Year in Books

Hello......... Over the next few days I'm going to be doing some 2014 review posts. First up is The year in books, where I joined in with Laura over at Circle of Pines to read a book each month of the year. 

So there they all are above. I had planned on arranging them nicely on s shelf for a end of year photo shoot, but I'm still recovering from a busy Christmas, which has not been so kind to my ME/Lyme disease, so the mosaic will just to do.....

As for my December read,  'The Great Christmas knit off' by Alexandra Brown. I have to say I really enjoyed this light heart romp full of yarn and knitting, a perfect read for over Christmas,  jammed packed full of feel good factor.

Plus it has the bonus of a cute little knitting pattern at the back of the book, yes you can knit you're own Christmas Pudding. Such a sweet little additions, not sure if my knitting skills are up to it though, I might have a go at making one for next year, although the world of knitting is a bit of a mystery, to me, give me a crochet hook and I'm fine but add in two knitting sticks  I mean needles and things start to go wrong.

Wishing all a wonderful New Years Eve how ever you are celebrating.

See you next Year....

Clare xx

November's Mosaics

Hello..........  another months, been and gone so it's time for November's Mosaics.

November was quite a crafty month here at the Summerhouse, with yarny Poppies and a Dream catcher. Plus  I have rather ambitiously started two blankets (eek, so that will be three on the go then !!)  I couldn't resist any longer and just had to join in with everyone on the Attic 24 Cosy Crochet along. There has been lots of behind the scenes Christmas crafting too, that I'll be sharing with you after the big day.

With another month of tests and hospital appointment you could say I needed the distraction of a bit of yarny goodness. There are far to many things going on with my health at the moment and I'm seeing way to many ologist.  The good news however is that now I've been formally diagnosed with POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, after suffering with it for the past twenty years) I have started some medication that has brought my heart rate down to  nearly normal hopefully in the long term this will improve my fatigue levels as standing will no longer put my heart rate up to the equivalent of a healthy person doing a aerobics class.

Out in the garden the Roses have finished but with the mild Autumn weather there is still a lot in bloom, we're even having a second crop of tomato's which I'm going to pick and try and ripen up inside.

Aww my Seaside Pebble blanket, I've fallen a little bit in love with this make, I think it all the calm soothing colours and all the sparkle from the twinkly yarns. I just had to make a mosaic to celebrate all things Cosy.

As for my year of Art new year resolution well I failed again, I'm just not well enough at the moment so here's a throwback Friday watercolour. That I painted a few years ago. It freezing here at the moment so I thought I'd share a bit of holiday sunshine with you all.

The Year in books:

I finished last month book 'Stolen Away' in about week, it was a little bit of easy reading escapism,  perfect with everything going on, as when my fatigue levels are bad so is my concentration. So a fairytale what's not love.

Decembers book is also going to be in keeping with the easy read theme I figure it's going to get really busy around here, Christmas and it's demands  generally tips me into a relapse.   So I've opted for a bit of chick lit light reading, it's not something I read a lot of but I have high hopes for this one Christmas and Yarny goodness in a book, I'm hoping it's going to be just perfect for the Season, I only ordered it today and I'm looking forward to it arriving, Yay for a Christmassy read.

Wishing you all a wonderfully Cosy December.

Joining in with The year in books

Clare xx

October's Mosaics

Hello........ as always I'm running behind, here's last months little round up. Thanks for all the lovely comments left on my last post. I'll get round to typing up the pattern for the dreamcatcher as soon as I can.

October was quite a busy month here at the Summerhouse lots of yarniness from finishing my Autumn wreath to spooky a Halloween make as well as plodding along with my blanket and flower scarf, you'd think I'd learn to stick to one project at a time, but no that's not for me.

Talking of the wreath I hope you don't mind but I thought maybe it deserved it's own  mini mosaic, I'm so pleased with how it turn out.  It's still currently my favourite of all my wreaths but I'm sure that will change in a few weeks time when I put the Wintertime one back up, me fickle never !!!

With all the lovely mild Autumn days the garden was still blooming marvellous in October, so much colour still going on, just the way I like it.

Now my new years resolution to try and do a bit of art each month has all gone a bit awry,  to tell the truth I've just not been well enough, last month I just shared a image from a colouring book and this month it's worse still.

I've not managed anything at all, so I thought instead I'd share a couple of old pictures that kind of fit the month.

The first is a coloured pencil sketch of some pears from the garden from a couple of years ago.

The second picture is a water colour, from a magazine painting course I followed a few years back, seeing as we went to Hastings for the weekend last month, it's kind of fitting.

This months I'm going to try my best to do some art, but I have a lot of medical appointments coming up so we'll just have to see.

The Year in Books:

I did however finish my October read 'Thirteen Moons' by Charles Frazier written in the form of a memoir it tells the tale of a young boy sent out into the wilderness in  19th century America to run a out post store, where he is adopted by a Native American chief.  The book is bitter sweet sometimes funny but often harrowing in it's descriptions of how the tribes were forced out of there homelands.  I loved all the descriptions of the beautiful mountains forests, scenery and wilderness survival.

Seeing as we are getting toward the end of the Year in books, I decided Novembers book is going to be a bit of a guilty pleasure read.  I have to confess to a bit of a liking for a trashy vampire book.  

This book however written by a author of vampires books is about faeries, a stand alone book so I don't have to think about getting into a whole series. I know I'm way to old for Fairy tales, but I just don't care it's cold and wet and winter like outside, and I have lots of medical tests and appointments ahead of me, so  I figure now is the perfect time for a bit of a easy read and some escapism.

Joining in with The year in books

Wishing you all a wonderful November

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

September Mosiacs

Hello...... as always I'm in catch up mode with last months mosiacs, each month I planned to have it ready to post at the beginning of the next month but some how it never quite happens like that.

So September, wow it was such a mild and sunny month here in the UK, a month where I settled down to a spot of impromptu wreath making, so most of my crafting centred around that, although I did make up a 'Owl and the Pussy Cat' cushion for the next Craft Club exhibition.

With a trip out to a local Wildlife park, the Folk Festival, plus some medical appointments I did quite a lot for me and boy has my body been complaining about it with a bit of a flare up, but at least I didn't fully crash into a relapse until after my wreath was finished.

With all the sunshine out in the garden things were blooming, all this colour still going on in September, the only things not colouring up are the Tomato's but I'm not getting stress about that, as I type they are in a paper bag with a banana hopefully turning red, well at least a bit orange I hope.

There are signs of Autumn to be found out in the Summerhouse garden, and for the sure this week Autumn has stepped in with a bang with winds and thunder and hail stones.

No original art work this month, as I just didn't get around to it, but here's a pic of my September colouring from the lovely 'Secret Garden a inky treasury' colouring book.

The year in Books

Happy dance happy dance, I'm so pleased to say I have finally finished July read, I'm so glad to have finally gotten through this book, I loved the first book 'Earthly Pleasure' but really struggled with this one. I guess there was to much war for me and the central character was a man who I found it very hard to be endear too, but at least I made it to the end.

This months read it 'Thirteen Moons' by Charles Frazer, I've got organised this time and figured out I need to read at least sixteen pages a day, to have it finished in a month. I think it's not going to be a hard task as so far it's really good.

I really enjoyed Cold Mountain, also written by this Author, so I think it's going to be a good one.

Linking up with Circle of Pines trees  
and yarn along

Well that's about it for another month, I'm going away for a couple a days with the family and my lovely Mum who is having very special birthday tomorrow, with a zero. So I'll be back at some point next week with a post when I've recovered a bit.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

August Mosaics

Hello......... August was quite a busy month here at the Summerhouse, with a few trips out and about while I took a treatment break. So lovely to be able to go out and about without having to be bundled up in a hat and coat.

As always I had a couple of weeks of feeling a bit better, while off the antibiotics before my symptoms started to flare again, it's strange as every time this happens, it's like my body feels better for a break from the constant antibiotics, just for a week or so before my symptoms start to build again.

I guess it's finding the balance,  anymore than a month without antibiotics and what ever it is I have, be it Lyme Disease of something else (no one really know) starts to relapse.  

So September's here and I'm back on the antibiotics day two and I'm feeling awful stuck in bed in full Herx mode, which is indicative of Lyme Disease.

But at least I got a little break in August.

So August was not as sunny as I hoped but I had a wonderful time. With a trip to the Folk East festival and trips out and about locally.  Lots of yarny goodness to, with Owl making and sparkly flowers. Also we saw lots of Yarn bombing on our travels.

Out in the garden there were hints of Autumn to be found, but the Geraniums, Roses and Fuchsia are still going strong, plus we have so many Conkers on the Horse chestnut this year, some are huge.

I'm still just about keeping up with my new year resolution to do more art My painting for August which I shared in my last post.

As for the Year in books I'm so far behind what with being busy and having limited energy I've not found much time for reading, so I have both July and August's book still on the go.

Plus I've started a new book, with all the weird stuff going on with my health. So three books on the go no wonder I'm running behind. 

I decided on this new book as lately I've been baffling the medics, my Dr no longer knows what is wrong with me. It's either Lyme Disease, or a autoimmune disease (that's yet to be discovered) or something else. Basically I'm falling apart and no one seems to know, so I figured instead of worrying I'll do some reading up.

Well that's about it for August's round up, roll on the Autumn. Joining up with Laura's The year in books

Happy Crafting

Clare x

The last day of Summer

Hello.......... So today was the last day of Summer here at the Summerhouse, yes I know I'm being slightly dramatic, but what I mean is it's my last day in the sun. As tomorrow I'm resuming my antibiotics for my Lyme Disease which make me very allergic to the sun. My symptom's have started to flare again, five weeks without any antibiotics means fevers, joint pains, sore glands, no energy and feeling very fluey are all on the increase again.

So I decided today I was going to make the most of it, I'm not feeling well enough to go to the beach or out and about, so I today I was destined to spend some quality sitting in our comfy old garden recliner and I decided to take my paints with me. 

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to feel the sun on my skin, as I spend most of my time avoiding it, So from the middle of August I was hoping for a few weeks of sunshine, but August sadly proved anything but Sunny here at the Summerhouse but the last couple of days have been just perfect.

As for the paints, I'm on catch up again, this is technically my August picture, I planned what I was going to paint a few weeks back but never got around to it, but it was so lovely to be painting out in the garden today.

Following my usual pacing, a bit of activity followed by a rest to try and make the energy last.

Water colours are kind of perfect for this as I can rest between each stage, gradually building up the colour washes

The picture is of one of the Roses in our garden called Masquerade, which is a beautiful Rose that changes from yellow to orange to pink in the sunshine.

Whilst it was drying there was time for another rest

 before adding some ink detail to the image.

Then a bit more rest, reading in the glorious sunshine, trying to finish my July read from 'The Year in books' (I'm so behind)

It took me the best part of the day ten minutes at a time of painting fun, but I got there in the end. I thought in this post I would explain a bit about how I have to pace my days and crafting to give you a little bit of insight about how it is to live and craft with ME/Lyme disease.

Today was a relaxed pacing day as I'm on my Summer break usually it's stricter with just ten minutes a day to craft.

So Ta-Dah

'My last day of Summer Roses'

As from tomorrow it will be jackets hats and parasol again for me, if I have to venture outside.  So today I've savioured every last ray. (Do you like my new parasol, I got it while at Folk East?)

Before I came inside for dinner I picked a few flowers from the garden to bring a little bit of Summer inside with me.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

July Mosaics

Hello... well here are July Mosaics, Summer seems to be flying by and there are sign of Autumn on the Horse chestnut tree by Summerhouse, the leaves are changing in places and I noticed in the photo you can see through the tree in places too eek really must make the most of August.

With so much medical stuff going on last month my little blog was a bit neglected, but I went to my last appointment on Wednesday so hopefully things will start getting back to normal, what ever that maybe round these parts.  After all these appointment I needed a well deserved treat so we stopped off at the shops on the way back from the Hospital on Tuesday where I got a new handbag (that I can fit my blood sugar kit in)  then onto Hobbycraft where I treated myself to some crafty bits, you can never have to many too Buttons or too much yarn, so I'm told !!

I was on a bit of a new yarn ban as I have way to much already but I couldn't resist the rather gorgeous and sparkly Rico Creative Reflection, when I saw it I knew it was for me and it quickly hopped into the basket, at the time I had no idea of what to make with it but I've come up with a plan already, (more on that another time), back to July's happenings for now.

July as I mentioned was a month mostly of tests and appointments, a bit of tour de France watching while hooky up some granny squares, continuing with WIP's and starting something new too and of course a certain Merli cat celebrated his fifteenth birthday.

Out in the garden the flowers kept blooming, all that sunshine really gave them a helping hand but we really have been battling with the slugs and snails this year, who are happily munching there way through the Summerhouse border.

With everything I didn't manage any art last month either. but I did finished off this mandala from one of my colouring books, I used the elements as my colour theme for this one.

The Year in books:

July's read was Phillipa Gregory's Virgin Earth which I'm still only about half way through, I'm really enjoying it though, I'm also about half way through the above book on Diabetes, seeing as things have all gone a bit strange around here blood sugar wise, I'm still waiting on test results to see what Type of diabetes I have/had but things are getting back to normal, for a pancreas that stopped working for a few month but is now back to normal range blood sugars for the last couple of weeks, so I thought I best do a bit of reading up, so that's going to be my book for August.

Linking up with 'The Year in Books over at Circle of Pine Trees and Nicoles KCCO

In the post this morning I had a appointment come to see the Immunologist about whats been going on lately, sadly I have to wait till the end of next May to see him on the NHS as he's so busy, good job it's nothing urgent then !!

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx