A happy Saturday.

Here I am with my three granddaughters.Ella ,the one on the right,is in her second year at Manchester University reading American Studies.She is off to Madison,Wisconsin inJanuary for a semester.She is our son's eldest.The other two are Ruby and Emily who are our daughter's girls.They only live half an hour from Manchester.So,it was great to have all three together plus Sarah and my O H.We saw our two grandsons in Cambridge the previous weekend.I am pleased to report that Angus is on the mend but still not back in school.
I spent five hours in A&E yesterday with my daughter who had chest pains.Thankfully she is fine and they put it down to stress.It is a sobering experience in hospitals at the moment.Corridors lined with people,mainly elderly ,on trolleys waiting to be seen.Ambulance crew waiting to hand over patients and not able to go  on another call until they have.The staff work so hard and always with a smile.

It never rains but it pours.

I told you a while ago about our son in law having a brain tumour.It is going to be removed on Dec 10th.Our daughter in law has Coeliacs and has not been told she has fibromyalgia.Last Thursday our grandson Angus(13) was rushed into hospital with appendicitis.They kept him waiting 20 hours before they operated.He is still in hospital and has had to start another course of antibiotics which may mean another 5 days in hospital.They live four hours away but we are going tomorrow for the weekend and maybe longer.Our son has to go away on Monday to Singapore for work.What a mess.It should be us oldies that are ill not them.Such a worry.
On a brighter note our granddaughter Ruby is 12 today and we are all going out for a meal tonight.

Three finished projects.

 This is a scarf knitted in lace weight.The pattern is on Ravelry and it is called Upstairs and is free.It was an easy pattern to follow.

 I decided to reduce my stash and make a granny square blanket.It is a shame the colours are not true as they are all very rich colours.The pale green is actually lime green.I decided to edge it is brown to make the other colours stand out.It was meant for the homeless or refugees but I may not be able to part with it.    .....yet.

 Lastly, a pair of socks for my granddaughter who is going to be spending a semester in Madison,Wisconsin,USA at he university there.It will be very cold so these are knitted in DK.Another pair are on the needles.

This week.

Firstly,an update on son in law.He has his pre op on November 20th and the op on December 10th.He is very anxious about it as we all are.
This week we have had my brother in law staying.He lives in Kenya but comes backeverycouple of years to catch up with family and friends.He has never married but does have a Kenyan lady friend.She never comes because she won't fly.For the two weeks before he came a whole host of parcels began to arrive.Things he cannot buy in Kenya.He flew into Gatwick and then caught the train into London and then train to Chester where my husband met him.There is 11 years difference between them.To look at them you would think my OH was the younger one!He arrived on Monday afternoon and we just chatted and had a casserole for tea.Tuesday was our Art Appreciation Group,a talk about "Emotion in Victorian Art" so we took him along.Tuesday evening we ate out giving him a choice of various cuisines.Wednesday morning C and Paul walked into town and then we set off for Manchester.Our granddaughter is a second year student at Manchester University and Paul was keen to meet up with her.We took her to lunch in the cafe of the Whitworth Art Gallery.A lovely glass walled space surrounded by the park.On our way back we called at our daughter's house so Paul could catch up with our middle granddaughter .He is going to stay there tomorrow for two nights but she is away doing the Duke of Edinburgh award.We asked Paul what he would like to eat,what he missed.Fish and chips was called for on the way back.Thursday saw us going to the Lady Lever Art Gallery which he thoroughly enjoyed.Bangers and mash for tea,another thing he misses.Assorted cheeses for dessert because you can only buy tasteless cheese in Kenya.Today has been searching for golf shoes for him(successful) and tonight they have gone to the theatre to see A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie.He has got my ticket.Tomorrow we take him to our daughter's .He is then off to Newcastle to catch up with friends and then to Cambridge to stay with our son and his family.
All I can say is PHEW.I a shattered ,not used to having a visitor for so long and not able to have forty winks.I hope we have given him a good time.
I have some completed project to show but need to find time for photos.

My son in law has a brain tumour.

When Mike was 15 he had a brain tumour removed and was fine until he was 33 when he got another one.It is benign and not growing at the moment.It is in a place they can't reach.He is scanned every three years and at his last scan another tumour was detected.They think it is benign but have decided to remove it.He will be in hospital for five days,off work for two months but worst of all he can't drive for six months.The trouble is he is self employed and needs to drive for his job.He is a chemical engineer and visits sites all over the country.We live 45 minutes away and they have two girls who are involved in lots of activities in the evening.They are 14 and 11.Sarah ,our daughter, works three days a week.She is a Type 1 diabetic and gets very tired.What do we do? My OH can help out with local driving and we can help out financially.We are toying with the idea of renting a flat for six months so we can be on hand.We are both in our seventies and get tired too.

To continue......

As I was saying on my blogpost (which just published itself!)I wasn’t very well while we were away.When we came back I couldn’t get an appointment at the doctors and I was in so much pain I decided to get an emergency dental appointment in case it was a tooth problem.He did an x ray which didn’t show anything but just to be sure he gave me a prescription for antibiotics.Well,he didn’t “give” it to me .The emergency appointment cost £30 and the prescription £8.This is a week ago and I am still not right.A check up at the dentists today concluded that it wasn’t a tooth problem but the antibiotics helped.Another £24 and I was in all of five minutes!!!I managed to see a nurse practicioner yesterday who has ordered loads of bloods tests tomorrow and I see a locus GP next Monday.
Do you in your area have difficulty getting appointments to see a GP or is it just here in Wales?

Now,my final question.Do you know where I can find a guide on putting pictures and captions on my blog.I manage the first one and then it is stuck .Help please.

A few photos from the Cotswolds.

 We have just had a couple of days in the Cotswolds.The above was at Croome Court(National Trust).

 This is in Broadway.Allthe buildings are in this beautiful yellow Cotswold stone.So pretty.
We visited Hidcote gardens .There is a view of the red border.

                   
                                          Broadway.

                                          Hidcote.

                                          Chipping Camden.

                                          Bourton on the Water.


Unfortunately I wasn't well while we were away.I had dreadful pain when I ate of drank anything