Dearest Carole,

Your husband sounds so wonderful! It's really great that you can put your feet up at home and be cared for there. I really think that home is probably the most healing place to be rather than a hospital.
Funny I was going to say talking books would be good. When I did more painting (before I had kids) I used to love being cosied up in my room painting and listening to stories.
Rebe listens to stories now every night when she goes to bed. We still have a bedtime story all together her and the boys but that is a little earlier than her bedtime so she stays up a bit later and she has quiet time doing lego or drawing or sewing and listening to tapes. She loves Enid Blyton best of all, Famous Five and Secret Seven, they are really old fashioned English stories and it's so funny to hear the influence of listening to those tapes on her language, she comes out with some really outdated phrases sometimes! I also loved Tom's Midnight Garden, the Borrowers, Anne of Green Gables when I was little and of course Beatrix Potter and Winnie the Pooh :-)

I had a lovely walk today, I left everyone at home with Andy. He was made unemployed 3 weeks ago and so I have him at home this means he watches the kids for me when I go to yoga and out for a walk. I try to fit my days around the kids though. I do house stuff and cooking in the morning while Rebe is at school and Benny and Joa bimble around the house. We may go out for a walk or a play on the beach. When Rebe comes home we have lunch together and she does her homework. After than Joa (who is 21 months now) has a nap and I let the other 2 watch a movie together and I go and do a bit of doll making. When Joa wakes I stop and we have dinner and a play or a bit of time outdoors. After the kids go to bed (around 7.30pm) I work for a couple more hours, depending on how tired I am, and that's my day really...don't know why I told you all that lol!

I am so excited about starting the hedgehog doll, I don't feel at all pressured, but it would be nice to be able to get her off to you in time for the surgery. All going well I will start on her at the weekend. Do you have a date for the surgery?

I think that little knitted doll accessories will be good little projects. They won't take too long and they can be as simple as you like. A scarf is very straight forward and little hats and socks. Bags too? I have a couple of dolls knitting patterns I can send to you, I also have loads of vintage Irish yarn in odd balls that I'll enclose too.

Anyway, I'm going to head to bed for now dear friends, it would be lovely to try and talk sometime, my phone is out of action at the moment, it seems to be some issue with our box thingy, and they are dragging their heels getting it fixed, but I'll let you know when it is :-)

Much love to you all x x x