Cushioning the blow

I give thanks for a better humour than I have had for a little while coming over me for some reason yesterday evening

For enjoying sunlight on seagulls wings against the grey cloud. For Dave Lamb (and guests) making me laugh out loud...

I give thanks for finally getting the clean duvet cover on. A lot of the time I've adapted around the limitations of my stroke damaged hand, but there's way too much grip involved in bed making for me ever to be a chambermaid now. So that's something else to be grateful for!

I give thanks for watching the second of the Amazing hotels programmes on BBC. Ecuadorian cloud forest...almost made me cry with delight just to see it on TV.

I'm rather sore today so I give thanks for taking it easy...minimal lifting, and I'm grounded as far as the ladder's concerned.  The physio did say I should try to do the same amount of exercise every day, which is more detailed and thus even more meaningless than 'pace yourself'. Should I walk to the bus stop everyday whether I need to catch one or not? What if I need to catch a train...

I give thanks for getting the sewing machine out to turn some chair covers made to decorate the library a while back into cushions, by unpicking the bits that made them into chairbacks, sewing them up into cushion shapes and making insides to fit. This was always the plan, and when they're done they're going to a charity shop. One of the local hospices maybe... They do such sterling work, although the only thing I remember was someone coming round and telling me I really needed to accept I was going to die. Yes, all right... In my own time dear, OK?

I give thanks for realising manual deterioration notwithstanding, my mind remembers how to sew. It's nice to think I still have skills. I give thanks though cooking's not really one of them I keep myself fed somehow...for rustling up some dishes tasty looking dishes from rather elderly veg.

I give thanks for the neighbours all being quite all day (so far) and for a man with a van full of all manner of tools and materials arriving to replace the broken windows and kicked in door panel in the communal door, and touch up the paintwork as well. That'll do nicely...til next time!