Win: win

 When I thought about getting older I thought about loss of physical fitness, gains in "me" time, loss of (some of) my hair, gain of avoirdupois,  but I never thought about loss of "usefulness".

I've always been a busy sort of gal.  My jobs have always been in public service and I have done quite a bit of voluntary work.  I can remember wishing I had been more ready to say "No" when asked to help out!  

Then came retirement and, even more devastating, a walking stick, rollator and trundle truck (mobility scooter).  Suddenly I was in a new group, "The Disabled".  Suddenly I was viewed as always needing help and having no ability to offer help.  

But there are things I can do and this week one of those things came to me in the shape of a Scout shirt and a Brownie campfire blanket.  Like most mums Annie works full time and the thought of stitching all those badges was a little overwhelming so she thought of me.  She knows I sew and, indeed, I enjoy sewing so she brought the whole lot to me.  

A section of Brownie blanket

So it's win:win:win  Annie's children can wear their badges with pride, Annie can put her feet up and I feel useful and grateful to have been able to help.

The only problem is that the Scout leader sent a message asking if I would like to be badge sewer for the whole Group.

That would be being rather too useful, I feel.  

Recycled tree

 Last year I wrote about a tree I was helping to knit with a local church group but I never showed you the result.  I didn't actually see the result myself as I wasn't well that weekend but here it is.   Our theme was "Round and round the garden like a teddy bear".  As you can see, we had been knitting very enthusiastically!

We decided that whatever we knitted couldn't just be for a "two weekend tree" so several of our ladies have been making twiddle rugs for dementia patients.

Twiddle rugs and twiddle muffs give people with dementia something to do with their hands whilst also keeping them warm.  We used squares and flowers (and a bee!) from the tree and then a  group member crocheted a border.

The teddy bears have been sent to a Women's Refuge and also to the Fire Brigade and Traffic Police to be given to traumatised children at accident scenes.  

I feel happy that I was involved.  

 

A Host of Golden Daffodils

 Well, five of them!

I've been feeling a bit crafty again and I decided to make a spring wreath.  Just a simple one, with five daffodils.  Up-cycled fabric. a bit of felt and my glue gun combined with some sewing and I had this jobby.  I'm quite pleased with it.  I might even make a few more and offer them on Etsy.

That would be a new project!

The Japanese apron

I decided I wanted a joyful month and that was what I got!  I didn't do half the things in my "list of pleasurable things to do" but I still had a happy month.  Thank you for the good wishes I received.  I don't know how much scientific evidence there is for light therapy devices but the two years I have had mine I have had great Januarys.  Could be coincidence but whatever it is, I'll take it!

I did quite a bit of crafting, including making this Japanese apron but I've only got a photo of the back!  I was given a length of very serviceable furnishing fabric so I preshrunk it and found the scraps from making a skirt and I'm rather pleased with the result,  Japanese aprons are dropped over the head, they wrap all around, have no straps and they cover nearly everything.