Home Again

Hi ladies, I'm very pleased to tell you that Fiona is back home from hospital. Apparently the hospital Accident and Emergency Dept was inundated with people requiring admission and they had to empty out as many people as they could to get them in. Since Fiona was only having her blood levels monitored till the warfarin levels are stabilised and as that could be done by our local GP Practice she was released earlier that she might have been. She is very tired and sore but happy to be home and definitely not as ill as she was when she went in but it will be a while before she is back to anything like normal. She will require daily visits to the doctor until the monitoring shows that they have hit on the correct dosages but it's better than being stuck in a hospital ward.
She really appreciated all your messages of support and your prayers and will be back blogging as soon as she can but I will be making sure that she is sensible about it.
Thank you so much for all your kind wishes. I hope that Fiona will be next on her blog.
Kindest regards,
William.

An Encouraging Update

Hello ladies.
Just a quick update to let you know how Fiona is getting on. She is still in the High Dependency Unit but there are plans to move her into an ordinary ward when a bed becomes available. She is much brighter, if very weak, but she has started treatments to thin her blood to break up the clots. The doctors have been carrying out a lot of tests to try to get to the bottom of all her recent problems so we can only hope that something will be found to sort things out. She is now disconnected from all the drips ,catheter and monitors although she is still on oxygen 24/7 but is back on 2 litres/minute as opposed to the 15 litres/minute they had her on at first and is on a nebuliser for short periods throughout the day.
She is very thankful, as am I, for all your good wishes and prayers. You have all been such an encouragement over this last year of what has felt like continual problems. I think that she might be kept in for a while yet but at least she is receiving good care.
Thank you so much for your continued interest and support.
Kindest Regards,
William.

More Bad News

Hello ladies. I hear you all groaning "It's him again".
I am afraid that I am not the bearer of good news. I am sorry to tell you that Fiona is back in hospital again. On Friday morning when we awoke she said she didn't feel well and I decided to phone for a doctor only to find that the surgery was closed for the Easter Weekend. We didn't think it warranted phoning the emergency services so decided that it would be best to wait to see how things went. She wanted to get up to go to the toilet and she collapsed as soon as she got out of bed. She turned purple and was struggling for breath so I phoned for an ambulance immediately. It was the longest 20 minutes of my life waiting for them as I struggled to clear her airways and keep her at least semi conscious. Anyway she was rushed into hospital (Blue lights and sirens blazing) in Dunfermline (it's closer than Perth) and after over 4 hours in the resuscitation room, xrays, blood tests and a CT Scan they found out that she had had a blood clot in her leg which had broken up and moved resulting in several small clots in both lungs. She had complained on Thursday of a very sore and swollen lower right leg but we thought that it was fluid retention - how wrong can you be. She is now in the High Dependency Unit and getting anti-clotting drugs to resolve the clots. She does look a lot better but is still very weak. The consultant reckons she will be in hospital for a week to 10 days so I'm afraid that she will be missing from Blogland for a bit longer.
I never expected to be back on her blog so soon but I know a lot of you are interested in how she is progressing.
I hope you all have a good Easter Weekend.
Kindest Regards,
William

A Quick Hello and a Warning

Hi girls,
I am afraid that since getting home from hospital at the beginning of last week I have been feeling well under the weather and am now on another course of antibiotics to try to rid myself of yet another chest infection. I haven't been back in my craftroom yet and have been too tired to visit blogs to leave comments. I hope by the weekend to be back to something like normal. Sorry for being missing for so long but I don't want to start too quickly and fall by the wayside again.
While I am on I have received a few invitations to join some of my fellow bloggers as a friend on a site called Tubely.com. I had started to join up on the first email I received when I was being asked for some confidential information so I backed out and have ignored subsequent invitations. I have now found out that one or two of my friends have received similar invites from me. This looks to be a scam so if you get an invitation from me do not open it. It will not have come from me. If I receive any more such emails I will be trashing them without opening them. Please be warned.
I hope to be back blogging shortly. In the meantime, thanks for your good wishes and cards.

Home Again

Hello Ladies. I'm pleased to say that Fiona was allowed home around Teatime on Monday. A bit tired but certainly breathing more easily and looking a deal better than she was when she went in. Thank you so much for all your good wishes and prayers. Her blogging friends are certainly a faithful bunch. I think it may be a few days before she is making anything but I think she will be back commenting before that.
That will be it from me then for a good while I hope but I have appreciated your company these last few days.
Kindest Regards,
William.

Just a Quick Update

Hello ladies, I am just on with a quick update on Fiona. After a massive improvement in the first 24 hours in hospital Fiona has made slower progress. There was talk on Friday that she may get home today (Monday) but I would be surprised. We will wait to see what the medics say.  I have passed on all your good wishes and she is so grateful for your caring thoughts and prayers.
I will, of course, keep you advised on any news.
Kindest Regards,
William.

Better News

Hello ladies,
I am very pleased to say that after 24 hours of being pumped full of intravenous antibiotics Fiona has really come on very well. When I visited yesterday I could hardly believe the difference. I was a bit concerned that perhaps I had jumped the gun getting the doctor in but according to the consultant if she had been at home another day without treatment it could have been touch and go. Anyway she is off all the monitors now and  I don't think she will be in any more than a couple of days.
Your well wishes and knowing that she was in your thoughts and prayers have been very encouraging and humbling. We are both so grateful. We both believe prayer works so it is much appreciated. I have passed on all your messages and she got all your virtual hugs.
There are some issues the doctors have to sort out about ongoing treatments since the regimes for her various problems seem to impede each other and reduce her immune responses. However we'll take that a day at a time.
Thank you all once again,
Kindest Regards,
William

So Sorry but I'm Back

Hello ladies. I am so sorry to be back again but I am afraid things are not well with Fiona at the minute. Yesterday morning (Wednesday) she started off bogging but before long was finding it very difficult to breath. By mid morning she was really struggling and I phoned for the doctor. He came fairly quickly and took one look at her and phoned for an ambulance. She is in hospital on intravenous antibiotics again and the official diagnosis is pneumonia. Her blood oxygen was down to 75% (should be about 98%) despite being on oxygen at home 24/7. I don't know how long she is likely to be in but I'll keep you advised of any significant changes. I know you have given her a lot of support n the past and it has meant a lot to both of us. Thank you.
Kindest Regards,
William

MAWTT #92 & Colour Create #67

Hi girls. A warm welcome to my blog. I am so pleased that you have managed to find time to call in and I hope you find something you like. I hope all is well with you and yours and that your crafting and blogging is bringing a lot of pleasure. I must issue a photo overload warning - I have even photographed the back of the card.
My card today is for the Moving Along With The Times challenge where they wanted a cared with more than one fold and Colour Create who wanted Pastel colours. I have made a diamond easel card. I got the idea from a recent magazine and couldn't resit having a try. The image I have used is Lili of the Valley's "Best Friends" and it is coloured using my Copics. The papers are from Graphic 45's Baby and Bride Collection. The punched border is made using a Martha Stewart heart border punch. The flowers are by Magnolia and the stamens and ribbons are from my stash.

Close up of the LOTV image.

The base of the card showing the flowers and stamens.

The back of the card showing the diamond fold to mount the Image.

I hope you like this card but I would love to read any comment you might have time to leave telling me your views on it. Your opinions matter to me and I love getting your feedback.

Have a great day crafting and enjoy your blogging but above all stay safe and healthy.

Simon Says ... Domi's Sketch

Hi girls. Thank you for popping in to see my blog today. I hope you find something you like. I had a wonderful surprise yesterday. A comment from Siobhan who owned Stampaholics in Perth before it closed. She has now started her own blog http://recoveringstampaholic.blogspot.com - well worth a visit, so why not pop over there.
Today's card is for Simon Says Challenge where we have been given a wonderful sketch by Domi to follow. I have inked up Magnolia's "Jam Tilda" and coloured her using my Copics. The papers are freebies from a magazine. The flowers are from Wild Orchid and the ribbon and doily are from my stash. The corners are Cuttlebug diecuts and the leaves are cut with a Martha Stewart punch.
I would be grateful if you had a minute to leave a comment letting me know what you think of this card. I value your opinions and I love to know who has been visiting. It gives me a chance to call back if you are new to my blog.
Have a great day and stay safe and healthy.

Sketch & Stash #58 & ABC ...R is for Roses

Hi girls. Well I hope all you mums were royally treated and spoiled yesterday. I know I was. It's great to have you here on my blog and I hope you enjoy your visit. Perhaps you might even find a little something to please or inspire you in your crafting.
I made this card to enter into two challenges. Sketch and Stash gave us a wonderful sketch to follow and ABC wanted Roses this week. I have inked up Lili of the Valley's "Rosie with Cake" and I have coloured with my trusty Copics. The papers are downloads from the Nitwits Collection. I have used Wild Orchid roses and leaves and applied lots and lots of glitter which unfortunately does not show very well on this photo. The ribbon is from my stash.
Your opinions on this card would be much appreciated so if you can find a minute to leave a comment I would really be grateful. I hope you have a great day and that above all you stay safe and healthy. 

Pretty in Pink?

Hello girls. Thanks for calling in on me today. You are more than welcome and I hope you find something to bring a smile. For those of you who are mums I hope you get spoiled rotten today and are pampered something outrageous.
This is another card done just for the fun of it. No challenges in mind. The image is Magnolia's "Valentine Tilda" coloured using my Copics. The papers are downloads from the Nitwit collections and I used Bazzil to mount. I have used Wild Orchid flowers and the ribbon, gems and stickles are from my stash. The sentiment is hand made. I did wonder if this card looked ever so slightly anaemic but I'll let you be the judge of that.
I hope you like it but I would welcome any comments you have time to leave. I am very pleased with any constructive criticism. Enjoy your day. Stay safe and healthy.

My First H&St Card

Hi girls. I hope you are well or if you have been under the weather I hope you are on the mend. It's great to have you visiting my blog and I hope you find something of interest. I know that I gt a lot of ideas and inspiration from my daily blog visits. There are so many fabulous blogs out there.
I'm still just making cards for the fun of it and I won't be entering today's card into any challenges.
I have used a hAngler and stAngler image today and coloured it using my Copics. The design papers are from Meridian Enterprises Inc. and I have used Bazzil as a mount. The flowers are by Magnolia and the lace and pearls are from my stash. I cut the corners with a die and made the leaves with a Martha Stewart punch.
Whether you like this or not I would love to know what you think of it so if you can find a minute to leave a comment please don't hesitate to give me your opinion. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.
I hope you have a great day and that you get everything ready for the weekend. Take care, enjoy your crafting and blogging and above all stay safe and healthy.