P.S. Have a Jelly Bean

This Christmas I'm having a little trouble finding my Christmas Spirit. The whole palaver of having to buy gifts for children who really need nothing when you look at the real world is making me feel a little railroaded. Do any of us need any thing just because of a date?

 Then a couple of things happened in the last twenty four hours.

The big boys and the three grannas and I went to the Christmas concert to watch and laugh and shed a joyous tear for the seventh time. It never gets old. There is always one in tears, one with a finger in their nose, an extrovert, an introvert, a tap dancing Santa....How I love the Kindy Christmas concert. I'd forgotten.

Then I came home to some lovely surprises. These were gifts given not because there are eighteen shopping days left but because people are good and generous and sweet.

There was the give away package from beautiful Mel, of Bungalow Bliss, who lives just over the river and who I am going to meet one day to share coffee with and a playdate with the Short ones. Got that, Mel!

  

How is it that a hand addressed brown paper package in the mail can make you feel so excited? 

Is it the thrill of the unknown something inside or the fact that somebody has connected with you from far away in a very personal and tactile way. Either way it was a lot of fun to slowly open this crafty little stash of goodies.

There was also a lovely gift from Anna at Shiny Happy Art which was a belated birthday present for the birthday I didn't want to celebrate. She had collected a little trove of treasures over the last months and delivered it here one night this week with wine and good pizza and great conversation. Isn't it lovely when a friend just knows you so well and nails it! 

She threw in a delightful godmother painting for Shorty too which she adores because it is a princessy fairy and I adore because it is not pink .

Shorty loves it so much she has been carting her new friend around the house to watch Playschool and play teaparties. I wonder if she'll be okay about  me hanging the friend on the wall?

The other gifts I get a small squeeze around my heart from are the little surprises my children sometimes leave around the house for me. Lala staggered in from a break up party at eight thirty last night after a big day at the swimming carnival. As I was enjoying a few wines with some lady friends out the back I asked her to come and say good night when she was ready. She never made it back but instead I found this when I went to bed. This bribe/ gift is indeed valuable as it is her "Guess the Number of J.B.'s" prize.

Twenty four hours of goodness may have just kick started a glimmer of the Christmas spirit.

Waiting for Keeno...

Another week of waiting. The 'site' is not healing fast enough internally. My friend, Natalie says it is crying. I prefer to think it is having a tanty. Fishy boy has enquired as to when when I start Keeno. That is, when is my Keeno therapy starting. Whenever I revert to sitting in a pub instead of sitting on the front patio eating cake and drinking cauldrons of tea, which could be soon. 

It's not all bad though. The company of the most beautiful set of friends has made it a memorable hiatus. After a month of catching up with everyone and eating a glorious selection of home delivered family meals I may need the chemo to drop some poundage. Last night we received a huge pot of slow cooked beef stew that warmed the cockles of our hearts and stomachs before they all went to discos. All of them! We were having an empty nest preview with the token only child/ self bedder asleep on the couch by seven 'clock! Time to review the good things in life this week.

There will always be crochet (the chemo rug has begun)....

and Natalie's most recent haircut, blunter and shorter than the last. I'm loving this one and may have to go back to it when the follicles come back from their holiday.

 There will always be op shopping. I expected more karma for the two big bags of toys I dropped off but we had to move fast as the shop assistant started to label them and put them on display before I could get Shorty out the door.

We did get some plastic jewels for 50c as opposed  to $17 at the W.A.C.

There were also aprons all cross stitched and immaculate, if a trifle politically incorrect.

 I don't wear them enough but they do make lovely gifts as well.

This little tablecloth has 'cushion' or 'chair upholstery' written all over it along with some Queensland hot spots.

                                              

                                               

 There will always be dear old friends who you see often or not and nothing ever changes except maybe our hair styles and fabulously youthful skin!

There will always be thoughtful friends coming up with clever gifts that I would never think of....

                                   
and patience- abundant patience laced heavily with love, understanding and hugs for the shorties and tallies of this old farmhouse.

                                   

We start on Tuesday....finally.

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!