Well that's May over with, I'm still waiting for it to start to be honest. Being out of it on morphine for the first week or two doesn't really help in the scheme of things. Everything is mostly back to normal. I'm now allowed to drive again and I have a blood and other tests today to check liver function etc. It will be nice to start June on a positive note!
I have been twiddling about in the studio. I made some scenery on a long strip of Khadi paper... I did put these up on my Instagram last week HERE
Added some angular stitch so it was twiggy...
And after a bit of hand stitch it became a little zigzag book inspired by the hedgeline at the back of the house.
I also layered some tweeds and put them through the embellisher to mush them together and then put on some woven slub silk.
Blank pages in this one.
It's a bit like a hairy caterpillar.
The neckpiece is also finished. It's not the one in my imagination though. I didn't find this a self making piece at all, in fact I unpicked a good portion of it three times. I don't think it has earned the name Super Nova, which is what I was living with all this time, but it's done and off my desk.
I started this just before we went to Devon and I took it with me. I did manage a few hours sitting at the dining table there stitching but then all hell broke loose with my gallstones and it was well and truly out of the picture. Maybe that's why it wasn't the piece it was supposed to be, I just didn't bond with it.
In other news Ellie's gum is all healed but boy can she pout! This was after John gave a piggy ear to the other dogs and she didn't get one. She did have other softer things but they obviously weren't the same!
Willow has discovered Marmite. After ten minutes of lip licking and face pulling she decided she likes it.
And our village chalk stream has been a wonderful place to cool off at the end of the day. It's a winterbourne so this stretch usually disappears in the summer but at the moment it's still deep enough for Tully to swim and Ruger to be adequately wet.
Have a good last day of May but I'm welcoming June with open arms!
I've been managing to sit in the studio quite well for the past couple of days. By the end of the afternoon I can be a little sore though so trying not to over do it. Thank you for all the messages, they are much appreciated.
I turned the pages in the previous post into a book.
I've decided to put more into books for an Exhibition in November again in Shaftesbury. I will be doing other pieces too but want to mainly have the 3D of the books at this one.
As always the photos are terrible and at the moment I really dont have the patience to faff about with it. I will set it all up properly before the show and hopefully take some then.
The covers are really quite shiny though so they are not liking the light very much. They are also a little on the soft side so I have been thinking of a stand I can make to display it better.
This week we also noticed that Ellie had a bit of a swollen face so yesterday she had to have a tooth out. One of the big ones at the back was split vertically and she also had a baby tooth still which has now gone.
She's been feeling very sorry for herself and taken to holding on to a aerosol top. Even putting her in har jimjams didn't mean she let it go!!
We are sharing the sickie flag this week.
On the 25th April I started a project which will be going towards an exhibition in November. I've decided I'm going to do more mixed media for this one, with a bit of stitch I'm sure, and focus in the majority on books. I hope it works out that way anyway.
I made some pages up and I'm really pleased with them.
I've also dyed the cover. just some layers to add and some fiddling and that will be one down.
I also actually started Super Nova. I went and bought all the beads for this just after the Art Weeks last year so it's been hanging around for just under a year. About time I got started with it me thinks!!
On Friday 28th April we set off for our lovely weeks Dogliday in South Devon. We soon discovered the beach for swimming just down the road.
And Saturday was so warm and sunny there was lots of sunbathing in the lovely courtyard of the cottage.
Sunday, however, went a bit squiffy when I developed excruciating stomach pains under my ribs. Thinking it may pass we stayed in at the cottage where I spent most of the time looking down a loo bowl. Monday John said he was taking me home. He didn't want me in a hospital far from home if it came to it so we packed up and, even though it was a Bank Holiday monday, made it home in very good time.
When we walked in the door I couldn't keep the pain from John anymore and we had to call an ambulance. Anyway lots of blood tests, ultrasounds, MRI scan etc and the fact that I was bright yellow showed that a gallstone had moved into my pancreatic duct. I had jaundice and acute pancreatitis. All this past 9 days I have been on continuous drips, antibiotics and painkillers and had my gallbladder taken out on Tuesday. Thankfully the stone had passed on the Friday and a gallbladder operation in itself is a day release operation if there are no complications. It's the other symptoms that kept me in so long but I was able to come home very late on Tuesday night. There truly is nothing like your own bed and pillow and being with those you love!
I'm managing to sit in the studio today and look at everything I want to be getting on with but the energy levels are rather low. John is an absolute star and I'm being spoilt rotten. Hopefully each day will be better and I can start creating more.
I leave you with a couple of photos of the Solanum which is really starting to show it's blue off. Still plenty of flowers to go though!!
