Rainbow Ripple

The rug formally known as 'Biopsy Blanket' was finished last week. 

Shorty is very happy with the result because it is HERS and nobody else has owned it previously.

 It is pleasant to lie on and wrap up in and drag around the house.

                                                     

We have to learn to share it though as the next one might be a while in coming.
We shall call it 'Chemo Crochet' and it shall be Lala's friend.

A merry godmother's work is never done. Anna renamed the blanket 'Rainbow Ripple' and proceeded to knock up a pretty decent emergency spag bog with a frozen lump of mince and selected fridge accessories. Who looks this good after a day Facebook workshopping? Look at the grip on that spoon! Pound it, Anna!

One of Anna's favourite pastimes is putting chillun to bed. The self- bedder chose this friendly spot to curl up tonight.

Then we made each other very tired. It was loverly!

(P.S. For those who wanted to know, the 'recipe' for this blanket was from the Royal Sisters, I think. She calls it a 'chevron blanket'. It is one of those classic nanna patterns that my own Grandma and lots of others used to make a lot. They are still sprinkled throughout our large extended family bringing warmth and nanna love to  the offspring. The openness of the weave varies with the needle size. I didn't want it too thick living in Brisbania. This is a nice weight for here. I crochet all the ends in as I go without knotting so there is no finishing off although I may crochet a border onto it when I get some more wool.)

Amazonica Domestica (or observations of a mono breasted mamma)

  Here's a small cultural observation that has been sharpened in my eye (like a pointy stick) since my 'little procedure'. Some kind, older volunteer type ladies left me some mags in the hospital assuming I might like some light girly frippery. So I put down my crochet and flipped the first one open to this. It was all about what kind of bra to wear to present your breastage up on the most appropriate platter. The model opposite was demonstrating how an ill-fitting bra might make you stand beside the toaster in the morning.

"Ow. That so pinches!"

So I flipped to another page and thought I'd get lucky with some headwear samples but, no, there was yet more breastage staring me in the eye from the adjacent page. Look away, ye of little breastage!

                                         

If it wasn't women with two ample breasts it was women with ample hair- and a bit of breastage thrown in!

"Dammit! I have my ample hair caught in the bra snap of my ample breastage!"

Now this fellow caught my eye which was watering by now. He is a famous Zoolander type of the most breastigious because he looks like a woman who looks like a man . His flat chestedness seems to have made him highly desirable in modelling circles as the perfect female body. So I'm thinking, at worst my chest could look like his till I turn the page to find.......

                             

     

THIS!! What manner of woman's magazine is this? 

                                                   

  Luckily I only read them for the articles so I immediately flicked to some text.

                                           

  

 It would seem that according to this illustrious edition, cancer is my new career if not my star sign. It was, oddly, the only thing that made sense in the whole magazine.

                                         

                                       

 Except for this pretty top which cost way too much.

                                                   

         

Did I mention the witty (read witless) article where women were photographed to be assessed critically by themselves and their partners on how appealing their bodies appear. Which decade/ century are we in here?

                                   

 

I dropped the mags in the visitors lounge and picked up an old 'Inside Out' and a 'Wallpaper'. Those are 'wish books' that are a little less close to the bone right now!

Fridge Family

Do you have photos on your fridge? If so, do you update them regularly or have long term ones that you just can't part with. 

The Bump in this photo is three now but I can't quite bring myself to take that picture down.

This Newbie below is the one hugging the Bump above. How excited those little boys were to have that new baby sister. How excited she was six years later to have another girl in the mix!

The two babies floating in the pool here are the 13 year old boys. That would be my foot up near the surface as I negotiate a double helix roll with a camera and a backward flip.

Our girls in a montage with chickens and Big Fella.

I just love seeing those chubby baby faces now they've become so lean and strong.

This little bit of Buddha appeared on the fridge about the time I found out I was having number five.

It still seems relevant today, don't you think?

Looking for Angels- Part 1 (Susan's House)

This is Susan. We have known each other for a couple of decades and kind of encouraged each other to follow the art trail away from the less suitable jobs we found ourselves in back then. We hadn't seen  each other for a while- babies, travel, babies, house moves, babies... We kept in touch though and recently I took some of the children to see her last exhibition. She came around for lunch a couple of times and I finally got out to her new(ish) place today. Here she is surrounded by some of her artisticus Suse-icus. She said I could show you around.

Their house is seriously out in the bush. All you can hear in the front is the occasional whip bird.

Whilst  Susan was still on her way and Shorty slept in the car, I scouted the perimeter. Of course there is ceramic art everywhere as she is an accomplished and passionate artist in this medium.

I think these little fellas are jellyfish, just blobbing around on one of the decks.

The first thing she showed me was a cushion a friend had made out of printed fabrics and stitched indigo coloured cotton. It is a Japanese craft adapted to some modern Australian furnishings and fits into Susan's home beautifully.

Here is the man of the house in a self portrait with dog. It seems only creative people live in this house. Watch out Bill Robinson!

Susan's grandmother's furniture has been well loved and used. It all sits on a practical concrete floor which they are still deciding on a covering for. I kind of like the concrete!

Around every corner, pieces of Susan's voluptuous organic forms sit within their home like pot plants or umbrellas sit in most others.

The work is on on walls, tables, benches, nooks and crannies. I'm only showing you the tip of the iceberg here, people! Do you love these robust lotus pieces!

                                              

After eating, chatting, drinking tea, negotiating the teething, stroppy toddler, we went down to her STUDIO (yes, the lucky possum has one!), and I got some serious shed envy. These marching mangroves were favourites of mine at the exhibition. I love how they are popping their heads out of the paper as though they are growing toward the light in the window.

I'm not sure what she has planned for this little 'vinaigrette' of goodies and cast offs. It's unknown future appealed to me.

By the window was a great tablescape, a cornucopia of mouth watering found and made objects, many from her last series of installations.

Just as I was going toward the car she led me down a narrow space between the kiln shed and the studio.

And there he was! Painted by Susan's son, there was yet another angel, albeit a very funky one.

                                       I tell you those suckers are EVERYWHERE lately!!!

Hair today, gone tomorrow

I've been growing my hair for a while. I used to like it short but it grew too fast for a woman who gets to the hairdresser twice a year these days. 

The honcologist (whom I might add has perfectly groomed, lovely, thick hair), said it will fall out on day 10 with the treatment. 

This is how my children see me. The eleven year old likes to play with my phone and takes many profile shots in the car. Usually I am ranting at them and they are soon deleted. (The photos not the chillun!) For the purposes of this exercise I'm coming out so to speak.

                                       

So as you can see there is a lot of hair, follicular overindulgence. After all that growing though, I rarely wore it out. 

It was usually contained in a knob at the back of my head.

Occasionally it would be worn in pigtails or braids (if I was going to a bush dance or stripping furniture).

More often than not it was scrunched into a messy blob and that was my favourite way to wear it.

 No longer! With the inevitable baldness looming I have decided to do four styles in five weeks. So I went to my lovely friend Natalie to get my hair lopped. She gave me a haircut instead of cooking me a meal because she said it was kinder for the chillun. I had been saving a few Pinterest hair photos for a while so now I can just use them faster.

It feels pretty good to have it short again. Shorty burst out laughing when she saw it. This is a good thing as she will now begin to think it is normal for Mum to get another haircut each week. 

So long as she doesn't think it's so normal that she gets stuck into hers again. 

Hilarious!!!

The Gifts that Keep on Giving

Lovely Dr J. who took Lefty to 'live on a farm', told me some more tit bits on Friday which put me in a bad mood for Saturday. She says pathology is the "gift that keeps on giving".

I can think of some much nicer gifts. 

They give you lots of reading material when you have the big 'C'. It is like Cancer 101 in one of those condensed courses.

They even have booklets on gift advice for your friends and family. Mine must have read all the literature before me because they ticked all the boxes.

Their suggestions included-

Flowers from your garden:
There were copious, luscious flowers both at the hospital and still arriving here including all my favourites. The tulips only lasted a day or two but were worth every minute!

Some came from as far afield as New Zealand without so much as a wilted zinnia!

Hugs: 

I have received wonderful gentle hugs from all and sundry, even my dentist and the childcare ladies, the wonderful women who keep bringing food and my sweet friends, family and over zealous children.

Hand, foot or whole body massage:

Thoughtful friends have bestowed me with a couple of great foot and shoulder massages and reapplication of rainbow toes. The gifted eye pillow provides a lovely eyeball massage for the new bags that are developing. That must be a side effect!

A treasure box for cards and letters:

 I can't decide what to title it...'C' is also for cookie .....2012......the 'C' files...? Any suggestions welcome!

A journal:

The Cancer Council gives you lots of journals to write in but I have you lot and my old 2012 diary. Friends have been more inclined to give me canvases and sketchbooks. I like that a lot.

A painting from a child:

There has been art work from several children, a lovely Ellen Giggenbach print, 

carvings from Samoa, op shop goodies from my brother and a wood block painting from the lovely Lairy godmother's collection.  Look! It's a hospital vinaigrette!! The jewellery has been most inspiring too. As well as the ceramic dove.....

there was rainbow jewellery for all the sisters distributed by one and a lovely resin bangle from another.

A sweet treat;

These came in the form of liquorice, lollies, cookies, cakes, special tea, 

sorbet, cheeses, wines and loaves. All pretty sweet to me!

                                                      

Novels or magazines:

Reading material included of lots of lovely house mags, art mags, small tomes on philosophy and journeys and this Dawn French book which I have yet to finish but am enjoying in small instalments.

Anything that will make her laugh:

This gorgeous bit of frippery came direct from the Samoan bra factory to my hospital room. There should be one in every care pack at the cancer unit. It hung in glorious cheek on the wall of my room to amuse me constantly.

If you have one, offer your holiday house for a break: 

If you ignore it, it will come..

Meanwhile here's a gift back at you. Anyone that knows MMMC, knows her friend, actor, raconteur and day time talk show host, Horsey. Is it possible he was a male model in the early years before he had his ears done? Horsey, tell me the name of your surgeon!