At the weir
At the weir, Guoache, Astrid Volquardsen,2020,
Strathmore Skteching Blog, Toned Tan
My first work at my new desk (height adjustable)! So slowly I manage again to hold the brush at the stretched out arm for a longer time
My new workplace – height adjustable
I am a great fan of working on the easel, but I can’t do it again yet.
So that I can start painting again, we came up with the idea of a new desk – height adjustable!
Immediately I had the clip »mikes new car« in mind.
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How.Cool.Is.That?
We conquer new worlds
Since this weekend and in time for the beginning of spring, we are proud owners of a so called step tandem. I can step in front as stoker, secured with a belt, or let it go. The tandem has a freewheel for the front drive! And we both have a view to the front, because we are sitting on different heights. Because of my epilepsy I can’t do water sports anymore and should avoid overexertion. Therefore this tandem is the ideal »sports equipment« for both of us.
Schwanenwik vantage point (study)
I imagine with all my heart what it’s like to be at the Alster this spring. This does not affect the winter sketch.
This sketch was made on normal paper. The final version will be on watercolor paper. For me it was an exploration of the composition.
Humor helps healing
The front cover of my new sketchbook.
Wherever I am in the doctor’s office, I have a nose ready for every employee or patient. The laughing success proves me right. And it also releases endorphins from me.
In my presence, people can laugh!
After a long time I’ll get back to you. This time with a laughing eye.
After I wasn’t doing so well for a few weeks, I’ve been on my way up again for 3 weeks. A colleague of Marc’s recommended the book »Medicines as micronutrient predators« and it turned out that I had a considerable lack of vitamins D and B12. My muscles had weakened and I had a constant tremor in my arms and legs. Since I am supplied with vitamin D and B12, I feel much better.
The red nose is to be understood as a sign that no one have to look at me compassionately, but can laugh gladly with me. Even though I’m still in chemotherapy, I’m looking very confidently to the future.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas.
A slightly different annual review & outlook
I still have many »construction sites« to complete, but like Hafencity, I am looking forward to a positive future. This quotation from Tom Hanks goes well with that:
Never give up because you don’t know what the tide will bring the next day.
That this would not be an easy walk was already clear to me at the end of April when I got the diagnosis »brain tumor« in the hospital Buchholz. But what a storm I would have to face, with all its ups and downs, can only be understood by those who have experienced it themselves.
Therefore, my heartfelt thanks to all those who have accompanied me on this path and continue to do so. I carry them deeply in my heart.
- Dr. Langer and Dr. Lücke, from the Asklepios Clinic Altona, without whose surgical interventions I would probably not be among you today,
- the care teams from the Intensive Care Unit, the Intermediate Care Unit and the Neurological Unit of the Asklepios Clinic Altona,
- the teams from the neurological ward of the rehabilitation centre in Soltau
- and, of course, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, what have they pushed me!
- Not to forget the speech therapists.
The care and respect with which all these teams have worked deserves my respect. I can only express all my admiration and gratitude to these teams. They never let me feel the nursing crisis, although I know it exists in Germany.
- The practice team around Dr. Seehars,
- the team of the Epilepsy Center Rotenburg around Dr. Streger,
- Dr. Schieder’s oncology team,
- my friends and neighbors who are always there for me when I need your help.
My special thanks go to my family, especially my husband and son. What my husband gives me in love and support cannot be expressed in words and I am infinitely grateful to him. The three of us cried and laughed together – priceless.
It is hard for outsiders to imagine how my illness turned my life and that of my immediate family upside down. But we stick together and gain strength for our future, as the saying goes:
Yesterday is history
tomorrow is a mystery
but today is a gift.
That is why it’s called the present.