THANK YOU! And New Features! 
dA Love
You could never have known just how much this would mean to me in so many ways!
Have I missed anyone? Please let me know if I have, because I just have this niggling feeling... All because I didn't get things organised properly before now!
My art speciality has gradually evolved into the creation of Fractal Fantasy Scenes entirely created in Ultra Fractal. These are multi-layered with masking and mapping often applied to get the desired result. I find Ultra Fractal an extremely rewarding fractal program with many facilities offering enormous versatility. The downside for would be fractal artists is that it does not come free, but I have never regretted the purchase I made several years ago, which I then continued to upgrade.
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MY PORTFOLIO
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YOU CAN HEAR TRACKS FROM ONE OF MY OWN CDs on the MUSIC page of my personal website. These were all composed, played and recorded by me between 1999-2002 © Nicky Keates - my first and last names - so now you know!!! All the CD's are available for sale directly from me - details given on the site.
MY SPECIAL FAMILY
MOLLY
My Constant Desktop Companion!
Upside-down might be better!
Caught!!
My husband and Murry, who loves to be carried about on his shoulders!
My daughter, Kaz, and myself at a happy moment!
PICTURES FROM EXHIBITION IN JUN '07
Line 'em up and Shooooot!!!
Initial Walk-round with the Curator, the Mayor of Poole and his lady wife talking to Yours Truly.
The Lady Mayor enquiring the price of one of my pictures.
My daughter and myself discussing one of my greetings cards.
I apparently made the most sales in that exhibition and sold Ocean Scene with Ship (featured below) within the first 48 hours.
Unfortunately I have not been well enough to take part in any further exhibitions.
dA AWARDS
"Interplanetary Confrontation"
"Calvary"
"Ocean Scene With Ship"
Awarded on 5th October 08, 23rd March 2008 and 17th July 2007 respectively.
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"Alien Encounter"
Awarded on 23rd March 2007
It's unfortunate that I deleted the whole of my gallery towards end of July 2007, so all previous comments and favorites of my images were also lost. A hasty move!
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A very special stampie made for me (and anyone who'd like to support me) by `Lauraest - She makes beautiful stamps!
Two beautiful stampies made for me by ~luffsfromafriend
I would love my supporters and friends to use them!
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Slay the Dragon is in support of research into sarcoma, specifically Leiomyosarcoma. You can read more about this condition HERE
MY STUFF
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Uh Ohh!!
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ABOUT ME/CFS
For those who don't know, I have the misfortune of suffering from myalgic encephalopathy and chronic fatigue, and there are a couple of links below which give a little insight into this very misunderstood chronic illness which never seems to leave its victim once it has struck.
I retired early at the age of 58 (I think) because I realised to my horror back then that I couldn't any longer work as a self-employed locum medical secretary with the high levels of integrity I had always aspired to. Since that time I have become weaker physically too (not that I ever regained my strength and stamina to the levels they had been before I was struck down in 1997), and for the last few years I have been disabled and relegated to the brigade of the "Greys on Scooters" for getting around outside or in shopping precincts!
But you see me on my scooter on my profile page, and you see that I'm happy on it! Yes indeedie! If I could, I'd have a racer!!! I love those times out in the country on my larger vehicle, Richard on his bicycle, just meandering along in the fresh air and beautiful scenery around us. Memories like those in the middle of winter are like glimpses of heaven, and give me fresh hope for a repeat of those times again during this coming year.
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Not enough is known about this horrible illness. Many people are bed-ridden with it, even having to live in darkness because the light triggers sensory overload. Carers are sent out to do their every-day chores, and there are widely reported cases of abuse from the ones who treat this particular clientèle with contempt, telling them they are lazy and good for nothing, and that they should "pull their socks up" and darn well get on with life! How galling to be told this when that's the one thing such a person wishes more than anything else that they could do! (Thankfully my husband is my carer, and he loves me to death and knows only too well what's involved from both sides of the coin!)
The cause of the illness has sparked off many a heated debate, both in medical research, and amongst the actual victims of the illness. It is now proving to be of viral origin, whereby a previously contracted virus for any number of illnesses (no particular one) then remains dormant in the body's system until it is triggered at a later stage by some event in life, usually involving high stress and emotional turmoil, when it comes to life again in a mutated form, destroying certain functions of some of the genes of the body. It chiefly seems to affect the hypothalamus, which although the smallest gland in the brain, happens to be the most important one, and is responsible for interpreting signals from the body, mind and environment. In ME, these signals become misinterpreted, and in turn the wrong chemical responses are sent out via the pituitary gland, causing a long-since drained fight and flight system to go into perpetual overload. This is what leaves the patient exhausted.
Unfortunately patients with this illness are subjected to a lot of misunderstanding, as for a long time it was "assumed" to be a psychosomatic illness that didn't really exist. It was only through the unending efforts of ME sufferers themselves, together with a handful of doctors that further research was instigated to investigate physical causes.
Here are a couple of links for anyone who would like to know more about ME/CFS (from which I suffer)...
The ME Association and ME Research
These sites should help to clear up any preconceived misconceptions about this very debilitating illness, and I'm thankful that I'm not as badly affected as many others are, although wouldn't it be just wonderful if a breakthrough could be made as to its aetiology leading to an actual cure for us all!!
Devious Comments
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I
Partner in Crime ^archanN
junkbyjen@volunteers.deviantart.com
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Anna
My Photography Account *Annaphotix
Member of
*FractalDreams
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Anna
My Photography Account *Annaphotix
Member of
*FractalDreams
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Maria Zeldis
Visit My Gallery
zeldis print shop & KOTIK print shop
Love,
Anj
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Member of Apophysis
I support "Reduced thanking"
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Maria Zeldis
Visit My Gallery
zeldis print shop & KOTIK print shop
I hope your mammo is 100% perfect this year. I know what you mean about the call-backs. That has happened to me the last two years and I had to have a biopsy back in 1995 which was a very scary time, but fortunately, all was okay. I go in October for my yearly exam and hope I won't be called back again for a second exam and ultrasound like last year. It is a painful process, but well worth the no worry the rest of the year.
Take care, Anna, and I hope you will be feeling better very soon.
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Love and Peace,
Kim
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My flaws are better than your flaws
Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
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'Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.' Ralph Waldo Emerson
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