2013

The review of the year that is. My feedly thingy has been full of rather full on reviews of everything the people I followed encountered and to be honest my life isn't that interesting that I need to do a full on pictures and everything one. It happened, I learnt a lot about myself and other people and now we are on the cusp of another year. 

2013 started with my husband a day out of surgery and in a lot of pain for the first few days into it. He recovered and got back into his running. He even managed two 10k races which was a definite highlight. One kid had a broken finger and another had a broken knee (let's just call it that because the actual fracture of his patella sleeve was much more complicated than just a plain old broken knee cap) during the year. I had the bloody scare with the lump under my arm and we even encountered hand, foot and mouth disease. The autism reared it's ugly head on more occasions than I'd like, we are still no further on with CAMHS than we were apart from an appointment with the person in charge after my complaint and a further appointment with a psychotherapist who put us on a waiting list for something I'm not comfortable with but hey ho they are supposed to know best. 8 years we've been at this lark now with them. All I can say is thank chuff there is a fantastic local support group just for parents of autistic kids run by people who work within an autistic resource. 

The absolute highlight of 2013 was when we had a very proud mummy and daddy moment as our daughter graduated from university and then went straight back again in September to start a teaching degree. So much work but so much reward knowing she has a career in front of her. 

Our lives changed when we got the kittens in September. They're still up to mischief and mayhem but so loving at the same time. We'll just forget that one of them got inside the cat litter bag the other day and did a whoopsie in it rather than the tray. 

Baby number 2 turned 18. I don't know how that happened but it did and we now have two adult kids to be very proud of.  We visited several potential universities over the autumn and he's been offered a place at all 5 he eventually applied to (dependent on grades achieved).  He has some big decisions to make soon. 

My professional life has taken me in ways I didn't expect. I have two volunteer roles which I don't really want to go into detail about except to say I'm enjoying the challenge that comes with more responsibility. In the case of one I have done a full year and a term of the added responsibility after 20+ years of being just a member of the team and whilst it has been difficult at times not to take the back seat and let things be run how they used to be, we've come through it and I'm happy with the way I'm doing things. 

My professional working life took an unexpected turn after finding out about a local craft fair running once a month and being accepted onto it. I've met some wonderfully talented people through this and whilst the fairs aren't going to be as often in 2014 due to the shopping centre they were held in deciding to alternate them with car boot sales in their car park I've picked up links to other places. I've learnt what does and doesn't sell and have so many ideas in my head for 2014. Royal Mail changed their package system in dramatic fashion which buggered up the success of some of my best selling items and I had cause to rethink a few products. That thinking in place has given me ideas for 2014 which I would probably have bypassed this time last year. 

One last thing - bloody Facebook! I have a love hate relationship with it but have definitely downscaled my use this year. Yes I've put meaningless nonsense about reality tv and other things but not on the scale of in the past. It is useful for so many things with genuinely nice people and I've met some of those this year especially at a local knitting group so I'm not giving up on it.  What I've realised this year is that I really need to hit the delete button on so many drama queens only interested in themselves and not in how people can help with the question they've asked or situation they're moaning about. I think I've maybe either grown up (yes I'm 42 I should have done that already) or just realised that I can take a back seat and watch the car crashes happen. They do on a regular basis to these drama queen attention seeking esque people.  Some people just thrive on attention I guess and it's funny to watch.  

Hope you've had a good 2013 and have an even better 2014. 

I don't have goals specifically for new year this time because they don't work. I have one or two things in mind but they won't be started in 1st January so I can't fall into the trap. 

Where To Start?

Well first of all I had a health scare which put the fear of god up me.  What started as a visit to the docs for an underarm lump she thought was an infected hair follicle and treated with antibiotics x 2 ended up with a trip to the breast screening clinic at the hospital and lots of very anxious days of waiting for the appointment day to arrive.  Crapping myself didn't quite cover it.  

The atmosphere in the clinic was tense to say the least and why wouldn't it be when everybody is there for the same reason namely a suspicious lump or similar.  Add to that a delay and you can imagine how drained and scared everybody looked.  Thankfully for me the doctor took one look at the lump (topless because they have to look at your boobies at the same time) and said he thought it was a serbaceous cyst and he would organise an ultrasound so onto the next waiting area along the line.  Again topless while she put the ultrasound on the lump.  I'm sure I could have kept my bra on for an underarm scan but hey ho.  Very elegantly she told me it looked like (quote) 'a load of crud stuck in a sweat gland'.  Lovely way to put it but made me laugh and infinitely more preferable to the alternative which maybe some people might have heard from that clinic that morning.

So it means a little op when they can fit me in to cut it out.  The consultant gave me the choice but it won't go away on its own and could need antibiotics again so chop chop I go when the waiting list allows.

That was 5 weeks of thinking time which put things into a bit of perspective. I've taken a step back from Facebook.  Just odd bits and bobs but it put the shallowness of some people into perspective.  Pathetic little things that are the end of the world to supposedly mature ladies and you just want to  shout 'SHUT THE **** UP AND GROW UP'.

So that is my little rant about Facebook and a reason for internet absence.  We did however during that time have half term and a couple of daytrips so I'll share those another day.

Birchbox UK October 2013 Review

My October Birchbox arrived yesterday and this is what it contained (excuse the crappy phone pics)

and the individual products:
 

Beauty Extra - Egyptian Magic
What - A cult multi-purpose healing skin cream made with just six all natural ingredients.
How - Take a small amount and rub it in your hands until it turns to oil, the apply to skin or ends of hair.

I'm intrigued by this product.  I have very dry hands during the winter and I'm going to save it to use as a hand cream.

 

Dr Lipp. Nipple Balm For Lips - Versatile lip balm that started life as a nipple balm! Hydrates and repairs dry flaky skin, sealing in moisture

This was actually damaged and has leaked so there isn't a huge amount left in the tube but bearing in mind that only a very small amount is needed I'm happy to just use what is left.  It is very rich and certainly does what it says.
 

theBalm Cosmetics Stainiac - This easily blended two in one lip and cheek stain gives a natural, understated blush.

Second lip and cheek stain in a week (MeMeMe in Glossybox earlier in the week).  This one is far superior to the MeMeMe one.  For starters it has a wand rather than a brush and goes on a lot easier.  The colour is slightly different but this one gives more coverage.
 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser - A sheet, lightweight formula to add a healthy glow and moisturise with antioxidant vitamin complex and SPF20.

The shade of this is sand and in the tube looked quite dark for my skin tone but it was a very good match when I applied it.  Definitely like this.
 

Akane Mask Cocoon Nocturne - a fresh apple scented gel mask to help beat signs of tiredness and hydrate thirsty skin.

I'm not a fan of apple scents but this is subtle enough not to be overpowering whilst in bed.  I've not used it yet so I'm looking forward to doing that tonight.
 

KMS California Silk Sheen Styling Crème - A lightweight formula that provides heat protection and control even for those prone to frizz.

That would be good for my frizzy prone mop then.  I'm washing my hair later so I'm looking forward to trying it.
 

Lifestyle Extra The Chia Co Shots - Bonafide superfood, packed with health boosting omega 3, protein and more.

I'm looking forward to this. I've heard so much about the health benefits and can definitely see myself buying more.

All in all I like this box and in comparison to the god awful Glossybox I got earlier in the week this is fantastic.

Must Be Comfy

They've been asleep on my youngest's dressing gown since he took it off this morning. He didn't have the heart to take them off it once he'd got dressed. Only been up for food and straight back to it so I'm guessing it is rather comfy. 

Lottieversary

This past weekend it was a year since I signed for the allotment.

The weather hasn't been nice enough to do much the last few days but we did have a walk up yesterday and reflected a little on what we need to do (which is a lot)

Our plan was just to grow on the bit that we had cleared last year and we achieved that - not hugely successfully but we did get things growing. 

My plan of covering some of the plot with cardboard to smother the weeds paid off and I will be putting some more down over the top and cover some more sections over the coming weeks.

The one thing that has really annoyed me is how little, if anything, the council do on this site.  You can see on the above picture the state of the path that runs alongside my plot fence.  There are two overgrown empty plots to the side of the path and then a farmers field.  The field has now been sold off and houses are being built on it.  The farmer hasn't planted anything for the last two years  because he was in the process of selling it so the weed seeds have taken over.  Even to clear the pathway wouldn't make much difference to the spread of those weeds.   I planted a lot of hedgerow plants on my side of the chicken wire fence we erected during the winter. They have really struggled to become established with the weeds.  I have a battery strimmer which has kept the plot under control to a degree but when you are faced with such an overgrown jungle at the side it is disheartening.   My plan for the coming year is to try and either buy or hire a petrol strimmer or brushcutter and get the immediate area next to the fence under control.  It will die off soon anyway so next spring I will be prepared (hopefully) with the big guns to try and stop the spread onto my plot.

I did a bit of a photo collage of before and after looking up and down the plot.  It doesn't look like much from the photos but we have put up the fence, cleared one side and planted, planted some fruit trees/bushes, had a decent strawberry harvest and probably lots I've forgotten about.

One thing I'm happy with are the rosa rugosa bare rooted plants I bought in the winter.  They have produced a lot of red rosehips.  I've harvested a few and will sow them in the coming weeks and have left the rest for the birds.  Hopefully some will self seed.  I may try some on the other fence where the bad weeds are because these have flourished even with an invasion of nettles.

The one thing I set out to do when I got the allotment was having homegrown sprouts on Christmas day.  I don't have a photo but they are on their way to being ready and that makes me happy.

Misty and Pippa Or Are They?

Three weeks ago we got two kittens.  We chose the name Misty for one of them almost immediately but it took some time to come up with Pippa for the second one.

I'd forgotten how mischievous kittens can be.  They are so funny to watch while they are playing and cute as can be when they come and sit on your knee.

When I walked into the living room and saw this I couldn't not take a photo.  How cute is that?

Last week I took our little ladies to the vet for their first visit which was a full health check, immunisations, worm tablets, flea drops and microchips. 

The vet threw quite the curveball at me when she examined them and Misty and Pippa are actually little gentlemen and not ladies.  Surprise didn't quite cut it.  We were told they were girls from the lady we got them from and we had kind of looked but apparently the testicles are quite hard to see at this age.  I'm not bothered in the slightest.  They're still kittens, they still play and they are still as cute as can be. They will be neutered as soon as they are old enough. We've had male cats before and, as well as the obvious responsible owner reason, they will be getting done asap because of the spray factor. If you've had a little boy cat before you will know exactly what I mean.

The little curveball threw us a new challenge - appropriate names.  Our 9 year old wanted to choose and since he took so long to choose Pippa we thought it only right that he chose again.  We went through a few combinations and Pippa was Piper for a couple of days.  Misty became Mr Nicholas for those couple of days too but eventually he decided on Pippa becoming Olly (after a certain Mr Murs) and Misty becoming Toby (that one came from a list of Thomas trains).

So here we have Olly and Toby 10 week old balls of mischief.

 

Glossybox UK October 2013 | Dark Romance

Don't let the theme title fool you should have been the strapline for Glossybox this month!

The cover of the magazine, which has been widely shown on social media in the run up to the receipt of this box, held promise of maybe a nice deep red nail polish or lipstick or maybe smoky eyes. When I opened the box this is what I found:

The products themselves are average but not exactly fitting the theme of Dark Romance. 

The two closest fits are what I'll cover first:

MeMeMe Cherub's Blush - Cheek & Lip Tint - Full size 12ml product worth £5.50. Go from day to night with MeMeMe's sultry rouge tint!  Long lasting and multi functional, it also comes with a handy application brush, making it a perfect addition to your handbag for glamorous touch ups on the go.

I'm not a fan of MeMeMe but I wanted to give this the benefit of the doubt since it did fit the theme.  I'm sorry but I really don't like it.  The brush has some sort of coating on it that came off on my lips making it an altogether unpleasant experience.  The product itself didn't make a difference to my lips.  I tried it on my cheeks and whilst the coating was still coming off the brush it did seem to give a small amount of blush.  Most of it came off on my fingers when I patted it into the skin and stained them so the colour stain is obviously there.  I wouldn't buy it even at £5.50 but I will probably use it as a blush despite not really liking it.

 

Katy Perry Killer Queen perfume sample - £29.50 for 50ml. This sample is 1.5ml.

Again it kind of fits the theme.  I like perfume samples even though a lot of people don't. Mainly because I'm too shy to ask for one in Boots.  This is nice, maybe a touch overpowering for day to day use but nice all the same and I probably would buy it.

Now we get on to the other stuff:
 

Premae Multi Vit Smoothie Serum - Full size is £22.50 for 50ml this is 20ml.

Premae is the world's first allergen free brand, meaning that anything they produce is more than kind to skin. 

It is very highly scented, which I'm assuming is the 100% lemongrass oil.  Whilst I like the idea behind the brand the scent is really rather offputting.  I will use it but it won't be a repeat purchase.

 

Monu Illuminating Primer - Full size is £24.95 for 50ml this is 20ml.

This primer is paraben free and has been formulated with light reflective Mica particles and soft focus technology to brighten the complexion, add instant sheen and enhance your natural radiance.

Again this doesn't smell too nice (nothing I can put my finger on but not too pleasant) but I like the promise of the illumination.  I don't think I could justify spending the best part of £25 on buying it again though.
 

and the final product - Vita Liberata Latte Illuminating Skin Finish - Full size £29.95 for 30ml this is 2 sachets with a generous 3ml each in them.

This multi product offers perfect coverage and a flawless medium bronzing to the skin with added Broad Spectrum SPF25 whilst also creating an iridescent optical illusion as it's subtle shimmering particles capture the light.

I've tried this and even using a small amount produces quite an orange effect.  I certainly won't be buying it.

Overall, without the Dark Romance theme, I wouldn't have been glowing with happiness at this box.  It is pretty average/below average for Glossybox.  The theme promised something a little more than this and it is hugely disappointing.

I actually cancelled Glossybox last month but something happened and the cancellation didn't go through properly. Never thought to check it properly so I was surprised when the payment went through. I decided to give it one more shot but now that cancellation has definitely shown up on my account after this box.  My time with Glossybox is well and truly over.  I'm looking forward to the October Birchbox arriving very soon.

Busy Bee Candles Fragrance Club October 2013

I've had a couple of candle clubs from a lady I know via Facebook but she's stopped doing them so I researched an equivalent and found Busy Bee Candles. The reviews of their previous months I read online were good and people seemed to get a variety of fragrances in their box. 

My first month has just arrived and this is what I got

A room and linen spray in Violet Garden fragrance - smells lovely and will definitely get some use. 

Two wax tarts - Spell Bound and Sugared Figs. Again will definitely use and they smell scrummy. 

A mini candle jar in Secret Agent fragrance. Jury is out on this one. First impression was of Flash Lemon spray which is probably way off the mark of what it actually smells like. I'll use it though. 

Lastly is a bath foam in Bite Me fragrance. It's a bit lemony and maybe a bit sugary. Again probably way off the mark. 

I will admit that I'm slightly disappointed with this box. All the reviews I read were candle based so I wasn't expecting to get bath foam and room fragrance. It is called a fragrance club though so I can see where they fit in. If I'm honest though I signed up to a candle company and if the bulk value of the box is going to be non candle products then I'm not going to be subscribing for long. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt though and see what next month brings. 

Spalding Bulb - Red Apple Tree Performance

When we first got our allotment I applied to join the Spalding Bulb bloggers club.  They sent me a pack of spring bulbs and a red apple tree. 

We planted the tree during the dormant winter months and waited for mother nature to do her stuff.

February

 

May

June

and yesterday (29th September)

 

 

I'm very pleased with the growth in this first year and can't wait to see what happens next year.  I'm very tempted to try training it while it is still young.

 

Spalding Bulb have a lovely selection of fruit trees and I'm definitely to try something different once they turn dormant again.

Birchbox UK v Glossybox UK September 2013

Both boxes turned up on the same day this month

First up Birchbox:

This month it contained:

Reverence de Bastien nail polish shade no 13 which is a nice deep red with a touch of shimmer.  The RRP for this is £16 and it definitely feels like an expensive product.  Not a colour I would usually choose for myself but I'm pleased they sent it as it is great to try for the autumn.

Bioderma Sebium H20 make up remover 20ml.  Not much to say about it other than it is a make up remover and it removes make up effectively.  I don't think I would buy it again but it was nice to try.

Eva Cosmetics Mystic Diamond 60ml.  Hair oil with diamond powder for incomparable shine.  I love hair products that add shine and this one didn't disappoint.

Model Co Party Proof Lipstick £15.50 for a set of 3 so around £5.18ish for this one.  The shade is called Kitty and I absolutely love it. It is a nude pink in a shade I've been looking for in Boots for ages so I'm chuffed to bits with this.

Molton Brown Ylang Ylang Nourishing Body Lotion 30ml.  This is the same fragrance as the body wash in the last box.  Love it.  It holds the fragrance for quite some time.

Green & Black's White Chocolate mini.  Love love love white chocolate. Shame it was a small sample but that is a good thing for the waistline.

Fabulous box this month from Birchbox. I couldn't be happier with it.


 

and here's what Glossybox had to offer this month:

The box this month was a fun union jack design and the tissue paper was printed with iconic british things like telephone boxes and black cabs.

The contents were:

Toni & Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum. Full size 30ml.  Another shine product.  I feel spoilt.  Love it.

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Onyx Eye Liner.  A black eyeliner like a felt tip.  I must admit to not having tried this as I don't really use eye liner but it is good to have in my kit.

HD Brows Bronzer Full size £19.95.  I'll be honest and say that despite the description being that it suits all complexions I found that it is a case of using a very small amount as a blusher or you end up looking like a tango oompa loompa.  Probably would be better to describe it as suitable for medium to dark complexions.

Eylure Pre-glued lashes.  Hmmm I hate it when they put these things in the boxes.  I hope it is a one off and we aren't getting them regularly as happened with She Said Beauty last year.  I just don't wear them so these will be a gift I guess.

Elizabeth Arden Untold 5ml sample.  Unlike a lot of other people I actually really like perfume samples in beauty boxes.  This one is like a miniature bottle which makes a nice change.  This particular one is absolutely gorgeous.  I always associated Elizabeth Arden as being highly floral scents which I'm not too fond of but this is one I could see myself buying.

I should just add that I was sent an additional product by Glossybox because I complained about receiving Olay again.  The additional product was a Philosophy cleanser which I have enjoyed using.

So a direct comparison this month and I think Birchbox has the edge because I will use every single product whereas the Glossybox (whilst still good this month) has those flipping lashes.

Skywatch

It's been a while since I joined in over at Skywatch.  Tonight's sunset was shouting to be photographed even if it was only with my phone 

Birchbox UK August 2013

Being somewhat disillusioned with Glossybox this month I looked for alternatives and found that Birchbox took over another beauty box company earlier in the year - yes I know - what planet must I live on not to know this little nugget of information. It was a Birchbox on someone's blog from the US that set me off on my beauty box adventure so I was chuffed to bits to find out they are now over here. 

I ordered it over the weekend and it arrived on Thursday via the Yodel courier who thought, since nobody came to the door, it would be ok to put it in a 'safe location' ie throw it over our 6ft back gate straight into a fresh doggie doo. The outer box had come open but thankfully the inner box was fine. Needless to say I complained to Yodel who were a bit dismissive and just said the courier would be told. I also asked Birchbox if they could put a note on the address label in future that there is no safe location. They were fantastic and are taking it up with Yodel and are using Royal Mail for my delivery in future. 

Onto the box - they come in a box with a cute little drawstring bag holding all the products. 

and the contents in that cute little bag

Bluemandarines SkinLife Energetic Cellular Cream - a light peptide packed cream which brightens, refreshes and protects skin.  This smells really expensive and feels fabulous on the skin. Definitely something I would consider buying if I could afford it. Full size is £35. 

Philip Kingsley elasticizer - a hair saviour. This mask strengthens, nourishes and prevents breakages.  I've used this today and whilst it does the job I have to say that at £27.50 it is a tad expensive and I preferred the Tresemme treatment from the Glossybox. I do love trying hair products that aren't of the tousled beach variety so it's a good choice. 

Gerda Spillmann Hydro Pearls - ensure your base lasts and lasts with this smoothing primer. I'm looking forward to trying this. I have noticed my eye makeup disappears from one eye faster than the other so hopefully a good primer will keep them both the same for longer. Full size for this is £30

LAQA & Co Lip Pencil - a moisturising lip pencil perfect for day to night, in two hot summer colours. My first thought was oh another red lip product which just is not me but I did give this a go. It is quite intense but blotting it decreased the intensity quite a bit so I am quite happy. Full size is £14. I think this is probably half size. 

Molton Brown ylang ylang body wash - wow what can I say besides it smells amazing and is a body wash. Love their products. Full size is £18. 

Inner Me supplements - bonafide superfood, packed with health boosting omega 3 protein and more.  I'm not so sure about this. It is supposed to enhance skin, hair and nails which god knows I certainly need. I need to do a bit of research into this though before I stick a tablet in my mouth. 

Last of all Birchbox Gel Mask - this gel filled mask cools the eye area and decreases puffiness.  My daughter has one of these and swears by it for hayfever symptoms so its good to have as a standby for puffy eyes. Mine are terribly sensitive lately so this can only be a good product. 

All in all in very happy with this box. Can't wait to see what they have in store for September's box. 

Summer Scavenger Hunt

Over at Rinda's place there is the annual summer scavenger hunt going on.  We basically have until 21st September to photograph the following items:

1.   Open air market
2.   Theater for performing arts (not a movie theater)
3.   City Hall, Capitol or other similar civic building
4.   Airplane
5.   A sunset
6.   Someone or something taking a nap
7.   A sign that is intentionally or unintentionally funny
8.   A tower
9.   A photo with someone or something that is clearly out of place or doesn't belong
10.  A bench that is outside
11.  An animal in a zoo, aquarium, nature preserve, etc.
12.  A cloud in the shape of something (please specify what you see)
13.  A fence
14.  A stained glass object or a mosaic
15.  A fire truck or police car
16.  A windmill 
17.  Candle(s)
18.  Your local pub/bar, coffee house or tea shop
19.  A fisherman
20. A dinosaur
21.  A photograph of you with an artistic tool or craft supply (you cannot substitute for this item)
Bonus/substitute items.  If you find any of the above items too difficult, feel free to substitute either (or both) of these items.  You can substitute up to two items, but you cannot substitute Item #21:
A person wearing an outfit (or item of clothing) that symbolizes your country
A sundial



Lots of items to find and so far I have:

1. Open air market

2 and 3 theatre for performing arts and city hall - the building where my daughter graduated is Hull City Hall and they also have performances from musicians, theatre groups, comedians etc so I have got first of all the outside and then the inside.

5.  sunset - self explanatory

6. someone or something sleeping - my pooches

8. a tower - one of the power station cooling towers

9. a photo of something clearly out of place - an abandoned umbrella

11 an animal in a zoo - a spider monkey at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

12. a cloud in a shape - I think this one looks like a rodent on its hind legs 

15. a fire truck

17. a candle

Oopsie

Oopsie indeed. My youngest twisted his knee mid June playing football {as boys do}. Our GP verdict was ligament damage but only to limit his activity if it hurt him.

Skip forward two weeks and he's playing football again at school {as boys do}. Play stopped and he fell over the ball. Cue knee pain again, friends helping him back into school and his incredibly high pain threshold {it's an aspergers thing apparently} telling the staff he was fine and it was nothing bad.

He came out of school limping saying it hurt worse than the last time and hopped home so he didn't have to walk on it.  We had a dental appointment straight after school and he wouldn't put any pressure on it even to get in and out of the dentist chair so I figured it might be worth a trip to A&E to get this second injury looked at properly since intense pain isn't usually a thing he feels.  At this point I still thought it was something and nothing.

Erm yeah - 4 hours later and he was in a full leg pot and crutches.  I seriously was not expecting that.   The Xrays showed his kneecap to be in a different position to how it should be and they had potted it to be on the safe side until an orthopaedic consultant could see him.

I was told to make him a fracture clinic appointment before we left and was shocked and extremely annoyed that the next available one would be almost two weeks later.  I made it and as it was quite late at night by that point was told to ring the next day to see if they had any cancellations.  We ended up with one a week later in the end.  Still flipping annoying as the adult fracture clinic had next day appointments but the paediatric one had such a long wait.  It could be a week of this pot for nothing since it was just to be on the safe side.

As it turned out it was a good job they had used caution and potted him.  The consultant told us he had a distal sleeve fracture of the patella which basically means he had snapped his quadriceps tendon which attaches his kneecap to the top of his leg.  Thankfully it was hanging on and he stood a good chance of full recovery with immobilisation.  The full pot was replaced with a splint which was basically a full leg pot cut open so it could be removed for him to have a wash and the Velcro attaching it together.

To say it has been frustrating for him has been an understatement. Watching the other kids at school playing football and not being able to play rugby which he loves must be so hard. To say nothing of the fact that he worked so hard to have 100% attendance at school so he could go to the presentation evening and theme park they reward them with and then to fall at the final hurdle. He had a fair few tears over that one. Obviously just unfortunate circumstances so I've promised him a trip to the theme park once he is able to walk without aids.

A good friend offered him the loan of a wheelchair which has been absolutely invaluable in being able to get out and about these holidays.

Back to the hospital for his follow up and he was allowed a certain amount of movement in his knee so they fitted a knee brace, fixed at 30 degrees with a 2 week review but still no weight bearing. 

He is now at 60 degrees and able to walk on it. He is managing short walks without crutch support.
 

Hopefully next time we go to the hospital they will remove the brace.