I’m sitting here in my emeralds, with shorts and T shirt, smelling of sandalwood. My face is lathered in the cream from Sri Lanka, so I can’t frown or move a muscle. I feel quite ready to start the day.

John has Man Flu and is indisposed today…first time he has been brought down for about 3 years, so he is lying spluttering and moaning surrounded by tissues, Lem Sips and Paracetamol.

I was struck down last week with Woman Hip. Came out of the blue, and one minute I was bouncing about in the sea, and relaxing on the beach, the next I was moaning about my hip and dragging my leg around the supermarket.

I spent the night on the sofa, as the pain became more and more acute. I went to the hospital in the morning and had to spend the day in ER attached to a drip and had 5 injections to kill the pain…it was Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome. It used to be called bursitis, and apparently is very common in women of a ‘certain age’ and can become inflamed for a variety of reasons. Ah well…came home with the usual bag of medication, and spent the following day vomiting. My body is a temple and will not tolerate these vile toxins, and so I lay and shivered and clutched The Hip.  Anyway, I stuck with the diclofenac, and threw away the other evil stuff and I am now on the mend. I am still limping, but the worst is over.

I don’t believe in the Evil Eye…but it does make you wonder. I had been crowing how healthy I had been blah blah blah….best to keep quiet and give thanks I think!

We have been quiet since Sri Lanka. I came back all rejuvenated and wanted to finish all my projects. I finished all my quilts, and the bags, and am all set for the last Guild meeting where we do Sew and Tell. I tidied up my sewing room last night, and it looks so strange. I sort of miss the colourful confusion that has been spread over the spare beds these last few months.

This last week we have all held our breaths as a horrid drama unfolded at Qatar Academy.

A Nepalese chemistry teacher, Dorje Garung had been the victim of some nasty school boy taunts. He had held his tongue as the thirteen year old Arab students constantly made fun of his appearance, calling him Jackie Chan etc. He finally retaliated, saying that you shouldn’t stereotype people. There was more along that line, and of course the boys told their parents and the Chemistry teacher was fired without any opportunity to voice his side of the story.

On the way to the airport Dorje was arrested for slights against Islam. He was thrown into jail. There followed the biggest protest on Facebook as teachers around the world united against this unfair outcome. Other teachers at Qatar Academy were very uneasy at the power pupils wielded in that VERY affluent school. The good thing is that Dorje has been freed and is back in Nepal. I doubt he will seek employment in the Middle East again.

Here the temperature is climbing up again. People are talking about ‘the summer’ and leaving and going home for a bit. I have decided to get back to Chapter 8 of the book I started before the quilting bug bit. ‘About time’, John mutters from his sick bed.

But I shall leave with the good news. The Highland Games as been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion. I am very happy and proud of that! www.bragmedallion.com I have just been told so it won’t be on the website just yet…but sooooon! All good publicity and I’m glad the book is still  making people happy!