Thursday, 26 December 2019

Reflections on 2019

Reflections on 2019

The best day this year was in March - my son's wedding day.

Here are some of the landscape gel print collages I have created this year as well as my Index Card A Day 2019....

My multiple myeloma is returning. My paraprotein levels were at zero from July 2015 until May 2019 then they increased to two and are now at three which is so very low but it means it's coming back but I will have no treatment until the level is much higher.

In July I was diagnosed with Papillary thyroid cancer and had a total Thyroidectomy and neck dissection to remove my thyroid and 45 lymph nodes on the right hand side of my neck of which 10 were cancerous so it had begun to spread. My scar is looking much better my neck is still swollen - lymphodema - as the fluid doesn't know where to go. It has been difficult to cope with physically and mentally too.

In September we took our new camper trailer up north to the Pilbara. We went to Australia's largest rock, Mt Augustus then to Karajini National Park, Millstream and across to the coast to Coral Bay.

Wreath flower, Mt Augustus and Lyon River
Dales gorge, Karajini National Park
Dales Gorge and Fern Pool, Karajini

Circular Pool, Dales Gorge, Karajini
Millstream
Coral Bay, Western Australia

In October we headed over to Tasmania with the camper trailer so my husband could compete in the national event of his moto sport. Tasmania was beautiful, three seasons in one day - autumn, winter and springing very much like the UK with mountains and green grass.
Crossing the Nullabor from Western Australia to Victoria we stopped at the Old Telegraph Station at Eucla,  the great Australian bight, the Penola windmills, Kymba grain silo art and Smoky Bay.
The Otway Ranges inVictoria.
The Great Lakes, Tasmania
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Friendly Beach, East coast, Tasmania
Coles Bay and Wineglass Bay, Tasmania
Tessalated Pavement, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania
Coal mine residential buildings near Port Arthur, Tasmania
Port Arthur, Tasmania
Hobart, Cascade Brewery, Salamanca Markets, Tasmania
Russell Falls and a photobombing husband, Tasmania
Strahan - West Coast Wilderness Railway and Heritage cruises on Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania
Cradle mountain and a wombat, Tasmania
Sheffield - the mural town, Tasmania
Port Melbourne - ferry, Ballarat, Victoria

In 2020 we have plans to do more travelling in our camper trailer and hopefully no more health scares. Hope it's a good year for you. Take care, love and hugs, Shells.

Tuesday, 1 January 2019

Joy OLW 2019


I have chosen the word JOY to be my One Little Word/theme/mantra for 2019. I decided on this word after reflecting on 2018 and what I needed for 2019.

In previous years I have made little books to write my intentions in. Today I searched for those books and found the book for 2015 - I hadn't used it to it's fullest as I had become ill so I decided to reuse some of the pages and add a new front cover for 2019.

Here's my OLW 2019 book:

Here is the 2015 book for comparison:
What is you One Little Word for 2019? Hope you have a great year.