Hello friends,
I hope 2026 is going well for you. I wish you all the best this year. Unfortunately, for us it has brought more problems and stress.

T’s heart operation was a success, and his heart is functioning better now than it has in years. That’s the good news.

The problems started because we couldn’t get any pain relief for his broken rib. The break was not recorded on the discharge notes from the hospital. We only had paracetamol at home. T didn’t get to see a doctor over the holiday period. I wasted a lot of time, on the phone, trying to get him the help he needed.

T spent most of January in bed, trying not to move because of the pain. This had an effect on his mood  – the mood swings have become much more noticeable and difficult to manage. It has been difficult to get the mental health support he needs. This seems to be a common issue in the UK.

We also had a lot of ‘tech problems’ recently. I knew that our old computers would eventually stop working so we ordered new ones. They arrived around Xmas time. Now I realise that many of the advances in computing are completely unfathomable, and probably unnecessary for us senior citizens. It’s been an ordeal for me to try and work things out. I’m SLOWLY getting there. T doesn’t even know how to connect his new computer, and he’s not in the right headspace to try and figure it out just now.

I had intended to refocus my blog more on art and creativity this year.  Originally it was just about art journaling, but Health issues have taken over. I’m going to try harder to refocus. I know that things will get better, and eventually I’ll get back to normal (whatever that is).

The image at the top is another page from my Paint and Doodles journal.

Take very good care of yourselves and, hopefully, I’ll be back soon.
Big Love

AJ