Day 1288 loaded with the cold but still functioning 😂

Jeezo man. Amazing how fast this came on. I was up at 1.30am and couldn’t breathe through my nose at all. My sinuses are solid.

That’s nothing to our new Rocket Fuel!

Oh my actual word. The first time I tried this I managed one drop on my tongue and it blew my head off.

At 1.30am I took 7 drops and all of a sudden I could breathe. What a relief. It’s great stuff. It would clear a blocked sink given half a chance. 😂

I took it again when I got up at 6.15am. It blasted my sinuses.

It was the first morning I’ve had to scrape the car too. It was a pretty heavy frost. Also a beautiful morning!

I forgot how long it took for a Beetle to clear it’s windscreen. The windscreen blower is no more than a puff. I scraped it clear and had to sit to wait for the demist.

I had to stop at the side of the road as the sky was stunning. This isn’t the best photo but it gives you the idea.

It was such a lovely drive to work. The sky was so red most of the way. By the time I got to Tartan, it was pink and purple. Boyed up by Rocket Fuel I had a good morning.

I didn’t take the Rocket Fuel to work with me though. By lunch I was all bunged up again so I ordered some comfort food for lunch instead of my salad. I had a cheese and ham panini and it was soooo good. (I did eat my salad for dinner so I didn’t waste it…. Almost saint-like!)

One minute I want to curl up in a ball and the next minute I’m getting loads done.

I ended up late getting away again as 3 customers phoned in a row, after 4pm! AND I had to go for diesel after work… isn’t that just the worst when you want to get home?!?

I got 514.2miles out of a £77 tank fill which is 15p a mile…. It also limits trips to the fuel station, which is a very good thing!!

This time I put in £78 to fill the tank. The van would have been over £120. It still makes me very happy. I love having this car! I can drive into supermarket car parks and do all sorts without not dreading the driving. I will live with the pathetic windscreen blower 😂

So comfies on and missing Kinisi-flo tonight. If I bend down my nose runs. 🤧😆

Stay safe everyone 🤧🤧🤧

Day 1163 I swam 750m before 7am this morning! 🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️

Bet you never saw that headline coming?!? I never….. let me reiterate, I swam 750m before 7am this morning and it was amazing!!! For some perspective that is 30 lengths of a 25m swimming pool. I have NEVER swam 30 lengths in one go before. Ever!

Until this morning that is, so now I have. 🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️🏊🏼‍♀️

Always love a new emoji!

So one of the swimming ladies I met through my swim buddies Ellison and Eileen, Chantal, swims at a pond close to Tartan HQ. It’s the same pond I have had paddle board lessons in.

This is it a 6am. A group of ice-men in dipping.

I messaged Chantal last night and asked if she was planning a swim either today or Thursday and she said could meet me this morning.

Big grins excited to get in the water.

Bookers pond, as it’s located known due to its location next to Bookers Cash and Carry in Irvine, is actually Shewalton Water. It’s been set out with 4 buoys in a rectangle to distance triathlon swimmers.

We got changed here!

We set off for the first buoy and I get a wave of concern wash over me. What if I couldn’t swim that far, what if I held her up, what if I was knackered half way round and couldn’t get back….. I voiced my concerns…. As I do!

Chantal said that we could cut across the pond half way instead if I was tired, or we could turn round and swim back obviously… as soon as she said that I knew I’d be disappointed if we didn’t swim the whole way. With that in mind… off we went.

In true Julie fashion, I felt the fear, did the full lap anyway and loved every single minute of it.

I cannot tell you how beautiful it was. The sun a huge low ball in the sky, in between two windmills. The sunshine made everything seem that bit more magical.

I have no photos of the swim as I couldn’t get the phone to work and it did end up with water in the wee “waterproof” bag. 🥴 the few photos I did manage to take were awful 😆

I felt very comfortable as we swam. No fear, no panic, only a deeply relaxing exercise. I say this a lot these days but it really was out of this world. I never used to say that in my old life unless we were in the Maldives or Cuba, somewhere exotic. I love that I can find the beauty in the everyday things.

When we finished our 750m we got out and stripped wetsuits to the waist (swimsuits underneath, don’t panic!) and got back in for a cool down. The pond is a lovely 18/19°C which is much warmer than the sea. We were fully wetsuited up as we knew the swim would take over half an hour and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

I’m reliving the moment looking through all of the photos I managed to get at the end.

What a wonderful way to start the day.

I got ready for work at the side of the pond. (Should say I’d had my shower the night before and hoped that would do me!) and was at work for 7.40am. Can’t wait until I can do that again soon.

It was really hot again today. The office up at 27°C but I’d left the pop top up in Abbie the Campervan so she was much cooler when I left work tonight. Only 33° versus last nights’ 48°!! Will do that again tomorrow.

So in other very exciting news…. The hookers are on the move tonight and we are going down to Portencross for our crochet session!!! I am so excited that I get to back to the beach, and get a lift as Evelyn has kindly offered to drive. Sharing my happy place with the hookers!

Hookers on tour, here we come!! Pics tmro!

Stay safe everyone 🏊🏼‍♀️☀️🏊🏼‍♀️

Day 1150 too bright too early as my Gran would say and how can it actually be June?!?

How can it actually be June already? May seemed to pass in a blur, in fact life seems to pass in a blur these days!

My trying to live in the present moment isn’t slowing life down any.

I was up at 5.30am and straight out for dog jog.

It was a beautiful morning! Pure blue sky. T-shirt weather and very sleepy dogs.. not certain they were ready for dog jog at that time of the morning!

I’ve obviously looked through these photos again and feel the joy and peace I felt taking them!

This next one was taken in iPhone portrait mode.

And this next one just normal. Can’t decide which I like the best?

The singe track roads are just beautiful!

All the while jogging along!

I took a photo of me to send to Craig. Look at that face mid run. I am actually buzzing. Completely loving life to the max!

I used to smile like this all the time and I was hiding how sad I really felt, even from myself at times. Now when I smile, I really mean it and feel it.

These lovely poppies are I. Our garden. I can hear Craig shouting WEEDS in my ear 😂 I love them.

I got home and did some energy toning exercises in the garden for kinesiology (the things I have to do to keep my mental health in check) and THEN went to Tesco in Irvine for a healthy food shop to pop in the fridge in the van!! Even Tesco looked lovely in the sunshine.

Then I went to get diesel…. All before work at 8am!! Machine.

The too bright too early part is two fold. The weather turned cloudy and has been cooler and cloudy for a lot of the day. Ellison and I still sat out at lunch for a blether. It’s the first day this year that I’ve worn sandals. Not the best choice but hey…..

My mood also deteriorated through the day.

I have so many rules, processes and procedures that I have to follow to keep myself on the straight and narrow. I am not very tolerant of anything that doesn’t go the way I believe it should go. That needs nipped in the bud. A couple of things this afternoon didn’t seem to be that bad at the time but the combination of them hit me from left field and there were tears again.

I only have swear words to express my thoughts on this 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🥴

XXX why do I have to be that person?!?

I cannot cope with feeling out of control. It’s super dramatic and none of it is that big a deal. It’s never personal but I always take it between the eyes.

So luckily I had Kinesiology tonight and we worked on dealing with stress of tears in public, learning tolerance and cutting chords with beliefs that no longer serve me. I know how weird all that might sound but trust me it works. I feel much calmer already. I’m sad that I’ve lost the spring in my step from this morning but I know I will get that back after a good nights sleep.

All I ask is for true peace to be able to deal with everyday life. It will not always be easy and it will not always go my way and that needs to be ok too.

Bring on tomorrow!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️