Well that was an interesting evening yesterdayā¦..
The cramp just kept getting worse. Painkillers didnāt ease it off and neither did my hot water bottle. Usually the heat is an instant relief.
I literally had to move about on the couch every 5-10 minutes or so. Once I got comfy, it relaxed a bit until the next wave hit. Not gonna lie, there were silent tears most of the evening as I genuinely felt awfy sorry for myself.
It wasnāt the kind of depression tears though, just a feeling sad for the current situation. Also not a woe is meā¦. I know that this will pass. And it hasā¦.
Iāve been much better today. I actually slept most of the night, which was great but I didnāt go to the Farm this morning as still felt rotten, I looked all peely wally and my eyes were puffy from the tears.
Bit pathetic eh but it was really sore.
Iāve had twinges today but nothing like yesterday.
So itās been an exciting, busy, yet very quiet day at Tartan HQ. The boys were at the SEC in Glasgow, setting up our stand at the show. It turned out theyād given us the wrong stand so we had to move everything around. A daft mistake by someone on Monday.
We are so very lucky to have two vans right outside the SEC which is a great advertisement. (these are not my pics as I wasnāt there today!)
Thereās the same Finnieston Crane that I took a photo of last week when I was at the Scottish Trade Fair with the little gift shop. This is the year of the trade show! š
Hereās our stand!
And here are 3 of my smart looking Directorsā¦. A girl can never have too many Directors š
This lovely van is up for sale at the show⦠I love it!
So yeah, thatās me for the next 4 days! If you happen to be at a loose end and nearby then pop along and say hello. We have smart new gear to wear so there will be plenty of photos.
Donāt remember it being this sore since my early 20ās and that takes some remembering. š.
I have this memory of being at Uni, maybe in my late teens and having such bad cramp that my Grandpa had to come and pick me up and take me to Granās. š³Mum and Dad must have both been working.
I can clearly recall the atmosphere in the carā¦. You could cut it with a knife! Poor Grandpa probably knowing fine well what was wrong with me but we were NEVER going to discuss it. That just wasnāt the done thingā¦.. here I am pretending Iām fine while making random small talk, as I curled up into a ball on the passenger seat and tried not to cry.
Actually, writing that reminds me of being alone with Grandpa, which makes me smile and is lovely, though I still cringe and the unspoken words!
Paracetamol havenāt worked at all today.
I slept quite well, yet woke at 5.15am and couldnāt get back to sleep.
The pain has been coming in waves. Itās felt overwhelming at times. Iāve had to sit hunched over my desk, to stretch my backā¦. Iāve had to stand up straight and try to stretch out my stomachā¦. Iāve had to sit stillā¦. Iāve had to move around and I still canāt quite find the right position.
Another memory, at work this time, just after finishing Uniā¦. I worked in the Glasgow University Court Office Reception. We used to sit and hug the heated kettle when we had bad crampā¦. It seemed like a great idea at the time ššš an office full of girls could get away with that!
I had to start eating at 15 hours of fasting this morning as I needed to take more painkillers, and didnāt want to on an empty stomach. The cramps were making me feel sick, maybe it was the empty stomach with the cramps that didnāt help.
Usually within about 10 minutes it would subside, but not today.
I got some respite mid afternoon thankfully but it seems to have come back since Iāve eaten dinner.
Iām sure tomorrow will be fine. Maybe even later on tonight. It never normally lasts long⦠but this one is pretty heavy.
Oh the joysā¦. Peri-menopause is the gift that keeps on giving. This is the price I pay just now for increasing my hormones to help keep my anxiety and other symptoms in check.
As painful as itās been today, this is nothing compared to the monthly mental slump that I have had for so many years. Honestly, itās night and day. Iām in pain, it sucks, itās uncomfortable but my head is clear, my mood is not going down, itās not making me slump. (Except physically Iām contorted š³šš)
In other news weāve been busy getting ready for the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home Show. Thatās a mouthful eh?!
The boys will set up the stand tomorrow and get it ready for opening on Thursday morning. Iām excited and looking forward to speaking to as many people as possible, selling the van we are taking for sale and selling as many conversions as we can!
Boss man has the vans place already. Thatās the first stage.
So to end on a another positive. Iāve seen loads of positivity on FB today. In my 5.15am positivity scrollā¦. So Iāll post them here while I get myself into another stretching position.
I was the queen of people pleasers for a very long time! I am so grateful that I got this chance to see life more clearly than I ever have I was wanting to apologise for the blog todayā¦. This is a topic no one really discusses⦠why does anyone need to know!?! Yet itās all part of the journey and part of the story I seem compelled to tell. Life is not all hearts and flowers and sweetness and light. Some days give you stomach cramp while life goes on. Always going to be fine The less I react⦠the more peace I have Butterflies and pebbles is a lovely follow And thisā¦. If I ever say no, I didnāt do it lightlyā¦. It takes a lot of my energy to say no. 100%Again 100%
Ok so I havenāt quite shared peace with the world today but I am trying. Iām off to hunt down a hot water bottle and see if that will help.
Thereās always the kettleā¦. š¤¦š»āāļøš
The 5am alarm was not my friend this morning. It felt very unfairā¦.. š¢
I did wake at 3.54amā¦. Anything with a 3 a the start is just FAR too earlyā¦. But that didnāt make getting up at 5am, any easier.
My friend Tracey in Canada has sent me thisā¦. It was lovely to wake up to!!
Yay, we are out of the darkest weeks of the year! I worked late tonight and was still home in almost daylight. Love that.
So the Farm was great this morning. We split into 2 teams. One team have targets on all the cardio machines, while the other team has to score as many basketball š baskets as possible, while also doing a wee exercise in between each shot.
I love this workout!
I scored every basket I shot in the first round. I was super chuffed. Missed a few in the second round. Was pretty shocking in the third and clawed it back by the fourth round. šššššš
We did our warm up outside for the first time in monthsā¦. It felt like old COVID times. We had to move some machines inside as it started to rain, but I loved shooting hoops before 7am in the rain.
Now, I totally understand how you could read this and think I was nutsā¦.. itās such a random thing to be doing before 7am. I love it! šššš
The sunrise was definitely not the best Iāve seen but it was lovely to see the start of sunrise. Spot Abbie the camper vanās window gleaming in the sunrise.
It was lovelyā¦. And so very peaceful.
There was a strange contrail behind a plane in the skyā¦.. it was bright orange against the dark blue and cloudy sky, as I drove to work. I was fascinated by it. It was picking up the rising sun in a way that the other clouds were not. It was a straight line to start off with and then became a kind of boomerang shape. šŖ Either the plane took a sharp left turn or the wind was blowing the contrail into this shape. I couldnāt take my eyes off it all the way in. I couldnāt get a photo of it but it was just so very unusual.
By the time I got into the Tartan HQ portacabin, the rain was on.
I had a few challenges at work today. These things that are sent to try you, that you canāt controlā¦. but I did. I kept calm and dealt with everything that was thrown in my direction.
Then the stomach cramp kicked inā¦. Marvellous. Time of the month. Thank you HRTā¦.. but, on a very positive, positiveā¦. I was not crying, I was anxious but wasnāt a total wreckā¦. If anything I was a bit excitable and wittering like a budgie but hey, that is me.
I hear myself and I cringe but I need to accept the wittering at times. Thereās nothing wrong with being excitable, itās way better than crying.
Also, the cramp was pretty painful and my stomach blew up like a basketball (see what I did there?!). Thankfully a couple of paracetamol did the trick.
The first day of my period used to be the worst day of the month for me. I would always be in floods of tears, unable to concentrate. I always used to say, it was the one day a month that I should have just stayed in bed.
Not so today. It was just a normal day in the life.
Thereās a whole lot less coughing and a whole lot more easy breathing in our house this weekend. So grateful!
We had a lovely night in the village pub yesterday. Itās great when you click with new friends and have such a good time. Itās lovely to laugh.
I slept for over 9 hours and could not wake up this morning. I love that feeling. We had Freya in with us last night and she never even woke me up. I was out for the count.
I honestly reckon I could just go back to bed now though. My head is calm. Itās a switched off calm. Nothing matters. Iām not gonna go anywhere or do anything. Just be happy to be inside my head that isnāt wittering away about something.
I didnāt finally get out of bed until after 11am and Iāve been a housework trojan for the last 4 hours. Iāve tidied, polished, hoovered AND washed floorsā¦. Itās been a long time since Iāve done that.
These last few weeks we have literally only gone to work and come home and languished on the couch or in bed. It feels like coming out of a cocoon. As I say that, Iām not really to come back out yetā¦. Maybe another few days of doing nothing sounds great to me. š
Howās this for a transformation of our spare room?
The room keeps being used as a dumping ground and we have mum and dad coming to stay in a few weeks so Iām getting ahead of the game. Check me!
Iāve managed another 18.5 hours fast today. Iāve still managed to do that every day and I still feel much better for it.
So I had a coffee and sat down about half an hour ago and Iām watching Sleeping with the Enemy. Remember that film?! Itās so good and I donāt actually remember what happens, which makes it even better.
This made me laughā¦. I love me a big hoodie but who really needs one this size?!?
Sundays are my least favourite day of the week for some reason. I think itās the only day where I donāt have routine, and I can sometimes struggle with that, but today has been a really good day.
Weāve a busy week at Tartan HQ so Iām looking forward to that. Hereās to making the best of everything that this week throws at us.
Clean bed last nightā¦. Wonderful. Especially after the last week of feeling rotten. By 4am the clean sheets are soaking wet after another night sweat. Never used to get these much. A sign of the times I guess but Iām hoping the HRT might help them go away in the coming months.
The little gift shop was amazing today. We were super busy. The lovely Earth Squared bags and and the new Highland Co lotions and soaps are flying out the door! The scents are amazing. Iām not going to be back in the gift shop for 2 weeks now. Thereāll be none left by the time I get back. š
Home for 1.30pm and let the dog walking commence. No rest for the wicked!
It was super lovely that Claire had messaged about going out for a walk and I had 2 to do. Itās lovely that dog walking doesnāt feel like a chore when you are able to put the world to rights as you walk.
Calaidh and Freya first. They got a good run around the field and a play in the burn.
Then Bhru got her shot. Check the sky behind her. Thereās rain coming and itās really dramatic.
We just caught the start of the rain on our way back.
Itās very mean and moody.
So weāre booked into the Gateside Inn, next door, for dinner tonight, with two new friends, new to me anyway. Craig used to go to the gym with Lindsay and they met for a drink before Christmas. Her partner Ewen came to pick her up that night and we decided that the 4 of us should meet up a sometimeā¦. And here we are. Very late lunch/ early dinner at 4.30.
I should say here, by way of advertisement, that the Gateside Inn is up for sale. If anyone fancies taking it over and having some of the best neighbours everā¦. Obviously š then get in touch.
Have a read of that article above. It got such a great write up in the press!
Anyway, Iāve just realised itās 8.45pm and weāre still in the pub! Having a lovely evening, great chat and laugh. Itās so lovely to have such a giggleā¦.. hereās some quick food pics.
Not even gonna proof read, what I wrote earlierā¦.. I dread to think what I might be putting out⦠forgive my typos š¤¦š»āāļøš
I woke up so grateful for such an amazing sleep! Hardly any coughing. I could breathe.
I lay for a good hour and a half, messaging people I had been meaning to get back to, checking out social media when I spotted someone had posted a photo of the sky about 10 minutes from where I live.
Thatās it⦠enough lazing. Up, dressed and out the back to check the sky. Wow.
Got Calaidh on her lead and set off up the hill from the village. As usual, there are so many photos to chose from, but hereās a small selection of my favourites.
Calaidhās such a good girl hanging about for me while I take photos. She gets a good run.
I loved this next shot, there are low clouds in the valley. The sky was so pretty.
This next one is a real frosty photo of our lovely village.
There were lots of spooky trees this morning.
And itās been a while since there were some gates..
I was walking with my back to the rising sun. I turned round and spotted the tiny light on the horizon.
There was a big bank of cloud just above the horizon.
It was beautiful up here this morning.
It was so quiet, yet I could hear traffic in the distance, sounds of people to heading to work. It was lovely to watch Calaidh run too.
Here she is just before I went to work. Zonked!
So poor Craigie is still feeling pretty rotten todayā¦. Which only seems to give credence to his theory that I bring all the illnesses into the houseā¦. š¤¦š»āāļøš
The little gift shop was great today. Some of the new stock has already arrived!! We were only at the trade fair on Monday. Thatās pretty impressive.
This is the Highland Soap Co. We have testers so I used the Raspberry hand lotion when I first went in!
I love these Earth Squared bags, glasses cases and purses.
Itās been a lovely day. It feels so good to feel a bit better. I say that and had hit a wall by 4pmā¦.. but thatās ok.
The usual, comfies on, candles lit and movie night for us.
I did not expect the sunshine today. Itās been a beautiful day! Thereās even been some warmth in the winter sun at times, especially when Iāve flown in and out of the Tartan HQ portacabin!
I slept a bit better last night. I coughed a lot less but was still awake for about 70 minutes in total. Seems there may have been a bit of snoringā¦. So someone says. He canāt be trusted thoughā¦. š While he was lying staring at the ceiling having taken a Lemsip to bed. š
I didnāt expect frosty Abbie van today. At least the inside of the windscreen was only soaking wet instead of frozen. Gotta take that small winā¦. š
Itās been a super busy day at work again. This week has flown by and been really busy. Iāve enjoyed it, worked last a few days and got stuff done. Thereās also a whole bunch of stuff I havenāt got done.
If Iām being honest, Iāve been a bit hyper today. You know how I like to have a bit of self analysis and criticism. Iāve wittered like a budgie today. Lots of chat. I can still hear myself ringing in my ears š Iām sure those I was chatting to can tooā¦. š¤¦š»āāļøš
Ellison brought me homemade lentil and bacon soup with a buttered roll, for lunch. It was soooo good! How is it that even a buttered roll, that someone gives you, can taste like nectar from the gods?! I am very lucky!
I didnāt leave work until just before 5pm and it was still daylight. The sunset was beautiful and I drove home marvelling at it the whole way. If I could have stopped I would. It just kept getting better. Itās the first time, in about a fortnight, that Iāve seen the beauty in anything. It was so amazing to still be daylight when I came home. The only photo I got was the sky in the back garden!
The darkest days of winter are over.
I think weāre both turning a corner health wise, finally. Itās been a slog but fingers crossed it keeps heading in the right direction. Another lazy weekend might just do the trick.
Next week, Tartan are off to the SEC in Glasgow.
Think it will be a busy week and weekend for us! There will be so much chat. Iāll need to have some silence this weekend šš
Itās 6.25am and I need to get this out of my head. All you insomniacsā¦. My heart goes out to you. I canāt stand this ānot sleepingā malarkey. The alarm has just gone off and Iāve just woken from delivering a baby for one of my best palsā¦ā¦ she is not pregnant and as much as I love her, I would never be delivering her kid. Craig took her toddler girl out the room while I deliveredā¦. She actually has a boy. Dreams never add up.
I just want to cry. I am so exhausted. Ok here come the tears. I have coughed for so much of the night. My heart is racing and I have felt like a tv in the white noise mode. The Fitbit tracker shows my heart rate nowhere near as fast as it feels inside my body which shows me itās not my heart rate. I just want to curl up in a ball and keep crying. I genuinely donāt want to go back to sleep just now as it doesnāt feel like I could.
We had to miss the farm again. Normal life on hold until this moves on.
Last night I was all sweetness and light, and acceptance, in my fluffy clean jammies with the fire and candles on, watching tv. In the cold light of morning itās harder to hold on to that. (Also should just say that the old HRT cycle points to time of the month shortly so the overactive drama this morning could just be attributed to that!)
Iāll read this back tonight when I write the blog and think jeezā¦. I canāt put that shit out.
Ok yeah so itās 6pmā¦.. reading that backā¦.. drama muchā¦. Iām leaving it in though as itās from the heart.
One funny story thoughā¦. The girl in my dream, her wee boy is 7 today and I had completely forgotten!!!!! Now that is a strange coincidence, I dream of helping her give birth on the morning of her sonās birthdayā¦. Spooky.
So Iāve actually had a really good day at work.
I feel a bit stronger and Iāve coughed a bit less than yesterday. Iāve had lots of customers in, lots of enquiriesā¦.. AND drumrollā¦ā¦.. Abbie the camper van now has a working diesel heater!!! It turned out to be a fuel feed issue, the heater was getting lots of air and no diesel. I drove home in 26°C just because I could. Iām so grateful that the boys at Tartan had time to look at it.
What no driverās seat?!?
So Iām gonna give the crochet hookers a miss again this week. Really need to get my crochet out and get back on it. Been too long and I really should get my blanket finishedā¦. But hey, itll be done when itās down.
So yeah itās Burns Night in Scotland.
Traditional Burns Suppers will be held all over Scotland but I donāt think Iāve ever been to one.
Where many of us do absolutely nothing different from any other night, but itās traditional to have Haggis, Neeps and Tatties for dinner. Ours is just cooking. Thanks to my lovely mother in law for our haggis. Iām on the veggie haggis tonight. Craigās having full fat ššš
We had whisky š„ sauce over the haggis too. Lovely!
My body temperature has been all over the place. I finally had a great sleep last night, my FitBit said it was āgoodā which is way better than yesterdays āfairā.
I woke up at 5.30 a hot, sweaty but cold mess. The bed was soaking with sweat. Fitbit says my body temperature was 1.7° below averageā¦.. below huh?!? God knows what it must be like when itās over average?
I donāt suffer from hot flushes, thankfully, but I have been known to have the odd night sweat.
Itās pretty mild here just now, itās been pretty misty and foggy all day.
Scotland was warmer than Northern Algeria today!! š
Iāve been too hot and then, by default, too cold all day. š„µš„¶
It was a good day at work. The day flew in⦠always does after you have a day off!
So no stress from me today which is always a good thing.
Iād ordered a sweatshirt online in November that only just got delivered today. I love it!!!
Itās VERY bright, youāll not miss me on a dark night but it says it allā¦. Not fast, not furious!
I can confirm this does indeed, pull the wrinkles out of your face. š¤¦š»āāļøš
So yes, I feel like January has been a giant Monday. It started off so well with the wild sea swimming but weāve had a rough week or so, no Fit Body Farm, lots of coughs and sneezesā¦. But thatās ok. We are resting as much as we can to get over this. Itās just taking itās time.
We just need a quiet start to the year to psyche ourselves up for the great stuff that we can do when we feel strong enough again.
Iām sure youāre all desperate to hear the sick news update⦠not!
It was a rough night for both of us. We were in bed for 8.30pm and honestly, up and down like yo-yos for the rest of the night.
I did still manage to be asleep for 9 hours and 17 minutes though. I seem to do all my best coughing at night. Incessantly.
I kept thinking I wouldnāt be able to make the day out. Iād have to cancel the little gift shop day out and let everyone downā¦.. everything seems so much more bleak during the night.
Yet when the alarm went off at 8am, I felt ok, I was breathing through my nose and I got ready and felt ok. I was paracetamolād up.
Here we all are ready to head in to the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow. Itās been sooooo long since Iāve been to Glasgow.
We signed in and spent the whole day walking around Scotlandās Trade Fair Spring Show.
It was a whole day of shopping without spending any of my own money!!
I really enjoyed helping Gayle pick some new stock for the shop and I canāt wait for her to get some of it in. There are no photos of the stuff she boughtā¦.. itās a secret!!!
The paracetamol lasted until about 12ā¦. To be fair I then realised Iād actually been fasting for 19.5 hours which is way too much when youāre not well. I started to feel a bit dizzyā¦. Just in time for a decaf coffee (I remembered to ask for decaf!) and a cake. That did the trick and Elaine gave me some more paracetamol. That lasted until about 3ā¦.
I found a couple of cuddly sloths š¦„
Of course I did.
These are some lovely Scottish cards that we saw.
And some cool, funny Star Wars ones.
So weāve had a lovely day. I am totally flagging now but Iām so glad I was able to go.
Iām back at the SEC with Tartan Campers at the start of February for the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Campervan Show at the start of February.
The Scottish Hydro and the Armadillo were looking picturesque as we left tonight.
As was the Finnieston Crane.
After show selfieā¦. Itās been a long day but passed really quickly.
Thanks to Gayle for asking me to go and to Lindsay and Elaine for their great company.
Comfies on, fire and candles on and feet up and hoping for a better nights sleep⦠albeit for a lot less hours than last night, or Iād have to be in bed now!!!
Well that was a rotten nights sleepā¦.. Iām shattered but the cold has really taken hold. My sinuses are so heavy and sore. Iāve coughed half the night. Least I havenāt lost my voice like Craig hasā¦. š¬
I thought it would be getting better by now. Thatās almost a week. So okā¦. weāve both been working but weāve had so much rest. Early nights, lie insā¦.. and still itās not enough. Itās 9.42am, Iāve let the dogs out, fed them and come back to bed.
The silence in my head just now is wonderful. I should have taken some paracetamol before nowā¦. Just breathing through my nose and no coughingā¦. My eyes are closing writing this so hereās hoping for another good sleep.
This was me last night. Apart from feeling rotten, I had a lovely evening.
Through all this Iāve only curbed the fast on Friday night, into Saturday morning. I was so hungry on Saturday when I woke. I only managed 14.5 hours but thatās still good. Iāve just hit my 16 hours just now as I stopped eating about 5.30pm. That amazing for me as a night in, on my own, I could guzzle a gazillion calories. I think Iāve found something that really works for me. Iāve not lost hundreds of pounds but I have just started HRT so I feel the fasting is fighting that HRT weight gain.
Wow, I woke back up at 11.21am. Iām never in bed that late. Itās now 12.43 and Iāve just had some honey on toast for breakfastā¦. And a lemsip. Nectar from the gods. I can breathe again!
Yeah that doesnāt last for long. At least thereās some respite for about 20 minutes after you take paracetamol.
I went upstairs, to my wee bedroom office, that I am never in anymoreā¦.. I worked on the last 4 months Village Hall accounts. I canāt think clearly or straight, my head is so fuzzy and wonāt clear. I finished up and rather that doing some other paperwork and I just came back downstairs to olongapo (šššššš proof reading!!!!!) I think I meant plonk myself back on the couch.
Iāve just tested negative for covid which is good considering I did go to the effort of having both the covid and the flu jab. This must be that third thing theyāve not invented the jag for yet!
So I have the day off Tartan tomorrow as the little gift shop are heading to the SECC for Scotlandās Trade Fair Spring Show. Iām really looking forward to it and donāt want to miss out so will just keep resting today!
Donāt think weāll make the farm again tomorrow either.
Weāve just had lovely care package from Holly next door, filled wraps, lasagne and spicy chicken pasta with San Pellegrino to wash it down. So very kind. ā„ļø I donāt think I repay half of the kindness shown to me. I really must fix that this year. I think Iām very kind with words but not so much with actions.
Thank you to Craig for remembering that Bhruic is the big 7 today!
Here she is at 3 weeksā¦. Some very cute puppy spam.
This is her at 8 weeks when we brought her home!
I canāt remember what age she was when we found out that butter did actually meltā¦.. š¤¦š»āāļøš
Sheās asleep on my slippersā¦.
Iāve always loved this next photo I took of her by our old pond.
She was just the typical gorgeous puppy.
In this next one Calaidh actually has her paw on Bhruās neck. Putting her in her puppy place. š
She went through a gangly stage with big ears and a big nose but then grew into this beautiful girl!
She is by far my biggest challenge out of the 3 dogsā¦. I love her but she can cause me a lot of stress. We are working on that relationship these days, arenāt we Bhru?! š
So Craig and I are both still feeling rotten. Weāre both managing to work but are zonked after it. I was at the little gift shop again today and it was surprisingly busy, considering itās only the middle of January. We were super productive today and got lots of stock prices and moved out into the shop.
I really love this picture.
Iāve been home since 1.15 and really not entirely sure where the last 3 hours have gone. Thereās a washing on, I ran Craig to the train station as heās away out (with his lost voice) to see Bert Kreischer tonight with his brother. Reckon itās about 4 or 5 years since heās been out in Glasgow.
On the way to the train station we had the chatā¦.. it would be really lovely if he could possibly do everything he possibly could to make sure he catches, at the very latest, the last train homeā¦ā¦. Apparently that was never in dispute. š³ Forgive me for the doubtā¦ā¦ š¬š
Iām in my comfies. The fire and candles are on and our our tea light village is all lit up. It feels very Christmassy. Itās not even 5pm and Iām ready for bed!
Itās been such a beautiful day todayā¦. š āļøš Freezing cold but pure, blue sky all day. I was out before sunrise with Bhruic.
I didnāt have a great sleep but I had to walk the dogs before the little gift shop today.
It actually did me the power of good. Cold, fresh air in my lungs and the beautiful colours of the sky before sunrise.
We were watched by 6 deer š¦ from the fieldsā¦. They watched our every move. The photos didnāt come out though.
While I was on the move, I got Freya and Calaidh and headed back out with them. By this time the sun had come up. Iām still pretty wabbit but the exercise was good for me.
Same tree as before, just an hour or so laterā¦
This was the scene when I left the house for the little gift shop.
Donāt leave us mum!!
We had a good day today even moved some more furniture around. I priced up loads of new cards and got them out on the shelves. The time passes so quickly when Iām in there.
And finallyā¦.. We lost a lovely lady today who always commented on the photos of my spooky trees. I took every spooky tree picture today with her in mind. š
Sorry itās a quick and boring one todayā¦. š¤š¤
I was in bed for 8pm last night. Electric blanket on full pelt. I slept right through until 5am. A much better sleep than the night before. It still wasnāt enough š
So long story short, Iāve felt pretty rotten all day but been really busy, at Tartan, as I finished up tonight and donāt go back until Tuesday. Thereās always so much to do in advance when you have a day off!
Iām just taking paracetmol and had a few Lemsips but theyāre not making much difference.
Rest is very good though.
Iām back home and Iām my jammies on the couch. As per usual! I came home to thisā¦. A Beechams powder with fresh honey on Craigās recommendation. Bless ā„ļø
I like this next oneā¦.. Donna Ashworth is a great follow.
So yeah, not much to add. Just taking it easy when Iām not at work. Itās been a long week just with no stuffing at all. It doesnāt make the best read to be fair. Iām bored writing it š¤¦š»āāļøšš
I will enjoy this lesson in patience. š§š»āāļø
And just to end with something lovelyā¦.
We should all hype each other! Not just women. When was the last time you were this happy for someone else? We should do more of it. ā„ļø
I didnāt sleep well last night. I was a hot, sweaty, yet cold mess all through the night. I first woke at 11.39pm.
I felt so rotten when I woke up that I actually took a COVID test. I had my Mirena coil appointment today and didnāt think I should drag any illness to that.
I tested negative. Iām not entirely certain that it can be anywhere near accurate, so soon after my latest injection. Didnāt think of that when I took it.
My head feels so heavy, I just want to take my head off my shoulders and lay it on the deskā¦. Iāve a scratchy throat, but itās not sore. A sore head that tablets wonāt take away and a stiff neck. Most of all I just feel wiped out. It would appear that the other half is exactly the same tonight as I write this. Obviously he is way worse as heās a man. The man version of everything is way worse than the woman version.
Itās only 5.15pm and weāre both in comfies, wrapped up in blankets on the couch. Iāve called in sick to crochet. The footballās coming on soon so I think Iāll just get into bed. Iām obsessed by sleeping this week.
We didnāt go to the Farm this morning. I hope our energy levels pick up again soon but it feels right just to rest.
Soā¦. I had the next stage of my HRT journey today. I had an appointment to get the Mirena Coil fitted to administer the progesterone internally.
Over the last few weeksā I feel like Iāve collected a few horror stories from people, that put me off. I also felt like the progesterone Iāve been taking, has settled down. Iām getting used to taking it. I was slightly reluctant to rock the boat.
So I turned up at Irvine Central today for 3pm.
I was early and they took me straight away, due to a couple of cancellations during the day. The nurses were so lovely, they listened to my concerns and we agreed to go ahead. They talked me through the procedure and explained exactly how it might feel.
So off we goā¦.. I was so proud of myself. We chatted, the second nurse kept me talking and I was amazed and how it wasnāt hurting like they saidā¦ā¦ a good wee while passesā¦.. the nurse down below says sheāll have to try it again. Ok waitā¦. Youāve not done it yet?!? We have a laugh at that⦠they laugh⦠I nervously giggle⦠š
She goes through it all againā¦. This time for a good bit longer.
She sits up and tells me that she canāt get through into my womb so sheās actually done none of it! I felt the fear.
She was really lovely and said that she would have to dilate my cervix. She said it would have to call the consultant down to do that part of the procedure.
The consultant told me that it was going to hurt. I bet all you women that have had kids have a wry smile at my concern. I never had kids. Iāve no idea what that must be like.
They could give me a local anaesthetic but that injection into the cervix was gonna hurt too. She saw my eyes widen. The nurse told her Iād already said that I was happy with my progesterone tablets, at the moment, and so the consultant said that it may not be worth doing dilation.
She wanted an answer.
I told her that I couldnāt decide what I wanted for dinner of an evening!!
Finally I said no. Letās not go ahead. She agreed and left pretty sharpishā¦. At which point the tears came.
I think itās the right decision. My body said no and seized up at the thought. š (the nurse did say I couldnāt control that muscle even though I thought I might be!)
So that was that. Back to HRT original. Itās making a difference.
Patch needs changing tonight and back on the progesteroneā¦. Donāt know what will fix Craig though?! š¤¦š»āāļøšš
In other news we have our passports back ALREADY!! That was the fastest process ever. Theyāve been away for less than 2 weeks. Iām pretty impressed.
Jeez I just keep going on about the weatherā¦. š¤¦š»āāļøš forgive me, pickings are slim.
I had the best sleep last night. Out for the count until 6.30am. I couldnāt wake up.Iām so tired this week but I think Iām coming down with the cold. My throat is scratchy and my nose has started running. Iāll take the deep sleep any day though!
The van was super frosty again this morningā¦. it was -5°C.
Thank goodness for the windscreen protectorā¦. However, there was ice inside the windscreen again and I still had to wait for about 15 minutes for it to clear. I ended up scraping the insideā¦. I mean really, who has to do that?!?!
Work was really busy again today and I never stopped. I like it when itās like that. Two days in a row where thereās not enough hours in the day.
I managed another 17 hour and 37 minute fast today. Iām still finding it really easy. Iāve eaten well the rest of today and made lovely rump steak for dinner tonight.
I was in Home Bargains last night. I get all my cleaning stuff, washing liquid, fabric conditioner and toiletries there as I find them cheaper than anywhere else.
I wandered into the food section and they had big rump steaks for £2.79. I picked up two and they were really lovely. What a fantastic price.
Now, I can take or leave a steakā¦. I usually buy them for Craig but not for me. When I went through my veggie/vegan phase I couldnāt have touched it. It was really lovely tonight though.
I came home from work and ran round with the hoover. Iāve been meaning to do it for ages. I was hot, flustered and irritated at having to do it but it feels soooo good sitting here after having done it. I honestly feel so much better when the house is clean. I enjoyed the cooking too. It calmed me down. L
The weather was funny today. It was so cold yet bright and sunny. At one point I walked out of the portacabin to this!
Ok I know I said it snowedā¦ā¦ šš I didnāt even see the sun go inā¦.. I love it when we get snow, as long as itās this light or I donāt have to drive in it. š
It melted really quickly yet started to snow at 4pm just in time for me leaving.
So Iāve been ok today. Much better than yesterday. I still feel a bit sad and really tired. The juryās out whether Iāll make the farm in the morning. I know it does me good but I know when I need a rest too.
So last night I decided it would be a good idea NOT to put the windscreen wrap on the van.
I knew it was gonna be super frosty overnight. I decided not to go to the farm as I was so tired. I really wanted the extra hour in bed this morning. I also figured that scraping the van at 7.10am was way more acceptable than 5.30am.
My decision not to put the windscreen protector onā¦.. backfired, big time.
Abbie the camper van was solid. I couldnāt get any door open at first and finally got the passenger door open. The windscreen was frozen inside too. I tried scraping the outside but that didnāt go well. I humphed up on to the top of the wheel so I could reach more of the windscreen. Still couldnāt clear enough of it! It was a workout and a half!
It took close to 25 minutes to defrost enough to drive. I was late for work after all that. Only by 6 minutes š
I was really off when I first arrived and it took me a while to get into the swing of it. I couldnāt think straight, couldnāt remember anything.
How lovely is this?! Brew Monday instead of Blue Monday š zoom in and have a wee read. Itās a lovely thought.
Thankfully we were super busy today so I totally had to switch back on. I feel so much better this evening. The sunshine must have bought everyone out today.
Itās been so lovely, blue sky and sunshine all day.
Itās a lovely calm day today. The wind and rain has gone. It ended up being a really wild night last night.
I had what felt like the worst sleep. I felt like I was switched āonā all night. To be fair, I did leave a really noisy pub about 11pm and get straight into bedā¦. š¤¦š»āāļøš
After a week of fasting, well 26 days of fasting, Iāve felt amazingā¦. Last night I felt like an actual elephant when I tried to get ready for Barryās 50th. I changed 3 times before finally settling for my woolly dress. The usual, hide everything under a smock. Every time I went to the toilets I saw a beached whale. Why do we do that to ourselves sometimes?! I wouldnāt think that of my worst enemy.
Hereās the Tough Mudder group photo from last night! (I didnāt take any photosā¦.)
I was so full after dinner I just started fasting straight away and decided to drink sparkling water all night. I donāt drink anyway, so I may as well fast rather than waste it on alcohol freeā¦..
Who knew?!?!
Again Fitbit shows it wasnāt nearly as bad as it seemedā¦. But I woke up exhausted.
I decided to make the most of the lovely day and walk the dogs. Bhruic first.
Itās cold this morning and this back road is really icy. I had to be careful not to slip.
I came back home and spent some time playing ball with the dogs out the back and cleaning the back garden of all things dog poopā¦. š then went back out with Calaidh and Freya. I wasnāt up to 3 dogs at once today.
The sun is higher and it feels much warmer by the second walkā¦. Gone are the gloves. Itās so peaceful.
And thereās even some blue sky!
The burn is swollen from the last week of heavy rain.
Calaidh jumped over onto her favourite wee island. She gets there and has no idea what to do next.
The clouds were coming in pretty thick and fast but looked lovely.
Iāve just not really known what to do with myself the rest of the day. It seems so unfair to not drink (my choice), and to be fasting so well and yet still feel like Iāve had a day with a hangover.
I could have gone out somewhere but just didnāt have the energy or, the inclination, I guess.
We watched a bit of tv but Iāve been in bed again since 2pm. Itās 4 now and Iāve not been sleeping. Just annoyingly awake with a head running white noise.
I know that Iām not alone when I feel like this, everyone has days when the meh takes over and the gratitude seems to be buried deep somewhere. I donāt know whatās causing it or where itās suddenly sprung from, but I do know a few girls I spoke to last night, said itās been a difficult week. Maybe thereās some vibe with the time of year or the moon, thatās dragging us all down a bit.
I only get one full day off a week and I want to make the most of it. The house needs cleaned, the village hall accounts need doing and I canāt be bothered to do any of it. It will still be there when I have a bit more oomph.
This last one made me laugh! Actually it gave me a wry smile which is totally different, Iām not in a laughing frame of mind today.
To end on a very positive noteā¦. Itās forecast to be a beautifully sunny and calm week in Scotland. For a few days anyway.
Iāve just woken up from a 2 hour nap! Wow it was the best⦠I was out for the count for the full two hours. I love when I look at the time thinking itās only been about 20 minutes. Nope two whole hours.
Iām lying in bed fighting to stay here all night but weāve got a 50th in the village pub tonight. Barry two doors down was 50 yesterday! Need to get dinner before we head out.
We were in bed at 8.30pm last night and I slept right though until 5.20am. I donāt know whether is just first week back, if just January, but I have been really tired. To be fair, working 5.5 days a week must take its toll somewhere. I used to sleep every afternoon when I worked 9-1 at Tartan alone!
We had a really good morning at work. Considering itās the 2nd weekend in January, we were really busy. Lots of lovely customers in, Iām starting to recognise frequent customers now.
Huge school day todayā¦ā¦. See this stuffā¦..
This packagingā¦.. is designed to dissolve in water?!?!? I canāt believe I didnāt know that. If you hold a bit under the tap, it literally dissolves and disappears.
Who. Knew?!?!?
I had great fun today playing away at the sink getting rid of it all.
Check the horrific gold nail polishā¦. My nails are in a dreadfully sorry state, having had the gelish polish removed. I tried to cover them up and this gold came in the M&S Christmas advent calendar that I had.
Once I started and decided it wasnāt meā¦. I had no nail polish remover so I had to finishā¦. Itās just not my colour.
Here are todayās cakesā¦. Mint chocolate brownie and Biscoff Rocky Road. It was uh-mazing!!!
I still managed the 16 hours but not sure how Iām going to work tonightās fast. I donāt want to waste it just drinking alcohol freeā¦. Will see.
Gayle made this lovely Scottish themed artificial flower arrangement in about 10 minutes. I stood, mesmerised as she went into florist mode. Iām in awe of that kind of creativity. She makes it look so easy and it was beautiful by the time sheād finished with it.
Iām having dinner now as Craig watches The Scottish League Cup Semi Finalā¦. Bhruic is watching intently as Celtic huddle.
And this last oneā¦.. for us all āØāØāØāØāØ
Itās super wild out there now. The forecast is up to 61mph winds by 9pm. Itās already pretty bad.
This was the conversation I had with Craig at around 7.15am this morning. š
Weād already blown a gasket š at the Fit Body Farm and were driving back home, when I asked him if he had been a morning person before he met me? š he doesnāt seem to be sure?!?
I love an early morning.
I think it comes from when I was a kid. My Nana and Grandad owned a shoe shop and used to fly down to London Shoe Week, I want to say once a year, it could have been seasonal. Iāll canāt remember.
What I do remember is the magic of getting up in the dark, super early in the morning, to take them to the airport.
Iāve no concept, as to how often we did this but I remember loving it. I remember watching planes take off and land from the observation deck. We watched Nana and Grandad take off. I remember Dad driving us home, after all of that and still being back home before our neighbours were awake.
I loved that. The day felt so long!
I still love that we work out before many people are out of bed. I get a real buzz out of that for some reason. Guess thatās a good thing otherwise I would never make the early morning class.
I think itās the one time when our world feels quiet and maybe less threatening. Iām not even sure I know what I mean by that but I like being up before everyoneās awake.
I had a busy morning and no luxury of going back to bed, like I did last Friday.
We had coffee before Craig went across the road to get his haircut. I had a shower and got ready then went to Mocha Jakās to pick up cakes for work today. Forgot to take photos of the cakes, dammit.
I then went to the chemist to pick up my HRT repeat prescriptionā¦ā¦ It hadnāt come in from the doctorsā surgery.
I had to run down the road to the doctors, to pick it up and take it back up to the chemist. I had WAY too many clothes on for all this exercise!! I was a sweaty mess before I started work. š I did get my prescription but they didnāt have enough progesterone so I have to go back to get that next Friday. Wish me luck remembering that one. š
Finally I get to the little gift shop and we have tea and cake! I had a Mint Rocky Roadā¦. I did split it over several cuppas throughout the day!
We got new stock in today and Gayleās changed the shop right round again so it looks amazing. I always say that!!
New scarves!
I did my first ever little gift shop FB post today too!!
So itās 5.21pm now and Iām shattered tonight. It is the first full week back and the weather has been so dark and gloomy.
We have steak pie almost ready and Iāll be back on the fast after that. Itāll not be a late nightā¦.. I could just shut my eyes right now and have a weeeeee nap!
Oh and itās Friday the 13th which was gone surprisingly well, considering all things superstitious š