Lesley-Ann's Blog

Near Misses

2009-02-03T12:08:00.002Z

Well I've just returned from picking my middle nephew up a nursery school. Reaching a mini roundabout that I use daily when doing the nursery runs and quite a lot other times as well I had a near miss. I looked right saw no one, I then moved directly onto the circle doing around 20mph and my Mum yelled 'watch out'. Automatically I break upon not only hearing her but seeing a car appear directly in front of me. I can't remember seeing a car come down the incline from the street on the right. I was about to apologise when the other driver toots her horn, gives me a rude finger gesture and mouths at me that I am a something b****rd. Needly to say I didn't feel inclined to apologise after that.

I can't say who was at fault, either I missed seeing her, or she came down the steep incline doing the 30mph speed and rolled straight onto the circle (which as I don't remember seeing her she could have done) or whether I missed her myself.

Either way I was willing to apologise. Neither car touched as we both breaked immediately but after the rude finger gestures and even ruder swear words she mouthed at me I didn't feel the least bit inclined to do so.

As my driving instructor told me, 'you will be involved with more near misses than you ever will accidents unless you really don't pay attention.' As I pay attention, generally more when I have one of my nephews in my car than I normally do, I tend not to have too many near misses. (Cross fingers, touch woods and cross myself speedily). Usually my heart is pounding when I do have one but this time I wasn't even startled in the least. Generally when I am in fault my heart pounds ten to the dozen and it takes me weeks of extra careful driving to calm down again to normal.

Anyhow that vented back to the subject at hand, I have been working on my pixelling. I am finally getting the hand of my new PSP X2 program. I've had it for a week now and am finally able to start working on colouring some lineart/dolls. I haven't went into the more complex aspects of the software but am getting ahold of the basics at least.

I am also going to be working on revamping my website, I have just renewed my domain for 2 more years, and my hosting for 12 months, and am now ready to do a much needed spring clean. I transferred a lot of files from my old laptop in the past week or so, including a lot of my membership content across to my external harddrive.

I desperately need to update my site. I can do with revamping my memberships site, as some members sites have to be switched from current/lifetime to closed.

Anyhow once I get a (free - I've spent enough money on software to last me the rest of this year) web editor to work on Vista I will be able to continue with my plans to refresh my pixel sites.

Well that's all for now. Check back later, I hope to have some progress to report then.

Internet Up and Running ... Now onto...

2009-01-26T14:27:00.003Z

Well my internet access is up and running fine. All things great now. Even switched over files and passwords etc. about my various memberships.

Great, but good always tempers bad, I have had to order a new graphics software as Windows Vista isn't compatible with my previous version of Paint Shop Pro. After checking around purchasing a new version of PSP was the cheaper alternative to use with Vista. As I have several gigs worth of PSP graphics I needed a program which could use the .psp/.pspimage format as well as use it to continue creating my own graphics from my many memberships.

I found several sites (including at least one membership site) that have disappeared completely since I last dabbled in my pixelling.

I have puchased a new copy of the latest Paint Shop Pro program which should arrive tomorrow (fingers crossed) and I can return to doing some new pixelling without worrying about lack of harddrive space or slower running programs. A problem which has cursed me for the last year or so with my laptop.

Also apparantly the boxed version I ordered from Amazon also includes a 2GB usb flash drive with it. So it will be handy for saving all my current pixel graphics on and keeps them off my main hard drive.

I found I had 4 to 5 Gigs of graphics content to move from my old laptop to my external hard drive. Between my downloaded content from my current (and past) memberships and my own graphics. Some completed and a lot in progress.

So, that said I hope to get back to pixelling soon. It should be a nice change, I've been using a touchpad on my laptop for months so it will take time to get used to using a mouse again. I still find myself reaching for touchpad when surfing the web or going to access programs/files on my hard drive. It's an automatic thing, I didn't realise how used I was to using the touchpad until I found myself reaching out to do so when surfing the web this last week.

It's strange how used you get to somethings, I didn't realise it myself, until I reach out on auto pilot to move a page down or something and realise there is no touchpad and I have to reach over to my mouse instead. It does seem to take a concentrated effort.

Well that's all for now. I'll just sign off here.

Goods News and Bad News (Of course!!)

2009-01-12T14:04:00.002Z

My new desktop has arrived and is working. Unfortunately I cannot access the internet at all from it as my USB modem from AOL isn't Windows Vista compatible.

I thought I would have to purchase an modem router to access my internet but my brother (also an AOL customer) suggested contacted AOL and seeing if I could upgrade from Broadband Silver with them and that way receive a free router.

After three separate attempts I finally got the right info. I will need to upgrade to wireless router to use my AOL access on my new desktop, but as I have an active contract I can't upgrade to wireless until the contract expires. I have been with AOL for several years and was offered a double speed download last May but had to promise to stay with them for a minimum 18 months before switching ISP. So either I purchase one for £50 - £60 myself and use my current membership or have to use my laptop for any internet based function until October this year.

Rather irritating as my current modem is OK and I like my Silver package deal but Vista just won't support it at all.

I also can't register my computer or my windows vista (or any other software) at all without access and the computer won't let me use many of the programs on it without registration first. I've found I can't even switch my pc games from Iwin or Bigfish games to my new desktop without internet access so I can't even play games on my new pc. I have had to shove it to the back of my desk and continue using my old laptop still rather dissappointing after waiting so long to get a new computer and finally have it and can't use it much at all.

Grr ...

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T16:14:00.002Z

Well, christmas and new years is over for another 12 months and it's back to the norm.

I am due back at the physio this coming thursday for an hour (I'm looking forward to it, not!), I'm still at a loss to what this current round of physio is in aid of but there you have it.

After a third attempt to contact BCA ( a book club I have a James Patterson collection from) has ended in failure and non reply from them I am again looking at more late fees and missed payment fees if I don't pay them this month again. I am of the view I am not due them three months worth of fees, I paid them £20 (more than two months of fees last time, November) and should be due them only one month, this month, but it seems my saga with them is due to go on for yet another month without resolution.

I have finally got a new desktop computer, got not as in my possession, but as due to be delivered next Sunday. They were out of stock at my local store and stores within Scotland altogether. New stock is due on Tuesday but only 3 units (HP Pavilion towers) and I had to arrange to home deliver as if I waited and did a reserve and collect from my local store apparently home delivery items get first choice of all stock (even if they are reserved and collect) and there is a good chance that three other people will purchase the same item online or in store to be delivered and result in there being none left for reserve/collect customers.

So that added £20 to my bill off the bat. But it was the only way to insure I did actually get one of the small stock being delivered to the warehouse this week.

Rechecking their website to re-check the details of my new pc I was disturbed to find out that the pics on the site and the details on the site don't specify the HP media bay but the tower on display (in fact all the towers on display) in Comet today had one. So I will be on pins till next Sunday to see if my one comes with the media bay slot where I can expand my HD memory or not. I will be very dissappointed if it doesn't let me tell you. That was one of the main reason I went for HP and the Pavillion range to begin with.

So, next weekend I will have my new computer (including a 19" flat screen) if nothing goes wrong. I take nothing for granted these days as I have less than stellar experiences when purchasing computers.

I have also discovered that all the new computers I have looked at have been all Windows Vista so it will mean upgrading from XP which I have used for the past five years and gotten used to. I don't like how you don't get a recovery disc now and surfing the internet I have found that this version of windows didn't allow you to create one. So if my HD becomes unstable I can't re-install or recover, I have to purchase a new copy (with disc and official documents) and start with a fresh and empty drive. Believe me if that happens I will gladly downgrade back to XP which I totally love.

Also purchasing Windows Vista (even an upgrade) is pure extortion if the prices I have found are anything to go by.

I have also discovered a hidden cost to me personally. My broadband modem isn't compatible with Windows Vista because it doesn't accept USB modems. I will have to purchase a modem router which is about £50 in the shops on average, most are even more expensive coming in at £70-£100 a pop. So I am going to wait until I have my new computer and check the specs in person so to speak before purchasing a new modem.

Until then I will just have to use my laptop (with my USB modem) to access the internet.

Given that my bill so far is not shy of £600 already I am in now hurry to rush out a purchase a new modem. I will just keep relying on my laptop for continued access to AOL for now. £200 of my bill is my Christmas present from my parents, so I have around £400 to pay back to my parents before I even think of purchasing anything else. So that new modem is on the back burner until then. So my trusty 5 year old laptop (with it's missing three keys) will just do until which time I can afford a new modem at all.

I think I will have enough to do with seeing which programs on my laptop are compatible with Vista and transferring them over that worrying about setting internet access on my desktop will be distant last, esp. as my laptop is perfectly usable just sadly lacking in HD space/memory. Even more so as my CD/DVD burner has been broken for over 18 months now.

I bought an external HD late last year because of my space problem and I was doing fine with it but the last month or so more and more problems are cropping up mainly because of the age of my laptop I believe including a massive slow down of my system which caused the worse lagging I have had in more than five years since getting rid of my original desktop (a Packard Bell).

Plus my Windows is getting a bit buggy, I've had more shut downs/restarts and had to check my disks more times in December than in the last 12 months previous altogether. I think it's just getting very old and worn after more than five years of continually usage.

What a way to start 2009 (£400 in debt), but this computer should do me for years, I have five year cover from Comet (almost £180 of the total bill) which covers Windows Vista itself should it crash by accident (i.e. not caused my me personally) as well, they state a total replacement of either tower or display should they be unrepairable so I just hope that Comet's cover is worth more on paper than Dixons was for my Packard Bell PC.

Well, enough depression, I really should be celebrating, but I hate unwelcome surprises. The modem being one and the lack of media bay stated on the website under the specs when the showroom on had one. So until I find out if the tower they deliver has a media bay I won't settle.

Just keep your fingers crossed for me.

I will personally be guttted if my tower doesn't have one like the website photos indicate, all bar the smallest of the HP pavilion in Comet has the bay but the website doesn't show one.

Oh well, plenty of time to worry if it actually turns out to be so. Nothing I can do anyhow, it's bought and paid for and due to be delivered.

Well, from that problem and back to BCA, I'm off to try and find a different email address and see if I can get a response to my FOURTH email in less than 6 weeks.

Just Back

2008-12-10T13:12:00.004Z

Just back from my first visit to the physio again.

Apart from the hospital doc's displeasure about my use of my crutch and the mobility when manipulating my hips I have no idea why he wan't me to re-do physio from the beginning.

Just like me and physio herself, Ellen something or other, had no idea why I had been sent to her as I had already did one whole round of physio about three years back.

She spent over half an hour taking notes but I feel she didn't understand half of what I was saying. She found nothing wrong with my hips at all. As for my crutch I tried to tell her I use it for long distance, uneven surfaces and steps etc., the same as the speel I went through with the docs. She had me walk a short distance without my crutch and then a little distance longer with it.

She seems determined to get rid of my crutch as well if I was reading her right. I stressed my need for it for when I have bad spells and stiffness outwith my usual norm. Also how I can't navigate uneven ground and steps unassisted.

I have to go back in four weeks time for a whole hour and she is going to try to find my file and hopefully see the notes made my the doc I saw plus see for herself what exactly he wanted. I tried to explain I never had written notes/exercise plan printed out per say. I was just given verbal instructions from the physio. Nothing written down. All I know is the stretching exercises I do morning and night now my memory alone.

She wanted my exercise plan next time plus wants to work on my endurance over longer distances unaided by my crutch. Get this, she says she wants to work on making my left hip stronger as using the crutch isn't helping it work as the crutch is doing the work of my hip. That's all well and good but unless she can make me less tired than now, straighten out my spinal column, fix my bad left side (leg esp.) and suddenly give me perfect balance I can't see it helping much.

I navigate my own home without my crutch except in extremely bad days. Keeping up with my physio at the same time. But the work isn't 100% flat and step free and without any hills to climb. Also I use my crutch to help keep my back upright, without it over extended periods of time I will become like those old ladies you see that walk around like the hunchback of notre dame.

She was also talking about an occupational threpist or some such thing. Unless she is going to provide me with 24/7 help at home and outside I don't see what else she can do.

I'm frustrated to say the least. The session seemed to start out so good. I thought a few visits and a review of my maintanence schedule would appease the doc., but now this physio seems to be pulling in all sorts other people including some other physio/therapist. I don't mind increasing my endurance a bit but I hope they don't intent to make me 100% un-aided in walking etc., I can't get into/out the shower without danger of falling and cracking my skull open, I dread being without the added help given by my crutch.

What almost had me falling over in astonishment was after I did the walk with/without my crutch she came up me going on about increasing my endurance over longer distances and how using my crutch will mean my left hip will never get stronger and my balance get better. I tried to stress my balance isn't just about my left hip but my back problems too but didn't know if I got through to her.

But then she says there is time for crutches later when you are older and less able to get around but now while I'm young and health, me young and healthy isn't that one a kicker. If swallowing 20+ tablets a day, suffering from RHA, FM, IBS plus my spinal problems (all 3 of them), is healthy I'd hate to be what she considered unhealthy?!

I have to attend at get this, 8.30a.m. for my hour appointment complete with my schedule from the last physio (which I never got in the first place) in hand.

I hope this doesn't go on too long before they realise there isn't much to be done for me. I'm going to detriorate from now on and I am happy for stay level and not get worse. Why can't certain docs/physio's be as happy. I think they are all given instructions from the government to get us back into work asap regardless of our personal health problems as long as the money cuts then need don't have to have their wages and bonuses affected.

I Hate Hospital Doctors

2008-09-29T12:11:00.003+01:00

Well at least one in particular anyway. The last twice I have visited the rhematology clinic for my yearly checkup I have gotten the same doctor and he is never pleased with my progress.

Generally as long as my condition doesn't detrioate then all my other doctors, including my GP, are happy with me. I have been through no less than four rounds of physio of the last couple of decades. Three for spinal problems and once for my RHA. I have a perfectly good physio available at my doctor's offices but the hospital doctor refused to allow be to go to the physio that knows my spinal problems the best instead insisting on sending back to the hospital I went to four years back when the hospital originally diagnosed me. I don't know what he expects, I have a degenerative disease I'm not going to get any better regardless of the amount of time I am sent back to repeat physio. All I'll get is the the same exercises I have now, if they don't improve me further now I don't know what he expects by repeating the same painfully irritating procedure all over again.

Instead all he interested in is the fact I use a crutch to allow me to walk long distance, navigate uneven ground/stairs, help on bad days and help my balance which has been off since I was 13 and diagnosed with spinal problems and spend over 10 years wearing a back brace.

He's not happy because I use a crutch, that's all. Never mind that my condition hasn't deterioated any for the past couple of years. The medicine (which I'm on for life anyway, regardless of physio or any other treatments) and the exercise I take now has allowed my diseases to stay pretty even for over 24 months now, no deterioation at all, but he's still affronted that I still use a crutch for walking and balance. Given that I couldn't walk without physically being helped by one, sometimes two, people helping me during the first year or two of being diagnosed I think using one crutch and being indapendanty mobile is pretty good given my various medical problems.

I usually maneavour around my home and sometimes my brother's home without using it. I keep it with me incase of accidents, or coming across uneven surfaces of lots of stairs unexpectedly, or walking long distances or having to be on my feet for extended amounts of times. It allows me to rest and takes the weight off my knees/feet at these times.

Now apart from that and needing help with showering/bathing/hair washing I am pretty independant with everything else. Given the various medical problems I have I figure I am doing great. But apparantly not enough for this doctor.

I think he expects me be able to run marathons and do cart wheels or something. I've got some really bad news for him, without my crutch I wouldn't be able to do a lot of what I do, I also need the crutch for entering and leaving my shower or I risk falling a injuring myself badly. I have a handrail inside the shower but nothing on the outside and nothing to put any other handrails on if I loose my crutch.

So you imagine I am more than a little panicked about going back to the physio as it is obvious the only reason for it is that this doctor wants me to walk without the crutch for balance/support. Not going to happen, infact if the pain I'm in now is any indicator I am dreading being sent back again, my hips/back and left knee are now all stiff, swollen and painful and that's only from the manipulating the doctor put me through before deciding I need more physio again.

This is also the doctor after prodding me last year said he thought I had a slight back problem, this is after spending half an hour reading my file while I cooled my heels outside his door, and never once checked my x-rays and reams of paper about my history of back problems, over 20 years of history which he still is none the wiser about this visit even after I told him (again) that I had more than a slightly bad back, I had several defects on my spine including a curvature at the base of it. But still he still doesn't acknowledge what I'm saying even though the proof of my claims are right in front of him within the folder he is writing in.

Needless to say I don't have any confidence in this particular doctor and really wish I didn't get left with him again. I feel like beaming over the head with my crutch to see if it clears out his ears any, maybe then he'll have a good reason to be upset I'm using a crutch for once.

Spaced Out Man !!!

2008-06-18T18:21:00.002+01:00

No I haven't gone hippy dippy. My new external HD arrived first thing this morning via Citylink from Amazon. I haven't had time to do much but link it up to my laptop, I do love how Windows XP doesn't often need the software/drivers supplied for new hardware.

I do love Plug and Play.

Anyhow, I have received my new HD, taken my parents to B&Q and picked up his birthday, two days late but it's worth the wait for the 10% discount my Mother's pensioner discount card gives me. Especially on large items like we were shopping for today. My Mum bought him a new hedge trimmer, this one cordless so there is no chance of cutting through the cord like what happened to his last one. I bought him a new strimmer, a flymo, it has a higher engine power than his initial one which lasted only months, this one also has dual automatic feed for the main strimmer itself. His last one was a manual rotor, so you had to feed out the plastic string when it broke. And as we found out it isn't all that easy, the strimmer cord broke after a just months and no matter what we did we couldn't extend anymore cord at all. So it has been lying in our shed for over two years gathering dust.

Luckily most strimmers are now auto feeds and you just take out the whole spindle and replace when there is no more cord, no fuss no muss. He's pleased with it and that is the main thing, it also has a wheel which you can use to keep those borders straight, you just roll it along as it strims as it goes. It also has two handgrips and an fully adjustable handle. You can lower/highten it so you own most comfortable fit, so if you're too tall you can elongate it to avoid hunching over the entire time your using it.

I also got the new sandpit/water table I bought for my nephews last Wednesday, it's rained everyday since here and we couldn't get it built up for use, all built up. Well, as my middle nephew was waiting to finally get to play with his new toy we put together the tables and a couple of the attachments, leaving off the various stickers and other accessories of the play kit, so that he could play with it now rather than wait for us to get it all assembled. He loved it. He especially loved the crane, which was one of the accessories we did assemble, and the new tower toy he got today from Asda, and he was out all afternoon in the lovely weather playing with it. He even opted to stay with his Grandad rather than go with us to pick up his older brother from school.

Generally you can't prise him away from a car ride but he waved us off with a loud cry of 'Bye Bye' and trotted off to play with his sandpit once again. Once his brother returned with us they both played with the sandpits until just before their parents turned up for them, they only left their new toys when rain threatened. So I think that the new sandpit is a definite hit.

Well I am now off to start organizing and transferring files off my internal HD to my new external one. Hopefully my system will also benefit from this and I will stop getting that annoying low virtual memory message several times a day. When I see that Windows Update logo flash in my toolbar I cringe when I know that I will have to juggle/clean and uninstall programs to speed up Windows and stop the warning messages appearing so often.

Hello Again!!!

2008-06-17T20:35:00.003+01:00

I've finally gotten around to updating at last ...

Daniel is now almost six weeks old, he will be on this Friday, he was released from Yorkhill hospital in Glasgow on the 28th of May. It came as a surprise to everyone, he seemed to suddenly pick up enough to be released quite quickly after being moved out of ICU.

He is due to go back this coming Monday for his first check-up through in Glasgow. But fingers crossed they will be pleased with his progress. He has gained a couple of pounds - almost - and is now back at his birth weight. Not bad seeing as he wasn't about to feed properly for the first couple of weeks of his life, he lost some weight before and after his operation but seems to be picking it up again now.

Sunday past was Father's Day, and the very next day, i.e. yesterday, was my dad's birthday. We are going to let him choose his present tomorrow at the large B & Q shop we have here. He is after a new hedge trimmer as he managed to cut through the one we gave him a couple of years ago, this one we have our eye on is a rechargeable cordless unit so that won't happen again with this one.

Also tomorrow I am supposed to receive my new external hard drive, it's a 500 GB unit, which I badly need as my old laptop only has 40GB total which is split between two separate internal drives. I have long since had problems with lack of space and a slow moving computer. Originally I regularly moved files onto DVD/CD disk via the burner my laptop has but as the burner is now broken. It has been so for over a year and as you can imagine as I can't transfer files off my hard drive I am fast running out of space. I am lucky if I have 1GB to 1.5 GB on my main drive and the same of the second internal hard drive at any given time. So you can imagine how it can slow down my whole system when windows updates. Last updates have a total of almost 100MB added to my windows folder alone, it can really eat up your memory.

I checked and found that I could either buy an new external burner to start burning files, esp. video files and photo files off my digital camera, or I could purchase an external hard drive and add new memory onto my laptop that way.

When I found that the cost could be around the same for either option, I opted for an external hard drive as you can install programs, and games, directly onto an external hard drive which would be handy as my C drive is mostly all programs, I have deleted (or moved) all other saved files to drive D (the second half of my original hard drive) so I can't move much more to give me room on my main drive.

I hope that by moving non essential (or rarely used) programs and files over to the external drive for use when I wish, that I can cleanse my hard drive and speed up my entire system.

I really would love a new desktop, but that will take some saving, I am hoping that the new drive will ease my problems and extent the life of my current laptop a bit to allow me breathing room and so I won't have to rush buying a new desktop and instead save and wait the just the right bargain for both my purse and my computing needs.

As my car insurance is due to be renewed in November/December it means I don't have to find a way to finance a new computer as well as renewing my more important insurance policy. My car's essential, and no matter how I love and depend on my computer it isn't.

Also I figure a new external hard drive is much cheaper than having to swing a new computer at the moment. So keep your fingers crossed for me.

I have quite a few pc games installed on my computer, eating up a lot of room on an already starving hard drive, so I am hoping I can move them onto my new hard drive without them being compromised too much. Most are solitaire/match 3 like games so they shouldn't suffer too much from being moved onto another drive from my main program files.

For about £73 I have purchased a 500GB external drive, which is much cheaper than the £500+ price tag on the desktops which meet my specs., so I hope this measure will keep me happy until next year. By which time I will hopefully be in a position to look into purchasing that new desktop. Also the drive will be usable with any system I use to I won't loose financial when I do upgrade computers themselves.

Also I can start downloading the episodes of my favourite tv shows again, something I haven't been in a position to do since my burner expired. Also my PSP and pixelling can pick up as I find that my virtual memory makes working on graphics harder as the space just isn't their at the moment. Also I have several gigabytes of content from my memberships which I can't back up or move. Let alone actually use.

Anyhow, off I go to dream about all that extra HD space I'll soon have at my disposal.

Daniel

2008-05-22T12:43:00.003+01:00

Alrighty ... I know I haven't updated in over a week and a half but I have a good reason. Since both my brother and sister in law where through in Glasgow with Daniel we have had to take responsibility for both the older boys alongwith my brother's inlaws. So it has been very hectic to say the least.

Daniel had his double arterial switch surgery last Thursday, yup at only 6 days and 9 minutes old he went through an almost 8 hour heart surgery. Makes you become amazed with what can be performed on such tiny babies now, I now I wouldn't have the nerves to operate on someone so small myself.

After 24 hours of sedation Daniel was slowly weined off all the various machines and drips until he was taking his medication orally at the beginning of the week. He was also allowed to be taken out of ICU for the first time but unfortunately there was no available space elsewhere, so while he was well enough to leave ICU he had to stay there albeit without all the machines etc. attached.

Unfortunately he has difficulty breathing during the night on Tuesday and now he is back on the ventilator due to a partially collapsed lung. But he is in the best place, and he seems a little fighter to have come so far already, especially as he isn't even two weeks old until 11.11 am tomorrow.

I am almost ready to leave and go and pick up my eldest nephew early from school because his parents have driven through to take them back with them for the weekend. None of the two boys know this so the whole thing is going to be a surprise for them. They didn't want to tell them of their parents plans incase they fell through like last weekend did.

So I am off in about 30 mins to pick up the eldest... they are both going to be so happy as they haven't seen either of their parents in almost a fortnight and are missing them both terribly!!

Baby Update

2008-05-10T10:30:00.003+01:00

My nephew is now enscounded at the hospital in Glasgow. He now has a first name, Daniel, and they have a prognosis on him. He has problems with a couple of arteries going into his heart. One artery isn't pumping blood out of his heart as it should and another isn't pumping oxygen into his heart as well as his blood as it should. They have him hooked up to a sheer volume of leads and machines at the moment. They have also placed a small hole into his heart itself to pump oxygen into the half of his heart which was being starved of oxygen.

If all goes well in about a week or two at the most he will have surgery to repair the arteries into his heart which aren't working and if that goes well then he will spend another two - three weeks in hospital through in Glasgow before being allowed home.

It's a condition which has to be monitored closely probably for the rest of his life but at least he seems to be a little fighter and hopefully that will give him the extra push he needs.

No News Is Good News!!

2008-05-09T18:07:00.002+01:00

Well it's been about four hours since we last heard from my brother about my new baby nephew so I am hoping that no news is good news in this instance!!

Keep your fingers crossed, and keep him in your prayers, thank you all!!!

Please Pray

2008-05-09T14:28:00.003+01:00

Please could anyone reading this pray for my newborn nephew, he was born at 11.11 a.m. this morning and at two hours old he is now being airlifted to Glasgow's St Mary's Hospital due to problems with his blood. It just isn't circulating through his little body at all.

If he survives he will require an operation within the next week to save his life.

So please pray for my brother and his family, and more importantly for my newborn nephew who really deserves to live a long and wonderful life like all newborns and children around the world.

Happy Tuesday

2008-04-22T13:18:00.002+01:00

It's been a long week, my fingers are still stiff, but at least the swelling has receeded enough to put a couple of my rings back on. Thank Goodness, I feel naked without them, I haven't taken them off since I got them when my godmother passed two years ago. They were her engagement and wedding bands which she gave to me a few days before she died.

I hope to have some real updates soon, but I've been busy outside of home these past days, that and my RA/Fibro have been giving me a lot of aggro.

So fingers crossed.

April Showers

2008-04-17T08:32:00.002+01:00

Boy are we getting more than or fair share of April showers here, it's been almost daily for weeks now.

My RA and Fibro certainly hate the cold wet weather we are being especially vocal in their protestations.

I haven't got much of my pixelling done these past couple of days as I would hope. My fingers have been too stiff, sore and swollen to use them as much on either keyboard or mouse!

I even had to take my rings off on Monday as my fingers unexpected swelled overnight and even caused a beauty of a blister to form on one of my fingers. It is still healing. My fingers are still too swollen to put my rings back on, it tried again this morning and still no luck.

Tuesday Morning

2008-04-15T11:18:00.002+01:00

I got an unexpected day off today, no babysitting or school/nursery runs. My brother forgot to tell me that his mother in law just wanted to switch days rather than me pulling an extra day babysitting this week.

I finally remembered this morning as he dropped his eldest off at school for the 'breakfast club' they run before school for working parents. He phone but by that time my mother and I were well awake and dressed waiting for him to drop off both boys.

Oh well, I still have a lazy day to look forward to. Hopefully I can play around with my psp this afternoon seeings as I don't have either the school run or a toddler to run about after.

I have a few things to do so I'm off to do some work on my site. I opted not to work on my site last night after all, so I have my memberships pages to finish off.

Monday Morning Blues

2008-04-14T19:33:00.002+01:00

Not exactly precise as it is evening and I'm not all that blue ... I just loved the header when it popped into my head just now .

I have (between babysitting and school/nursery runs) worked a bit on my site. I have my 'I Support' page uploaded and linked to my portal page. I also have created a master list of all my current, (and past) pixel memberships with all my licenses marked down.

Now I have just to organize (and in some cases search out) the appropriate badges and have my membership pages revamped. The pages are good to go, all I have to do is organize all my badges in a respectable order and then link them all up correctly. Thankfully this should be easy as they are all already linked on my current memberships mini site so fingers crossed I can transfer the data over to the new pages easily enough.

Once that is finished and uploaded to my domain I can get back to work on creating graphics.

But my domain (and it's sites) have long needed some refreshing. And I hope that all my hard work will be worth it in the end. I think it's pretty myself but knowing me it won't be long before I re-organizing and refreshing the paint work again.

This is my first major overhaul since March 2007, so if nothing else it makes a change of scenery. I changed my pixel site webset to one created my Thalia (Paint my Dreams) a few months back, so that site didn't need work done on it, but the rest of my domain and it's pages were overdue some Spring cleaning.

Anyhow, I'm off to do some work on my memberships pages. Hopefully the new ones will be easier to navigate and have a cleaner direct (but still pretty to look at) layout. I've opted to make them straight forward and more basic. A series of linked pages without any real bells or whistles rather than the mini site complete with it's own webset that it is now. There was becoming too many links for the small webset, it was beginning to look untidy. I've also got rid of a framed layout so the buttons/logos can spread out over the whole page rather than fit in a small box.

Clean, crisp but still pretty to visit.

Back to the Grind

2008-04-14T08:13:00.002+01:00

It's Monday and the schools are back after the Easter break. I have both my nephews ready to drop them off at school and nursery respectively. Monday isn't generally my day for taxi service but for some reason - unexplained to me - their maternal grandmother doesn't have them today.

So I am doing the majority of the school/nursery runs this week it seems. Plus the weather is wet and cold meaning my Fibro and RA is running rampant!!

I've put on the anti-inflammatory cream so the stiffness is a little relaxed but it's just going to be one of those days it seems.

Well I'm off to get faces washed and teeth brushed as it's almost time to leave for the school run ...

Portal Updated

2008-04-13T18:06:00.004+01:00

I officially uploaded my new portal page to my website. I now have only the memberships pages to update with a newer, fresher layout.

That is my next big project. I also am working on uploading my wishlist and a listing of all the various sites/cliques I support. Like memwebs, cancer research, etc., and I hope to have these taken care of once my membership pages are updated.

That said I am off to start that right now.

Sunday, Sunday ...

2008-04-13T11:36:00.002+01:00

It's Sunday and apart from long overdue to wash my hair I have nothing else planned for today except to play around with my paint shop pro and do some more pixelling.

I'll get my hair out of the way first so I can relax for the rest of the day. I am working on some graphics for my new portal page, so I can link my blog among other things, and after I get that done I am working on some dolls for my new graphics mini-site, I am addicted to all things dollie related and have opted to place all my doll related graphics in the one place for ease of updating.

I am also going to revamp my Memberships pages, update them and remove all closed memberships, I have a few still listed under lifetime which have closed in the last couple of months, and since I was long overdue a new layout for my membership listing I opted to do it all together.

So first my hair, then finish my portal page, then re-arrange and update my membership pages. Then I can relax and finish off the dollie graphics I have been playing around with this past week or so.

I've been colouring dolls & accessories all through the Easter break and if I actually finish off those which I have half done, or nearly finished, I will have some ready to upload to my site. I'm long overdue an actual update there.

Anyway enough procrastinating and I'm off to do my hair and get it out of the way. Hopefully the rest of my plans for today will go just as smoothly.

Happy Saturday Everyone!!

2008-04-12T11:10:00.003+01:00

Hi

It is mid-morning UK time and I am just now getting around to working on some pixel painting after spending all day yesterday helping my brother and sister-in-law cleaning their house from top to bottom before their eldest son returned from holiday in France with his maternal grandparents.

My brother has to drive through to Edinburgh to pick them all up at the airport at the back of 11pm tonight.

My third nephew (or first niece) is due in around a month's time. My sister in law is due in the middle of May with baby number three. Regardless of the sex of the baby this will be the last baby they will be having.

Now the house is almost ready (nursery included) for the new baby coming. My brother has a few small jobs to complete (they have just had an extension added to their home which took over a year because of problems with workmen etc.,) and some furniture to build and everything is ready for the baby's arrival.

Anyway now I have fulfilled my obligations to help put their house back in order (it took nearly all day yesterday to clean the children's rooms and the playroom) for school starting back on Monday morning. Due to the fact that my sister-in-law has been unable to work for the last couple of months due to complications with her pregnancy (she is prone to high blood pressure, she had this with both her other babies) and she has had very bad exhaustion with this one making her unable to work, come Tuesday I am back on school runs. Taking my eldest nephew to school in the morning, driving the younger one straight to nursery afterward as well, I also have to pick up the youngest at lunch time from Nursery, babysit him, and then return for his older brother when school finishes.

If we are lucky my sister-in-law is home and doesn't have a doctor's appointment or pre-natal clinic, I can take both boys straight home.

Anyhow with life back to normal come Tuesday I am hoping to get some pixelling done this weekend so I have some content to add to my pixel site this week.

Fingers crossed, that is, that my brother doesn't need any help before then. But I wouldn't be surprised if my eldest nephew wants to come visit us tomorrow since he hasn't seen us since he come off school for the holidays.

First Post

2008-04-11T18:42:00.000+01:00

Hello All !!

Welcome to my blog. Here you will find all the trials and tribulations of a RA/Fibro survivor. I don't like to see myself as a sufferer but rather as a survivor. I am an avid pixel painter and this blog will be linked from my pixel domain, hence the URL used in my blog itself.

I hope that updating my blog will stop me having to update my pixel site with every iota of info, visitors can check here and also this will give them an another way to contact me if they need to. I'll update my blog with all my news and also with the details of how my graphics are coming along as well as announce when I do update, or am going to update, my site(s).

I am new to blogging and hope that it will give me a direct way to interact with my visitors and tell them what is new with not only my site but with me.