He Pours A Drink And Listens To His Body Thaw

Prompt from her space my space is pour
To decant liquid with a flowing stream

Mine is not liquid but the pouring of flower to bake scones. My daughter and my niece are busy in the kitchen baking scones, my sister is bringing the homemade strawberry jam, anyone got any cream?

















Lyrics from "Old Red Eyes Is Back" by The Beautiful South

Listen up old red
You never listened to a word the doctor said
He told you if you drank another youd be dead
Old red eyes is back
His shoulders ache all over and his brain is sore
He pours a drink and listens to his body thaw

The State Of Me

"Everyday life shouldn't be this hard"

NMJ (Nasim Marie Jafry) of Velo-Gubbed Legs has had her first novel published "The State Of Me".
The Story:- Helen, a 20 year old student whose life is completely changed after being struck down by a mystery illness. She is eventually diagnosed with ME and faces a future where everything in life as she knew it will be tested.

The State Of Me is a moving, witty, original and unforgettable debut novel

I was excited to receive this book yesterday. Amazon sent it, the postman delivered it to the door and my daughter delivered it to my bedroom.

The first page.... in the supermarket, could have been me. I am sure it will have been many of the thousands of sufferers of ME.

Today it lies beside me on the bed and I am filled with anticipation,waiting till my head is clear, waiting to start reading.

The Old Chairs

My 18 year old went on a daytrip to the seaside and brought me back a stick of rock....NO.....she brought me back two old chairs. Only K would do this, she loved them, she bought them, she transported them all the way back by train and I love them.

Say Hello And Wave Goodbye

Prompt at her space my space is wave
A disturbance on a body of matter in the form of a ridge or swell. Also a hand gesture to motion a greeting or indeed a period or spell of unusually hot or cold weather. Wave is everywhere, where is yours?















Taken in Gournes, Crete, this crashing wave thundered down to splash ( a big splash ) the unwary.

Lyrics from "Say Hello And Wave Goodbye" by David Gray

Take your hands off me, hey,
I don't belong to you, you see,
And take a look in my face, for the last time,
I never knew you, you never knew me,
Say hello goodbye,
Say hello and wave goodbye.

And It Hurt Just A Little Bit, When They Sliced And Packaged It

Prompt at her space my space is sliced

To cut in thin pieces or a portion of food
















Lyrics from "How You See The World No 2" by Coldplay

They put the world in a tin can black market, contriband
And it hurt just a little bit, when they sliced and packaged it
In a long black trench coat two hands around the throat
Oh, you want to get it right sometimes

Theres so much to be scared of and not much to make sense of
How did the clowns ever get control, if you hear can you let me know
How can they invade it, when its so complicated ?
Oh, you just want to get it right sometimes.

The Little Window

At times it can seem that my life is like a room with no doors, there is no escape except for the little window. The little window is too high, out of my reach, beyond my limitations,but still it exists, and sometimes, for a short while, I get to peek through.

There's An Insect In Your Ear

Prompt from her space my space is Insect
A small arthropod animal with 6 legs and usually one or two pairs of wings



















Lyrics from"Staring At The Sun" by U2

There's an insect in your ear
If you scratch it won't disappear.
It's gonna itch and burn and sting
Do you wanna see what the scratching brings!

Own Up

Whose knickers in my washing basket bear the logo "Hello Boy's" ? They are certainly not mine !

I Met A Gin Soaked Bar-Room Queen In Memphis

Prompt at her space my space is soaked

To get extremely wet.

Question :- Why does the water NOT come out the hose when you press the trigger.
Answer:- Because you have not turned the water on at the tap.
Question:- What happens when 15 mins later you finally have the answer sussed.
Answer:- The trigger snaps and everything gets soaked.















Lyrics from Honkey Tonk Woman by the Rolling Stones

I met a gin soaked bar-room queen in Memphis

She tried to take me upstairs for a ride

She had to heave me right across her shoulder

'cos I just can't seem to drink you off my mind

It's the honky tonk, honky tonky woman

Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues

Worried Faces Stay Contorted

Prompt today from her space my space is contorted

To twist or bend an item from it's original shape.

All the rowboats in the paintings
They keep trying to row away
And the captains' worried faces
Stay contorted and staring at the waves
They'll keep hanging in their gold frames
For forever, forever and a day
All the rowboats in the oil paintings
They keep trying to row away, row away
Lyrivs from "All The Rowboats" by Regina Spektor

A Wedding And A Journey

My lovely Nephew got married and I both enjoyed and survived the wedding

I then went on a very last minute (No I can't..Yes you can) trip to Crete and thoroughly enjoyed the rest and relaxation, the sun, the sea and of course the food. Oh how I wish I were still there!

Chronic Artists

Chronic Artists is a blog dedicated to those creative people who have to balance their artistic practice with the challenges of life with chronic illness or pain.
They may be an artist, writer, photographer, musician or artisan. They might be severely ill or mildly affected by their chronic health condition and/or pain. They may be from anywhere in the world. The Chronic Artists blog and blog ring were set up in June 2008 by RachelCreative.

The blog asks Guest Questions and chronic artist friends may reply.

I feel priviledged to be part of this and have answered my first "Guest Blogger Question" today.

What Made You Become An Artist

I have always had a keen interest in art but never really pursued it as a hobby. One day a friend of mine, also a ME sufferer invited me to paint with her. As much as I love painting I find this a drain on my limited energy and I am unable to paint very often. I picked up a camera and discovered the world through a lens, this has now become my way of escaping the daily struggles of living with the illness ME. I am amazed on a daily basis at the myriad photographic opportunities I can find within the confines of my little corner of the world.

Blueberry Kiss….this was taken whilst horizontal on the sofa.

I'm Trying To Get Some Rest

Prompt from her space my space is rest

To stop work or movement in order to relax.

A little field mouse resting between nibbles

















Lyrics from Paranoid Android by Radiohead

Please could you stop the noise,
I'm trying to get some rest
From all the unborn chicken voices in my head
What's there...? (I may be paranoid but not an android)

The Graduate

The sun didn't shine but the rain didn't fall and I made it through Tuesday's graduation, mostly sitting, somewhat coherent and always smiling. I tend to do that a lot....smile. For people with ME conversations can be difficult, as my brain fights desperately to process what is being said and reciprocate a reply it can feel as if a thousand people are talking at the same time, my learned coping mechanism is to nod and smile a lot, not so hard really and if I manage to throw in the odd word then I have managed to fool everybody. It was a fantastic day, and I saw it through to the end. A pre-ceremony reception with her "Prof". G has raved about this man for years and after meeting him I could see why, he is a charming old-fashioned gentleman,it was a delight to spend some time with him. The graduation ceremony itself lasted just over an hour and was followed by a parade of the graduates through the cloisters accompanied by a piper, all very emotional. Finally a champagne reception and photographs. True to form I clicked away like a woman possessed...what else was I supposed to do, here a just a few.

Glasgow University has some lovely old buildings, it reminds me a of Hogwarts

This is the skeleton of a male Indian Elephant,it stands in the university museum

Have been legless ever since but it was worth every moment. Next achievement, tomorrow's wedding.