Happy Halloween , Celestial Samhain , and Day of the Dead Salutations to all forum " fiends"!
I found this photo just before my birthday but thought that today would be the perfect day for me to upload it as my new "Self Portrait".
I took it about twelve years ago , at a Music Festival as I was heading back across the Children's Area to try and drag my daughters , Grandma and Eric, away from playing yet another round of the ," Egg and Sperm Race ", at the Science Tent .
( Oh yes folks, that was a real thing , and believe me , Me and Mr.Bee felt like we really paid our parental dues queueing for drinks in the Service Station on the way home . Imagine us, awkwardly responding with a weak smile to the disapproving looks of other adult customers after they looked down at our happy, smiling , grubby girls proudly sporting badges that said , " I'm a strong swimming sperm , Let me loose! " , and , " I'm a happy Ova , Fertilise Me!" . Umm, memorable Day)
As we crossed the field , I noticed that Mr. Bones had been taken down from his stand to lounge on a deckchair under a tree in the evening sunshine , a well earned rest after a day of prodding , shaking and poking before the Demons in White Coats could shut the tent and lay him down for a proper sleep.
I stopped in my tracks and smiled , took off my boy scout cap and sunglasses , placed them on his head , took out my camera , and, ' Snap!' It appealed to my sense of humour , and I suppose you could say it symbolised it . It never crossed my mind that before the age of 50 ( even though I already suffered from some of my Chronic Conditions) this photo of Mr. Bones could be an image that didn't just symbolise my sense of humour but ..... Me!!
Yet , here I am , 48 , and I feel as " good" as he looks!
GCA / PMR seems to have been the "tipping point" , adding extra burdens on an already overtaxed system , I just can't pretend that have I have the Energy anymore, my Get up and Go has definitely Got Up and Gone.
One Chronic Condition triggering another and then another . Taking so many different medications that if you shook me I would probably make a sound louder than a Maraca being played by a Day of the Dead Mariachi Band. Chronic Fatigue and a walk that would put a Zombie in ' Night of the Living Dead' to shame. Joints and Bones that clink and groan with more sincerity than Marley's Ghost and the circulation of Mina Harker after spending a week as the Special on Count Draculas Menu.
If the saying is true and , " You are as old as you feel", then I'm 102.
And not the 102 of a Clam Diver in Indonesia , or Mountain Climbing Yak Herder of Outer Mongolia.
No , more the 102 , of a Dickensian character called Mrs. Crotchety Polywobbles , whose lost all of her wits , half her teeth and lives behind the Privvy at the back of a dilapidated Workhouse.
GCA/ PMR , and their effects , on top of the other Chronic conditions in my ever growing house of cards , mean that, as technically speaking I am a Medical ' Zebra' I , literally, have a symptom or side effect for every letter of the Alphabet , apart from 'Q'. Although , if you allow me the colloquial term, queasy , or the psychologically draining symptom of quiet frustration I could tick that letter off as well.
In short , if I offered my body to Burke and Hare , or Dr. Frankenstein , in the name of furthering Medical Science , they'd probably give it back.
So , no trick or treating for me , tonight , I will be turning off my porch light to deter an endless line of Trick or Treaters , cuddling down under my duvet and wishing I could hunt down and exorcise the witch that cursed me.
Grandma , is still in the Halloween Spirit though , and despite having to take on many of the jobs I can't around the house she's still had time to create a simple crochet pattern for a mini pumpkin.
So , if you are thinking of learning to crochet , want to use it as Creative Therapy to get over the Chronic Illness Blues , or , if you want a PMR/ GCA Fatigue Friendly Halloween activity to do with the Children or Grandchildren so that you don't miss out on all the Fun , you can get the pattern free on ,
jellyllama.wixsite.com/jell...
And, as her recipe for Kale Chips was popular with our members before , and would make great crispy Virtually Carb and Fat Free Zombie coloured snack , anyone who missed it can find it there too.
Happy Halloween Forum Friends , and don't let the GCA ghouls and PMR Poltergeists bite!
Bedridden but not beaten, Auntie Bee xxxπ»π»π»π»πππππππππΉ
Quick Update : I amended the link when Grandma finally arose from the grave!ππππ It should pop you straight on the pumpkin page , Happy Halloween Hooking and Kale Crunching forum!