So yesterday Alaric picked me and the girls up in his lunch break and dropped us off in Gloucester at the nearest he could to the City Museum. I had a crutch shoved in the basket and handle and limped my way painfully and slowely to the museum with Jean chatting. We went in and I was relieved to find seats liberally spread out though I really could have done with more but understand that they don't want to clutter the exhibitions.
We coloured dinosuars and Jean investigated urban night life and put a Roman helmet on and so on. We even went for a drink in the cafe before attempting the lift and going upstairs - this is where it went a bit wrong - it appears that my pushchair is too long for the wheelchair platform lift thingy (which mainly gets used for pushchairs). Part of me does wonder if they just expect parents to carry the puchchairs up the stairs because Al struggles with that one :/ Baby plus supplies plus decent pushchair/pram that doesn't tip over and that I can use as a psuedo frame is heavy!
Anyway it had only cost me £2 to get in so I wasn't too disheartened but the faffing with the lift had acted the pelvis up so we walked very slowely to Jean's choice of lunch Mac Donalds where I spent the rest of the afternoon knitting whilst Jean played with her happy meal toy and Mary mainly slept.
It is a milestone because though painful and one leg ended up just dragging and having to be then man handled into the car - I did it and know that this can now only improve.
And actually it was easier than when I was first attempting this with Jeany as I had a helpful Jeany there who was incredibly helpful.
Saturday ie tomorrow I will be doing a quick poetry reading in the Waterstones in Cheltenham with some fantastic other poets (it's a quick one as I'm running away to a family wedding!). This event is organised by the Cheltenham Poetry Festival who have been putting on some fantastic events through out the year. The readings in the Waterstones are going to be the first Saturday of each month 11-2pm.
Another event that they are running is Poetree in the Park - the last one got in the news paper along with a cute picture of Jean holding up a poetry dragon 🙂
I'm going to be running an number of workshops and courses mainly for kids for the Festival and the new Center Arts in Cheltenham on top of the craft workshops I do for festivals anyway 🙂 They are also holding an Exhibition in Braille in September which I hope to have a textural art piece in (made of papier mache of course!).
On top of that I hope to have the poetry book sorted soon and also take the Monster Writing Game to the next level. I do however need more outlets for my art work - I may get an exhibition soon but I need to be in shops and stuff more than doing craft fairs each Sunday. The trouble with that I've been finding is that you have to spend money out in the first place to buy shelf space very few places do it on commission. I would also love as I think I mentioned about three years ago now :/ to become a member of the Gloucester Guild of Craftsmen but again it takes money and I am still only braking even as I am still building up my equipement and stocks at the moment.
I will confess to having gotten carried away with making educational games and designing crafts to help the kids engage in writing workshops but I finially feel I am heading in the right direction here 🙂
Oh and also some of my local kids poetry is going to be on display at the village Flower Festival this weekend which is well just lovely 🙂
As some of you know Mum had an accident where her mobility scooter went backwards down a slope and crashed into a kirb. She fell scooter and all - I saw the horror on her face and got dad to hand me the baby so he could go to her. Jeany run up too her and was informing everyone that it was her Nanny etc...
This was Friday in Gloucester Docks - the dock security and the ambulance team where fantastic and between the four of them got mum up onto the stretcher and loaded into the ambulance - I spent most of the time in the car with the two girls as I couldn't really do much else. Once Jeany came back to the car I left her momentarily holding Mary whilst I told the security etc... that mum has brittle bone disease as Dad was in a bit of a flap. I then took mum's handbag and shopping back to the car.
People must have thought I was really strange but I knew mum would be panicking about her material and stuff and sure enough all she said was sorry and 'I think I've lost my buttons!'
They thought she had broken her hip but fortunatly she hadn't - it's all "just" soft tissue damage but she is pretty beaten up and the bruises and grazes look bad. She is having to use a zima frame to walk at the moment 🙁
Again the post code lottery was evident with the nhs - as mum was informed that if she lived here a stair lift and stuff would have already been put in her home - something the nhs back in Essex wont do.
The x-rays they did did show however that her heart and lungs have been badly damaged by the radiotherapy for the cancer treatment which sucks but I suppose is better than the alternative.
Sunday as the craft fayre I was supposed to be doing was canceled I took mum, dad and the girls to the local carvery were was spent about 4 hours watching the classic, vintage and kit cars going past on the round about - we sat outside and I took blankets and games for the girls.
Poor dad still ended up carrying all the food as though I am trying to use one crutch instead of two I found I simply didn't have the hand strength to carry the plates! But mum enjoyed her outing. She is in more pain today though than she was when she came home from the hospital and bruising is still appearing on her.
Of course because fundimentally she is ok and will just take time to mend it is funny to say she crushed her mobility scooter but it wasn't at the time :/
You may or may not have noticed a dirth of posts and onlineness from me - this is due to a slight no computer issue 🙁 But I've got a temporary solution currently!
So what shall I be upto in August? Well like the rest of the summer so far it will be full of craft and writing workshops - mainly for kids 🙂
I am also back on the papier mache thing and having made a giant sheep last month am working on a piece of textural art work for the visually impaired which I hope will be exhibated in September.
If I can extract stuff of my broken laptop there will be the long awaited for poetry book and of course there is a family wedding for which bunting is being made 🙂 There is the village feast, boundary walk, and Jean's birthday which is going to be in Essex this year hosted by my aunt 🙂 as there is a Christening on the Sunday we are going to!
Alaric's family are visiting too which is exciting as they haven't met Mary yet!
I do of course have lots of other things to share and write about which will be coming soon 🙂
Domestic, Events and Outings, Sarah | sarah | 
Fri 12th Aug 2011 8:59 am | 
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