The Make-over at Home

My favourite recliners in the family room.

That's Penny. The other side of the family room.

Note the empty light green wall - I'm looking for the right rose pic to fill that space.

The family room - light, bright and spacious. That's Sally and Penny in the foreground.

The shelf I put up over the heater in the family room - the "girls" bedroom too.

The other side of my huge bedroom

My Japanese Bedroom, see the new teddy on my bed in a Japanese Kimono !

My Sewing Room

The old bar is a dining room now.

The entrance and formal lounge

Slowly but surely, over the last couple of months, I have been doing a make-over at home and except for the arrival of the new Horn sewing cabinet and it's mate the Horn drawer cupboard and cutting table - my make-over is all complete. I've changed the dark green drapes and 2 x two-seater green floral couches to cream with throw quilts all over the place. It's now looking very shabby chic and I just love roses, so you can imagine how pretty it is. Not everyones taste I might add but I don't have an argument any more do I? I always win the arguments around here now.....

I've painted throughout (no I didn't, some friends helped me at a cost), I've re-arranged my bedroom Japanese style, the bar to a dining room and the dining room to a sewing room. The formal lounge is a formal lounge again and I've emptied one bedroom and made it an office / computer room. That room is not really tidy because I've dumped everything in there and have been cleaning up from there. The kitchen looks lovely with new curtains and there are new sun-screen security blinds in the dining area and the kitchen and kitchenette.

The sandstone floors have been re-sealed and I've run out of money. Life's a bitch when there's no more money but I'm happy with what I've done at home and it looks so much cleaner and brighter that it's hard to imagine that I had not even changed the furniture around over the past 14 years until now.

My home is looking gorgeous and I'm completely happy with my efforts.

Hope you liked the pics above.

Hugs
Ronnie

When Mrs Mik Came To Town

Jan and I at the Clarkefield Hotel 150th Birthday Bash

Our Friends we met at the Quilt Show, Sharon Jan Trish and Me

I've forgotten this fella's name but he is at Dromkeen in the beutiful gardens there with Jan.

It was a big event to have another crafter come to visit and when Mrs Mik (Jan) came to stay for a few weeks we were all excited (that's me, Sally and Penny - my two poodles who were excited). Jan is also a recent widow with much the same circumstances my myself. We laughed a lot, we cried a bit (I cried lots !!) and we had a good time and spent too much money.....

Jan came in February and we shopped till we dropped nearly every day. We went to the Quilt Show and met some of our other friends from the craft forum there, we visited the major shopping centres like DFO, Watergardens, Airport West, etc, to the flicks one night, we went to the pub at Clarkefield for it's 150th Birthday celebrations, to the Food Festival at Hanging Rock, we went to sewing group each Friday and we just kept going out.

Here's some lovely pics of Jan.

Hugs

Ronnie

A New Car !!

Jenny and Ronnie

My New Prado (2000 model)

To be able to pull that gorgeous caravan I have and to be able to take it off-road ("cos you can !) so I made a radical decision and bought a Toyota Prado.

Last Christmas I pulled the caravan all the way to Corryong, Vic, behind the Ford Fairmont. Not a good thing although everything went well enough I just felt it would be a better deal to have a 4WD for that purpose. So my next door neighbour and I flew to the Sunshine Coast early April and drove the Prado all the way home.

It seems that we both love shopping and we coffee'd and shopped at most little towns (and big ones too) all the way home. We took each other pics at the Big Apple, the Big Guitar and the big whatever else along the way home and had a good time. We called in to see a friend from the Craft Forum near Tamworth and Jenny's pic is there too.

Hugs

Ronnie

Stresses Lead To Bad Health

Well, what have I been doing since I've been on my own you ask?. That's a long story and I shall attempt it in small posts to the blog so you can see for yourself.

There has been so much to do to wind up Bruce's affairs and make them my own. All of this (and losing Bruce and his family) has taken toll on my own health and I was diagnosed in September/October 2006 with T-Cell Lymphoma. Not a nice cancer but nevertheless a stress driven curse that I can do without. It is not life threatening (unless there's something I don't know) but you can be prone to internal tumours so I have a CT scan twice each year now to make sure I'm OK on the inside - it seems all is still OK.

The good news is that the treatment is OK and painless, who doesn't like having ultravoilet heat treatment? This is for the rash and it has left me with a wonderful suntan, the envy of my girlfriends. There is also an ointment which I don't need anymore as the rash is disappearing. The ultra voilet treatment you have at a salon is UVA, I have the same type treatment twice each week in a "stand up" machine and it is UVB.

I am trying hard to control my stress levels and have chosen to exercise more, diet and stay in control of my emotions. Not all of this is working all the time but the exercise is fun, the diet is working and the emotional levels wave in and out but I'm definately better than even a month ago.

It was certainly a shock to be diagnosed with cancer but about the same time as that diagnosis my dear Dad was diagnosed with bowel cancer. I'm thrilled to say he has come through a trying surgery and a heart attack straight after surgery and is 6 mths later is now fighting fit. Dad is 78 and obviously frail from all this and now walks with a walking stick but he is putting on weight and still teasing Mum with gusto.

No matter was happens in life there is always someone worse off. So I am counting my blessings and looking forward to a brighter future.

Hugs to all who needs them

Ronnie

Vale Bruce - 5/9/1944 to 11/7/2006

Hi All,

It's been since Anzac Day 2006 since I blogged. The reason being that my hubby was diagnosed with Gastric Cancer on the 24th April, and our whole world was turned upside down and inside out. At Bruce's request his illness was not put on my blog because he didn't want anyone to know as he was determined he would be well and back at work before Christmas.

Bruce was only sick for approx 4 mths and then he was gone. He passed away, peacefully, on 11th July, 2006, at home after a 2 week stay in hospital. Bruce was strong and courageous throughout and did not let on to me that he knew he would not make Christmas. In fact, he thought he would see all the birthdays in our family but probably not our 21st Wedding Anniversary, which was 30th November, 2006. He left me a card in his shed for our anniversary saying "I Love You, Always Have, Always Will". I found that card about 6 weeks after he passed away and luckily in plenty of time for our anniversary.

The past 15 months have been heartbreaking and soul searching for me. Bruce has 4 grown up kids and it seems that they are not speaking to me now. That's OK, they weren't there for their Dad when he was sick so why should I expect them to bebhere for me now. I miss them and the 9 grand children but find that the stresses in my life are now minimal because there is no friction or greed now.

Without going into any detail it is a sad state of affairs to spend 25 years of your life with someone and help rear his children and be asked to be the preferred Nanna to the grandies and then find that they really don't care anyway and probably never did. Bruce and I didn't have any children of our own so I have been distraught at my loss of 4 kids, their partners and 9 grandchilren. I am blessed with a beautiful family on my side of the fence though, a wonderful bunch of friends from all walks of life and my local community who quietly watch out for me.

I can live with my conscience and I know in my heart that Bruce and I loved each other dearly and we were the typical companions, ready for retirement and planning a future in our new caravan. Those plans needn't change too much except that I carry on without him. He shall be there in spirit with me when I travel.

I've enclosed a pic of Bruce and I, taken on 10th March 2006. He was perfectly well that day but the next week he wasn't.

Hugs

Ronnie