Arte de Cristal por Gertruda

Good morning everyone, I thought I would give you sort of an update on how things are going. Harry still goes to daycare 3 times a week and he loves it. It makes him feel useful and it gives him something to do. He is pretty tired when he comes home, but that is of being busy and being outside rather then pretending there is nothing "wrong" with him, like he does when there are people around who don't look familiar to him. We go to markets, have meetings with other carers in a carer support group, and of course we are closer to family now. I am still painting and am painting a series of angels as I feel that is something I have to do. Actually 2 of them found new homes already :-) one of them in Spain and one in the UK. People find comfort in them and I just love creating them. I have artritis in my hands, which is playing up lately so I can't use my glassnippers until the weather changes.. That is why I am happy I can at least paint. So yeah we are pretty settled right now and the care for Harry is all in place.. Dogs are doing fine also, they just miss the big yard, but there is a big park close by where they can run around, but then who of us isn't :-)

Merry Christmas and a happy new year everyone!

Hi everyone, it has been a long time.. A lot has happend. We now live in Eindhoven, and harry goes to daycare 3 days week. Because Harry has dementia, I applied for sort of a care budget so I can hire any carer I want and any daycare that I choose. Also care at home and even a special B&B for people with dementia is a possibility. So he has 3 days daycare, 1 evening a "sitter" and he even had a stay in the B&B one weekend. On the evening the sitter is here I go to a painting class. That was something I wanted to do for a long time and now I can. It is a lot of fun, photos posted below. Harry is doing very well and is happy. He has all the care he needs now. The house is almost ready, some things I would like to changes but that will come in time. The dogs are settled and are also doing great. Pitufa loves running after a ball and jumps pretty high just to catch it, while Buddy is walking around like a "real adult" sniffing around and pretend he doesn't like running around :-) Last couple of weeks have been weeks of decorating for christmas :-) Think it is looking fine :-) I think we have come a long way since Harry got sick and I am really grateful for all the help we had and that everything turned out this great. Every one a very merry Christmas and a Happy new year!!

As promissed I would tell you more about our adventures here in Holland. Well.. another miracle! we got a house!! In Eindhoven, about 20 minutes from the children and my sister. a bedroom downstairs so Harry doesn't have to climb the stairs, and 1 upstairs which will be my studio. Then I still have some space left for a guestbed :-) Also a tiny garden, but at least we can sit outside :-) All this meant I had to change the daycare, but that is all sorted now, he is going 1 day a week to a new perfect daycare. This will be extended to 3 days a week as soon as there is a place for him, they are fully booked at this time. I also applied for a budget to buy the care I want for Harry myself and that means a lot of work, but I will get there. We went to the memory clinic, and they came to the same conclusion as in Spain, it is what it is, memory damaged, unable to care for himself and no chance of it getting any better. I already knew this but you still keep some hope. Now we know, and we can move forward. He is happy in his own little world although he can get bored sometimes and it is hard to find something for him to do. Also Pitufa and Buddy are doing great, there is a big park close by, at the end of the street. There is a closed area where they can run around of the lead and they love it. Pitufa is running around like crazy while Buddy is doing some serious sniffing around. Shops close by.. what more do we want? As soon as the house is "ready" I will put some photos on here. For now.. Adios and hasta pronto! # # # https://www.facebook.com/truus.godlieb/videos/1728632953922735/ https://www.facebook.com/truus.godlieb/videos/1706406549478709/

Hi everyone, I will soon place an update about how we are doing here in Holland. We have been busy I can tell you :-) But now this.. Lorraine Cundy, who has taken over my mosaic classes has room for some more students! So go and sign up :-) Have fun!

Hello everyone, I thought I would give you an update on how things are going here in Holland. We arrived safely at the camping, after a long journey. 2200 km in a van, fully loaded, 2 dogs and a parrot. Dogs behaved very well, Harry was very confused but did well. Hans, a very good friend of ours brought us and even staid a day longer to help us sort things and unpack. We will be living in the caravan for the time being until we can rent a house. Then the battle started.. Getting care for Harry. First getting health insurance, then register with a doctor, then an appointment... She understood completely but couldn't make head or tails from the Spanish doctor report so we have to do that all over again. There is a special program in a hospital near by, it is called a "memory clinic" she signed Harry up for it. It means you spend whole morning in hospital, scans, blood test, neurologist, psychologist and so.. all in 1 morning and after a week you get the results of what is wrong. But that could take up to 3 weeks just to get an appointment! So back to the doc again.. She told us she would send the care counselor over to us to see if we could get some daycare. Ok.. At first this lady told us no, he didn't fit the groups of "normal" dementia clients.. but after consulting with the doctor, and a neurologist they accepted and she came over to have a talk with us. That was last monday. She gave us a list with day care centres we could choose from. One was great for Harry! We went to have a look and it was a warm, inviting and great place with a strict daily routine. But not to strict. The owner told us Harry could come twice a week until town hall (the special social support part of town hall has to pay for it) gave their approval and that might take a few weeks.. If they would decide not to pay, well it was a risk they were willing to take because they could tell I needed a break. I will put a link at the bottom. But sometimes miracles do happen! Next day the care counselor called. She told me because the man from town hall was going on a vacation, if I would just read the report, approve it, and send it back with saying I approve, Harry could go next week and town hall would pay! He just wanted it to be sorted before he went on Holiday! So.. that is were we stand at the moment, 5th of June all sorts of testing, week after we get the results, Harry going to day care for the time being, and still trying to get a house. Social workers are helping us with that.. maybe another miracle will happen? You never know! http://depeelven.nl/

It is a week of "last time" .. last lunch in Mojácar, last time having my nails done by Edith, and today another last time.. my last mosaic class at Girasol.. well.. it wasn't really a class.. I was there being spoilt with wonderfull dishes, snacks, cakes and loads more made by my students and Claire.. I can say I didn't cry.. until I drove home :-( You are a great crazy bunch of wonderful people! Also Hannah, Lilly and Justine from Scrumptious popped in and said goodbye, they provided so many lunches for the 1 day classes.. and made me gain a few pounds in the last few years :-) and always serve with a big smile! Spikey came specially to say goodbye.. Thanks my wonderful students for your love and support the last few months which have been so hard on me, I know I wasn't always my cheery self.. And a special thanks to Claire, she became a very, very good friend, I could spill my guts, share tears and also share my smiles with you.. thanks for giving me the chance to teach my classes at Girasol and meet all these wonderfull people and being there in good times and also in hard times.. but I will see you before I go... and now.. for the last time .. a few photos from the projects "my crazy bunch" is creating (unfortunatly not everyone was there) and will finish with the guidance of their new teacher Lorraine.. (and Sue.. sorry I cannot post your photo.. it is gorgeous but you know why.. ) thank you all, love you loads..

Today was a strange day.. good to see everyone.. but a few tears also saying goodbye to some.. pfff.. just got to me that the next few weeks will be weeks of doing things for the last time here in Spain... it will be hard but I have no choice... Thanks everyone for stopping by and supporting me today and all the other times in the past on the market!

As you all know because of my husbands illness, I am returning to Holland at the end of the month.. so tomorrow is my last day at Los Llanos market! All my glass fused jewellery now 25% off and the hand made jewellery with semi precious stones -15%.. I also have some handmade, gorgeous smelling soy wax candles left and just a few mosaics! So if you want a unique hand made piece of jewellery,art or a delicious smelling candle of some of my other bits and pieces.. come and see me tomorrow!

At los llanos market 😄

last week in class I made the following announcement and I also want to share it with the followers of my art page: Dear friends, students, followers, encouragers, supporters,

As you all know my husband is sick, he needs constant care because his memory is not functioning as it should, (short term and long term) and leaving him alone can be dangerous. Furthermore he is not vary stable in walking and he has some other problems. This has been a big worry for me. I did a lot of research and tried different kinds of therapy on my own to try and get him better then he is right now., so that he will remember how to take a shower, how to shave.. just simple things like that. I know now, he won't recover and never will get better because his brain is damaged, but there is still a chance he can learn tricks to help him remember things, so he will at least know that he needs to eat, needs to shower and maybe even can do some shopping on his own without getting lost. He can only learn this with a very intencive therapy. This therapy can be given in Holland. It might take as long as 2 years to “train” him .
This is why, with a heavy heart, I made the difficult disicion to go back to Holland. Although Harry is very happy in his small little world, I need to give him this chance and also give myself some relieve of worrying and get more support in taking care of him. I am allready getting a lot of support from amazing friends here, but the therapy to make him as selfsuficiant as possible can only be given in Holland. And to be honest, taking care of Harry 24/ 7 is not something I can keep doing for the rest of his live. I am getting very tired.
This does not mean my classes will stop. For the last 2,5-3 years I had an apprentice who has been taking private lessons and she will be taking over my classes. Her style of mosaic is different then mine, which only means she will be able to learn you different things. She used to be a painter and now she paints in glass :-) Her name is Lorraine Cundy, she has been very active in the “english” community her in Spain and some of you might know her. During the last exhibition in Lubrín one of her mosaics was sold. I hope and wish you will give her the same support you gave me during the last couple of years. I know it won't be the same and maybe strange to have a different “teacher” , but I know you will be fine.. so at least I don't have to worry about you not being able to go on with your gorgeous mosaics. And of course I will be following you on Facebook! During March I will still be teaching and Lorraine will come and help me with this so you will get to know her. I will leave for Holland around the 29th of March . Lorraine will set up her own FB page and as soon as that is finished I will post a link here.
My wish is that you will go on with your mosaic and keep creating the beautifull things you do so I can still be a proud teacher , but only from a distance :-) Thanks for your amazing support and understanding the last half year, and you never know.. I might be back for a guest class!
Thanks again for your tremendous support, you are awsome girls.. and guy :-)

Truus