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What was your fasting blood glucose? (full on chat)

This is a reply to @Lamont D

Here's my two penny worth on this.

@Lamont D said "The artwork on this thread is unbelievable, I am so jealous about your creativity. I am also angry that I can't replicate my younger days and my drawing. Because of my arthritis!

I might try my hand at painting by number, "

I do not know what you used to do in your younger days. I cannot draw with the arthritis in my hands the way I did in the 1970s. (I used to illustrate poetry books amongst other things, very detailed black line work, and I was very upset when over the years I couldn't do that any more). There's no way I can replicate those drawings, because I do not have control because my hand shakes now... even with digital work, I cannot hold a digital stylus to draw with. I use my fingers to draw, so my finger does all the work on the screen. So keeping my fingers are actually on the screen helps the stability of my hand I don't shake my hand, but there's a few jumps and bounces with my hands sometimes, but there is usually the undo function digitally.

My actual paintings reflect that I cannot do that fine line drawing any more. I was very upset for a long time that I couldn't do the fine detailed drawings and watercolours of the Liverpool ferry boats any more. I just couldn't accept it. I had lost a part of me. But we have to adapt as our bodies don't obey us as we get older.

You have your own creativity within you. Use that as a meditation, a calming technique. I presume you have a tablet or phone. That is always to hand, no preparing. Find some apps, even children's drawing apps. I started with them in 2010, and was still using them 5 years later....I couldn't figure out Procreate or the other 'fancy' grown up drawing and painting apps for a long time. I still struggle trying to understand where to figure out what to do. I find a few brushstrokes within them, and bit by bit I discover more. I have only just recently worked out layers and how they help me digitally painting. In 2010, no amount of reading or instructions helped me figure layers out. Now I am thinking, why couldn't I understand that 13 years ago. I am a slow learner, but I get there oneday.

What do you write with? A biro, a fountain pen? Then doodle and draw with that. I need something round the barrel to get a good grip or I cannot hold it. I make a hole in a cat's foam play ball, or my best is to use a foam covered wire hair curler, wrapped around the barrel. Some biros have 4 different colours or more. That means I only have to wrap one biro barrel.

And please post on here what you do (I know I shouldn't push that, but I have a tendency to say share it).
 
Good morning everyone on a gloriously bright and beautiful start to the day here in the dark and dangerous north. A soothing 5.0 on the scales of Osiris and balanced against the white feather of Ma’at. The newly laid turf is doing well and had it’s first haircut yesterday. I took the blade off the lawn hoover and gave it a go over with a sharpener before Mrs Miggins let rip with it. It was heavy going as the new turf is quite lush and made up of a variety of grass species. I was exhausted just watching her. My jobs were trundling the garden bin and emptying the grass into it as well as some gently pushing of a yard brush - badly named as it’s more like five feet. “A five foot brush please Mr Hardware Shop”. Had a chat with a pal of mine this morning. He may have to have his spleen removed. Hope that works if they go ahead with it. I need to make an effort to go over and see him. This week. He has a nice garden. We can sit in it, drink tea and talk nonsense about motorcycles and places we have traveled to. Art bit, some colour needed now. I hope you can all get out and sun your bones. I shall now do that, and drink some lofty.

 
Good idea to leave it for Neil. Hope it’s something simple like filters or just the need for one of those cleaning tablets.
We've had one or two problems with the machine recently and Neil has always managed to fix it. He has cleaned the filters - a couple of weeks ago and it has had a cleaning thing put in at the same time. I actually think it is something in the drainage pipes, but that it quite a big job so I'm hoping to get it sorted without doing that.
 
Interesting cartoon - I like the added dig with the sewage
 
Fbg 6.7

Those pesky badgers dug a tunnel into my garden. There were too many badgers coming in. But I couldn't find it. Then the other day I wa severely cutting down a Budliea tree. In the roots I found the entrance to the badger tunnel They already come in via the front garden, and I did not want another badger entrance into my back garden.

But before I could take action, cat Midnight leapt into the badger entrance and disappeared. Total panic stations from me. No amount of calling would make him come out. I was imagining the worst if he met a badger or a fox even. It is one thing to belt a badger or a fox from the safety of his swing seat, but in a tight tunnel space...

Nothing I could do, until he re emerged. Finally a couple of hours later, I had gone to bed with a cuppa by this time, Midnight appeared and got on my bed. I locked him in my bedroom, and went out. Got the wire netting and other stuff I have. Totally pushed stuff as far as I could into the hole, all covered in Chicken wire. Drove rebar through the tunnel in through the chicken wire so the badgers wouldn't be able to easily pull the stuff in or out. Did everything I could.

Then I let Midnight out of my bedroom. He went straight to the badger entrance but stopped dead when his head hit what I had put in the entrance. He was shocked he couldn't get in. His wide accusing eyes looked directly at me, "You've blocked my entrance to Narnia," his eyes accused, then he flounced off, and I didn't see him for awhile, but then everything was okay when he came back.

This was a few days ago. And my efforts to block that badger hole have worked so far...but I am going to have to check that frequently. Midnight must have been using that badger hole for awhile, but where did it lead to...the woods...a badger warren?

In the 2010's I had 3 cats, and all 3 slept all night on the swing.The trail camera was only recent (last year), so I had no idea how many badgers and foxes must have been in my garden then. I knew they were their because of their individual species 'deposits'. But I had no idea it was Piccadilly Circus nightly at rush hour all these years ago in my back garden.

Wildlife cameras.
Long night - Cat Midnight - Fox on the swing - several badgers - finally dawn & birds singing...
1 min 28 seconds

Creative is acrylic inks with hake brush and water...
Just one pic today. The sun is out, and the garden is calling me...
Take care...
Have your best day..

 
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Enjoy that sun @dunelm
Magnificent sketch. I look forward to the colour...
 
@dunelm thank you for sharing the art. As usual the colouring will provide a transformation for which I/we eagerly await. Sad but hopefully positive news of your friend and the time in his garden will be a wonderful memory whatever happens next. @gennepher a moving post in reply to @Lamont D then a reminder of just what a resourceful lady you are. Reminds me of how we tried to badger proof our chickens which worked until they decided not to go in to the henhouse at night Thanks for the creative and enjoy the sun. @alf_Josiah poignant week for you I guess, especially Friday - 31 years? @Annb I hope the dishwasher is sorted quickly. @dunelm, yes the sewage pipes are a perfect summation of the past half + generation of callous indifference, corruption, greed, hypocrisy and insouciant alternative truths. Like the physical condition of many here we, especially the English, weren't always in this condition. Enjoy Tuesday everyone.
 
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Thank you Ian
 
Good luck with the ongoing Badger Wars. Shake brush?? Smashing art, like the sun coming over the hills and warming up the fields
 
Thank you @ianpspurs. Spot on with the sewage pipes.
 
Neil has looked at the dishwasher. It isn't anything to do with drainage. It's the water supply. Water in the taps is fine, so it's something in the workings of the machine or the pipes that lead into it. He'll pull it out later and strip it down. Meantime, we have two very substantial sinks (from my commercial kitchen, when I had one) and a good hot water supply.
 
I'm used to using a carpenters pencil, the one that looks like a steam roller has been over it a few times. Handy in maintenance!
 
Wow! @gennepher many thanks for replying. And I will reply later and give you my musings on art. Or lack of it!

6.4 this morning, happy with that!
Another busy morning, shops and catching up with garden work.

So a record short post for me!

Gonna get out in the sun, while I can!

Have a tremendous Tuesday.
Best wishes as always!
 
That was scary @JohnEGreen .
hope you are feeling a lot better today. I didn't feel like testing this morning either.
 
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