Author: Crystal MoonCat

‘One of a Kind’ is how Susan described Edie in Desperate Housewives and that is how I would like to remember my darling Lily.

This is my favourite photo of her. I nicknamed her The Joker after taking it. She was a rescue cat who had had a litter of kittens and 3 different homes before she came to live with me. At first she wasn’t really sure where she was living and was always wandering into other people’s houses but after a while she settled down and became a permanent fixture on the bed/sofa/window basket/windowsill. I made a promise to her shortly after she came to live with me that she was now in her forever home and I would keep her safe and loved to the end.

A while back she had been diagnosed with feline Dementia and was gradually losing her sense of what it meant to be a cat. She was a bit like a goldfish in a bowl, forgetting that she had eaten 10 seconds ago etc. She became very needy and also forgot what the litter tray was for and that she needed to groom herself. I did resort to bathing her but that was causing us both stress and I was scared that she would go out and forget how to get home.

The vet and I agreed that her time had come and she was given the most dignified of endings – Tanya gave her a fleece blnaket and some Dreamies. So while Lily was happily playing with them she was given an injection to make her fall asleep and then when she was asleep a final injection to send her to heaven. No shaving of paws etc just a little cat gently falling asleep in my arms.

She was 2 when I rescued her and gave me 14 years of utter joy. My heart is in bits.

Slàinte Mhath xxx

I had a bit of a Couture thing going last weekend and ordered half a dozen books on Haute Couture and Historical Fashion from the library (God bless public libraries).
BTW did you know the difference between Haute Couture and Couture? For a fashion house to call its garments Haute Couture it must follow the rules laid down by the Paris Chamber of Commerce which are –

1. Design made-to-order for private clients, with one or more fittings.
2. Have a workshop (atelier) in Paris that employs at least fifteen people full-time.
3. Each season (i.e. twice a year) present a collection to the Paris press, comprising at least thirty-five runs/exits with outfits for both daytime wear and evening wear.

When selected they then become members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. What an excellent way to keep skilled embroiderers, hat makers etc in work. I wonder if British couturiers do the same sort of thing.

Anyway, back to the books. Whilst leafing through them and salivating over the beautiful outfits I came to the conclusion that modern fashion designers could learn a thing from the old Masters. I fell in love with this coat (made in 1919) from Paul Poiret.

It’s stunning. The cream design down the front is leather filigree and hand sewn to the coat. The collar is fur which is not so nice. I was thinking that something like this could be recreated – machine embroidered design on the front with a thick man made fleece fabric for the collar. The more I looked at it the more I felt the urge to make a tribute coat, so now I am looking around to source fabric and suitable designs for the front………watch this space.

Elsa Schiaparelli also knew a thing or two about embroidery. At the height of her fame in the late 30s to early 40s she was producing beautiful pieces like these. My favourite is the Elephant Embroidery. She was a designer ahead of her time.

Must go now before my sweaty palms ruin these lovely books. Also I’m just about to take delivery of the book “The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute.” Be still my beating heart!

Slàinte Mhath xxx

You know at the beginning of Shakespeare’s Macbeth when the evil Witches are seated around their cauldron and chant “When shall we three meet again” with a bit of cackling and overacting thrown in? Well I’ve been experiencing being the victim of a coven of witches recently or that what it feels like! It’s happened a couple of times – I go into the bedroom and there they are – 3 pussycats in a huddle surreptitiously looking over their shoulders at me. Are they keeping warm or planning something? It’s hard to tell.

Mouse Fondue Party

They have such pretty names – Daisy, Lily and Poppy, but that Daisy one could give Einstein a run for his money she’s so intelligent. You can see the cogs going around as she works things out. She is usually the ringleader as she’s the one who knows what the words fish and ham mean, when she hears either of those words she gets excited and goes off to round the other two up, so I end up with three very vocal puddies in the kitchen all yelling for their treats.

The ‘Look’

As I write this one is lying on the radiator side of table dangling her paws over the edge  to take advantage of the warm air rising. The other two have me hemmed in on the sofa, one either side of me. It might be some time before I get up as any cat lover will know you try and avoid that pitiful look they give you if you try to move them. With Merlin a huge Tabby I had a few years ago you had to judge it so you got up in that brief window before he realised you were getting up and when he sank his teeth into any exposed body parts. I could really get off the sofa in super quick time when he was around, nowadays it’s been diluted to plea bargaining.

Paw Dangling Practice

I am afraid, very afraid!!!

Slàinte Mhath xxx

I first made this jumper back in the 80s and then lost the pattern. I was thinking about it a year ago and regularly checked all the online second hand sites to see if I could track it down as I remember really enjoying making it (and it was easy!!).

The Original Pingouin Pattern

No  luck until on a whim a couple of weeks ago I had a look at Ebay and lo and behold it was there! Never has the “Buy Button” been pressed so quickly! The seller sent it off straight away and I got clacking and here it is – the 2016 version! I used the Womens’ Institute Soft & Cuddly yarn. It seems to be sold only at Hobbycraft, I may be wrong but I haven’t seen it anywhere else. Great value at £3 a ball and on sale at the moment at 3 for the price of 2.

Pink Pingouin Sweater

My embroidery machine has been revving up for 2016 and the result is this knitting bag I made for my friend Gladys’s birthday. She sent me a very clever ‘thank you’ poem in return. 42,000 stitches! Gulp!

The Gladys Bag

And for those days when you wake up and think I really need a pair of jeggings with a giraffe wearing a scarf embroidered on one leg (and I can’t even blame the chemo drugs!)

Giraffe Jeggings

I had a follow up call from the Radiotherapy Centre to see how I’d coped with the side effects (apparently the peak of the side effects comes 2 weeks after the end of treatment). I was so happy to tell the radiotherapist that I haven’t suffered any side effects at all. The redness over my wound and neck has almost faded away and I haven’t suffered from fatigue at all. In fact I think my energy has increased which is good as Clarkson my beloved bicycle (I do miss Top Gear) and I have been giving my legs one heck of a work out up and down the beautiful country lanes around here.

Clarkson

Slàinte Mhath xxx

I laughed and cried a lot in 2015. In January it was basically a case of
“Happy New Year, you’ve got Breast Cancer.”

The things that made me laugh which I’m glad to say far outnumbered
the crying bits. I will be for ever grateful to the wonderful lady who set up
the FB group March Marvels. The love and support from that group of Super Hero
women kept me going during my darkest hours.

The brilliant friendly group of dog walkers in my local cafe who were with me
on my journey through the year, always with words of support and available dogs
to pat!

Wonderful neighbours who turned up at my door with kitchen towels, bags of
apples, excess fruit and veg from their gardens & allotments, just
incredible.

Having various pieces of writing published including having my work read by
Stephen King. What an honour!!

The ladies at the radiotherapy centre who made everything soooooo easy to get
through. I have a phobia about masks over my face and the treatment involved
wearing a noseclip and breathing through a tube and holding my breath for over
30 seconds five times per treatment (I had 15). I did it and as a by product I
am now considering learning to snorkel!!

My cats who instinctively knew when I needed cheering up and would keep me
company when I couldn’t get up from the bed or sofa.

Friends who treated me to fab days out, the odd bottle of wine, encouraged me
to keep up with the writing, made me laugh till my sides couldn’t take it
anymore.

Online friends who through their lovely messages of support on this blog have
a special little niche in my heart.

My local crafts shop where we would have in depth discussions on the merits
of Dr Who and Sherlock (of which there are several!).

A bit of a short summing up I know, but Wishing You All a Fab Chrissie and
the Most Wonderful of New Years in 2016.

Slàinte Mhath xxx

I never thought in a million years that I’d get so much pleasure from dragging my razor up and down my hairy legs!

As you know from previous posts chemotherapy ate all my body hair and I mean all of it   So, although I was pleased not to have to shave my legs during the summer (remember those 2 sunny weeks we had in July?), and to be able to expose them on the beach without fear of censure from the body police, no hair was a constant reminder of the traumatic chemo treatment.

But now as the brave little heroes are popping up on my limbs, it also means they are doing the same on my head. It looks like my hair is coming through as a dark brown with lovely white Badger stripes above my forehead. I was hoping for silver all over but I’ll settle for the Badger look as they are one of my favourite animals. Although my head hair is just a gnat’s armpit above a quarter of an inch long it’s doing wonders for my morale that very soon I’ll be able to come home one day and chuck the wig on the sofa for the very last time.

I will spare you the photos of my hairy bits but I thought you might like to see a pic of the owner of the hairiest limbs ever

 

and my hero, author Terry Pratchett with the inspiration for his famous Librarian of Discworld’s Unseen University.

 

I’ve managed to knit a few more tea cosies and I’ve come up with a new design based on the House of Hufflepuff at Hogwarts School of Magic. The house colours are yellow and black and the mascot is a Badger so I combined all the elements to make this!

 

So far two Hufflepuff cosies have gone to Australia and another one has just gone to Sweden!

 

I’m also trying to stop myself from being turned into a chemo couch potato and I’ve got my eye on one of these

I have a Mountain bike already but I have this weird fear of getting my legs trapped in the frame if I fall off it. A step through bike would be perfect. I used to have one of these when I was a teenager and I loved it. It was painted blue and grey and I cycled everywhere on it. I don’t think it had any gears so I did get a bit of a workout on it. Only just over a couple of hundred cosies to knit to raise the money to buy it!!! Better get knitting then!

 

Slàinte Mhath xxx

A couple of days ago I found a till generated coupon for 84p on the ground in my local Tesco car park. I picked it up and filed it away in my purse for later use.

 

Later I had an idea that I’d give myself a project to see how much food I could buy for that 84p so in theory it would be food for free. Last night I nipped out to Tesco about the time they start reducing their food and slapping yellow stickers on the perishables. I was hoping that I could get a few reduced loaves of bread as I was running low on bread for the peanut butter sandwiches I put out for the foxes every evening. I was in luck, I managed to find 8 loaves (no fishes) with the most expensive ones costing 8p. Then I joined a little group of people who were waiting for the reduced veggies to come out. I got talking to a lovely old man who was waiting around and we had a great discussion on which supermarkets had the most discounts. He had been doing this for a long time and was definitely an expert in yellow sticker hunting. We were interrupted by a man standing close to the swing doors. With a big grin on his face he announced “Game On” and sure enough a few seconds later two big bins full of fruit and veggies were wheeled out and we all went diving in. I got parsnips, cauliflower and cucumber and two big bags of fresh veggie soup mixes. The soup mix bags weren’t that popular and it made me wonder if people didn’t want to be bothered to do the necessary cooking to make the soup. I was in my element as I love making soups.

 

I left then as I’d no need to wait for the meat to come out. I wished the old man happy hunting and with a big smile on my face set off for the self service tills. A couple of mins later with everything scanned and totted up and the 84p coupon applied I reached into my purse for the money to pay the excess which came to the grand total of 10p!!!!  Yes 10p!! Was so chuffed to get all this food which will keep me and the foxes going for some time for virtually nothing. Mission accomplished!!!

 

 

Slàinte Mhath  xxxxx