A Mixed Bag ...

It has been a bit of a mixed bag this week

the gecko has not put in an appearance so hasn't been painted

in fact we are thinking he may have succumbed to the curse of being named

or in his case of almost being named

years ago we had a Siamese fighting fish which remained unnamed for years

as we were sure he would go the way of our goldfish

but eventually we figured he was hardy enough to be named

and within days was belly up

so maybe the gecko is in protective mode

 or maybe he is just a wuss and is scared of the moth

or maybe the moth has taken him out

This is quite the moth mind you so maybe we can cut the gecko some slack

it freaked out poor Phantom by dive bombing her while she was brushing her teeth

which led to a comical moment of brushing teeth at kitchen sink while miming the attack

quite the performance it was

but she was still traumatized from a spider running down her arm earlier

so it may go somewhere to explain her nerves

though it doesn't explain why she randomly shed a safety pin on the floor yesterday

which she called a paper clip by the way... brilliantly stupid my child

but it was seriously random as we have no clue where it came from... bizarre

Also in the mixed bag category was getting my last round of the rubbish nightmare chemo

which is kicking my butt more with every round

but on the plus side it is kicking it so much I get two weeks off to get some strength back

before they move me onto the weekly doses which are much easier... apparently

I was bummed for a couple of days because I was totally focused on Jan 7 being my last dose of chemo and pushing it back two weeks seemed like it was going backwards 

and it means I am stuck at home longer which is starting to test my mental health big time

which also means you will be getting more drawings and sketches from around the house like this one of the chair by our front door

being stuck at home is feeling a tad restrictive and all a bit boring and I was grumping big time

but then I put on my big girl pants and started looking for the positives

after all these cute little tea cup themed snacks were waiting for us at chemo the other

hard to be down when you are faced with that fabulousness right

 plus I can start swimming again once this round is done

and I think the feel of water on my baldy head will be quite the thing

and of course the extra weeks off mean being stronger for the next type of chemo

which also means more time and energy to paint... I miss it more than I can tell you

though most of you understand exactly what I am saying

 it is like missing a limb not drawing and painting every day

so I promptly went and ordered more art supplies

in the brightest colours I could find and they are now tempting me with their lusciousness

can't wait to get into them and the studio looks like a happy place with them gracing the desk

Another mood lifter was receiving tea and elderflower flavoured vodka from my dear friends Jacket and Scarey and their gorgeous girls

who knew such a thing existed

seriously cool birthday present and  it came as part of a fab Bridget Jones themed hamper full of wonderfullness to get me through the next round

 and brighten the fact that I am going to feel like rubbish for my birthday tomorrow

I am so spoilt for fabulous friends, family and support it is impossible to be down for long

plus I had a lovely member from the golf club Keith, who made me a gorgeous pineapple and coconut slice to cheer me up and it is crazy delicious

and we are fighting over the last pieces

though I cleverly played the cancer card and am so getting the last of it... nice....

So despite the fact that the moth may have taken out the still nameless giant gecko

and that my daughter is about to graduate high school and doesn't know the difference

between a safety pin and a paper clip

and that I turn 46 tomorrow ... where did 46 come from???

There are lots of things to look forward to

I have so many fabulous online friends and supporters

 and your emails, cards, comments and notes make a difference to every day on this journey

the mixed bag this week hasn't turned out too bad when I sit and think about it

happy painting all ... xx