Rick's Christmas Homework

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

The Christmas and New Year period went very fast and now my daughter and grandsons have gone home and it seems very quiet here now.

I was very grateful to my daughter for all the help she gave me with the mounting up of cleaning jobs that neither Harry nor I have been able to do very easily. I thought I had tidied up the place before she came, but she got to hidden places and dealt with them, often in secret.

Now I will have to make a better effort to do regular tidy up jobs and get rid of surplus clutter on a daily basis.

New Years Resolution? I don't think so, but I will endeavour to do a little more and often.

When the grandsons came to visit, Rick who is on the Autistic scale (nearer the top) and who isn't exactly an easy child being 15 yrs old, brought an art project to do here because he had not completed it at school.

It seemed to be a mammoth task and involved bags of material and my ironing board and iron and a good chunk of my back room. This went on for days during the holiday and the difficulty was getting him to start the work in the first place. He seemed to think it was a very overwhelming thing to have to do and he was very down hearted about it.

Rick does not believe in homework and seems to be constantly at loggerheads with his teachers who make him stay in at lunch times to complete it. This suits Rick fine as he doesn't like noise and would much prefer to be in a quiet place and to retreat into his own safe little world. There was a dead line to finish this work and he is a very slow but thorough worker. He had to follow a plan and complete a collage of nine squares individually made and I assume they will be fitted together somehow at school and will go towards his exam result.

Although it was a great effort on our part to get him motivated, when he did get going, it started to take shape and on the last day of the holiday, he completed the last square to much cheering and encouragement. I took photos and told him it would be going on my blog. He was so thrilled to have finished it on time and the look of satisfaction on his face was a treat to see.

I would have loved to do this when I was his age, but would have probably worked a little on each square to get the general effect first. However Rick likes to work meticulously one square at a time, so that only he new what each square was supposed to be and he left the middle bit of the face till the last.

So well done Rick! Hope the school like it and realise what a tremendous amount of time and effort you spent on it.

The Time to Celebrate

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

I can't believe that a whole week has passed since I last wrote a post. Whatever have I been doing?

Well.....I have been busy with Millie's party, which was a great success.

My friend, Audrey played a huge part in organising it and choosing many of the games.

One game that was a great success was turning a new terracotta plant pot up on end onto a large plate. Then the children take turns to pick up jelly beans or Smarties with a fork and try to get as many in through the small opening as possible while being timed by a timer. This was not an easy task but anything that did make it through the hole in the bottom of the pot could be eaten by the child whose go it was.

Another game was to try to cut a large bar of chocolate with a fork, while being timed and a die was also being rolled all the time by the person whose go it was next. This meant that not many children got to eat much chocolate because they had to move along, but this didn't seem to deter them trying.

They played *Pass the Parcel* and everyone got a prize, so nobody felt left out.

The children, who were mainly aged 7 yrs, did much organising themselves and the party seemed to go without too much effort from grownups and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

This was the first home party that my son had ever been able to have and he now feels he would definitely be able to cope with other ones. (With his team of helpers, of course).

This is also the time of school concerts and today I went to watch Millie in her school production of a musical that represented The Nativity but emphasised the different countries of the world who celebrate it. There were songs from other lands and the children were in different national outfits and there was also an emphasis on World Peace. I have been invited to see another class doing the same thing later today when I will be able to see Audrey's youngest child taking part. I thought Millie's production was magnificent and look forward to seeing the second one because I am sure the different children taking part in the next one will bring out quite different qualities and make it feel as though I am not watching a repeat.

As well as the school activities around Christmastime, I look forward to going to all the Church events. Carol singing and church choirs. However, our weather has taken a real turn for the worse and we are experiencing gales and cold, slashing rain so I think I shall have to miss Carols In The Park.

These are all things that make me feel like celebrating Christmas, so it is a great pity that the outdoor activities will be spoilt. Never mind, there are still plenty of indoor concerts to go to. What gets you in the mood for Christmas?

The Aftermath of Christmas,

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

Wherever we try to go in our house, there are toys everywhere. We are finding it difficult to move from one place to another because of the clutter of new presents.

This is only to be expected when there are four children in the house.

We live in quite a spacious home but now it seems that there isn't room to swing a cat (or a rabbit) for that matter, though why anyone would want to do that, I don't know.

My rabbits had a few toys for Christmas, bought by various friends and members of the family. They appeared to be quite excited about the new things and immediately set about to destroy or eat them.

I walk into the front room to be greeted by lego every where but my grandsons are very good at making models from scratch and very soon the mess is made into an aeroplane.

There are railway tracks every where and the girls have left great heaps of toys in the hall and the bedroom and the attic.

Boxing Day in Britain is a strange day. A sort of relaxed day........ eating leftovers and recovering from the stress of all the cooking on Christmas Day.

I have often heard different explanations of the name, Boxing Day but today some one suggested it was the day when the church boxes were emptied and the money distributed to the poor. I quite like that one.

This year, Boxing Day was on a Sunday. We didn't get to Church on Christmas Day because we were expecting a visitor, so we decided to go today. There were only a handful of people there, though there were many people at the morning service on Christmas Day, so I was told. I expect many people have gone away now Christmas is over.

The side roads and the pavements are still treacherous and somewhere on the short walk to church this morning, I lost one of a new set of earrings that my daughter had bought me. I am very dismayed about that.

I have a boxful of lone earrings and wish I had the nerve to wear odd ones. It seems such a pity.

Anyway we had a very pleasant time and I hope you all did too.

Happy Christmas

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

Well here we are. I managed to finish knitting Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

I will carry on knitting the rest of the Nativity figures as time allows.

Bristol seems to have a German Market visit our city every year running up to Christmas and we have some lovely stalls selling typical German foods and goods.

I spotted this Nativity on one of my visits to the shopping centre.

My daughter and grandsons managed to come over from the east coast and brave the bad weather.

I am really pleased about this and it is a relief that they got here safely.

We are having very cold weather and there is still snow on the ground and icy pavements.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas.

Peace.

Preparing For Christmas

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

This week in particular, I have not had much time for blogging as I have suddenly realised just how far behind I am with Christmas preparations.

As well as Christmas things, we have had two very important Birthdays recently. Millie, who I have already talked about in my last post and my sister in law, Mrs Bluelights. You can get to my brother Eddie's blog here.

Mr and Mrs Bluelights invited us to a wonderful feast last night to celebrate my sister in law's 60th birthday, in a really lovely country pub.

However, we left the instructions on the table and managed to get lost, turning off the Bath Road before we should have and ending up in a country lane that got narrower and narrower as the time went on. Just as well that the snow and ice had completely thawed, else we might have missed the family gathering altogether.

Two phone calls later and eventually getting on the right path, we managed to get there just in time!

It is always lovely to meet up with a large family group and to catch up on all the latest news while sharing a meal together.

As well as family things and trying to get the Christmas decorations sorted out, there have been grandchildren's school activities to go to and these are always wonderful occasions. This year Millie had to have a santa outfit (which was bought from a charity shop) and Amber had to be dressed as a Russian peasant girl. This was all put together by foraging amongst old clothes and shawls and things that I hadn't thrown out and that sometimes come in really useful. There is still one more full week of things before the school breaks up.

Some of you might be wondering what happened to Lily, my sex starved rabbit. Did I have her spayed or not?

Well no....... not yet. Things seemed to calm down and Lily has accepted Ash as a brother again. Well that is how the land lies at the moment but as everyone knows, things can change pretty quickly with animals and children and I always say, *Always expect the unexpected*!

For the time being, it looks like Lily will not be spayed until the New Year or possibly later.

Thank you all those people who commented about the subject with useful advice. It has all been logged down and noted.

Well, Harry is tapping his feet and looking at his watch every few minutes because we have to be somewhere else very soon. Everything is such a rush.

Must go.

Henpecked

Photocopyright: Maggie May

Usually, when Harry says, "You brought it all on yourself," it may not necessarily be true. However, this time he is probably right.

There were the most terrible crashing sounds coming from the rabbit cage this morning but by the time I had been summoned to investigate, the rabbits were sitting side by side licking each other as though butter wouldn't melt in their mouths.

For a little while, I have been a bit suspicious that Ash was getting bullied and sometimes Lily sits on his food so that he can't eat it.

She is very heavy handed and pushes him around.

However, he is besotted with her and goes back to her as though she is a kind of goddess.

I get a bit annoyed that he won't stick up for himself.

Now she has really started to hassle him. She means business. She wants to be mated.

She nips his rear end and throws herself at him.

Her behaviour is quite disgusting!

Poor Ash is overwhelmed by these advances. He is like a little boy with a promiscuous hussy!

Sometimes she goes into a sulk. Other times she uses violence.

These hormones are really kicking in and they are powerful.

I had thought a doe would come into season every now and then and get a bit moody, but no....... female rabbits are continually ready for any advances they can get. All the time, every day, every night.

That saying about *breeding like rabbits* is true. They seem to be very passionate creatures.

That makes it difficult. I cannot be with them all the time to rescue Ash.

If I separate them he is frantic with anxiety. He adores her but is overwhelmed by her sometimes violent passion.

Theres only one thing for it. She will have to be spayed.

Do I need this hassle right now? Can I cope with this just before Christmas?

I can't forget how ill Ash was after his operation and a female would have to face bigger surgery and trauma. Also a rabbit mustn't stop eating or it could go anorexic and die and I should think there was a risk Lily might go off her food after an ordeal like that.

Although she has obviously reached sexual maturity, she is still very tiny and not five months old for a month or so. That is the age that the vet reckoned was the time to do it.

For the next couple of weeks I have got quite a few commitments, appointments and social events, as well as work and the grandchildren. My daughter is coming for Christmas so the house will be full.

I know I have brought this all on my self but I really don't need to be told this quite so often.

So come on folk...... what shall I do?

Risk getting her spayed now or wait and hope Ash doesn't get hurt or traumatised till the end of January?

Past Christmases

Hosted by Cecily and Honey Mommy

Photos copyright: Maggie May

As I have said before, this Christmas will be like no other because I don't know what to expect or how I will feel after chemotherapy. I have to be at the hospital by 8.15 am to start the treatment on Tuesday. My daughter and the grandsons will be here this Sunday and we are hoping to have a chicken roast on Monday just in case I feel too ill to eat over Christmas. I will enjoy a glass of wine with it as I don't suppose I will be allowed to drink or even feel like it from the next day onwards.

So I have been looking through old photos of Christmases past. The younger grandson in the above picture put on two Christmas hats.He must have pinched the second one from his brother. He certainly had a triumphant look on his face.

This one was taken a good few years ago when the oldest granddaughter received a microphone for Christmas and she practiced being a diva for days. She was only here for a short time and had to go back to Japan again after that. It always caused me great distress to say goodbye.

Here she is again showing off....... the same Christmas.

The picture below shows the wonder of Christmas to a small child (same one again) looking at the lights. I think this one was taken when they lived in Japan.

They are flying out to see their other grandparents on Christmas Eve. They will be sadly missed. However when they are here, the other grandparents miss them too, so it seems that one or the other of our families are going to be sad some of the time. Can't be helped.

Photostory Friday is hosted by Cecily.

Three Days before Christmas......

Photos copyright: Maggie May

This Christmas will be really different for me. You see, I will be having my first treatment of chemotherapy on 22nd of December, which is only three days before Christmas Day.

I am glad to be finally starting the treatment. It seems that I have been waiting for ever for chemo. I'm not sure how long it actually is but I do know what has held up the true diagnosis and start of the treatment.

Right from the beginning, I was warned that I had secondary cancer and that it was difficult to find the source. Now I have a definite diagnosis that is called Occult Cancer or CUP ( cancer from unknown primary.) It is fairly rare not to know where the cancer has come from and only about 3-4% of all cancers belong to this group and to make matters worse, out of that small minority, I am in the 30% of the rarer still cancers.

So treating this cancer will be a bit hit and miss.

I told you before that I am awkward......... or shall we call it special!

Anyway, I have to trust God that the treatment will shrivel up my three tumours and give me a long remission.

I know that many people are believers and praying for me all over the world and others are sending me warm, positive thoughts, reiki and anything else that might benefit me. I am grateful to all who are doing this, I really am.

Last Sunday in Church, I suddenly experienced a tremendous peace that came over me and I know it is all about the power of prayer. I went forward for healing and felt very calm inside. I am lucky to have a really good church family as well as all you lovely people.

I also have neighbours, friends and workmates who are all sending me love, warmth and good wishes and I know that every one really cares what happens to me. So I feel very blessed by these people and I know that I will have to hang on to all this when the going gets tough over the next few months.

I finished work last Friday, until further notice and felt really tearful and emotional about that. However it means that I have a week to catch up with my Christmas preparations that have been sadly neglected.

I have had to have a swine flu injection before I could have the chemo. This has made me feel quite ill, but I am over the worst of that now.

I am also going for a fitting for a wig soon (which I might never wear) and have also ordered some suitable headwear (in case I don't like the wig) from a firm on the internet that specialises in chemotherapy patients' head gear.

So I am all set for whatever the treatment throws at me. Let it come.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

From my point of view, I hope it will be a better one than last year!

I can remember last New Year's Eve (2007), celebrating with my daughter and grandsons, who happened to be holidaying with us. We'd all stayed up late to let in the New Year with a family friend. We'd played games with the children while we sat round the table and drank wine (the children didn't, honestly!)

Little did we know then, that within the coming year, Deb would be left a widow. Just as well we never know what is in store for us. Now I am being a damper...... but it does make you wonder.

Once again, the family have been staying with us over the Christmas holiday and we are about to let in another New Year and we cannot help but be slightly apprehensive about what the year holds for us. 

  

On Boxing Day we went to London Victoria by coach ( a rather bizarre thing to do as Deb was getting quite near to home again and had already travelled across England once, to be with us!) We had backtracked to London to see a musical in the West End, *Joseph* starring Lee Mead.

After the show, which we all enjoyed, Deb had been hoping to get her programme autographed but all she received from Lee, after queuing, was a pre signed photo, which was better than nothing, I suppose. She never got to chat to him, though.

I travelled quite happily back to Victoria by tube train. As long as I have someone with me who knows what they are doing, I don't mind the Tube a bit!

Deb has caught up with a good few "old" friends from school and her nursing training days and we have visited relatives and travelled to The Midlands to see Deb's mother in law, who had been staying with her other son over Christmas. A difficult time for her, as you can imagine.

Rick and Dean, my two grandson's have been great while staying with us and we have been glad of their company. Rick, the oldest who was recently diagnosed with autism, seems to be doing very well and has lost the anger that he displayed after the death of his father. He is much calmer now, and did so much better at school last term, probably because he has a special helper.

Deb and I have been reading some very helpful books on the subject of autism. I have found this to be particularly helpful in trying to understand how my grandson's mind might be working and how confused he must be when I don't understand why he sometimes doesn't respond to me the way I would like him to. I realize that I must find different approaches if I want to make breakthroughs concerning behaviour and understanding what makes him tick. Good progress has been made with those things, during the holiday, though.

One of the hardest things to deal with is the fact that Rick will only eat certain brands of food like bread and the soya milk that he has to have.  If we cannot get hold of a particular brand, he refuses to eat or drink it. (He knows it is different without seeing the container, just by taste). As he is so thin, we cannot just let him go without.

Deb has joined a few organizations and went on some trips with the boys before she came to us and she seems to be building up a better social life now.

One thing that books have taught me is just how diverse this condition is and how different each child is one from another. No easy answers, much of it is to follow instincts and wait and see.

You might be wondering how I am finding time to read these books! Deb brought a few over with her, lent by Rick's school, so obviously I have to read them fast. Every time I have an opportunity, I open up and read some more. I love books anyway and have a whole stack of books waiting to be read that I had as presents!

Our granddaughters, Amber and Millie, and parents, went back to Japan before Christmas, to visit the other grandparents and relatives, who really miss them all. They are due to fly back very soon and sleep off their jet lag before school starts again. 

Anyway....... Happy New Year Folks!

Hoping that 2009 will prove to be a good year for you all and I wish everyone peace.

Things look frightening in the middle east and the credit crunch is making our lives difficult, but surely there is always the possibility of peace in our own lives and this is my wish for you all...... peace.

The Reason For The Season

Lets make Jesus the reason ...... for the season. 

It is easy to forget the real reason that we celebrate Christmas. It has become an eating  and drinking binge and an orgy of shopping and spending more than we can really afford, that sometimes means struggling to pay back during the next year. 

The early Christians hijacked the day from a pagan festival and made it into their celebration of Jesus' birth. Now we are having the true meaning of Christmas taken away from us by all manner of things....... political correctness, and all the many things the media throw at us because that is what they think we want and need.

I have enjoyed watching my granddaughters in their nativity plays at school. The Inn keeper and the shepherds and even the kings, who obviously wouldn't have got to see Jesus for another two years, if you think about it.

The Carols by Candlelight service at Church has now taken place and we look forward to going to Church on Christmas Day with our grandsons who will be staying with us.

These are all meaningful things to Harry and me. Of course, the other things, the traditions of Christmas are enjoyable too and we enjoy a good Christmas dinner the same as any one else. It is also good to give and receive presents and family seem to be an important part of Christmas too.

It is my observation from reading other blogs, noting comments on mine and listening to the local radio, that there is a yearning for spirituality that the "Powers That Be" are not aware of. In the end, people are sensible enough to draw their own conclusions and generally do not want to change Christmas for "Winter Holiday", nor does the average person want to be told what to think or believe.

Whatever your personal view on faith, I wish you all peace and joy during this Christmas season. Happy Christmas from all of us!

This hand made nativity set is a "family heirloom" that is practically falling to pieces. It was made quite a long time ago but I haven't the heart to bin it.

Wordless Wednesday

Looks Like Rain, Dear!