Braided Tree

I just wanted to show you this amazing tree we found in the grounds of our local hospital.  I couldn't pass without taking some photos.  Isn't is wonderful?  It looks as though it has been loosely plaited/braided over a very long period of time.  It has real character, don't you think?  I noticed a sign on it saying that it was protected by the local council, and no one was allowed to chop it down, which is nice.  Above is a photo of the tree with my son standing at the base, to show how big it is. You can see more of the beautiful texture and details in the close-up below.  I love the colour of it, too...sort of reminds me of old grey stone.  I think it must be very old.  I'm glad I caught a photo of it, I hope to draw it one day when I have a spare moment.

You're All So Awesome!

Recently my daughter was in hospital for 5 days with a severe, rather scary asthma attack.  At one stage I heard the doctor say to a nurse 'Tell intensive care to get ready just in case we need to send her there'.  You can imagine how my heart began pounding when I head that.  Asthma is something that many people, especially children, suffer from in New Zealand, which has one of the highest asthma rates in the world.  I have three children, and all of them have asthma, so we tend to dread winter, as either one or all of our children end up in the emergency department at one stage or another, sometimes more than once. Our neighbours must really wonder what is going on at our house, when once a week the ambulance turns up in the middle of the night!  The ambulance paramedics know us all very well now!

 AlhamduliAllah (Thank God) my daughter is much better now, and enjoying the warmer weather and better health.  Here is a photo of her in her favourite 'Hello Kitty' pyjamas, fighting the boredom of being stuck in bed, playing games and drawing on the tablet.  While she was in hospital, I posted a rainbow drawing she made when she began to feel better, on my Facebook page. Many of my lovely viewers/readers/fellow bloggers saw it and responded with such lovely comments of support. I just wanted to say thank you from us for thinking of us, and your uplifting comments.  Being in the children's ward for 5 days makes you feel very 'cut off' from the rest of the world, and it was nice to know I could still connect with everyone through the internet.

I also posted some of the beautiful murals that line the walls of the children's ward in the hospital.  You can view those here.

Once again, thanks to you all, we really appreciate it.

Now's Your Chance!

As if my printables were not enough of a bargain (most are only $1.50 USD each), 

now you can get one for free!  

To choose yours, jump over here.

Happy printing!

Making the Most of Things

Being stuck in the hospital with my sick daughter may not be such a bad thing after all...at least I have internet connection here, which means I can show you this amazing mural which greets us every time we visit the children's ward. I have been meaning to show it to you for a while as I know you are the sort of people who will appreciate the work that must have gone into it. It was painted by a group of artists whose names are shown in the last photo. The mural covers the whole hallway around the ward and it is quite long. I will try to post more photos as the days go by.    Regards, MM.