Day 3, Friday: Things that make you uncomfortable

Things that make me uncomfortable...
Having to explain why I dont have a job (because of my health problems.)
Explaining to my son who has special needs why his dad doesnt love him enough to live with him.(Dad does love him just doesnt want to live with me)
The heat when its past about 75(any more than that and i struggle, feel dizzy and tired)
All the casual sex on tv(is there no morals anymore? what are we teaching our kids?)
How all our politicians and bankers have lots of money
Peoples assumptions on finding out I am a single parent and I  that dont work.(do find me a job and also a carer so they can look after my son)
Seeing my ex and knowing we are no longer together.
Sleeping at night when going through the menopause
Injecting my insulin in public.

day 2 ..story of my life blog challenge

Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)
I am playing catch up on this challenge...
I am very educated on disability issues as I did a year long course on it before my divorce.Also I am hard of hearing, wear hearing aids and have experienced life in a wheelchair for 3 years.I still have mobility and fitness problems.I have heart disease and diabetes so all in all with having a son with disability's and experiencing them myself I consider myself as knowing  about it  from most angles.
In  the UK people with disability's and learning problems, used to be in the workhouse in each town.They were treated badly and it has been well documented.Then as time went on  disabled people were   left in hospital or day centers or residential homes. Life for disabled people was always a struggle.Not many people who had wheelchairs were seen out when I was little in the 60s and 70s as public places were not adapted for their wheelchair and accessibility. Slowly but surely this has improved and now a lot of places have accessibility. Now it is common place for people in wheelchairs to go out and live life as a able person.
There are gadgets now to help with all kinds of disability.Most people struggle to get their kids assessed if they have a disability and into the right kind of  school.Mainstream school where the disabled child or learning difficulty child should learn alongside other children is the way forward but only if the child is treated the same as the others in class and the school is adapted to cope with the problems the individual child has.I struggled to get my son assessed and in the correct school, he now goes to a special school and has never been happier.But I worry he has been isolated from our local community and has no friends in our local neighbourhood.It is very isolating.Thats why I take him to clubs and events to help him communicate and have interests.
As the disabled person ages they face further struggles, in getting employment, further education , accomodation to suit and benefits.,The current government seems to be making things very hard for disabled people as like always the strong always pick on the weakest to attack first.
When you are a parent of a disabled child it is very hard, you have to let go of many dreams you may have for that child and it seems a constant fight for everything when life shouldn't be like that.It is a fight for things like respite and benefits and to get the correct equipment to help your child.
It is good to make a will so your child will be cared for when you are no longer here and to get all the support you can.There are many organisations out there that can help you with life now if you are disabled or have a child with a disability.

http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/blog-every-day-in-may-challenge.html
  well I decided to join in this challenge.So here goes a little about me.
I was born prematurely on 6th feb, 1962.I only weighed 3 pounds, which is less than a bag of sugar.
I have 2 older sisters, Rosalind and Pauline.I didnt start school until I was 5.I loved music from a young age(listening and dancing to it).I also loved to knit and crochet, taught by my Nan.I met my best friend Denise when I was 8.We had many nice times together but she died tragically when she was 24 when she was in a fire by setting her bed alight smoking in bed.I miss her every day.
When I was 12 I met my   other best friend Debbie who now lives in australia, This is where she came from when I met her at Comprehensive school.We communicate by email every day.
I didnt do too badly at school and started work in a patent office in London.I got the sack from my first job as a clerk typist as my typing wasnt very good.Then I worked in insurance for many years in London, which I enjoyed I married at 21 to George who was fresh out the army and we set up home in Walthamstow in London.We had two kids Alex and Emma. Emma is 22 and alex 15.. the marriage didnt last and we split up after 23 years of marriage and I am now a single parent and unable to work due to my health.as when Alex was born (when I was 37)I got post partum dilated cardiomyopathy and diabetes.I was in a wheelchair for 3 years ,I now  dont have a wheelchair but have mobility and fitness problems.  

March madness,very cold and life is ugh..

alex in his new dr who jacket i got him..isnt he growing up.

well havent been blogging much recently as have been unwell..(you dont know how fed up of writing that I am!)
I have however taken a turn for the better and as it does , life continues to roll on.
Last weekend was mothers day and Alex presented me with some make up for my next holiday trip and a plant he had planted at his youth club.So that and a card and the boy I love did me proud.Not so his sister, who got me not even a card.. hmm.. my card shall be 'in the post' come her birthday... us mums have to get even.
I spent mothers day on my own mostly...I did meet a friend for a coffee, but I was  recovering from a night out, usual thing, my fav punk band Scam 69.It is only my love of music that keeps me going when times are tough.That and mainly my friends.
Anyway I have made a crochet bag, and am half way making a scarf and made my mum a small lap blanket for mothers day.
Now I am currently alternating between the scarf,dr who figures and a blanket for my friend who is expecting a baby and a blanket for one dear friend.Phew.
Finding it quite hard to keep on top of things and catch up on stuff, and having quite a rough time with my ex husband who has been choosing not to pay for his son or see him quite so often.

small  blanket i made my mum for mothers day 

So this week I am off on a trip, to Olympia to the Knitting and Stitching show.I am looking forward to it.

a cold snowy friday and more hooking..

Is it cold where you are?how deep is the snow, we must have a good 2 inches of snow now..Its blowy snow.very fine but settling ..look here is my garden..

.its cold too... very cold! 5 hours worth of snow..

 So what have I been up to...? well as usual have had my hook in my hand and rustled up..

this is the cowl I have been working on that I gave the pattern to in my last post.
Havent quite managed to fit it in but it goes round my neck twice and hangs loose like a cowl should do..

I love that wool its called marble and is chunky wool, reminds me of those coconut  ice  sweets.
I knitted my mum a scarf out of it for xmas.

and finally my blue and white granny square blanket i am working on for my lovely son Alex.


Today I have been at Knit and Natter with my friends from the Collier row library group.I managed to complete another four squares to be added to the blanket.After I went to get some supplies in so that i dont run out of bread and milk while the weather is bad, and prior to the group starting i went and got my meds so  I dont run out.
I have got some new books from the library,I got" tea cozies"  , it is a book by the guild of master craftsmen publications, there are some nice cozies in there to knit. I havent done any knitting for a few days and never made a cosy so thought this would inspire me. I dont like tea myself but have recently bought a new teapot..
The other book I got was Gok Wan Work your wardrobe as I am looking for tips on how I dress ,I am trying to change my image a bit as I feel a bit stuck in my choice of clothes..I am enjoying his new series on the television at the moment.
Alex will be home from school in a moment, so I better dash..so  until next time.. stay warm, treat yourself to a nice cup of hotchocolate(I am liking fudge flavour at the moment)and sit and do some hooking... :)

on the hook today..

today it is cold here in Essex.. very cold, but we have no snow, just brilliant sunshine this afternoon.

I looked out in  my garden and guess what I saw...

cobwebs frozen on m rotary washing line.


So there must be a very frozen spider somewhere... eek!

I have finished my latest scarf..It is hard to show you what it looks like, but I hope you get the  idea.

my circles scarf.. made using pattern from simply crochet.

I can share the pattern I used.

Start with double knit and size 3.50 hook.You simply make a chain of 34. and join with slip stitch.Do one chain,

double crochet into the first chain and continue until reach end.change to a 4.0 hook. Next chain 3 and then treble one ,then one  treble in next three stitches,then do 2 trebles in next stitch, one treble in next three stitches,and then 2 treble in next stitch all the way round.Join with a slip stitch

.change hook.This time use a 5 .o hook

Then next round chain 3,and  and do one treble into each stitch.join with a slip stitch.

Last round.. chain 3 and treble one, then treble one into next three stitches and then 2 treble into next stitch.continue all the way round,and join with a slip stitch.You have made your first chain link in the scarf.

To link the chains when you have done the row of chains at the beginning interlink it to previous one, and join your  slip stitch. Be careful not to twist the link as you make it.Continue for however long you want to make scarf.I made 12 links in all.

more granny squares

This is going to be another blanket.This time with brighter colours.

a new cowl
This was made using chunky wool.

the cowl   I have started to make  with chunky wool
It is very simple to make ..With a size 8.0 hook.. chain 27.
with the 3 chain from hook do a row of trebles trebling and skipping one until the end of the row.
Chain 2, and treble in the spaces of the previous row with one chain inbetween,
The last treble was worked in the space between the initial chains and first treble.
Each row consists of 14 trebles, (initial chain always counts as a treble)and 13 spaces.
Continue until required length I am making mine 65 long as I want to wrap it round my neck twice. whip stitch ends together.
 

the start of another chain link scarf..
I am using oddments left from the making of my new granny blanket.

Well Alex is at school, time for a nice bowl of hot warming soup and some nice crusty roll...
Until next time.. 

A Happy New Year...

http://mmmrc.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/new-rules-2013-2015-edition_9.html

Today I joined' monthly mix up mania'( link above).. what a good idea.. so I am going to look for a book with J in the title.I am a bit of a book worm and can read a book in a week.I have a kindle as well so that makes this challenge easy.You could join too if you wanted a book challenge.
So what have I been up to?

 a sofa throw

a granny blanket

new supplies..

I am busy making a scarf in a chain link pattern...Its very easy with lots of circles being crocheted and combined. I got the Pattern from simply crochet magazine which I bought for the first time this week.It has got some gorgeous patterns in it,and some fairly simple ones..www.simplycrochetmag.co.uk/ If you look at the sample you will see the chain scarf I am making on the magazine cover.
Meanwhile,I am embracing the new year  and trying to be positive.Off with the old hang ups and moving on to my great single life.I have my friends, my family and my children and my interests and I will continue to make the most of them.
Do you have snow today where you live? Yesterday we did but today we  dont but it is FREEZING.. just the weather to snuggle up under a granny square blanket and crochet with a nice cup of warming hot  chocolate...time to get creative..here in Essex...