A beginning of a Fundraising event and hopefully

 a continuation of a path to better treatments or a cure.  There are many things in this life that feel unfair, sicknesses and illnesses that are cruel and take people away from us. 

Alzheimer's is one of those terrible, frightening illness.  I had an awareness of it but hade been fortunate that it did not impact directly on me. There was in 2007 the deep sorrow that a favourite author had been diagnosed when Terry Pratchett  made public his diagnosis.  Then a friend of my father's who I never met but would here stories of, Harry was also diagnosed and when walking his dog could only rely on the dog remembering the way home, it sounds funny but of course it is not.

It came a full step closer when a family friend I had known all of my life that I can recall was also diagnosed and for the first time I was present as his memories slipped away like water through his gripping hands. Pieces of his past and present flowing away. Before he forgot how to speak but a few words he would repeat the things he wanted most to hold onto. " I have a wife, her name is Anne, I have five children and their names over and over. We lost Martin in 2021 and he was a special person who should have had so many more years as a husband, father and grand father and friend.

It then moved right by my side when my own father was diagnosed and had his own struggles with its progression and loosing things that had been a part of him. His ability to drive, his bowling, being able to fix everything.  It was not this aliment that eventually took him from us, cancer beat it to that. He went before he forgot who we were, at times there is comfort in that, but it did take much of the quality of the time he had left and I resent that.

So this November I am going to do something I am good at, that my Dad both liked that I could do, when I made things for him or his friends or just that he liked, and was annoyed by when threads got all over the place and pins and needles were lost and invariably found by him! I am going to sew every day in November to try and raise funds for the Alzheimer's Research UK.  If you have visited before with me here you will understand why I am unlikely to  do much with the first two crafting methods shown below. 

This is the link to the Facebook donation page.Click here for the link I will be posting as I go. Thank you for visiting and taking the time to read this. 

I will be starting on the 1st of November I think I will be doing little kits mostly, but I might add some WIP's and BFF SAL days in there as well. Pop back and see.

BFF SAL 26

 and as the black was all completed last time it was onto the dark grey.  I started at the top, got so far and my stitching was suddenly wearing a balaclava!

Roni agreed and felt I should take a picture before further sewing removed the effect. So here it is.

I did manage to finish all of the  dark grey and it is certainly looking like , well you can see what it is now and the balaclava effect is much diminished.

Pop over to my BFF's blog..CLICK HERE to see her progress.

A little tweak to

a previous finish. Scotty dog key ring . Whilst still looking for my missing thread I cam across some little charms and felt inspired to think again about a dog collar for the Scotty dog.

I had some chain, and jewellery plyers and this is the result.

Doggy has a bone. Still not sure what will happen to him but quite pleased with my modification.

General Conference stitching

 replaces what would have been my Sunday Stitching restart of sorts.

It was slow going, and I was feeling a bit down about it, but plodded away and managed to finally finish  The Earth.

Just that comet to complete and the middle section will be done. Just the vines and lettering in the top and bottom banners and the backstitch to do then. LOL Just! Thats almost funny.

A sudden pause

 to everything normal in my world. A pause to the BFF stitching, the Sunday Stitchings and indeed to stitching at all. A heavy pause to normal time and to normal life.

For some things it will be only a pause.  There will be a return to the stitching themes and days. I expect there will be a return to projects to do, indeed I have made a small step back with framing a previous SAL as I found a recipient with a love of the Highland Cow and who has been very supportive on many levels whilst my life changed in a way that is permanent.

After an extended illness which had gradually reduced his independence and physical strength but not his determination, my father became very unwell very quickly and died at home in mid September.

Knowing such a thing is coming still does not really prepare you. The prognosis had been bad in March after the results from the Vampire Lady  but my Dad had defied the odds for six months, I am grateful for that extra time even as I greedily wish it had been more.  And there is so much to do and sort that the process of grief becomes entangled with that. Time moves differently and oddly.

So this is the small thank you for Heather, who helped in numerous ways and spoke so beautifully at my Dad's funeral, words that brought memories to mind for all in attendance.

And it is the small first step out of the paused time. I know that it is going to take a lot of steps, and some of them may be backward but still will just plod on till we get there. Wherever and whenever there is.