Book cull!

Spent afternoons yesterday and today at our old home sorting stuff to a limited extent.

After spending most of the time there yesterday sitting by a nice open fire in the living room with me feeling "carp" we decided to take a look at the books that John had brought down in 5 boxes from the bookcases in our bedroom.  After some time going through them all, we filled 2 boxes to go off to Oxfam, so now only have 3 of those boxes to come back to new home.  I kept a load of stuff that maybe I should have let go?  Neville Shute for one.  Will I ever read them again?  Doubtful.  But I don't quite feel ready to let them go yet.  Rather like my Mum's china ornaments.  Elizabeth Goudge books too.  And a few more random books!

Today those 2 book boxes went off to our local Oxfam shop, along with a box of stuff from new home too - trousers that don't fit John any more, and a couple of DVDs.  I washed the lower side windows in old home living room so I could see the sunsets better.  John will have to wash the top ones, as I can't clamber onto a ladder (or the back of the settee) these days to do them due to dizziness - apparently "mild left vestibular disorder" according to the very nice lady neurologist I saw some years ago now.

Progress is very slow!  But anything is better than nothing!

Meanwhile in a pot just outside our new home front door the lilies that we bought at the Chelsea Flower Show last year are beginning to sprout despite the cold weather.

My ME/CFS comes of age...

Well, yesterday it was 21 years to the day that I had the virus (?) that preceded me getting ME/CFS.  Difficult time, but also joyous in that a few days later (we thought I was recovered) we went to Birmingham to a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert (Into the Great Wide Open).  I think when I really noticed things were getting strange was when we went to the wonderful Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and in the hot house I was crying to think of how the Palm House in Sefton Park was not open any more.  I mean, why cry over something like that, sad though it may be!  The Palm House is back with us again now, but I still haven't been back to see it again since it re-opened.

I spent most of the day back at old home re-acquainting myself with various parasols I bought in the run up to my parents' deaths.  While my Mum was getting more and more demented (but we didn't know that at the time) I tended to hit eBay and buy stuff.  At least there was a reason to buy parasols, I did a course run by my friend Penny's website on renovating parasols.  I have some silk ready to work with the parasols I have.  I hope that I can actually get down to it and renovate some of the lovely parasol skeletons that I have!

Red Double Amaryllis

Sarah and Mark gave me an Amaryllis bulb for Christmas.  It was a bit of a laugh at the time as it had completely white shoots coming off it!  So I planted it up immediately and put it in the utility room to get some good light.  Now it's in our porch, which can be a bit chilly, so every day I light night lights in lamp and "chandelier" thing...  Good to keep the flower cool, but best to not let it get frozen!

Heron

Look what just landed on a roof down the road!

Stealing Sheep at Liverpool's Doctor Marten's shop Thursday 11 October 2012

We took a cab down from home, stuffed wheelchair in, cabbie very helpful. and dropped us off fairly close.  Not far to go, and it was dry when we got dropped off.  And it stayed dry while John trundled me to the shop...  Easy access, so great!  First person we saw was Emily, and she recognised/remembered us from Port Eliot Festival.  She greeted us, and then went off to put her lippy on.  Smile!



Becky had some nice new Doc Marten's.



Here's Emily and Becky working together over the the keyboard....



Smiling Becky.



Lucy talking with someone.



Emily tuning up...



I sat at the front of the venue, we talked with an ardent fan from the Wirral, who I hope gets to see this post. It was wonderful to be so close to the band in such a small and intimate place.  Thank you to Dr Marten's Liverpool for such a great and accessible place to see such a great band!

Here's one of my favourite songs, Circles.



Here's another of my favourite tracks - ShutEye.  This and the track it segued into closed the gig.



This was the last songs of the evening.  As we left Emily told Becky that we'd been at Port Eliot to see them. So we left on a high, and found that it was only mizzling outside.  Parked wheelchair under a sheltered part of L1 so I could have a ciggie (shameface) and when the rain more or less stopped John yomped the wheelchair over to the road where we were lucky enough to get a cab immediately!  And so ended a wonderful eveining!

I videoed the whole wonderful gig, you can see it here. Though in my usual disorganised manner I seem to have put everything up twice!  Ah well, it's good to listen to plenty of Stealing Sheep!