MERRY CHRISTMAS 2014

Ciao Tutti!

who knows who still reads this blog...but for anyone who is - Merry Christmas and Happy 2015...

Have meant to update for weeks - but in the end, time, as usual has run away with me and I am tripping behind it - so this will be just a brief xmas eve round up.

I hit my two year transplant birthday on 11th December - which was quietly celebrated by me (humming happy birthday) and a glass of prosecco! But what a birthday - and I am thrilled to bits to have reached this point relatively unscathed. Well, I was scathed - but time is a great healer and luckily I have forgotten most of the uglier moments of my recovery.  I am still struggling with this EB virus though - the levels rock up and down at an alarming rate - so I am currently having weekly blood tests - hospital keeping a close check on me. However, I have no symptoms of anything - and am always surprised when I get a phone call to say "levels have gone up".  It is a bit of a blot on what would otherwise be a clear landscape as we run up to the new year.  However, nothing to be done except for my usual "keep on keeping on".   Hopefully over the next few months my new (ish) immune system will sort it out.

Normal life meanwhile continues to take shape.  I have finally moved into my new studio in Havelock Walk - so brilliant to be back on the street.  Even better to have a working space of my own.  There was a Christmas Open Studio event a couple of weeks ago - which went pretty well for me - so a good confidence booster. I am looking forward to producing some new work.  My animation course is very enjoyable - hard work though - and I find it hard to retain all the information - especially the technical stuff... I will try and post something on here - though not sure if it will work...  Amazingly I managed to get an upgrade on my caravan pitch - so now have a new van (central heating and double glazing!) situated on the very edge of the park - looking directly out onto the Rye Nature Reserve.  I have a small square of decking - where I have plans to mount a telescope - the huge sweep of night sky is too inviting to be left alone - also a small private area of "garden" which I will enjoy.  I must also get a good bird table.  Some great birds out there on the reserve. So the caravan has already become a much more exciting project than I originally thought.  As this year closes, I can definitely say, "every cloud has a silver lining"...

Thats it. Short and sweet. Got to iron a pink shirt, wrap last presents and head out for an Xmas Eve supper. Hope anyone who is reading this has a wonderful festive season.  To dear friends and total strangers, my thanks for your support and interest and for those occasional messages that still come through!  This is my (probably) penultimate blog - to be honest, I am rather loath to finish it while this virus is still circulating round my system - to sign off right now might just be tempting providence - and I don't want to do that!  So, I will be back in 2015 - for a bit at least. Meantime all best wishes for a peaceful and happy Christmas around the globe. Love to north, south east and west. Keep warm and well.  Back next year.  tch x

Cat and christmice