Fed up

A bit fed-up today.

My oxygen levels have been a bit up and down and my heart-rate was fairly high at one point, but it did settle down.  Hubs was waiting on the phone for ages in a queue on 111 just to get some advice, but by the time the queue was down to 25 minutes my levels had settled.  So we plod on.

Today has been mostly watching films on Netflix.  Including Sense and Sensibility 💕

I'm not totally weird taking pics of my pulse oximeter, I was just taking pics to keep track of my levels hahaha, but caught this lovely one of Mrs Dashwood and the awful Fanny Dashwood

Pneumonia!

Found out yesterday that I have pneumonia. Which explains the increasing breathlessness and feeling at death's door!

One lung is pneumonia-ified and the other has a bit of a crackle.  I'm up to my eyeballs in antibiotics and steroids.  Fortunately, my vitals weren't bad enough for hospital.

So it's no work and lots of rest.

Just me and Boots.  Resting.

Beauty out and about - this and that

We went for one of our daily walks yesterday evening, it was beautiful.

I was especially happy because G had cooked our tea...just delicious.  A pork ramen noodle thing.  My mouth waters just thinking about it.

I've been thinking a lot about the mind, a church we have been visiting (online during this pandemic) have been doing teaching about maturity and the mind.  

I've been gradually pulling up weeds in our garden, tidying it up.  We have issues with Mares Tail urgh, it truly is a pervasive weed!  Its roots can go down for many feet.  My plan is to make the garden a prettier place, some new plants, hanging baskets, maybe some fairy lights 💚💚. We also need some comfy garden chairs, you get numb bum sitting on ours for too long.

Well, that's it for today.  Hope you and yours are well.

Sarah xx

Dear Edward - Book Review

4 stars

This is about a 12 year old boy who is the sole survivor of a plane crash. Ann Napolitano based the story partially on the 2010 crash of Afriqiya Airways Flight 771 which had only one survivor, a 9 year-old Dutch boy. She also used another plane crash, flight recordings, etc. as part of her research, and so the book has a very realistic feel to it...not that I'm an expert though.

The story alternates between the present - Edward's story - and the passengers and crew of the plane before it crashed. I don't always like this style of writing, but for this book it really adds something. Have you ever looked round at a group of people and wondered about their lives, what they were thinking, how they were feeling, and their viewpoint on life? I often have. We can be locked up in our own world and it's hard to imagine people in their own little world. I feel this is a key element of this story, that everyone, in one way or another, is locked into their own world, which links to Edward's journey through grief.

The story isn't over-sentimental, in fact it feels rather distant from the characters. This isn't entirely a drawback, it gives the sense of the diminishing of people struck by pain and tragedy. Like the old saying, 'he is a shadow of his former self'. Drifting through life like wraiths because part of them has died. This is particularly the case for Edward, but also for his aunt and uncle (that he moves in with) who have their own pains to process.

At first Edward is locked into his own pain but gradually you see him drawn out, bit by bit. It's cleverly done and without sentimentality.

There are some niggles. For me, it wasn't 5 stars because it felt a little too distant. I'm a very visual reader and it felt all greys and shadows - Edward and his aunt and uncle were just too opaque sometimes. As I said above, this helps to show how some people cope with pain by retreating from life, but I wanted a smidge more connection...just a glimpse. The disconnect from the characters went a little too far so that I didn't 100% care about them. It wasn't as moving as it could have been, for me.

There is a touch of colour at the end, but I won't spoil it by saying why.

All in all, a good read. The story kept moving forwards and I enjoyed it. I don't know that I'd read it again though, but I'm glad I did. I'd like to know more about the plane crashes she based the novel on, I think.

Meadows in all their grassy wildflower goodness

G and I went out for our daily walk up the lane near our house yesterday.  I love taking photos.  Sadly my camera is broken so these are taken with my mobile phone which has limited capability.  I might take out our youngest daughter's camera, she has a good one as she loves to take photos too.  I've never used it before, so it'll probably take me a bit to figure it out.

Yesterday I was amazed at how quickly the grass and flowers had grown in the local fields and how simply beautiful they are.  So, before the farmers cut it all down for hay, I took some photos.

Tiny bluebell peaking through

Spiky old bush, it's not quite dead...

I love this little bluebell, it's like "I'm here too! I'm here too!" 

Isn't this cute?

Fields like these are so important for the local ecology and essential to bees and other insects.  We can all help the environment by letting a small part of our garden grow a bit wild, allow leaves to pile up for a hedgehog to hide in, plant native species of plants and flowers.  

Our local council are doing their bit by letting the verges at the side of the road grow long and planting out wildflowers on them.  They look prettier to me than the carefully manicured, sterile mown verges.

How are you helping out the local wildlife? Is there anything you especially like to do?

Sarah xx 💙💚💛💜

I love to read your comments, so please say 'hi'.  

Sunny happy days

There's something about sunny weather that makes you feel better about the world.  Yesterday was such a day.  We lazed in the garden, eventually moving under sun-umbrellas because it was so warm.  Just lovely.

It was so lovely I put on my favourite form of footwear: flip-flops!  I am convinced that I was designed to be a beach bum in Cornwall.  The ideal would be a little cottage on the coast, walks on the beach and along its beautiful coastline.  Barbecues overlooking the sea....  I keep telling God this, but to no avail, here I remain, plus I'd need to be quite rich to buy a cottage near the sea.

Born for flip-flops

We were supposed to visit Cornwall for our holidays this year, St Ives to be exact.  Sadly, because of the whole Coronavirus debacle it's been cancelled.  So, my flip-flops are the nearest I'll get to the sands of Cornwall this year...😭

Look how pretty:

Flickr - Kernowfile

Flickr - Kernowfile

Flickr - diamond geezer

Boots, on the other hand, is glad we are not going to Cornwall, because holidays mean a stay in the cattery, and Boots does not see the cattery as a suitable establishment for a moggy of her status.

The heat is a bit much if you have a fur coat on

I cannot complain though, this weather has been beautiful and has made lockdown so much more endurable.

Have a beautiful day, rain or shine.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; Ecclesiastes 3:11(a)

Sarah x

I have a new post up on my other blog A Tree Planted by the Waters: How I study the Bible - tips and resources 1 - Bible Versions. After leaving a comment here, pop over there and visit! 💚💚💚

Rainbow Valley - L.M Montgomery

5 stars

I love LM Montgomery's books, particularly the Anne books. They are old fashioned and some might find these bygone ways and beliefs grating, but I enjoy it for what it is, a lovely book from a different era.

This is a sequel to Anne of Ingleside, number 7 in the Anne series, and concentrates mostly on periphery characters, particularly Anne's children and the children of the new Minister - who get into many escapades. Rainbow Valley refers to a hollow where Anne's children and the Minister's children play.

Montgomery creates characters that you care about, despite their imperfections. Mary Vance is incredibly irritating, but has enough fun and pathos about her that you put up with it.

It was an easy read, with just enough whimsy, romance and poetic descriptions to please me. It's good escapist fun. Ostensibly a children's book but I don't think that spoils it at all.

I loved the book basically :)



What have you been reading recently?