A Postcard A Day - Friday 28 October 2022 - Friday Smiles

 Hello lovely girls, how's life? Here things are continuing without much change. Hubby is stable. On painkillers, still able to 'stagger' to the toilet with his zimmer frame. 

Today I have two cards to show you (as I have quite a pile to get through). Both make me smile.

I do love windows and doors. The above card comes to me from Russia. The sender, called Yulia, was reminiscing about her holiday in Santorini, Greece. 

The stamps are very beautiful, especially the roses.

The second card was sent to me by a person who lives in Switzerland on the border with Italy. 

That sort of scene makes me smile.

All hubby's children have been able to visit and on Sunday there was an overlap and all three of them were here. Hubby and I have been married for more than 30 years so the children are like my own.

Here we are having real quality time together. What a privilege! We really had some fun together.

Things are moving slowly, which is good as many people can come and say their goodbyes. 

I don't think I have much more to say today. Today my sister and her hubby will come for a day (and a night). I'm looking forward to that.

Now I'm going over to Annie at A Stitch In Time. Please join us with your smiles.

Of course I have some funnies for you at the end and if you have already seen them, them I'm sure you will forgive me (this time...,lol)

Have a lovely weekend,

Keep smiling,

Hugs,

Lisca

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 25 October 2022 - T for Hope is a thing with feathers

 Hello lovely girls,

How are you all? Today we visit Elizabeth and Bleubeard as we are invited to the T-Party. I will find a drink to share later on. But let me start with a postcard:

This is a card which I received from  Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the poetry of Emily Dickinson in the shape of a bird. On the back of the card it says: Poems (Second Series) 1891.

The stamp is a round flower stamp. It is the orange one, which is my favorite:

Here in Caniles things have hit crisis point over the weekend. My husband had a massive bleed which came out as vomit. We had to call out the emergency services and they were brilliant. He now has a subcutaneous entry point ( a needle under the skin) through which I can give him drugs. They have been very generous and I have lots of powerful painkillers which I can give him as I see fit. I am surprised they have entrusted me with so much morphine! 

Hubby is still smiling! We have had the pleasure of all three children visiting. On son and daughter in law came on Thursday and left on Sunday, and our daughter and eldest son arrived on Sunday (from different parts of the UK), so we had one afternoon where all three were together. It was very special to have them all together. We had an amazing prayer session together and just enjoyed each other's company:

What a blessing!

Now I have to find a photo with a drink in it. Here is a photo from our holiday in England where we were eating fish & chips (perhaps for the second time, we like it so much):

There is my glass of white wine and hubby is drinking tonic water.

What else can I show you:

This is at our local fish monger. She comes Tuesdays and Fridays. 

I bought some haddock and cooked it under the grill, topped with cheese. I used a recipe from Mr Paul's Pantry. Very nice. 

The following photo was taken in Granada when hubby was in hospital.

Interesting urban art.

That is all from me. I'm going to bed (I'm writing this on Monday night). 

Happy T-Day!

Keep smiling,

Hugs,

Lisca

A Postcard A Day - Friday 21 October 2022 - Friday Smiles

 Hello lovely ladies,

How are you all? Have you all had things to smile about this week? I have and I will start with some happy mail.

 I have two postcards for you today (I have such a large pile to get through, so I'm showing you two). The first one shows autumn colours and it comes to me from Finland:

The stamps are lovely. The left one is the normal Finnish stamp with the ducks but the one on the right is about glass art.

Finland’s post office, Posti, has granted its stamp art promotion award for 2021 to glass artist Alma Jantunen. Her glass sculptures will be featured on two Finnish stamps to be issued Sept. 8 - 2021.

The two stamps are these:

Then my second card comes from the US:

I love this card. I'm trying to remember if I have read Anne of Green Gables. I must have done but I can't remember. Anyway, it is a lovely sentiment.

The stamp is the lovely orange flower. (My favorite of all the flower stamps).

Here in the K household things are ticking over. Hubby is very ill and his three adult children have all booked flights to come over to see their dad (probably for the last time) One couple are coming this weekend (as in later today), then his daughter is coming on her own the coming weekend, and his eldest son will come the weekend after that and will stay the week as he works from home so as long as he has internet, he can be where he likes.

Hubby is getting palliative care from our GPs and the district nurses. I'm writing this on Thursday night and on Friday morning our GP will come and talk us through the options. We are both relieved about this. No more treatment, no more hospital admissions. This is what he wants. 

We are both calm and at peace, and are able to talk a lot. We have had 30 amazingly lovely years together and for that we are so thankful and that is certainly something to smile about.

What else can I tell you? I have made some Dutch pea soup.

I used some swede this time in stead of potatoes, but I didn't like them so I had to spend some time fishing them all out again!

Here is the recipe for those that are interested:

The recipe is for the stove top method but I nowadays use my Instant Pot (15 minutes and 10 min natural release).

We have a little boutique in our village that has lovely clothes I must admit. Of course mostly geared to younger clients, but there is also something for the more 'mature' woman. I popped in the other day and bought a pair of black trousers, a gilet with fringes, and a beautiful scarf that had my name on it. Isn't that something to smile about?

I am one of those people that never buys clothes (I hate clothes shopping) so everyone was highly surprised that i had bought something spontaneously and not under duress. Lol.

I have been able to find some funnies and I will put them in at the end.

So that is all from me now. Please join me at Annie's at A Stitch In Time with your smiles.

Take care and keep smiling,

Hugs,

Lisca

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 18 October 2022 - T for bats and crawdads

 Hello my luvlies,

How are you all? I'm here again with a postcard (a very unusual postcard) and some update on how we are getting on.

Here is my postcard. Look closely....those are bats!

It was sent by someone galled Greg and he writes:  "Howdy from Austin, the capital city of Texas. Austin is home to the world's largest urban bat colony, under the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge over lady Bird Lake in the heart of Austin. During summer 1,5 million bats live here. "

"Late fall the bats fly to their winter home in Mexico. This card shows a typical summer evening where hundreds of people gather above and below the bridge to watch the bats take off for their night's work."

 "When I moved to Austin many years ago it was a small town, but now there are over 2,5 million people. Austin is known for live music, great food, including barbeque and tacos, breweries, wineries and distilleries, museums, making movies, beautiful wildflowers in the soring, college and professional sports, festivals, many parks, nearby lakes, hot summers (40C+), and being weird. Best regards, Greg".

The bats are really quite small. If you have never seen one up close, here is one:

Greg used some really nice stamps!

Now for an update on hubby's illness. We are now going into the palliative care phase. Together we have made the decision to have no more chemo. He doesn't want to go into hospital, so I will nurse him at home with the help of our family doctors (who are within walking distance) and the nursing team. I talked to our GP this morning and the pain medication has been adjusted and rationalized. We talk openly together about the end and what still needs to be done. Children who live abroad are booking flights to come and visit. Friends are ready to help where needed. 

On Friday one of my friends came to our house and said: "I have come to help. You are not allowed to say no. Shall I clean your bathroom?" Isn't that kind! She did the bathroom and the stairs as well (they are tiled and there are 56 steps!). What a blessing to have loving friends!

Hubby has good days and bad days. Today was good:

He was up for a few hours this morning writing some nice things to his children.

I have been reading a lot lately. My favorite book of all the books I have read these months is:

On the cover it is described as "painfully beautiful, At once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature". And I agree with that description!

I don't know if Elizabeth is hosting her T-Party, but in case she is, here is a drink:

It was in a tapas bar in Granada when hubby was in hospital. I would go out for a drink and I would get a free tapa (snack) with it. In most places in Granada you can choose your tapa. I chose a baguette with cream cheese and salmon. In the photo you see half of it. I had already eaten half when I realized I hadn't taken a photo. Yummy it was.

This is the counter where all the tapas are listed:

So much to choose from!

Gym has started again and this morning, as I walked to the gym, I saw the first kaki (persimmon) on the tree. 

This house also has a large fig tree in the garden:

That is it from me. 

Happy T-Day all!

Keep smiling.

Hugs,

Lisca