FranOnTheEdge - My Intro

Hi all, I've only recently joined the Diabetes forums, and have been asking a few questions that were worrying me so up to now I didn't make time to introduce myself, well it's about time I remedied that.
My name is Fran, my online 'handle' is FranOnTheEdge.
I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic on about the 29th Dec last year (2015).

I'm now on a controlled release form of Metformin because the first lot gave me the dihorios, this lot do too, but not quite so often. It makes it kind of hard to know if it's safe to go swimming at the local leisure center, but swimming is the only exercise I can do because I also have Arthritis in every joint - some more so than others, so any impact producing exercise like running (can't remember the last time I could run anywhere) or pilates which wanted me to spend most of the time balancing on the damaged vertebra in my back - are out, swimming on the other hand is actually enjoyable, and afterwards I can sense my body feeling like it's humming and actually working a bit, and my breathing improves too.

I am vastly overweight but have been able to reduce that (partly me and latterly partly with help from Slimming World) so that since September last year (pre-diagnoses) I have now lost 2 stone 3lb 12 ounces. I feel pretty proud of that, would never have thought I could do it, but I've got a long, long way to go yet.

But none of all that is really ME, there's more to me than that health stuff.

I feel that my core self is as an artist, I have tested out many different types of art, and currently I work in Grunge Art, Texture Art, and Acrylic Painting, and use polymer clay, plaster, stencils, gels, crackle paste, gesso, tinfoil, shells, sand, garden seedheads, stones, found objects, kitchen implements, greenhouse shading, old pen tops, mesh, hessian, lace... almost anything I can think of a use for, to create my art.

I have 2 kids, both girls: one has a daughter, and the other has 1 daughter and two sons, and my husband is my best friend.

I like watching Pointless - we cheat, and watch recorded episodes pausing while we think. Lol!
Time Team, Midsomer Murders, other Archaeology progs, sciensy progs, (love Professor Brian Cox,) QIXL, Red Dwarf, real crime like Forensic Detectives (where they catch the baddies - not so keen on the unsolved ones) stuff about Neanderthals, not so keen on David Attenborough progs, simply because sooner or later some small baby animal will get torn to bits - gives me nightmares, and I have enough of my own worries for that. I like David Attenborough himself though.
Absolutely canNOT STAND those ghost finding progs, and most of those dancing progs make me want to punch someone, but we're all different, aren't we?

I once wrote a complete whodunnit book, but I've never had anything published. (I'll admit I didn't really try very hard.) plus a lot of unfinished writings, including some poetry. Hmmm, sometimes I think it's okay, sometimes I don't.

I have a bouncy Collie dog, who sheds like mad and whom we recently took up to Cumbria to visit one daughter taking the other with us - dog was amazingly well behaved, I was very surprised and so proud of him.

I love buying gadgets, bought a soupmaker that gave me lukewarm bitty soup with a raw onion taste - should have been smooth and hot - wasn't. (Sent it back as faulty) I still like the idea of a soupmaker, but it's priority has moved way, way down the list.
I've bought a spiralizer, but haven't found a recipe that uses it which I actually want to make yet.
Bought an AirFryer, it sat on the cupboard for a long time, but I'm finally starting to use it more.

Can't think of anything else, which is a good thing, 'cos if anyone read all this, by now they'll be fed up with me, so that's all folks!
So if you have got this far, please say hello...

liam1955 said:

@FranOnTheEdge - Hello and Welcome to the Forum.

Click to expand...

Thanks and hello to you too.

Finsky said:

Hellooooo !

Your arty stuff sounds interesting! Welcome from too.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome, I find art fascinating too. Do you do any?

CollieBoy said:

@FranOnTheEdge
Welcome I too love collies, unfortunately I have one who is bouncy & manic, and one who used to be but now is old, tired out, and arthritic so walkies is one paced at the old girl's pace, then one at the young one's pace.
Soupmaker wise, I rely on on a slow cooker to brew up 6l at a time.
Tellywise I love science and nature, but drive wife up wal picking film plots to bits when I find inconsistencies in them
Also have a tendency to examine "What If"scenarios i.e. watching the "Dogs can fly" programme & thoughts drift into my head of collie piloted Search and Rescue drones

Click to expand...

My collie used to be bouncy and manic, but once he was 2 years old he did finally start to calm down. Thank goodness, I really don't have the ability to cope with manic. And my knee is getting so bad that long walks are out of the question, unfortunately - I'm hoping that the warmer weather will improve my knee.
I tried cooking in a slow cooker, and nearly starved to death while I waited for it, (lol) plus afterwards I discovered that the stew had dribbled down inside the casing and made a nasty mess. That's really why I bought the soupmaker, for speed and less mess. would have been great unless I actually wanted the soup to be cooked - and hot.

61 at a time? that's a lot. Must be a very big slow cooker, mine is very small, I actually meant it for pickling metal not for food.
Picking plots to bits? Oh I do that once I've watched a film but not usually on the first viewing.
Collie piloted Search and Rescue drones? Good thought! Mind you it could easily get distracted by a ball...
Lol!
Here's the dog when we took him to the Norfolk Broads, pic of him in his 'doggy bag'

Finsky said:

Umm...I can't claim it being arty...but I do crafts...I get hold of 'tons' of raw sheep fleeces through out the year, wash it, card/comb it, spin it, knit it, dye it, felt it...all sorts. And I try to save some free time for growing my own food, and look after my dog, chickens, tortoise and honeybees ....or and hubby needs looking after for some amount too Oh yes, forgot, I do little bit wood carving, as and when I see interesting looking piece of wood and it calls me to investigate it further. Usually don't know what It might become until I'm well away with the knife but I turn them into something small and useful...I do some paid work as well.
Maybe I should say I do old fashion cottage 'arts' in a town environment I just find other people's hand made things, arty or not, very interesting.

Click to expand...

Yes you can - that's definitely 'arty' - heavens, you even get paid! That's brilliant!
Oh we have chickens too - only got 3 hens left after fox deprevation last year and they've finally started laying again! Might get some more this year.
No tortoise, but a freind has 2, no bees but next door neighbour keeps them.
I love hunting for interesting things down at Mersea Island - my husband doesn't like it though as I always come back with things - he says we already have too much. (there's no such thing as 'too much'!) Lol.
Very nice to meet you Finsky.

RosieLKH said:

Hi Fran and welcome,
You sound like me in many ways. Weight probs, type 2 on Metformin, interest in art & writing, dogs.

My previous dog was a collie x springer. I thought mad meets madder was bad enough, but after he died 5 years ago we got a gorgeous, gentle lurcher (greyhound x ridgeback) and then I fostered a very underweight lurcher (whippet x saluki), who went to a family then got returned so I kept her. I never knew what mad was! She's a sofa dog in the house but a whirlwind on any open space.

I'm skiving from a watercolour group this morning partly due to having the Metformin runs again - totally unpredictable, can't trace to any pattern of diet, time etc - but also because I don't like the subject matter this morning (copying a Jack Vettriano - I prefer doing my own original stuff, but will copy in order to learn tehnique. It's just copying oil into watercolour annoys me). My favourite watercolour artist is Shirley Trevena. I love her loose style, with elements of abstract and lots of mark making. I dabble with acrylics and texture - recently made my own chunky gesso, but have no formal training in this (other than YouTube!).

I also write and have 3 books self-published, with a 4th in the editing process. I sew and do other crafty things now I am semi-retired and have time for me.

No kids. Not through choice, but you get what life deals you.

Anyway, that's me - a wee bit like you!

Click to expand...

I hate the metformin runs, that's what I have, and you're right, you can't be sure when it will strike. Makes me scared to go swimming. And that's the only exercise I can do (have athritis too).
Nearly got a lurcher, when we were looking for our last dog but one, but ended up with our beloved Jaspar, a Collie with one brown and one blue eye - he must have been much younger than they thought at the rescue center, because that blue eye soon turned brown to match the other one. He was a lovely boy, sadly he died of lung cancer some time ago. Our current dog: Rufus was my brother's dog, he had him as a puppy and I inherited him. He was very manic and so very bouncy, he's 3, nearly 4 now and has calmed down a lot - thank goodness!

I used to paint in oils, did a few portrait commissions a long time ago, now I don't have room for oils, especially with a still bouncy bulldozer of a dog around, so I do acrylics instead.
I've heard than name Jack Vettriano - somewhere. But I don't do much watercolour anymore, I'm having fun with the acrylics now. I must look up Shirley Trevena, not heard of her.
You make chunky gesso? why chunky?
I've made gesso, but I used the unbleached marble dust, so hard to find the bleached. so things have a slight yellow cast when I use it. (It's clear gesso.)
YouTube is a great resource isn't it? - I've uploaded a few videos myself - more in the pipeline.
What have you done in textures? I'm fascinated by that.

What have you written? I mean in what genre? Editing takes such a long time doesn't it?

Fascinating to meet you, Rosie, so glad you replied.

Finsky said:

I think my rattling didn't come out quite right...LOL...no, I don't get paid for my arty stuff..just that I do managed to do SOME paid work after all the crafty and 'looking after' stuff. Officially I'm gardener when weather and time of year demands it
I'm down to 3 chooks too...though that due natural courses. I might get some chicks next spring again.
NEVER too much craft stash!!

Click to expand...

It's still 'art', paid or not. Gardener? That's what my brother was. Only thinking of new chicks NEXT spring? not this spring?
No, never too much stash, Lol!

RosieLKH said:

One book of short stories is slightly supernatural. Two books in series are historical fiction - Tudor adventure (definitely not romance). Chunky gesso - I wanted to have some chunky white Christmas trees on some cards I was making. There's a craft thread on one of the forums on here, where a few of us have posted some made stuff.

It's nice to have things other than diabetes in our lives.

I was in your position re not being able to exercise (crumbling knees). I was due to have a knee replacement op, but my blood sugars were too high. Then I found this website, started low carbing, lost some weight (not enough, but it's a start), got by BS in a better state and found it easier to walk, so have put off the op for a bit.

Click to expand...

I found short stories much more difficult, less room for my kind of waffle I guess. Lol!
Tudor Adventure sounds fascinating, what name do you publish under?
Chunky Gesso, what like texture paste you mean? I've used home made stuff for that... well, it was just fine polyfila really, only I got the Wickes brand. But I have made it to a recipe before.
A craft thread? ooooh, where?
Yes, life has to be more than just one thing.
Re knees, yes I'm hoping I can keep loosing the weight, and that it does help my knee eventually. It's waking me up in the mornings now. but it's also been a long time since I went swimming - been ill with tonsilitis, so I thought I'd better not court pneumonia too.
I'm not sure yet if I'll change from the SW diet to the low carb/high fat one yet... I'll need to see what testing shows me I think.