The above photo shows Artemis enjoying a bit of green bean, and is included just because she's cute, and because I took it (how much she was enjoying that bean made me feel I had to take a photo). Though I'm starting the post with it, it was a last moment addition to the post, since I only took it yesterday (Thursday). Sorry if it's not a great shot, but I was doing everything one-handed. If you saw my post on social media, you'll know why. If you didn't, you'll understand by the end of this post.
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Despite the fact it's still a little bit chaotic in there, I found an excuse to play in my craft room a little. Well, technically two excuses: Mother's Day (which was March 14th here in the UK this year) and the birthday of one of my brothers (which was March 15th).
So, this past Saturday (March 13th) I spent a bit of time in the craft room to make them cards. And here they are, for anyone who would like to see them:
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Presentwise...
I brought Mam a new purse (wallet) as well as a magnifying glass with a light on it that would help her when she's trying to read things, since she's said a few times recently she could do with both things. I made sure the magnifying glass was one that also has a light on it on purpose, since she says her living room is quite dark, so I thought that would also help her with seeing to read things, since good lighting can help in itself. It's also lightweight and easy to grip (designed to be so for people, such as children, the elderly, or people with medical conditions that affect their hands or arms, who might struggle to hold anything heavy for extended periods of time). She seemed really pleased with what I got her.
And I gave Wayne some money, because he said that's what he wanted.
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Mam and I cooked a roast dinner for Mother's Day. It was Mam's idea, so no comments about how I made my Mam cook on Mother's Day, please. I didn't make her, she insisted, even though I asked her a million times if she wouldn't rather not do so.
Anyway, we were cooking for four, since Mam always cooks her next door neighbour dinner on a Sunday, so we made sure to make enough that she'd have one to take back to him as well as the meals for me, Mam, and Kelly. As it happened, there was alsosome left that I put aside to have a couple of days later for a leftovers dinner, which meant it ended up being Wednesday before I had to worry about cooking again, since Dad provided my dinner for Monday (as I'll explain in a moment).
It was a chicken dinner for the rest of them, but we made me a vegan potato and beetroot gratin, which Mam had spotted the recipe for when looking for something for me to have with my potatoes, parsnips, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. I wouldn't have minded not having anything else with all that veg, but she insisted, and the potato and beetroot gratin did sound nice, so we made it. It was beetroot, and potatoes, sliced, and then layered with some vegan cheese, with a white sauce (flour, vegan butter, and vegan milk... Oat in this case, since it's what I had open). It was very nice too. Here's what it looked like after it was cooked, both before and after we started serving some of it:
We also made pear and apple ccrumble, though I didn't get any photos of that. There was regular vanilla icecream to go with that for Mam and Kelly (well, actually, Kelly just had the icecream, since he didn't want any crumble) and a coconut-based icecream alternative for me. Mam took some crumble home for her neighbour too, but gave him custard with his. I had Kelly's piece later, with more of the coconut-based icecream, since he insisted he definitely didn't want it, and crumble is a favourite dessert of mine.
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Kelly got me a craft kit to make a needle book from the petkids for Mother's Day. It's a felt needle book kit, which is meant to feature an embroidered design on the front. So, there's another kit to add to my projects list.
It's a very useful one though, since a lot of Nan's sewing needles are just in a little pill pot, so having them in a book would be a good idea. But I can't put them in mine, since the little needle book I made is already full. That's another reason making another one would be a good plan: if I have any needles with any of the kits I have waiting to be done - which I likely do, since a couple of them do involve sewing, if I remember correctly - I'll need something to put those in too.
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Since Dad being the carer for my brother, Wayne, means Wayne's had to be part of my extended bubble anyhow so thatDad could still help us with a few things (like getting those food boxes) we all agreed it would be OK for me to get to see him on his birthday, which was the first time I'd seen him in person since early December... Last time I saw Wayne in person was when Dad was looking after both of us the weekend we moved back to Wales in early December, and took me and the dogs to Wayne's place for a large chunk of the Sunday.
We've been being cautious with physical contact even in our bubble, which is why I went so long without seeing him in person, but we figured it would be OK, especially with lockdown restrictions being eased enough that you're allowed to mix with another household - though only one other household - now. A rule change here in Wales that came in on March 13th. We're still being cautious - even with the rule change - but Dad's been going between us these past few months anyhow, caring for Wayne, and helping us with a few things, and has sometimes been close to all of us at one time or another without a mask during his duties, so if there was any risk we'd have already exposed each other anyway.
So, I went with Dad to see Wayne for his birthday. And, to make sure it was vegan (so that I could have some too) I made Wayne a birthday cake. I made a cinnamon cake, so we could have it sweet enough for me and Wayne, but without making it overly sweet for Dad (who's diabetic, so needs to be careful of sugars). To make it a little more special for Wayne, but still keep sugars down for Dad, I dusted the top with a little nutmeg in the way people sometimes do with powdered sugar. I made it on the morning of Wayne's birthday, so it had only been baked a few hours before Dad took me down to Waynes with him that evening. Sorry, no photo of the cake, since I forgot to get one.
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Dad brought us all Chinese food. So we had that, and then Wayne let me play with Gizmo (his Leopard Gecko) for a few minutes. After that we watched a movie, and then had some of the cake I made.
The movie we watched was "Carry On: Don't Lose Your Head" - which was Wayne's choice. I'm not a huge fan of the Carry On movies. They're funny in parts, so I don't dislike them, but they're definitely not something I'd pick if I was choosing the entertainment for the evening. But it was his birthday, so he got to choose. At least this was one of the better Carry On movies.
Since I need something to do with my hands when I'm watching a movie - especially if I'm tired - I took my crochet down with me to work on that while we watched the movie, so got a couple of rows of my crochet scarf done that evening. I got a little less done than I expected, since Maya was rather pleased to see me, so I had to wait for her to calm down before I could work on it. I don't mind though, since I was there to see Wayne (and sort of the animals too, because it's me).
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It was a lovely evening... Until I shut my hand in the car door when me and Dad were leaving.
Luckily, the door didn't close properly, so only minor damage was done. But - as we discovered when I finally relented and agreed to go to the hospital the following evening (so, this past Tuesday) - that was bad enough, and I did plenty of damage as it is.
I cracked the bone of my middle finger on my right hand. It's only a small crack, though they can't tell exactly how small, because I also crushed the finger a little, so things are slightly compressed at the moment.
It could have been a lot worse.
Let me tel you though, this is bad enough!It's very painful, and my issues with taking most painkillers means there's not really anything to do but tolerate it, and hope it heals quickly so it will stop hurting.
My middle finger is strapped to my ring finger, and will be for the next six weeks, with only short breaks between changes of the bandaging. I can only use the thumb and index finger on that hand, but have strict instructions to only do so when absolutely essential for the next few weeks, since it's only out of consideration for my lack of sight I was allowed that much use of the hand.
Yes, I've just been typing this with one hand. It's been an incredibly slow process.
Needless to say, I haven't done any crafting since Monday, or made progress with organizing anything this week. Unfortunately, I have several more weeks before that can change.
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Anyway, those of you who know him - or read last week's post - probably won't be surprised to hear that Logan wasn't happy about me being gone all evening, and was overjoyed when Dad brought me home at what Logan considered a time that was much too long after the time I left.
Actually, he wasn't alone in his feelings. None of the petkids were too impressed at me being gone, since I was out past the time we turn Artemis' lamps off for the night (9:00pm) so Kelly sorted the 'tortoise time' routine (which involves checking Artemis and making sure she's safely tucked up in one of her sleeping spots for the night, turning off her lamps, giving Mollie her evening snack, and starting to settle the dogs for the night). It's usually me who does those things, and none of the petkids were impressed that Kelly did them instead. According to my petkids, "At least someone did them for you," isn't a good enough answer, and the fact it was Wayne's birthday isn't a good enough excuse.
Logan - and Lilie, for that matter - were rather upset when I then disappeared for several hours again the following evening. And crazy with excitement when I returned home.
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For those who might be wondering: my Mam had her Covid vaccination on March 13th, and other than some pain in the arm they used for the shot, as well as a headache, is just fine. Well, she's also feeling tired and drained, but since she suffers with chronic fatigue anyhow, I'm not sure if that's just her normal tiredness, from our late night because of all the time the hospital trip took (it was Mam who took me... Once she finally convinced me to go) or if it is part of her shot reaction.
Dad gets his tomorrow, so hopefully he'll have the same luck.
With how they're doing it over here though, they won't get their second dose until early June.
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I was slightly reasured to learn that the first thing they did was ask Mam several questions, including what her allergies are - both to medicines and food items - and how she'd reacted to flu jabs in the past. So, at least they are considering that. She was going to ask them about it because of me, but didn't bother since they ask about it anyhow, so she figured she'd let me and them decide when I show up and mention my previous reactions and the list of things I'm allergic to whether or not I should get the new jab.
