Accidents will happen...

And they usually happen to me.

Yet again, I managed to fall over in spectacular fashion 10 days ago at a family gathering. The result?  A chipped vertebrae, an ounce of humiliation and a stint in Newport Gwent Hospital.  Today sees the start of my second week off work (hopefully my last), as I am not quite as mobile as I would like (nor need to be) and I'm still popping the pain killers.  Definitely on the mend though and grateful that the fall hasn't (I hope) caused any serious lasting damage.

I have to say there is nothing like 48 hrs in hospital to make you appreciate everything you have. Your comfy bed at home, nice food in the fridge and not having to wear an open-back gown that is about as stylish as Bella Emberg's pyjama's.  After several x-rays to try to locate the problem, way too much morphine (that caused hallucinations of a donkey with a green necklace roaming around the wards) and some anti-sickness drugs that seemed to do nothing but bring on sickness, they decided to keep me overnight.

Unfortunately, I was kept in on a Saturday night and I shared the ward with three other ladies, two of which had tried to commit suicide that very night.  It was a very sad awakening for me for many reasons.  I witnessed first-hand the abuse that the nursing staff have to deal with on a regular basis when they are only trying to do their best to help.  But also, the number of sad characters that a Saturday night in casualty attracts. It felt strange to be that close to individuals that had actually tried to take their own lives. Not only that, but from what the nurses said, they appeared to be regulars.  I am sorry to say that I have known of a couple of people that have taken their own lives (and another that tried and failed thankfully) and cannot help but think how badly they were let down.  For a start, left down by the system.  A dear friend of my mothers took her own life last week, far too early, leaving lots of questions and sadness behind her.  On chatting to my mum though, she found out that she had tried to take her own life a month or two previous, was admitted to hospital but was quickly discharged the following day after convincing the doctors that "she felt better and would never try it again".  Just like that, pills prescribed and she was out of the door.

The old adage of "you can never have too many friends" is very true, although I appreciate that depression can leave its host powerless at times, regardless of the support network you may have around you trying to fight it. I am lucky enough never to have suffered from it although, I did go through a very dark period some years ago, but luckily for me one friend in particular brought me back to life and gave me the kick up the ass that I so desperately needed. Illness and disease scare the hell out of me but one thing that I almost think is worse is loneliness. There is no pill or cure for that.  And if you feel that isolated and that alone, I can imagine that some people think there is only one course of action open to them.  And the people left behind will never quite fully understand the reasons why.  I hope that the two ladies in question get the help they need (and want it), so they can see the beauty in life and the millions of good things they could experience if they stuck around.  At this present time, I know of three people that are battling Cancer, so a cloak of sadness and worry is unfortunately hanging around, and I think of them on a daily basis, trying to understand why bad things always happen to good people.  I am not sure I will ever get the answer.

Since coming out of hospital, I have been telling John how much I love him every day (even more than normal) and I am trying to appreciate every little thing in my life, no matter how small and I have made a resolution to try and be as positive as possible no matter what life throws at me.  Things that have brought me joy this week (despite the injury) are all the resourceful birds in my garden that never cease to amaze me, a beautiful twinkling star last night, seeing all the magnolia trees now out in bloom and all the lovely cards and well wishes I have received that just leave you warm inside.

So, in terms of my situation, one up-side of being "incapacitated", is having time.  That elusive thing that I constantly search for and wish I had more of. And here it is, handed to me on a platter. Grabbing it with both hands, I have ordered some books on Amazon; one on Astronomy and the other on Greek Mythology, both subjects that I have always wanted to learn about and I am doing as much reading and writing as possible.   So there will probably be lots of blog activity this week as it is one hobby that requires only a modicum of movement and only from my fingers.

So, brimming with good thoughts and positivity, I thought I would start with sharing a lovely little miniature Solo that I was given recently. This gorgeous little present was given to me by Hollie, my husbands niece, in return for a picture that I drew for her that I have posted below. She hand-made it and it truly is tiny so the detail and patience required is amazing.  Here it is below with its namesake, my beautiful boy.  It was a lovely thought and testament to another adage that homemade gifts are often the best. How true.

Not the best photo in the world but you get the idea.  Hollie's love of squirrels proved to be a bit of a challenge in terms of drawing this but nevertheless, I was really pleased with the result. I may even try some more art this week now that I have the time!

Stride-em Cowgirl........

Howdy partners.........

So this is the suede  skirt that I talked about in the afore mentioned post. £10 from a vintage pop-up shop. Not sure about my choice of styling (given that I don't like myself in pictures, pretty much cringe through every shot, wishing I could be more adventurous with the photos), but what's done is done. 

John tends to reach a 10 pic maximum before he bursts a blood vessel, wishing he were somewhere else. 

Looking back at these pictures, I am wondering if I should have gone with a crisp white shirt and a nice scarf but that might have been a bit too Annie get yer gun.

Nevertheless, I shall endeavour to wear this new piece as soon as possible.  I have neglected wearing skirts for sometime now and I need to make an effort to get back in them.  Wallis, where I work, do not seem to produce many skirts, maybe a couple a year if we are lucky so it's not even like I get the opportunity to wear them for uniform. My dressing room is crammed full of really beautiful ones that deserve to be shown off instead of stagnating. 

I have paired it with my beloved red leather cowboy boots that I was lucky enough to find when I was living in France. After my initial childlike excitement, jumping for joy outside the shop, I handed over far too many euros , but they were officially mine. 

My love of Footloose comes racing back every time I put them on. 

I just need to create more opportunities to wear them other than trips to the local tip or dog-walking in the muddy fields. 

Look what popped up...

"I'm sure I'll live to regret this but when you come to pick me up, you might want to leave a little earlier. A vintage pop-up shop has opened up down the road".

Famous last words.

I love pop-up shops. I love the idea that there were a redundant space one day and the next, "said space" is magically transformed into a totally different entity.  Surely that is the essence of recycling? Moulding something out of something else.  So leave early I did. I felt that it was my second-hand scourers duty to investigate.

The shop itself had been temporarily housed in the entrance of the old police station in the centre of Bristol. And considering the amount of treasures that were on display, the space had been used to its utmost.

Instantly I was greeted with a beautiful old style pram, a reconditioned rocking chair and a plethora of 1950's style kitchenware.  Delving deeper inside,  I found old photo frames, mirrors, a chaise longue ......the list goes on. And, at the back of the store, there it sat. A clothes rail jammed with goodies all waiting patiently for adoption.

I picked out three items (not fully considering the challenge of the make-shift changing area) but that did not dampen my resolve. I wriggled and squeezed  and pondered over three items and finally adopted two of them. A gorgeous suede skirt (my previous favourite suede skirt was stolen some years ago along with various other beautiful items) and a cobalt blue evening dress. And on the way to pay, a lovely bright pink pair of Mary Jane shoes caught my eye.  It mattered not that they were a size 7 (I am a questionable size 6), that's what inner soles are designed for.

The beautiful vintage finds were courtesy of Tombola Vintage and Doris Dave and the Flea who had teamed up to exhibit their vintage curios. The lovely Victoria Crotty who was running the show when I visited, was also offering vintage hairstyling which was taking place over the weekend, but my destiny for the weekend was already sadly pre-defined.........At work. But I did go home that day feeling like a little bit of the old me had returned. I dressed up especially to go rummaging, I came
upon some lovely new wardrobe additions and was lucky enough to admire and appreciate a newly defined (if not temporary) space dedicated to all things second-hand.

Viva le pop-up!

Detour to Downend...

Yesterday I was set free.

Usually on a Wednesday (my day off), John takes control of the car and leaves me marooned in Wales with no transport. No transport means no charity shop shopping, which is good as I rarely have any money anyway but occasionally it would be nice to get out and about.  And yesterday, I was given that chance.

I offered to pick John up from work, knowing that I could sneakily visit the Bristol charity shops on my way to him. The charity shops in Caldicot just don't measure up unfortunately. So, not having a lot of time available I made the decision to pop to Downend, a little area in North Bristol that is quite affluent and affluent areas make for better viewing.

The two shops I tend to visit are both the Clic Sargent and St Peters Hospice shop on the high street and it was the Clic Sargent shop that came up trumps for me.

I found these gorgeous shoes for £4.50 (brand new). They have a lovely two-tone gold heel and pretty little diamonte detail on the strap. Again, I am drawn to all things Gatsby-esque...

And so far so good. I have got through half a day at work and I haven't had to swap into my back-up shoes as yet (a must if I am trying new shoes out on a work day).

And this little beauty was a real find.. I know that kilts aren't everyone's cup of Assam but there are different ways to wear them that are neither Braveheart nor elderly granny stylie. A kilt was actually on my covet list for last year,  I just hadn't seen one that grabbed my attention. This one is really long, ideal for wearing with boots or heels and it is surprisingly very flattering. I will probably pair it with something simple on the top half such as a fitted polo neck jumper, or jersey top. It would look great dressed down also with a denim jacket and crisp white shirt. 

I cannot wait to wear it and prove to John that I will get the use out of it. 

His sniggering at the idea is still haunting me.

What Louisa did next...

I am always concerned with the fact that I don't have enough time to do the things I want to do (write a book, find a cure for cancer, circumnavigate the globe, learn to ballroom dance etc) ....the list goes on.

I recently spent the most wonderful week away from work and when I sat down to muse over what I had actually done, I realised that I do manage to pack in quite a lot. A million more things per day would be better, but for now, I shall settle for what I achieved in one week. So I  thought I would share my activities with your good selves in the form of a collage. 

You can't beat a good bit of digital scrapbooking. 

In list form, here is what I got up to:

1. I dyed my hair red. Very red. To combat the evil clutches of the Grey Hair Lord that knocks on all our doors.
2. I had secret cuddles with a neighbourhood cat (wolf safely at bay in the garden)
3. I had lots more cuddles with my wolf to make up for the fact that I was being unfaithful with the neighbourhood cat.
4. Some delicious tea and cake moments. Sometimes solitary, sometimes in good company.
5. I made a bird feeder for the hoards of ravenous feathered visitors to Merchant-Locke Towers.
6. I had a lovely massage courtesy of a girlie party at my friends house.
7. I also cashed in my Christmas present from John and had a lovely morning of reflexology, my very favourite thing.
8. I watched a couple of films and am now pleased that I know the story of the Great Gatsby, as it was not one of the classics I have ever read.
9. John and I held our first official dinner party at home since moving and I was even allowed to cook. A great night (and late night) was had. 
10. I spent a lovely day with my mum. We scoured charity shops and reclamation yards, did "ladies wot lunch", caught up about all things mum and daughter and generally had a lovely day.
11. Enjoyed three evening meals.......one with John at the Marriot St Pierre on Valentines day, one at Wongs restaurant for my stepfathers birthday and one at Zizzi's with my friend Jo. 
12. Spent a wet and wonderful afternoon in the Wye valley with John and the dog doing the Wye Valley sculpture trail.
13. Went to the garden centre and bought some starter kits for growing our own veg.....the greenhouse awaits! 
14. We revamped some charity shop furniture to match our newly decorated lounge. A bit of spray paint and some spare material worked wonders.
15. I invited my friend Ewa and her gorgeous son around for dinner. We go far too long in between catch ups. 
16. And I convinced Jo to accompany me to the National Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibition that was in Bristol. A pilgrimage that I try and make every year. The photos are inspirational, educational,  sometimes sad but always stunningly beautiful and it makes you sick that you weren't brought up in he David Bailey household. 

So there you have it. I still would have liked to have squeezed in a few more things but it is still a list to be proud of. My next week off isn't until May, so I will try and accomplish even more then. Although if sunny, I shall be spending the whole week dans le jardin.