A special Christmas card

"What do you do for a blip, on a day you can't get out?" asked BJ yesterday. The conversation moved on to something else so I never gave an answer. Today is one of those days and I can usually find something in the house to share.

Last Christmas Mum had her right hand in a splint so she could not do any embroidery. It was the first year she had not embroidered a card for me, for as long as we can remember. This year, she kept disappearing into her workroom and I guessed that something was being produced.

The angel you see is the result. Since her right hand remains very weak, this is an amazing achievement. As she would say, "all stitching, no cheating", when someone suggested she might use glue!!

I did not walk today because I needed to ask a GP to review Mum's leg. It was someone who had not seen it before and he would have been our first choice last week. The diagnosis is not obvious, but he wants to exclude a deep vein thrombosis and then move on from there. The nurses came late this afternoon to take blood. (In my day, I would have done that during the home visit - it seems odd to me for two different professionals to make the journey to do a job that takes less then 5 mins, but I guess I'm old fashioned.)

It's been very quiet today, with no visitors and we have both felt tired. I had a sleep this afternoon!!

The blackbirds have been enjoying all the apples in the garden and a song thrush appeared to join the fun, just when I said I have not seen one since the summer.