carly801's Blog

thank you to my friends

carly801 — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:28:00 GMT

I just want to say thank you to those of you who have said some very nice things to me....I very much appreciate it. This is as general as I can make it :)

FrostyMephit needs to be heard too

carly801 — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:57:00 GMT

Frosty
Joined on 04-12-2008
UK
Posts 122

Re: Workshop Beginner Challenges

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carly801:
I did a small update for Frosty mephit

Thanks Carly

It's interesting to see how you have taken the image in a different direction to the one I had intended. I was thinking of a figure in the wood (the little girl in the first wip I posted) but had imagined her much smaller and in the amngst the trees, in the area highlighted by the beam of light. I love the figurative figure you have used though, feels really shadowy (if that made any sense hehe). I'm going to try and pick up what I am now calling the haunted forest wip again at the weekend (along with my HB pic), so will be able to show you what I mean.

Would be a cool idea for a challenge though maybe, for each of us to produce a sketch and give it over to one of the other Mephits to finish off and see what direction they take it in, not for now obviously but maybe later down the line if people are up for it?

I'd like to thank you again for your help Carly, I really appreciate it. And I for one think you must be doing something right if, together with the other Mephs, you have managed to create a supporting and open atmosphere where people feel confident enough to share.

All the best to everyone

"All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain."

Beagles Among Us

carly801 — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:39:00 GMT

I know I've been coming across as a bit of a sad sack lately, and I don't want my new friends here on TOM to think that about me. Amidst all the doom and gloom in our house, we do have some light moments thanks to our cheeky 3 yr old beagle, Shebuh. Her antics manage to help me remember that I am a friendly, outgoing, cheery, smiley person inside, and that I need to show that side of me a little more often, so to that end I will share an amusing anecdote that happened not long before Carrley went into hospital. It was a good thing in a way, as it helped him to remember it, in those times when he was missing her whilst he was in the hospital.

Now, as most of you know, beagles are ruled by their noses, but one thing that a lot of people don't know is that they are a very intelligent breed and are very good at problem solving. In our kitchen, we have a door that leads to the hallway - this door is fine as it's a normal door, but the door that leads to the dining room is a sliding door. The problem with this door, is that it didn't take Shebuh long at all to figure out how to open it. No amount of barricades, wedges, stoppers etc could compete with her determination to get into the kitchen. We eventually bought a child lock for the door, which managed to do the job for about 6 mths, before it, too, gave in against her dogged (no pun intended) quest to find whatever she could in the kitchen. So, we decided that we would just have to put all food out of her reach. We soon learnt that what we thought was out of her reach, wasn't really, as she has a surprising knack of using her paw as a hook - we've discovered that the only really safe place for food is behind closed doors (pantry, fridge, even the microwave) - although there have been times when she has managed to open the fridge and steal yoghurt, sour cream and butter (we've learnt to ensure that the fridge is properly closed and sealed when we open it!)

But, even if there is no food around, this doesn't stop her from being curious - even if something has a hint of a smell of food on it, then she'll manage to get it to her level. This is what greeted us on entering the kitchen one day.

So, needless to say, we got quite used to the sound of rattling pots and pans in the kitchen, therefore, one evening when we heard a racket in the kitchen we didn't really think twice about it. After a short while I felt that she was unusually quiet (and like a toddler, when they're quiet, is when you need to worry) and this is what greeted me:

Then I looked up - I burst out laughing, and had to call Carrley, as it was a sight that you don't get to see everyday!! Fortunately we had the camera handy.......

Yep, there she was on the counter! She had walked from the right hand side of the counter, over the sink, to the stove where there were some hard boiled eggs in a pan!

On further inspection we discovered that I had inadvertently left a chair too close to her crate, which sits under the kitchen bench. She had climbed up onto the chair, onto her crate and onto the counter. For a medium sized dog she was really quite graceful - she navigated those counters like a mountain goat, no items were knocked down in her journey!! I don't know how she was planning to get down, but I'm sure that if we hadn't discovered her and helped her down, getting down would've been when the items got broken!!

I hope this small insight into the lighter side of our lives has put a smile on your face, as it does ours, whenever we recall it. When things get too hard, just think about the problem solving beagle, and if you are inclined, go to YouTube and put in 'beagle escape' and you will find a few more clever beagles!!

Have a happy day!
Sandra

It's not all Teardrops and Violins

carly801 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:57:00 GMT

Not everything is so bad....just gets hard sometime when your health fails...but Corn, yes....I know there are others...countless others..I met three in the hospital last week. Sometimes it helps in the midst of your pain and feelings of loneliness....and sometimes not so much...I'm just one guy trying to do the best he can. I don't always succeed....but I do feel a voice inside me telling me ...even if in a whisper...to keep going..if just one step at a time. So that's what I'll try to do...keep going one step at a time. Thanks for the encouragement my friends.