I didn’t sleep that well last night. I felt like I was awake as I had been all day. A few extra heartbeats in there for some reason.
Up at 6.10 and out for a cheeky 4k with Claire and Rachel…. A 3 neighbour run!
It was a beautiful morning.
My legs felt heavy but it was a good one.. my breathing was ok this morning .
I’m so glad I did it as I will be travelling for most of the day.
I’m currently on the 8.42 train to Glasgow and due to get the 10.10 Citylink bus to Inverness.
Mum and I are going up to visit our friend Glynis. Mum is on the bus from Edinburgh and I’m fairly certain I will get on her bus in Perth. We arrive into Inverness at exactly the same time so it’s a bit of a coincidence if we don’t arrive on the same bus. 😆
I had to drop Bertie Beetle at the garage for an MoT and service on the way… you do know I never actually call my car Bertie except in the blog. Just in case you were wondering 😆
There is pure blue sky at the train station!!
Buchanan Bus Station is a huge trip down memory lane for me.
I used to get buses in the early 90’s all the time. I used to know all the stances to get anywhere in Scotland. It’s been done up but it hasn’t changed a bit. 😆
So while there’s a 9.55 to Inverness… I’m booked on the 10.10 which doesn’t seem to exist…. That’s because I’m on the Aberdeen bus changing at Perth. Who knew?!? Thank goodness for the information kiosk. They don’t say that on the ticket at all. 😆
On the bus!
Mum and I are getting closer.
We have the find my friends app. I do love that mum and dad look out for my brother and I al the time… I check up on them sometimes too.
This is where I’m travelling today.
Shame there seems to be roadworks right over the word SCOTLAND 😆
I found my mammee.
The sun is shining for a lot of the trip.
The Dalwhinnie Distillery.
Love this viaduct north of Aviemore.
We arrived into Inverness at 13.58 and Glynis met us straight off the bus. Lots of lovely hugs. I don’t think I’ve seen Glynis since 2018!
We went straight for coffee and cake to Girvans. Mum and I shared a banoffee pie… it was so old. No photos, too busy chatting!
We headed up to our hotel and dumper our bags and then back out for a wander along the River Ness.
Look at that sky!
We went to the Mustard Seed for dinner. We had a lovely meal.
This was the view from the restaurant. So lovely.
The River Ness after dinner.
We went for a lovely evening walk along the river.
Sorry this is quick and not a lot of words but I’m rushing to get it out. 😆 it’s 9.15pm and I don’t think we’ll be long before we’re in bed!
Lots of great chat!!
We’ve had the loveliest day and I’m super excited about our Loch Ness cruise… back on the water!
I wonder how many people read that title, roll their eyes and think, not again?!?
I do just writing it.
I have been full of anxiety all day today.
I had the best sleep… the first progesterone-fuelled sleep of the month. I can highly recommend that stuff….
I woke at 5.50am and got up early. I think I felt ok then but the anxiety had just bubbled and churned away all day.
My fight or flight has been on very high alert… I’m looking for things to go wrong so I can throw my hands up in the air and confirm how rubbish I actually am.
I’ve been very unkind to myself all day.
I heard the words today that I get something wrong every time. Its was said with a smile…. It’s not every time but it has been a lot.
I wonder how long I can dine out on that one?!?
Even things said in jest will be catalogued in my anxious brain to be used against me at a later date…. By myself obviously… no one else.
Hmmmmm….
I can see it all happening from the outside in and yet can’t stop the physical pain it creates. I’ve had a tightness in my chest all day….. that said I did go down a bra size at the weekend so maybe I bought a smaller one too soon and it’s restricting my breathing 🫣😆
I feel like I drank about 5 coffees.
Actually when Helen was here we talked about the amount of caffeine in chocolate… who knew?!? I’m 51 and I had no idea. I have eaten my fair share of that this week.
I’ve come outside to sit in the garden for a bit.
It’s not that warm, I have a hoodie on but the fresh air is doing me good. I’m sitting beside a wonky pine tree, on this wee stool.
I strive for perfection but I make mistakes. I find these mistakes hard to swallow.
I strive for perfection when I can see a future problem coming my way. If I have to rely on others to prevent this thing from happening… I know it will be my problem next week and I want to sort it now. That’s not always possible.
I talk about the importance of living in the present moment and yet I feel real fear for things that may happen in the future. I get catapulted into a previous work life, where the blame culture was a game. I lost a lot of my self confidence back then. I used to think I was invincible… not so now.
I make life so hard for myself.
So it’s helped me to write through this as it always does. The tightness is still there but I have loosened the bra 🫣😆
Mum and I are off to Inverness tomorrow morning so I’m looking forward to a wee change this weekend. My bag is as ready as it can be…. I’m only taking my go to travel gear anyway.
What a lovely run this morning. I really “enjoyed” it…. I put “enjoyed” in inverted commas as it’s hard to fully enjoy a run but as runs go, it was pretty good.
My lungs worked and my legs felt good.
I woke at 5.29am… a minute before the alarm. It was soooo dark this morning!
I umped up and was out the door for 5.45 to meet Lynsey and Rachel.
I tried a time lapse video which I shared on my instagram and Fb page, but it doesn’t really work when you’re running…. It made me feel queasy watching it back 😆
There was a lovely sky. This is about 6.20am.
I have to get a high vis jacket I think… it’s only going to get darker. 🫣
We ran just shy of 6k.
And we’re done!
Those phone carriers we wear are hi vis which is something.
So it was a great start to the day. I had a cold shower to start and then switched to cool but I was still roasting when I got my work gear on. It took ages for my face to cool!
It was really mild for most of the day.
I had a mini meltdown just before lunch….. one of those moments when you categorically deny all knowledge of anything and then I actually said… “I’ll eat my hat if I ordered that before…”
I had hat for lunch….
🫣
Cringe.
I had a few last minute stock panics this morning that obviously put me a bit on edge.
Cringe.
Still cringing.
I struggle to let things like that go.
My head will dine out on the ridiculousness of that statement for some time to come.
I’m more surprised that ridiculousness is a word 😆
So where’s my head today?
It’s been good apart from my minor blowout.
I have been encouraged to have patience.
I know that this is true. Patience doesn’t seem to be my strong suit. 😆
I think I’m in the movie Sliding Doors at the moment.
So many opportunities are coming my way as if presenting themselves to me… I don’t know whether to take that path or wait for the next path to show itself… I’m going round in circles trying to figure out which course of action is the best option.
I see it and think oh wow this is amazing this is what I should do….
Or should I? I shouldn’t really do this? Can I? Should I? Will I?
These are all good thoughts…
Hmmm…. Anyway I’ll try to relax and accept that when I know I will know.
I’m off to meet the Gateside Hookers…. I may even hook tonight!
I say monsoon…. I exaggerate. The weather was horrific this morning. It was so dark and the rain was hammering down. We had forecasted up to 41 mile and hour winds.
I had been getting up early to walk the dogs but I rolled over in bed. It was far too dark and miserable.
It rained for hours this morning, hammering on the portacabin tin roof.
Then at one point mid afternoon, I stepped outside and saw this!!!! And it’s mild…. So lovely after the incessant rain.
It’s 7pm now and I’m sitting out in the back garden after a lovely dog walk. I’m making the most of the outdoors when we can.
I could so easily have sat down and not walked the dogs but I wanted to get moving and get a change of scenery.
I thought the clouds might be coming over but they’ve not yet.
The weather is always a huge topic of conversation in Scotland. 😆 everyone is talking about how rubbish it’s been this summer. I am definitely a blue sky kind of girl… as we head into winter….🫣
So today’s been a good day but I have definitely had some underlying anxiety bubbling away. It makes me feel uneasy… on edge… a bit antsy.
I’ve been using the Cleanup app to clear though old photos on my phone…. (Of which there were a total of 66,0000!!!)
I see myself in years gone by…. And I grieve for those past years. I wish I’d realised then what I know now.
I grieve for the lost years when I had to sit in Gran’s chair and recover from the darkest recesses of my mind.
I fret for my present moment. Is it enough? Is this what I want?
I think about the path for the future….
I am exhausted by the churn.
I feel quiet. I’ve spoken quietly today, oddly consumed by constant reflection and questioning.
Am I enough, am I doing enough….
What could I do, what could I be when I always seem too tired at the thought of changing anything.
I was driven by inspired action in June.
By July I was so exhausted I stayed home all month and weeded the garden.
I am tired by the overthinking of it all.
I can’t seem to shake this feeling of life just passing me by… so I need to take pleasure from the small things. The snatched conversations with Craig as I come home and he leaves for work, the walks with the dogs and the time spent outdoors breathing it all in.
Long may this bright yellow ball in the blue sky continue.
The PS Waverley is heading down south for her South Coast tour and I’ve been tracking her since last night.
First thing I did when I woke up. She was passing the Isle of Man.
She’s now passing the south of Wales if anyone else is interested!
The sad thing is I don’t even have to look her up… I just look for her wee blue boat shape 😆
After my shower this morning, I headed outside to stand in the back garden and appreciate the calm, after the wind had died down. There was no rain either. It was so peaceful.
Bliss.
I took photos of the hydrangeas. (THE WEEDS ARE BACK MUCH TO MY DISGUST! 😆)
They have lasted so long… every year I think they last forever.
So it was just a usual Monday except dry…. That’s quite unusual for us these days. It felt mild for a few hours today.
I came home and grabbed the 3 amigos and headed out for a walk.
Calaidh’s already off lead.
They had a good run about the field. Burnt off some energy.
We past this big guy in one of the fields…
Uh oh… he spotted me…
The good thing about the iPhone 15 pro is the zoom….. I didn’t have to be too close to get that photo.
Khaleesi is curled up next to me now.
The door’s shut mum… let us in!!
They’re fast asleep now.
So not much else to report. I think I’ll just leave a couple of shots from my sunny day out on the Waverley… Monday 20th May. An exceptional sailing from Glasgow to Oban via Borick, Campbeltown, through between Islay and Jura on to Colonsay, up past Easdale and the Slate Islands and on to Oban. A truly beautiful day.
Back when the sun shone… it’s coming this weekend too I hope!
2024 is really the summer that never was. In Ayrshire anyway.
We had a lovely evening last night with Euan and Lindsay. It was great to catch up as we hadn’t seen each other since the middle of May.
We ordered Indian takeaway from Twice the Spice in Beith. I had veggie Tikka Chasni. It was really good. I’m really impressed with the takeaway veggie dishes.
I have eaten the odd bit of meat recently. It was fine but I am just as happy without it. My body is really telling me what it does and doesn’t want these days.
I felt like another rest day coming on.
But I really didn’t want to waste the day.
I got all dressed up for the rain and headed out to walk the 3 pupsketeers.
Even they were shaking the water off them as they walked.
Even the cows were all huddled together.
Come on Freya, keep up, says Bhru.
Home and all dried.
Bhruic is not impressed.
This was the best group shot I could get.
I decided to head to Braehead Shopping Centre for something to do in the rain.
I didn’t get there until 11 and it was a wee bit too busy for my liking 😆 very peopley 🫣
I got this wee cropped bomber jacket from Primark. It was really cosy and will be a good jacket/cardy for my holidays.
I liked the combat joggies too but they didn’t do much for my tummy so I didn’t get them.
I definitely think I suit my own skinny trousers better.
I wasn’t really in the mood for trying loads on but I did go for a lovely Starbucks. Coconut milk latte…. Decaf… yes I remembered!
Home via Aldi for the food shop.
So that’s been my weekend.
Not the most exciting weekend but I have loved the rest.
It’s STILL raining!
Next weekend looks much more promising and mum and I are headed north to Inverness for the weekend.
Another great sleep last night and awake at 6.15am.
I was running with the girls at 7am. This was just a short one for me and as the weather was horrific again this morning and I was tired.
I’m glad I got up to go but ended up only running 348kms.
It was fast though..a for me!
Lynsey and Blair went on to run a total 10k!! I was struggling to keep up with them.
I jumped straight in the shower as then went on to have a lovely lazy morning… I got lots of practical stuff done though.
I booked car parking for various airport trips we have planned.
I organised my car insurance… can you believe it’s a whole year since I lost my no claims bonus on a technicality?!?!?! I can smile now at the stress I let that create. This year I just deleted the 25+ years no claims and made it 4 years. I’m over it. 😆 so that’s the car insurance done for another year.
I took some photos!
We then spent about 6 hours planning next year’s summer holiday…. We haven’t even been on this years yet. 😆
We booked through love holidays and we like to pay them up and spread the cost in advance. So next September… 2025… we are off to Lindos in Rhodes. I have always fancied it since I first visited in 1991… my first ever foreign holiday. It’s nice to have things like that to look forward to.
Then it was time to take the monster pups out for a walk.
They had a good munch on the grass in the field!
I love the shots you can get when they’re chewing!
Then I took myself off to bed for a read of my book and a nap…. Until someone woke me to tell me the football score. Thanks darling… 😆 and now he’s chasing me out the door!!
We are off to Euan and Lindsay’s tonight. I’m really looking forward to a catch up. It’s been months since we saw them up in Tayvallich.
I slept from 10pm until 6.45am this morning and didn’t move. It was such a good sleep.
When I woke I started to read my book and couldn’t put it down. I finally dragged myself out of bed at 9am.
I changed the bed so we have clean bed tonight.
I showered and washed my hair as Craig had a meeting at the house. He’d done all the housework…. He should invite people here more often. 😆
Here’s Khaleesi enjoying the sun.
She was given new medication on Monday.. this time for nerve pain. She’s very sleepy and is sleeping a lot of the day. She’s still not putting much weight on her back leg. She’s doesn’t seem like she’s in pain which is the main thing. She used to squeal when she ran before, then you knew she’d hurt herself.
So I’ve done very little all day.
I’ve finished the book that I was only 1/4 of the way through, when I woke this morning.
I’ve done several loads of washing while keeping one eye on the rain.
I had to go flying out to get it all back indoors when the heaviest downpour hit.
I feel so sleepy that I could actually go for a nap but we’re doing to have a movie afternoon instead.
There are so many things I could have done today but I’m tired. It’s been a busy few weeks and the rest is welcome.
I used to wear my burnout as a badge of honour. Now I love my work doesn’t define me.
I’ve no plans for the rest of the weekend and so far, that is ok.
So yeah not much else to report. Definitely a sloth style of day!
Quite possibly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I ran my first 10k “race” in the most brutal weather imaginable.
We left the house at 5.40 in the pouring rain and driving winds, to head for Irvine Maritime Museum.
I’ve only ever run in a T-shirt on top and was reluctant to change the clothes set up that seemed to work for me. The weather had other ideas. I’d been freezing all day at work. We all decided to wear our running jackets and it was absolutely the right decision.
Here we all are before we start.
A lady asked why we had our number outside on the jacket… what if we get warm?!? Of course that sent me into a “should I put the number under my jacket, should I leave it” run up to the start….. we all decided that it was so cold outside that we’d need our jackets anyway.
This is us sheltering under the Irvine Railway Station bridges at the start line.
I cannot explain how bad the weather was.
It was the kind of night you would curl up in front of the tv, or with a good book. You most certainly wouldn’t have gone out for a run!
Lynsey and Gillian disappeared quickly after the start. They are fast runners.
I settled in with Rachel and Emma but I have to be honest and I say I never settled into the run at all.
I didn’t enjoy any minute of it.
My body fought it all the way.
My mind fought it all the way.
Rachel kept a good stride beside me, as we did in Tough Mudder. I kept telling her to leave me if she felt I was holding her back. Julie the burden showing her true colours… just so I could beat myself up for not finding it easy.
The first 1k felt like miles. The 2nd km felt about 4 or 5. Everything felt difficult in the wind and rain.
Our water station was at 4k and that felt like we still had so many miles to go.
Rachel really seemed to be in the zone. She had a spring to her step and a positivity in her head that I seemed to be lacking.
I honestly couldn’t have done it without her. I’m so grateful to her for pulling me round.
The last few kms were by far the worst.
If you know Irvine at all, we pulled into the lake behind the dunes, in Irvine Beach Park. We were fully exposed to the worst of the weather.
The rain felt like hail on our skin. The wind was so strong we were hardly moving.
It felt endless.
We laughed for some of it which is always a good thing.
The course seemed to keep turning away from the finish line but finally we turned along the home straight, from the main beach car park down past Gro Coffee.
I didn’t feel like I could go on.
Rachel kept me going.
We crossed the finish line!!
I burst into tears and couldn’t do anything for myself. I was exhausted 😆
I had beaten my previous 10k by almost 2.5 minutes…. And in that weather, that was pretty special.
I was 253rd out of 262 runners but it was a proper race and not a fun run. For once I don’t feel bad about that. Strava confirms my PB.
And what a way to do it. Lashed my all the west of Scotland weather had to offer.
A special shout out to Lynsey and Gillian. They managed a sub 1hour with 58 minutes. Incredible effort for Gillian’s first race.
They came out to meet us and ran the last few hundred metres with us, hand in hand. It was a really special moment.
I also want to say a special word for Emma who has never run 10kms before, at all…. And she did it all by herself in that weather. She lost her Gran a few days before and could have so easily got out of it. An inspiration.
And we are done!
We headed up to Vanilla Joes in Irvine for our free finishing ice cream. It was like nectar from the gods. I will definitely be back.
We then got changed and dried off in the pouring rain… appreciating the irony. We all stood in Asda’s car park in our sports bras…. My leggings wouldn’t go all the way up as they stuck to my legs but we were at least out of the soaking wet clothes and on our way home.
Thanks to Rachel for driving as the roads were all flooded.
What a night.
It didn’t end there.
I relived it for most of the night.
I tossed and turned.
I lay wide awake but exhausted.
I got up and went downstairs to read.
I took paracetamol and ibuprofen which calmed my legs. I felt them melt into the bed which was such a relief.
My head still thumped and the adrenaline flowed.
And then it was 6.40am and it was time to get ready for work again.
My legs have been fine.
I’ve drunk so much water and the headache is still there but lessened.
I did it.
I ran a 10k race.
On 1sr January this year, Rachel and I decided to start running once a week as we paced well together.
Who’d have thought we’d have been taking part in a 10k by August?!?
Who’d a thunk it?!
So proud of our wee running team in Gateside. A tiny village with a whole lot of runners, with a whole lot of wisdom to help each other through anything. ♥️
And finally thank you to Claire and the team at Irvine Running Club who made it all possible. Their support all the way really helped. They must have been freezing and soaked to the skin themselves.
I had no idea where I was this morning…. I’ve only been out the office for two days but I could barely remember my own name. 😆
I went in early to try to get off on the right foot but had the busiest day from the outset. I did arrange for a customer to come in at 8am on my first day back, so hell mend me as they say in the west of Scotland. (That was not a saying I used to back in the east!)
It’s been torrential rain on and off but here are the puppers in the garden tonight in a rare sunny moment!
So after such a busy weekend I’m gonna make this a quick one.
I’m tired.
I have a 10k “race” tomorrow night so prepare for.
There is no part of me that actually wants to spend my Wednesday in that way. The weather tomorrow is HUGE. That is not a describing word for weather… I do feel it’s justified.
We are running at 7pm….. of course we are. 🤦🏻♀️
I may have mentioned that I’m not an evening runner. Tomorrow I have no choice and will be a very wet evening runner.
Hopefully the wind is behind me. 😆
So on that note I’ll leave you with some photos from the weekend.
Ahhhh happy days.
My head is good just now. I’m calm. Long may that continue.
We knew the weather forecast would not be as kind to us today so we got up early and headed out for a big dog walk first thing.
We walked for 2 hours while it was still dry.
This was a huge Belted Galloway bull!
He was a big monster!
Then we saw the lovely Highlanders, that are never often out when I walk past. They were today.
The clouds are low and heavy but no sign of rain yet.
We went down to Kilbirnie Loch.
The dogs had a blast. I am nervous letting them all off the the lead at the same time.
Helen kept saying, should we let them off?!? Ok…… 😆
It’s beautiful, still and calm before the rain comes.
We walked another 7 miles today, making our total this weekend, 37 miles!!
We were thirsty and starving by the time we were finished. I got Craig to come and pick us up. That way we made it home just in time for the rain.
I love this photo of the dogs!
They were so happy after their walk. Thanks to Auntie Helen for helping me walk them.
We went to Mocha Jak’s for brunch…. And we ate so much!! Also so lovely to see so many Gatesiders in there.
I had the avocado stack.
Helen had the honey and pesto stack.
We may have then had hot chocolates and shared cake!!
I was soooooo full afterwards. It was pouring with rain and really dark…. We couldn’t decide what to do… so we came home and had a movie afternoon. The perfect, quiet end to a lovely weekend.
We sat for about 4 hours surrounded by the smell of wet dog 😆😆😆
Helen’s flight is after 8pm so I’ve dropped her at the airport at 6pm. It was stotting down and quite misty.
It’s so lovely to have a day off work and to have such an adventure of a weekend.
We were very lucky with the weather… it could have been so much worse. Like it is now 😆
Who knows where our next adventure may take us!
Meanwhile I’m back on the couch finishing Mrs Harris Goes to Paris 😆
I woke at 4.30am…. Of course I did. I think I may have woken Helen too.
Alarm set for 6.15am and by 6.30 we are out for a run!!
The sunrise was pretty.
I took Helen to see my favourite gate!
And she’s off up the hill looking like a purple wheelie bin.
And we’re done. It’s the first time I’ve run in a week… it was an easy start but I did find it rough towards the end.
Home, cold shower for me then off to Ardrossan to catch the 9.45am CalMac ferry to Arran.
The sun is shining!!!
It is, however, a tad windy!
I managed to get the flag to look like is plastered onto the lighthouse when leaving Ardrossan.
It might not look it but the ferry is heaving. I’ve never seen it so busy.
Finally we can see Brodick and the clouds are clearing.
The wind dies right down in the bay. Goat Fell looks lovely under the blue sky.
We decided to walk around Brodick, look for a coffee shop and then head round to the rocks near Brodick Castle to sit in the sun for a bit.
CalMac’s Isle of Arran still loading as we walk away.
We went to The French Fox for coffee…. It was a lovely wee space. Thanks to my friend Anne for the recommendation. We sat outside under a poly tunnel.
We had brioche French toast to share and she split it between us.
The coconut milk latte was exquisite too.
Then we were off again, headed for the base of Goat Fell. This river was lovely.
Some lovely wee buildings.
Then down to the beach.
It’s beautiful.
It’s still windy at times but a lot less than the ferry.
Now walking back round the bay and it’s lovely and calm.
We got some beautiful shots.
Love this next one.
And then we went to The Parlour in Brodick for pizza…. Thanks to my friend Lesley for the recommendation.
Big smiles… 30 miles done already this weekend!!!
Lovely pizza. Quattro Saggioni and a fruity pizza with fig on it. They were honestly amazing!!
We had about a half hour to kill so sat in the sun and waited for the ferry.
The Isle of Arran AND a man in a kilt with 2 Border Collies!
We are shattered but have had the best few days and still one more to go!
I said it yesterday but I love that we just want to do the same things and are happy to go with the flow. We’ve had a lovely few days on the west coast of Scotland.
We’re on the ferry heading back now. It’s a lot less windy so far. We are the blue dot 🔵
Hope you all had the best weekend. We’ve the day off tomorrow… 🙌🏼🙌🏼
If alcohol free Carlsberg did days out…. Wow. We’ve had it all apart from scorching sunshine!!
We spent a while trying to decide what to do today. We were going to go to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Green today…. Entrance was £22.50 and I was worried that it wouldn’t take our attention for a whole day and yet, we would feel like we should stay…. I’m sure we may have missed a great day but we opted for a car, train and ferry trip to Dunoon! I have lived in Scotland all my life and I don’t think I’ve ever been to Dunoon.
So we took the dogs out first and then drove to Glengarnock train station.
We jumped on the train to Paisley Gilmour Street.
We changed there for Gourock.
When we got to Gourock we had to chose between the ferry to Dunoon at 1.05pm or Kilcreggan at 1.30pm. We chose Dunoon as it was earlier. We had some time to kill.
What hoves into view around the corner, as we wait?!?
The Waverley is heading to Dunoon just before us!!
Then we spotted this seal waiting around the fisherman. That’s the best photo I got!
Dunoon Pier is beautiful.
Lots of it is derelict.
This is our trip for the day!
We went for lunch at The Boat House in Dunoon. It was really lovely, a beautiful view doon the watter, as they say in Glasgow!
We then for a long walk through Dunoon to Kirk and then to Hunters Quay.
We sailed back with Western Ferries.
We were the only foot passengers
Then Helen screamed and was routed to the spot and couldn’t speak… she spotted the dolphins!!
We were very excited and almost missed getting off the Ferry!!
How lucky was I with the seagull?!?!
Last off the ferry!!
We then had a 50 minute walk back along the front in Gourock, to the train station… what pops up behind us?!?
How lucky were we!!??
So no blue sky but it’s been dry all day.
We’re on the train home now and have pre-ordered a chow mein!
We’ve marvelled at the view, the wildlife and all the buildings we have walked past.
We have chatted about anything and everything oh and had a good charity shop rummage!
My knee has been gowping, do you remember my sore knee?!? It’s been a while since it hurt like that but it was from the outset. Strange.
Anyway, other than that it’s been a great day!
I got Helen home from the airport at 00.03 last night. It was a late one. Craig and Khaleesi were wide awake at 6am…. I mean come on…. I get up for work at 6.10am every morning, Craig doesn’t move and Khaleesi gives me a side stink eye, she’s excited by the movement but I shouldn’t wake her…. 😆😆
Not so this morning. 😆
I dozed until 8 but we were both still tired when we got up.
We took the Borders for a walk after our showers. I took no photos…. How unusual!
We drove out to Largs and went to Moka Largs for brunch.
Check these Bounty milkshakes…. They were out of this world.
Coconut milk and vegan “cream”… it wasn’t too much, just the perfect amount.
We had the breakfast Burrito too.
Then Helen fancied the pancakes too…
I couldn’t eat much of them… I swore I would never be able to eat again afterward.. 😆
So today we got the Ferry to the Isle of Great Cumbrae, just off the coast of Largs.
We’re on the ferry!
Largs is looking very mean and moody under the cloudy skies. At least it’s dry!
It’s very windy out at sea!
So today we walked around Cumbrae. We started from the ferry slip and turned right and walked anti-clockwise around the island.
I am sooooo tired right now… so here are some photos, sorry for no real chat 😆
Bute in the foreground and Arran in the background.
We stopped at the cafe in Fintry Bay and had a can of juice.
Finally round in Millport.
I honestly thought we could walk the whole way but we realised by Millport, that we needed to get the bus, the rest of the way.
A great decision! The bus meets the ferry and you don’t have to wait.
We had a bite to eat in the Paddlesteamer in Largs and headed home.
Think we’ll both sleep tonight. We’ve had a great day catching up and love that we love doing the same things.
I lay down in bed last night…. It had been a beautiful day…. Then I heard the rain drops…. Huge big rain drops. It was about 10.30pm and it did not stop until about 3pm today.
It was torrential…..
The roads on the way to work were so flooded. Rivers running down either side of the road.
I slept well and work was really busy.
You can tell today is a slow news day. 😆
So my weekend is here!! I have Friday off as usual but also Monday as Helen is coming up from Exmouth this weekend. She’s drastically delayed poor thing, so tomorrow might have to be a gentle day.
I’m so looking forward to our next adventure for the next 4 days.
Who knows what we will get up to…. Which is interesting because I am the one who should have planned it all…. 😆
I have lots of ideas but we will decide each day based on the weather. It’s been so changeable that we can’t risk being out on a long walk and getting drenched.
I love this next time one….
You all know me by now… my body talks to me all the time and tells me all sorts…. 😆😆
So leading nicely into my next news….. I have also booked a mini break for the end of October… to Milan.
It’s another solo travel but with a difference… I’m going to be meeting Melanie, who I met out in Rome. She’ll get a train up to meet me. so I travel out alone but am not alone when I’m there.
How exciting!
I booked my flights through Skyscanner and I’m flying with Ryanair. Their booking system is very hard work! It’s very negative and they desperately try to get you to spend more money on your flights.
If you don’t pay to select a seat…they assume that you are happy with “random seat selection”…. 🫣😆 then they try to scare you by suggesting it’s not a good idea.
“What you need to know about random seat selection…. “
You might be stuck in dreaded middle seat. 🫣
Also the wording for not picking their travel insurance…. “I don’t want to be insured”…. What about I already have my own travel insurance?!?
Do you want to compensate for you CO2 emmissons?! I felt a bit guilty about that.
They asked me on 4 separate occasions to update my bags… the fear factor that the size you have selected will just never be enough. 4 whole times!!
And finally the £2.99 to get text updates. Now I did pay that just because I’d rather be fully updated when I’m travelling on my own. They got me there 😆
So yeah, I found that all very interesting. Spend more money. Spend more money.
Eh no….
So only another 3.5 hours until Helen gets here… IF the delayed flight is on its new time. I have everything crossed for her.
It’s so lovely to see after all the rain and wind.
I slept for almost 9 hours last night… it was the best sleep… ever.
I was so tired when I came home last night. I had no energy or oomph. The housework I did do, was done at a snails pace and probably half as good as to should have been…
I went up to bed just after 8pm. It was bliss.
My head decompressed as soon as I went upstairs to escape from the noise of the football.
I lay and read for a bit but could hardly keep my eyes open…. I switched the light out about 8.45pm and slept like a log.
I didn’t set an alarm for a run this morning. I hadn’t asked if anyone was free, just in case they said they were! I decided if I woke up early I would run.
I woke up with the alarm at 6.10am.
Hence, I did not run!
I felt a wee bit bad about missing it this week but I was so grateful for the amazing sleep!
This was a quick snapshot as I crossed the street to get to the car.
And there’s barely been a cloud in the sky all day.
Ellison and I sat out at lunch. I had a very similar salad to yesterday, but I had raspberries instead of strawberries today…. Still with Franks hot sauce. Craig and I are slightly addicted to it.
That’s veggie pakora on top of it. I love my salads!
I still have to work on negativity when things don’t exactly go my way.
We had another busy day today. The boys were finishing vans as fast as the boss was landing new jobs and I was rushed off my feet at both ends. 😆
I love that buzz. The productivity. I had to stay a weeee bit late trying to get everyone sorted that was finished and let new customers know we were ready. All good though.
So I’m sitting in the garden, still in my thick tartan joggers but enjoying the sun, if a little overdressed for it. My current view…
It’s so lovely.
I have crochet tonight with the Hookers. In 20 minutes in fact, so I’d better get changed.
I may discuss the possibility of turning my rainbow granny squares …..
into a waistcoat, that I’m certain I would never be seen dead in… but stranger things have happened.
I hope you all got some sunshine in your day today. It’s been very lovely.
I think I had a great sleep last night, but didn’t feel particularly rested.
We have Khaleesi in with us just now as my friend is staying over the weekend so we’re getting her used to a new room. She was in the downstairs bedroom, while she recovered from her operation. That’s all been gutted and repainted so she’s in with us for the next few days.
She’s still not weight bearing much on her injured leg. She’s to get more tablets from the vet to see if they will help with any infection she may have around the pin in her ankle. Some days she seems fine and other days a little tired with the hobbling. Bless her that’s been nearly 3 months since her accident. Pic just because….
It’s been a quick day at work today with lots of lovely customers in and out. That always keeps me busy!
It poured with rain and we never got outside at lunchtime. I had a lovely salad today. Forgot to take a photo, who knew that strawberries and blueberries covered in hot sauce, could be a thing?!?
I came home and brought the wheelie bin round to the back of the house… they all know I was there… all 4 of them are looking at me through the glass!!
Khaleesi is just behind the joint of the 2 doors.
I’m tired tonight, there was no anxiety during the day at all. So different from yesterday but I’m shattered today.
Of course I ran the hoover around the house and got the spare room finished for the weekend and it’s all done.
The hairs that are cast over the next few days will just need to stay there. 😆
I’m so looking forward to a mini break this weekend. Albeit staying at home, but a chance to show Helen around. Please do a sun dance (if there is such a thing!) as we need dry days for walking if my plans are to come to fruition.
The forecast is half on my side!!
I love this…. It’s just so true.
When I stop fighting what is, and just be…. I am calm.
I guess after 1,577 days it’s acceptable not to be able to come up with a title every now and then…
Let’s start with last night… we had a lovely, impromptu evening with Claire and Graeme, next door, around their fire pit.
We sat outside until 10pm. Check me, staying up beyond 10pm on a Sunday night… a school night 😆
Claire has the prettiest lights in the back garden and how lovely is that hydrangea bush?!?
It’s magical.
These light bulbs are almost invisible but light up the bushes so well. It was just a lovely atmosphere!
This is the gateway to our garden…. it’s enchanting…
And our garden was pitch black as we didn’t gave any lights on 😆 I had fairy light envy!!
So…. I got up at 5.40am this morning, to catch up on some of the housework, that I didn’t get done yesterday.
I had a great wee morning and felt great on the way to work.
Sat at my desk and, boom, anxiety….. on and off all day.
Major overthinking.
I honestly felt like I’d drunk a few cups of coffee.
Jittery.
I can’t think of any real reason for it.
We were busy.
Maybe I was worried that I’d drop a ball with a lot of customers coming and going.
I really don’t know…. But you can bet your life I spent most of the day second guessing and trying to question why?!
What on earth is wrong with you now?
Why me?
It goes on…..
I ended up breaking my 16 hour fast early, in case it was just hunger.
It helped a bit, but didn’t really put an end to it.
It’s been a lovely day since lunchtime. Ellison and I sat outside at lunch.
So I came home and have been driven ever since.
I’ve tried to do as much housework as 3 Border Collies and a a Belgian Malinois will allow, in advance of my friend Helen coming to stay on Thursday.
I can’t wait until she gets here and we can plan our days…. All dependent on the weather, of course.
I’ve had a really good evening and not sat down until the back of 8. It still seems warm outside which is lovely.
So all is calm.
When you suffer from anxiety…. Sorry…. I won’t speak for everyone but because I have suffered from anxiety in the past, I always have a concern if I feel off.
I want to know what caused it and why it’s happening. I can’t seem to let it be, as I assume it’s telling me something.
Sometimes I’d like to be a little less in tune with my every waking thought. 😆
The Rambling Sloth 🦥 