...wedding fancies

Working on the principle of "just do a couple a day" I managed to finish all 25 painted pebble place settings for my daughter's best friend's wedding with nearly a week to spare. Once I got into the swing of it it really wasn't a chore, and I was really pleased with the finished product. My only quibble was with the irregular sizes and shapes of the pebbles - I would have preferred a more uniform set - but I had to work with the raw materials the bride provided! 

Feedback from the wedding was that everyone loved them, and from the photos my daughter sent me I do think they added a unique personal touch to the romantic table setting.

Given that I had finished the pebbles with days to spare my daughter decided to keep me occupied by commissioning me to make a decorative prosecco glass for the bride to drink from on the morning of the wedding. I was simply forced to order a set of special glass painting pens, and after much experimentation (turns out curved glass is tricky to write on, but the perfect surface for wiping clean and starting again), followed by a nail-bitingly tense baking of the glass in the oven, this was the finished result:

"Self praise is no recommendation", is what my Granny used to say, but who cares? I think it looks absolutely lovely!

...recovery

It's been three and a half weeks since my hip replacement surgery. I'm getting about with one stick indoors and two sticks outdoors and making progress, albeit slow. There has been a lot of bed rest with the XXSCat dog:

A lot of sleepless nights and a new hobby - capturing nocturnal shadows and sunrises when discomfort drives me from my bed in the wee small hours:

4:54am one day

3:14am another day

4:31am this morning

 A lot of finding simple pleasure in the flowers I grew from last year's seed gatherings:

Cosmos

Pincushion flower - Scabiosa

A lot of gritting my teeth and making myself do a little bit more every day - if only because there's a deadline looming:

Through all the 'New Hip Roller Coaster' highs and lows - the box-set binges, the pill-popping, the ice-packs, the ankle rotations and leg lifts, the tea and toast in bed, the biscuit-and-flower-bearing visitors, the tears of frustration and laughter - the XXSCat dog takes everything in her stride. 

After all, there is nothing that a quick power nap in a comfy spot can't fix.