying my time off studying and taking the time to chill out and stitch or knit. In fact I have finished a few things but instead of posting pictures to bore you all I will just say you can see the links in the sidebar. But from now on I am going to try and post pictures and blog more often.
We have also been decorating my room which is now looking fabulous. I now have a pink theme with soft pink walls and a fushia on the woodwork. I chose the bedlinen first which I got on sale and that is white with a panel containing fuschia embroidery. The curtains are plain fuschia and have a panel which has fuschia embroidery down the side so it is like an embossed effect. I also got pillows the same as the curtains although it's all from the same range and found a fab cushion-one of those very hairy ones which luckily matched the bedlinen. I then managed to get the lighting at a great price and have a chandelier and a table lamp that moreorless matches. Finally the carpet has gone down which is like a dark cream and although the medittaranean colours of before gave the room lots of light this is even better.
I also passed my OU course at the begining of the month and although I just missed the score I really wanted I was more than happy with what I did get and now it's onwards and upwards to the next one. I should be receiving the materials soon although it doesn't officially start until the end of next month, but I have time to get organised at least. But as it is a literature course I am pre-reading the first lot of books which I am enjoying but hope that some of them will make more sense when I start to study them.
However this summer has been darkened a bit by the very sad news that we have had to put Taffy to sleep. I can't believe it is two weeks already since he left us, but it was the best thing for him. The weekend before he kept disappearing and when we eventually found him on the Monday he went wild at being dragged away from his shelter. We managed to get him to the vets and they kept him in for blood tests and some fluids, but when we rang on the Monday they said his kidney function was off the scale and they could make him feel better for a few days with steroids but it was only a temporary measure so he would not live any longer than that. We decided as he certainly seemed very unhappy and wasn't eating to not put him through that so we decided to let him go. My dad was the one to go and sign the papers and be with him-me and mum are never quite brave enough but we would if we had to, but apparently it was quick and peaceful so I don't think he really suffered much.
Thats it for now folks but I will try and write more often if I can from now on.

Registered

Yesterday I registered for my next course and this time I am going to do Approaching Literature. It took awhile to decide but Literature has always been my subject and when browsing the online forums I realised that the structure of the course really appealed to me. I wasn't sure for awhile as the write up on the main website is sketchy, so there is nothing like going to the heart of it and seeing what the students who have done the course think and what information they have left.
However it isn't always a great guide as many people were not totally happy with my last course but I loved it-I knew when I signed up it was on the harder side than others at this level, but it so neatly followed on from the one before that I decided to risk it. They were right about the hard work but I felt that I kept up with the workload and got good enough grades that I am interested to see how the Literature one compares in work.
But the hard work has had one very nice bonus and that was in the shape of my latest bank statement which was extremely healthy. I am not a reckless spender by any means but I got to wondering why it was so healthy and realised that although I have gone out I tended to focus on what I needed to buy rather than buying on a whim. So now I am in the process of treating myself to something nice but can't decide what I want so will maybe save it for a rainy day.
That rainy day may come sooner than expected though as my digital camera is starting to play up a bit-I am hoping it is only the settings that are out, otherwise my money will be spent on a new one. It seems that there are not many pictures which come out crisp and are really blurred which is not like that camera at all, but on the whole I love my Nikon and would consider getting the same make again if it came to it.
Finally my friend is alot better but isn't quite right still but I think it is more after effects and being pregnant that are causing it but for the moment for both our sakes I will keep clear.

Good morning

Hello all

It seems strange to be typing this still in my nightwear at this time of the day but the simple fact is I have nowt to do today, because I took my exam tuesday so I am now free.:-)
I have many plans for my time off including stitching, reading, shopping and seeing friends/family. I have neglected most of these I studied this year but I do feel that it has been so worth it and the exam although not exactly going swimmingly in all areas went pretty well overall. I am determined not to read my notes for the less good parts as I can't change anthing now so there is little point.
So today I am going to get myself sorted and then do some stitching and this afternoon me and mum are off to the local gardening center which also sells lots of gifts and craft items too. We are looking for a birthday present for one of my close friends but it is a lovely place to browse anyway so should be a nice afternoon.
I have to admit to being a bit worried about this friend as she is pregnant and not had a good time and I found out she has had a very nasty infection. I knew she had been poorly so I was concerned but when I heard what it was she had conracted it made me even more so. But she does seem to be on the mend now, the baby is ok and kicking like mad so all appears ok. Anyway I will try and get her something nice for her birthday to hopefully pick her up a bit-I was planning on seeing her soon but I won't be able to go any time soon, because this bug could be quite dangerous to me. I need to make sure she is clear of it before I see her, but know she will understand too as it is the kind of friendship where we do anything for each other but if it puts one or other of us at risk we draw the line.
Right thats it for now-better make a start on this day and hopefully I will have some more time to write from now on.

Have a good day all.

Google blogger

I finally got round to getting it so I won't appear as anonymous on comments and look like a crazed stalker. Everytime I tried to change in the past it would play up or something went wrong, but today it all worked fine.
I have to say I wrote and published my previous post using it and have to say it all seems much quicker and simpler than the old version. Happy days.

Been too long

Well I am still here but taking a few minutes out from the busyness my life is to just say hello and to post a picture of my latest finish. I completed The castle by Teresa Wentzler a couple of weeks ago after many a long year of working on it. You can see how old it is as I bought it in kit form and stitched it on aida. I did however take inspiration from the forum and added some sparkles and some of the idea for which to use were helped by a grab bag I got on ebay. So here it is in all its glory:



A quick update on other news brings a mixture of good and bad. I spent a short while in hospital recently which was for something and nothing but it has had a bit of a knock on for some of my blood results. I got quite upset but luckily my consultant was visiting the unit on the day I wasn't there so he left a message with them about what was going on as they also saw the changes. It is not anything serious and although I am anaemic it isn't affecting how I feel and I am now getting a good course of it with possibly more to happen to boost it all up.
It is a good job I feel ok though as I have my exam soon and I am literally cramming for it as much as I can. I am enjoying the process but it is relentless at the moment and all I can hope is that this work pays off. I did get slightly behind when in hospital but I got an extension on the last assignment and have now caught up. I have now got that result and it was better than I hoped and means I have passed that component of the course.
Finally we have sadly been told our cat Taffy probably is living on borrowed time now. His kidney function is declining and depending on how fast it does it really depends on how long we are looking at. He has been put on a diet for it which could give him double the time-and luckily he seems to not mind it, but the last couple of days his appetite has gone right off again. This could be a bad sign I know but also he does this sometimes especially with the thyroid and his tablet dose has changed so it could be that too.