It was such an unusual  week for me last week......I travel back and forth to Brisbane everyday to do a DAFNE Course......at the Royal Womens Hospital.....with 6 other people.....the course was all about learning how to adjust my daily insulin requirements.....that sounds easy but it was quite involved.......I have never been to anything like this before.......I grew up knowing about diabetes as my sister Christine was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was 5 years old.......and then me been diagnosed at 16 and another sister at 38......all those years ago there was very little support or Educators and we did what the Doctors told us.....I went to my first Specialist about 20yrs ago and he was a Diabetic himself........which was good as he understood what we (as Type 1 diabetics) go through.......and then he retired......it took a while to find another good specialist.......which I did through a friend and having been seeing him now for about 5yrs........I have never had the best of control nor have my sisters.......so I was encouraged by my Doctor to do this course.....and from just a one week course I think (know) it will change my life.......it started right from the beginning learning about what our organs do and how our body works.....what happens to our organs.....it was a whole new way of  looking at how the insulin works...counting carb's.....which is something I have never done before.......setting goals to get our blood sugar levels under control......my head is so full of information......it will take a bit to put it all into practice as there is so much to remember....but we were given information sheets to have on our fridge to refer to.......it has been one of  the most important weeks of my life.....and we have follow up visits in 6 weeks...6 months and 12 months......it should be a course that every newly diagnosed diabetic does.........

The other thing about being a that hospital was....it was were Dad and I would visit my sister Christine....and as neither of them are with us now......the first couple of days it was a little emotional......

After a week at the hospital I need to get into the garden.....play in the dirt and smell the roses....and the wattle

...I find it so calming and peaceful........it has been very warm and sunny with cold mornings such beautiful winter days at the moment.....I moved the orchids around...

picked some vegetables......

and tidied up the garden beds....

I never got the chance to cut the grapevine back we got carried away building a new garden.....will have to tackle that another day.......I took some photos of the beautiful flowering natives in front of our house .....and they make a great display for inside...... 

and Matilda is always with me in the garden to lend a paw at digging the soil .......

I hope you all have a good day.....Cathy

I hope you have enjoyed seeing photos of the quilts....this is the last of them 

A reminder not to touch the quilts.....

they are serious...

Here is Joan and Margaret at the Sale's Table 

Photo bomb from Michelle...http://kielmtcolours.blogspot.com.au/

Here is Jenny.... http://sewsocrazy.blogspot.com.au/....giving me the thumbs up for my quilt

Here I am standing beside one of my other quilt.....it's call Blue Sunflowers....

This week has been a productive week with the Studio getting a big tidy up and I quilted a charity quilt and basted a quilt for a friend and both of my machines have been serviced.....I need to spend a bit of time in the garden this weekend....those weeds have gotten out of hand with such a warm winter.....they just love all the rain and sunshine.....I'm cutting down the grape vine and digging it out this year...as it is getting too dangerous trimming it back every year with my knees.....they are not copeing with getting up and down the ladder....some of the canes are growing over 5m long...it will be a shame as it has been just a productive plant.......but I am going to turn it into a shade house for raising seedling and somewhere to keep the orchids.....

Anyway....I hope you all have a great weekend........

Cathy