Two Weeks in Turkey

We've just come home from our holiday in Turkey. Actually we arrived home at 7a.m. Monday morning. Night flights are so awful. We flew at 3.20am (Turkey time, 2 hours in front of us) and it's a 4 and half hour flight. We were absolutely cream crackered. But the holiday was fab.
The Turkish people are so friendly and everywhere was so clean. The only down side was the constant hassle to get you in the bars and restaurants. If you like designer goods and are not to bothered about the fact that they are genuine fake then Turkey is shopping heaven. You can get 5 'designer' t-shirts for a tenner, 4 'designer' leather purses for a tenner, leather 'designer' handbags for as little as a tenner. You do have the option of bartering, as all the shopkeepers want a sale, if you think something is to expensive. I bartered for a leather D&G handbag and got it for £10 instead of the original £40.
We left Turkey in 25 degree heat and landed back in Doncaster to rain, clouds and a bracing 13 degrees. Way to go England.

Typical British Summer.

The Garden is Finished

Oh Joy, my garden is finished.

Actually it was finished a week ago, but haven't been able to get any photos until now because of the lousy weather. We have had this lovely garden to enjoy and have only had one day, since it was finished, to actually use it. And we spent that tidying and placing pots and ornaments so we still haven't really sat and relaxed in it yet.

We go on holiday to Turkey in six days and the weather forecast is such that we will still be admiring it from the kitchen window, through the rain. I really wanted to have a 'Garden Is Finished Barbie' before we went away but I don't think it's gonna happen.

Anyway, here's the pics of my garden now it's done.

The Black Hole

This is the LO for the weekly challenge on UKS. It had to be movie/sci-fi themed so I chose my black hole!
The garden has been finished for two weeks now apart from this hole. The suppliers ran out of dye to make the circle slabs so we've had to wait for them.
The slabs arrived yesterday afternoon but now the horrible rainy weather is holding it up. It has rained solid for a week now. Our workman can't do anything until the sand dries out so we need a few dry days. Can't see that happening any time soon. It is dry today but is really cloudy and rain is forecast for the evening.
My DH showed the LO to the workman when he delivered the slabs, yesterday, and he thought it was hilarious. Wish I could be so jolly about it but it's starting to annoy me now. I just want it finished. I've planted all my pots and planters but can't place them until the slabs are laid. Hopefully, I'll have better news on Monday.

Garden is Taking Shape

The garden is coming along nicely now. The guy who is doing the work only has one arm and he has done everything by himself. He lifts the slabs, cuts them to size, wheelbarrows the cement and lays them. I think he is amazing. It just shows you that a disability is only that if you make it one. Here are some recent photos of the work.

He has done more today but haven't taken any photos of that yet. The hole at the top on the second pic is for a circle to go in but the supplier hasn't got another set until Monday. So we will have a lovely garden, all finished by Friday, with a gaping great hole that will not be filled until Wednesday. Oh well, them's the breaks I suppose. Pity though, I wanted to titivate over the weekend with all my new pots. Well, hopefully, at the end of next week, I can unveil my wonderful new FINISHED garden to everybody.

Garden Makeover Has Begun

The day has arrived for operation Garden Makeover. My garden is no more. Kev started work today and has finished digging up and clearing the garden. This is what it looked like before he started. You can see how overgrown it had become. Not the lovely garden I had to start with. I must get some photos sorted of the garden when it was first done and how nice it looked.

And this is what the garden looks like now it has been cleared. Sad isn't it but it will look great once it is finished, well so Kev tells me anyway. He will not start laying the slabs until Monday as he has to level and pack the ground down first so will take more photos then.

Good News

Had to take Jamie to Hull Royal Infirmary today to see an orthopaedic consultant.

Jamie's feet have been turning inwards for several years and he has been wearing splints for two years to help with the problem. He also walks from his hips i.e. he swings from the hips when walking. Add to this that he has no awareness of anything around him, if he spots something to head for that's all he 'sees', no humps, bumps, potholes or kerbs and his walking can be pretty bad at times. He has had a wheelchair for several months, for long distance treks, as his feet soon begin to hurt owing to the effort he puts in.

Anyway, last year Jamie's paediatrician (fantastic doctor Evans) referred him to an orthopod for an opinion on possibility of an op. I have to say I wasn't looking forward to this. My beautiful 17 year old niece has cerebral palsy and had an op, to help her walk without splints, four years ago. She went (very bravely) through immense pain and was bedridden for around six months, then had to have painful physio and basically relearn how to walk. She still doesn't walk properly but she can now walk without splints and doesn't need her wheelchair. But having watched her go through all that and seen the stress it put her parents under, I was dreading having to go through a similar scenario with Jamie. Mainly because he would never be able to understand why or what it was all for, given the level of his disability.

So today was the day we finally got to see said orthopod. Mr Johnson (top consultant for this area, no less) was very thorough and asked many questions about Jamie's health and how he coped with walking etc. He took Jamie for a walk round,with and without splints, and manipulated his legs and hips every which way. His decision --------NO OP NEEDED.
He felt Jamie coped well with his splints and that his problems came more from his hips than his feet. He said the only reason he would consider an op worthwhile was if Jamie was tripping over his own feet, which isn't the case. He would have to have four seperate ops, involving breaking bones and fitting plates, which Mr Johnson felt would be far to traumatic for Jamie and far to hard for us to cope with the aftercare involved and it wouldn't make his walking much better than it is now.

It was like a weight lifting off our shoulders. I love Jamie dearly and want the best for him but to have to make a decision like this was really worrying. Knowing what I would be putting him through, how do you decide what is best? Great pain and suffering for slightly better walking - or no pain, no suffering but wondering if he would end up in a wheelchair permanantly? Such a relief not to have to be in that position.
Dr Johnson wants to keep an eye on Jamie's progress so wants to see him once a year, in case there is a significant change and a rethink will be required. But for now we can go back to getting on with the daily grind and hope and pray change is not in the air.

Spring Time Layout

This is my layout for UKS week 3 March challenge. I am the grand old age of 19 in this photo! Taken in York on a lovely spring day amongst the daffodils. I was really pleased with this layout. I feel I'm getting much more confident with techniques and inspiration for LO's now.

Today we have had no water since early morning because a major water main burst in the night. We weren't flooded like some poor homeowners but it really does make you realise just how much water you need in one day. Of course everywhere had sold out of bottled water by dinnertime. I was lucky enough to get plenty for our drinking needs though. My parents weren't affected so good old dad filled me some 5 gallon drums to use for flushing the toilet and washing up. Jamie got an unexpected day off school so he was happy. It is so horrible not being able to bath or shower and pouring buckets of water into the toilet to flush is no fun either. We've been told it will be around 10.30pm tonight before our supply is back on. We have no heating but it has been a mild day so it isn't to bad and we have the fire. I've put an extra blanket over Jamie's duvet so he's nice and toastie warm. I really hope it's back on before tomorrow or it's all round to mum's for a bath.