Has he been yet?

Did I miss Christmas?
It certainly doesn't feel like Christmas - I was in so much pain Christmas day that I gave up and went to bed - my daughter went home with a food mountain, and I had Christmas dinner on Boxing Day.

This then meant I had Boxing Day's dinner on the following day (still with me here?) - the best food ever, cold fried up!
Now I don't know if this is just a Northern thing or if everyone makes it and loves it, but it is so delicious (yet looks so bad in photos!).

All those roasties, roast parsnips and veg chopped up and fried until crisp, then eaten with as many pickles and sauces you can handle.

(Apple sauce, cranberry sauce, pickled onions - nomtastic).

I had a piece of dry toast for Christmas day, hey ho.

I didn't bother with most of my usual decorations (a. I couldn't reach the box they are in and b. I was out of energy) but I DID make my tree. Oh yes, all that time at Art College put to good use. What I really want is one of the dreadfully expensive trees from John Lewis - then I spotted one in good old Wilkos that was similar and a fraction of the price, but still couldn't justify the money.

£85 ish, the Wilko one is almost identical and cost £30.

 

But mine - oh mine is a thing of - er - glory. Or something.

 

Several whopping great branches from the blossom tree in the garden, a tall florists vase, lots of paper to hold in place then white paint. A three year old could probably have done better but I LOVE IT!

 

It has lots of toadstools, disco balls, HUGE pompoms,bells,  robins, icicles, mitts, mini jumpers and of course, a pink pig in a sparkly dress.

 

Makes me grin every time I look at it - I might keep it, and turn it into a Spring tree with knitted blossom and catkins. And nests. And plant daffs in the vase - oh yes, I like this idea!

 

And here we are on New Year's Eve - and what wild thrills await in the Sulky household?

 

In keeping with my punk image I will be:

1. watching Emmerdale

2. eating pasta and salad or cheese on toast with marmite

3. opening a bottle of fizz

4. knitting

5. cuddling PSidney

6. texting folk

 

Wild.

 

 

 

I love this cushion cover I am knitting - more details tomorrow.

And this is as far as I got with my journal - tis a (hand pain dependant) start.

 

Right, thassit.

From PSidney and myself, have a lovely New Year's Eve and may 2013 be a healthy, peaceful and happy year for you all.

 

x

 

 

Still here.

I am alive - started the new drug trial last Thursday (more to come on that) and have been 'under the weather' since then (ie knackered. And in the toilet. And knackered).

But I am more ooman today after a decent night's kip, so hopefully back to Ravelry posting and blog posting tomorrow. Hopefully.

I have about 3 trillion things to finish off tomorrow to get in the post by Wednesday, somehow I suspect some of my friend(and my sister, sorry!) will have to wait until the New Year for their pressies. Buggerit.

Moody. Not me, the telly!

Arrrgggghhh - tis that time of year again.

Tittle to the season of good will and peas to all (mushy), it's bloomin' chuffin' Christmas Perfume Advert time.

Run for the hills! Every year the same deluge of naff, pretentious adverts that seem to be advertising everything EXCEPT perfume. Moody, dark, pouting or giggly, playful and girlie, they are all equally craptastic! Arrrggghhhh!

Take this (please. Take it. Away.)

Or this one - and I quote (from some website)(cannot remember which, sorry):

As the ad opens, Ms Stone cuts a fierce figure, strutting her stuff in a striking red dress against a billowing backdrop of fuchsia flames. Afterwards follow close-ups galore of that famous pout and impossibly sharp cheekbones, punctuated with flashes of the model bathed in red light and writhing seductively. Then things really heat up with a stunning explosion of yet more flames which accentuates the models elegant silhouette and smouldering gaze.
 

Please make it stop! Every single evening the telly seems to be overloaded with them - half the time it's nigh on impossible to tell if the advert is for a watch (hunky hairy male wrist, shirt cuff undone in a devil may care manner), a sports car (throbbing, fast, set against a backdrop of mountains or a deserted black and white cityscape), a dress (billowing, slinky, size 4 at the most) or a bar of chocolate.

As for Brad - well, if a picture speaks a thousand words...

I ended up speaking in the manner of one advert from a few years ago, a very heavy pseudo - French rosbif type of accent. I did it everytime the advert was on - and far too many times when it wasn't! I think (hope) I managed to refrain from doing it in public.
The winner though, simply has to be this Tom Ford classic:

Bring back the days of REAL adverts. Oh yes, you know the ones I mean.

See.
Much classier.

;-)

Nipply out.

Brrrrrr! Chuffin' freezing (literally).

It has been a sloooooow week, have been very sleepy and rather achey so bed, with the leccy blanket on, has been my favourite place. Luvverly. One upon a time spending the day in bed was MUCH more exciting (ie not spent alone) but at the moment I am perfectly happy to snooze. I must be getting old ....

Some knitting has been done, and Things have been finished (hurrah! Tis a mini Christmas miracle!). May I present to you - a gathering of mini hogs:

Utterly addictive - pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits, very quick to knit, good fun and they are just - well, you can see what they are like! I love them. Some are destined to become Christmas visitors, at least one will be staying with me, probably the middle one, I like his little upturned snout. I love how they all seem to take on individual personalities when sewn up.

Somewhat less cute (but still adorabubble, just don't tell Keef I said that) are these little fellas:

Keef says they are his 'Gang' and that he is teaching them 'everyfink wot he knows' (which presumably took about 20 seconds). He also has a new friend, piccies to come as they are on my phone, who he has named 'Ganja Santa'. I can only apologise.
(pattern - Mochimochi Snowman - again very quick and fun to knit)(just Don't Tell Keef).

Keef managed to get to one of my Christmas Stocking gifts before I could stop him:

In his favour I suppose it's a 5 letter word (not 4), and spelt correctly.


I also finished and posted a rather dinky Wol, will have to ask my friend if I can steal her photo as I forgot to take one before posting him to his new home. He has Victorian buttons for eyes, and I love the bit of character they gave him.

I seem to have started a pair of mitts for me maybe five times now, only to unravel it before I have finished the cuffs. I keep wanting to alter the pattern and my head is filled with ideas - just use a flippin' pattern and stick with it woman! I also have two pairs of mitts on the go as presents, no, three pairs, a pair of shark mitts for meeeeeeee (as well as the other ones), and some other bits to knit in time for Chrimbo. I have sewing plans too, but actually getting off my lardy derriere and moving to the table is beyond me. One day ... I have some nice soft fleece with plans to make a few little pocket-type sleeping bags for PSidney over the winter (can just stick them in the wash every other day).

Before I pootle off, here are some rather speshul Christmas gift ideas for you to ponder.
A definite YES from me:

Black leather look nails with 3D silver skulls? What's not to love! Long waiting list for them apparently.

Then there are the other type of 'speshul' gifts. Why - really, why?

Really? That's enough nice wool to knit a cardi! The ones with animals or Amy thingy Childs are equally bizarre.

But maybe not as bizarre as this:

Yes. That IS a headless teddy bear lamp! I actually rather like the sheer madness of it, and if it was a fiver then yes I could see it fitting in Chez Sulky rather easily. But it is £94! NINETY FOUR POUNDS!

Then there is this - again I like the idea of it in theory (although it might damage the spine of a book) but the price!

£38. A book artfully plonked over one of those opaque Ikea lamps would be similar.

LOVE the bat pegs! But at a fiver EACH they are too steep, as you would really need a full line of them to look effective.  (the above are all from I Want One Of Those)(but not at that price).

There - no need to thank me, my indispensable gift guide!

I am going to curl up with an episode of Lie to Me (oh Lordy, Tim Roth, drool), the never-beginning mitts, chocolate and some pop. Keep warm and enjoy the weekend.
(exciting health news coming up)

Extremes.

It didn't photograph very well but yes, that IS thick ice.

Yuk.

Am extremely tired, haven't been able to sleep all week (literally) so gave in and had a double dose of sleepy tabs last night and slept through until 11am. Have been totally sluggish all day as a result - and most probably won't get any sleep tonight. Hey ho.

I ache quite a bit, am headachey, fed up, cold and - well, fed up.

Betcha glad to be reading this cheery little blog post aren't you!

Thank goodness for friends and Stocking Swapsies! These have really cheered me up - not because I am materialistic (truly!) but because of the thought and fun. Best swaps each year without a doubt.

Keef managed to pinch the Grown Ups scissors but I removed (and hid) them before he could cause too much mayhem. Sadly I wasn't fast enough to remove the pen from him.
Apparently this is Gangsta Keef (innit).

I dread to think what he was about to draw in his nether regions (snow balls?).

I also have a fab colour changing candle:

The sunlight here must be so weak - it won't work on the windowsill, but springs into life as soon as it catches the light from the halogen heater!

I am running behind (I feel like my entire life is running behind) but posted the first 5 gifts to both partners last week, am aiming to get the rest in the post tomorrow or Tuesday. So lots of finishing off has been happening, and finally, finally, things are almost done.

I had Plans to make some rather fab things - and of course hands / head / body refused to play along. But hopefully my partners will like what is en route. Sent with lots of love.

I started tidying the bathroom.
Please tell me this is a perfectly normal amount of hair products to own? Yes?

Chavless in Seattle. With drugs.

Okies, will try and condense Tuesday's hospital visit into something less than a millionty words - and this post will mostly be health based so do feel free not to bother reading if not interested.

There is a relatively new drug available for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis, RoActemra / tocilizumab. It is one of the biologics, and pretty difficult to get on the NHS - not impossible by any means, but as you have to have tried and 'failed' with at least two other DMARDs (disease modifying drugs, such as methotrexate and leflunomide) it is a long and painful process.

roactemra

A few months ago the fab Prof said I would be 'perfect' for a new trial being run, researching whether patients need to take BOTH Methotrexate and RoActemra for it to be effective, or the RoActemra on its own. As the meths causes godawful nausea it would obviously be a huge bonus for many people if this is proved to be the case.

So this is a double - blind trial. All patients will be given RoActemra, via a drip infusion, once monthly. All will also start with Methotrexate too (minimum of 10mg weekly). Half will continue with this combination while the other half will gradually have the meths tapered and then stopped. Double blind because neither the RA nurse or the patient will know which group they are in.

So for those (like me) who don't get along with the meths, there is - as the consultant told me - a good 50/50 chance of coming off the stuff altogether. Good enough for me! There have been significant improvements in people taking the newer drug, with minimal side effects - although obviously this being a relatively new drug there may be side effects to come that nobody really understands yet. It's a chance I am happy to take if it will give me some quality of life back, especially with my hands.

I do take a certain morbid delight in side effects that state 'death' at the top of the list!

Sooooo...... Tuesday afternoon was dedicated to a long screening session, a full MOT health check, with mountains of paperwork and tick sheets, many hoops to jump through etc.
X-rays, many blood tests, pregnancy test (I am not. I replied 'it would have been the bloody immaculate conception if I was!'), ECG, joint count (inflammation / pain), height (stumpy), weight (fat), blood pressue (high), pulse ('racing'), temperature, on and on it went.

They test for hepatitis and TB in particular, either of which would rule me out of the trial. Then again if I had either of those I would rather know about it!!

Fabulous staff, every one of them. All male, all mustachioed for Movember.

It has left me utterly wiped out which I knew would happen (thank you ME), in fact I am too tired to sleep, if that makes sense? BUT, one single line from the consultant which was then passed on to the two nurses, gave me an immense emotional lift:

'Let's see if we can start mending your poor hands.'

Anyone reading this who knits, sews, draws, writes - anything, will understand what this means to me. My poor swollen, painful and stiff hands look like chuffin sausages most of the time, I cannot wear rings anymore (I loved my silver rings), don't bother with bracelets or a watch now as my wrists are so bad. I am lucky that I can and do knit etc, but NOWHERE near as much as I would like. I never knit a top down seamless cardi or jumper because my hands / wrists cannot bear the weight. I switch to crochet sometimes when knitting needles are too much to handle.

Sewing, especially by hand, has taken a huge back step.
Drawing - doesn't happen.
Paining - ditto.
Beading - pretty much the same.

Trivial things to many I am sure, but when your way of relaxing is to make things, to craft, it is massive.

Hearing someone who has never met me before say those words was so important.

I now have to wait until the test results all come back, and the nurse will ring me. He said 'pencil in the 10th'.

I won't actually believe it and relax about it, until that needle is safely in my arm.
Never thought I would actively look forward to that!

Thanks for sticking with this - I think the main thing is that people are working on ways to help those with RA. It is a horrible, horrible life changing disease. I knew absolutely naff all about it when I was diagnosed, and was totally flippant about it. It was the reactions from other people that made me think, hang on, this might actually be serious stuff.

Talking about this to my Aunt the other day, I said there are three things I would LOVE to be able to do again:

swim
draw
ride a bike

Will report back. Toodles.

In which Sulky resists a Chav with wheels.

I have always had a weakness for Bad Boys. Hence being single, it never works out and Bad Boys seem to be very possessive and hard to get rid of. But fun ;-)

'This is all very interesting Sulks, but what has it got to do with anything?' I hear you ask.

Yesterday was a bit of a mega hospital day - the screening for a newish drug which might just start mending this knackered little body. I think 'tis easier to write a post dedicated just to that tomorrow.
But afterwards, after the three and a half hours of being prodded, jabbed, x-rayed etc, I was outside the hospital waiting for my taxi.

And there he was - whizzing that wheelchair of his round as though he was playing Murderball (remember Him, the blue haired delight of the Paralympics? Yum). Sadly this wasn't THAT him.

 

Tattoos, scrawny, shaven headed. Oh yes. Exactly the type I go for. Then something magical happened and he approached me in his wheelz. And uttered those romantic words -

'gorra light luv?'

If only I hadn't actually looked at him when I said sorry no, it might have been the start of a beautiful romptastic relationship.
But look I did.
That was one battered chavvy type, mug yer muvver for her pension book type of face.

Nah, think I will leave that one alone.
Not that desperate. Yet .... ;-)

Apart from yesterday's trip there isn't much to report. After last weeks flare up I had a few days of feeling really crap, like fighting off the flu. Dr chappy yesterday said that is classic RA, the way it attacks the whole body.
But things have been made and things are going to be made.

I have finally mastered gluten free scones, which I am delighted with - recipe to follow asap, but blimey these are nice.

I hope everyone reading (anyone reading? Hello?) escaped the flooding without harm. I so feel for the poor woman in Whitby who was given 30 minutes to grab her most precious possessions and get out, her home is being demolished tomorrow morning after a massive landslide. Poor poor woman. To stand outside and know you cannot get anything else as the house is condemned. Heart breaking.

We have had a day of sunshine today (allegedly, I spent most of the day in bed resting after yesterday). I much prefer cold but bright, much better than cold and grey and dark and wet and gloomy, which is what we have had for weeks now.
This single leaf made me smile yesterday and I had to grab a photo before that too fell onto the ground.

More tomorrow. Toodles .