LOVE THE BEACH & UPDATE ON DAD

EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AT THE BEACH

Nothing like an early morning (5.45am) walk on the beach to clear the head.
How lovely it looked on Friday.

Max was doing a 2km swim while I walked from one end of the beach to the other

doing some thinking

Thursday afternoon I got a call to say that the Doctors and Social Workers at my Dad’s rehab centre wanted a meeting with the family as they have found a mass attached to his kidney that they think is cancer. Why it was not found in his 8 weeks at the Melbourne Private Hospital when they were doing test after test astounds me.
The Doctors believe he is too frail and his veins are in bad shape and full of clots and they believe it is too risky to operate or even take a biopsy. They think he would probably bleed to death on the operating table. He can only walk assisted for15 metres with a walking frame. He has also lost a huge amount of weight that we were told was more than likely another sign that it is cancer. They don’t believe that even with improving his diet that his frailty will improve. My father has decided that he wants to go back to Hervey Bay in Queensland (over 2 hours away by plane) where he has lived for the last 7 years, leaving all family behind. That is difficult for my sister and I to deal with. He only has our step mother there, so all of the nursing of him will be left with her to deal with. Tomorrow my sister and I will go to the rehab centre – 2 hours drive away and see how he is doing. Maybe it has been decided if and when he will be able to fly home


Now who can tell me what this is?

Someone told me it is jellyfish eggs!!

Are they telling me the truth or am I just gullible

Mount Martha beach is a fabulous place to walk and sort out your thoughts.

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS STOCKING

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS STOCKING SWAP

Wow what treasures Mandy sent to me.

Such a pretty stocking filled with some gorgeous treasures.

Look at the pretty little chandelier, 2 gorgeous French themed magnets, a stamp, 2 yummy smelling soaps, a lovely canvas print, a crocheted doily and 2 magazines.

Blogger keeps turning this picture around!!!!

Click on the photos to enlarge them - maybe then turn this one around

I didn’t want to open them as they looked so pretty.



VINTAGE STOCKING & GOODIES I SENT TO MANDY

Here is the Vintage Christmas Stocking and goodies I sent to Mandy – Pearl Maple. I have followed a beach theme with the decorations that are with Mandy’s stocking – even a couple with an Aussie theme to give her a laugh. I made the Vintage Christmas Stocking from my Grandma’s Vintage Damask Table cloth – it must be about 90 years old, I also used vintage chenille from my childhood bedspread – not quite 90 years old but probably 40 years old. I trimmed it with shell from a necklace and some little beads. I got Max to cut out some dolphin, beach hut and fish shapes for me to paint and glitter. I love how they turned out and did some for myself too.
Click on the photo to see the Santa's and stocking in more detail

How cute are these thongs/flip flop decorations. I so love these beach Santa’s, especially the Santa under the tree.. The shell decoration is so soft and pretty. Mandy has lovely white and cream throughout her home so I tried to keep things in her colour range - hope she liked them

UPDATE ON DAD

He has finally been sent to a rehab centre – still can’t stand or walk so he has some work to do. Only problem is it is a 2 hour drive away so I will probably only be able to visit once a week or a fortnight.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for my Dad.

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS STOCKING SWAP

SNEAK PEEK at the VINTAGE CHRISTMAS STOCKING SWAP

I have mailed off my Vintage Christmas Stocking swap goodies to Mandy – Pearl Maple.
Here is a sneak peek at what I sent.

Mandy is a Canadian who lives in beautiful Queensland Australia – so it is a ‘beachy’ place to be.

I have carried on the beach theme with the decorations that are with Mandy’s stocking – even a couple with an Aussie theme to give her a laugh.

Mandy has lovely white and cream throughout her home so I tried to keep things in her colour range - hope she likes what I sent.

THE DISTANCE

THE DISTANCE

What a fabulous way to spend a Sunday.
We went to watch the band ‘The Distance’ at a little fundraiser they held.

Next year they are once again off to Tamworth and the accommodation costs are a killer.

So they held ‘A Day on the Green at Dazza’s’ to help raise some funds.

Check out their website .

The grandchildren Lachlan, Chloe and Riley had a fun time playing with their grandad Max

DAD IS NOT SO WELL

My Dad was supposed to go to rehab last week but took a turn for the worse last Monday. We still don’t know what is really going on. He is not eating and is unable to walk. He has balance issues and has the shakes. He keeps drifting in and out of sleep. Tomorrow he is having a Nuclear Medicine PET Scan of his whole body – if like me you don’t know what it means click here and have a read. Hopefully they will find something there

CHRISTMAS, MARSHMALLOWS & DAD

A VINTAGE CHRISTMAS STOCKING SWAP

Maryanne from Follow Your Bliss is hosting A Vintage Christmas Stocking Swap and my partner is Mandy of Pearl Maple. With things being so crazy around here with Dad being so ill and the long drive to and from the hospital nearly every day I have not had time to start creating so I better get moving on it this week as mail out is 22nd November.

YUMMY MARSHMALLOWS

How lucky was I to win Shannon’s – Paint Mine Pink -guessing competition and win some yummy marshmallows. Shannon also sent a sweet ‘Breast Cancer Support’ little Angel. As my mother in law is a breast cancer survivor the little angel will always have a special place in my home. Shannon also put in some cute little decorations.
Thanks Shannon.

UPDATE ON DAD

4 weeks later and he should be on his way to rehab on Wednesday.
Apparently there is no cancer in the two tumors taken from Dad’s brain. There is still the issue of fluid around his heart and lungs – they just don’t seem to be able to work out what is causing it. The clots in his lung should clear up before he goes to rehab as he is being put onto a blood thinning drug today.Thank you so much for everyone’s kind thoughts and prayers

MY FIRST SWAP-BOT SWAP

SWAP-BOT SWAP

I participated in my first swap on

Swap-bot making ATC’s for a Vintage Children’s Book ATC’s Swap.

For some reason known only to the Blogger Gremlins

the first 2 photos kept going sideways

These first three photos are the ATC’s I sent to Jan Freeman in Minnesota USA, Barbara Hartling in Oregon USA and Anna Small from Brunswick Victoria Australia. I also put in some scrapbooking papers with the ATC’s

So far I have received ATC’s from Cher Salvatore - goodie2shoes – she also sent some fabulous papers, stamps and a pretty ballerina swap card with her ATC’s.

Shanda Gingerly – shandapanda.
Shanda included some little extras too – buttons, key and clip

UPDATE ON DAD

Well after nearly 2 weeks not much to report. They are doing tests every day and so far no results are in. Yesterday they were draining fluid from around his heart and lungs. There appears to be clots in his lungs and they have put a filter in his groin in case they move and with the filter it won’t get to his brain or heart.
Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts.

QUICK UPDATE & THANK YOU

OPERATION

Thank you for all of your well wishes for my father.

Yesterday he had an operation to remove 2 tumours from his brain.

We were all happy to see that when he woke up from the operation that there appeared to be none of the side effects that we were warned about.

Now once more we are playing the waiting game for the tests to be done on the tumours.

KEEP US IN YOUR THOUGHTS

KEEP US IN YOUR THOUGHTS

9 pm Thursday night my father who was visiting from Queensland for my nephews wedding had a seizure. He is 85 years old. It was a two hour drive for Max and I to get to Latrobe Hospital Traralgon where he was taken. Things did not look very good. He was to be taken in a medically induced coma to Melbourne by helicopter but it was too foggy to fly so would be taken at daylight. We got home at 6.30 am Friday had half an hour sleep and went to Melbourne an hours drive. It took us until 11.00pm last night to get any answer as to why he took this seizure. It appears that he has a cancer in his brain that bled. When we left the hospital last night they were going to try and wake him - not sure what they will find when he does wake - not sure what his mental and physical condition will be. We will be back to the hospital again this morning to see how he has been through the night.
So keep us in your thoughts.

Photo of my father Charlie was taken last week at my nephews wedding