Tag: rain

Day 1310 a much calmer day in my head but atrocious driving conditions first thing 🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️

I’m back. I feel so much better today. Phew. It’s such a relief.

I’d go as far as to say I felt no anger or irritability today. Well…. not too much. 🤷🏻‍♀️😌 There’s always a little 😬 but nothing like yesterday.

I drove to work in atrocious weather conditions this morning. The rain was so heavy that I actually couldn’t see the road. I had to switch off the stereo so I could concentrate. How crazy does that sound?!

There was an accident on the A736 at the Barmill/Burnhouse crossroads. A white van and a Mill’s Milk Luton van had hit each other. Mill’s Milk coming off WAY worse.

The Police had turned their car to shine their headlights up my lane. With the amount of water on the road, you couldn’t see anything with the bright shine of the headlights on water. I had to approach at about 10 miles an hour. I suppose that’s the plan… 🤷🏻‍♀️

When I drive past something like that, I always have a huge gulp of emotion ride up that brings tears… didn’t help to have water in my eyes when I already couldn’t see the road! I hope no one was hurt.

I forgot to say yesterday that I have finally started Collagen and Tumeric supplements in the hope that might help my joint stiffness.

My friend Helen did a lot of research into Collagen so I just copied her rather than doing my own. This shakes into a drink. The mandarin flavour is lovely. The tumeric is just a capsule. I’m also taking Magnesium and have been for a few months now. Surely some of it will help?!

Forgot I took this photo earlier. Here are all the Tartan Campers parked up for the winter…. I put a sign on each of them saying that so no one drives one.

We were on Channel 4 at lunchtime today… hopefully that’s some great advertising.

I’m jumping around all over the place today….

When I got home, Craig had a lady in the living room!!!! 😳

She was from the Office for National Statistics and she asked us lots of questions about our working lives. We’ve had a few letters from them and I replied last week but she just turned up on spec. It took about an hour between us to answer all the questions. I quite like stuff like that. Not sure why?!

Anyhoo…. It’s been good to feel calm and in control today. The National Statistics lady asked how happy I was with my life and I was able to answer 9/10. 😌

I think that’s pretty damn good for anyone to be able to say. 💜

I’ve found some peace and realise that happiness is what you make it. Happiness isn’t living for the next holiday. It’s in the sunshine and the heavy rain, in the wind and in the leaves falling from the trees. It’s in every day.

Happiness is knowing that the bad days will pass. When you lower your expectations in life then you have a greater chance of happiness.

I’m tracking the Aurora again and toying with the idea of heading out later. Will see….

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1308 a very dark and rainy afternoon!

It was SO dark this afternoon… torrential rain when I left work. I really had to concentrate on driving home. There was flooding everywhere.

The photo doesn’t do it justice… it looks brighter than it actually was. It was so gloomy!

On the plus side there was a lot of cake today. I fasted for 20 hours and then had a lovely lentil soup for lunch followed by CAKE. I’d taken the remnants of the Macmillan Tea into work. Then ate too much of it. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 I binned what was left as it was starting to turn and I’d have still kept eating it. 😂

Poor Khaleesi and Bhru were very unhappy with last nights fireworks… I know friends’ dogs were the same.

They were panting for hours. It’s so sad to watch. We wrapped Khaleesi in a blanket to try to calm her down. Bhru just hid down beside a seat.

I’m also GUTTED to see how beautiful the Aurora was at Kilbirnie Loch last night…. This is where I went and got spooked and couldn’t stay. This photo was taken by FrankBoyd Photography . He got such an amazing shot. I’m so impressed. It’s exactly what I wanted to see!!

Well done to Frank for capturing it so well. Please take a look at his photos on FB.

So yeah, not much else to report. I’ve had dinner and back on to fasting already. It’s the only way I can stop myself eating. 😂

My head is still pretty good just now. Fairly organised at work…. Trying not to overreact when things don’t go the way that I hoped. I am pretty calm.

Long may that continue.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1277 jeez I have a LOT of dogs 🐶🐶🐶🐶😂

Back to reality, auld claes and porridge as my Grandad would say!

We finally got home about 3.30am I think, forgot to check exactly as all FOUR dogs were hiding in my newly painted living room, to surprise me!!!

First of all wow to the living room, huge well done to Craig for keeping that a secret while I was away. It’s still white but it’s too much of a feature room to have any other colour. It looks so fresh!!

One by one by one by one they came bounding out of the living room door and bombarded me with licks and cuddles!! Did I mention there were FOUR?!?!

They were SO excited!!! I had to fight my way through to get to Craig!

Also just noticed this morning how much the ivy has changed in the space of a week!

Also it’s a lot sunnier today than the day time I took a photo!

One day I will manage to take the same photo twice 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

So last night’s trip went really well. We sat out in the sun until 6pm…. It had actually started to get quite chilly which I suppose is a fitting end to a holiday.

I really struggle to leave somewhere when I know I will never be back there and it was so lovely! The pool looked so pretty.

The bus arrived a full half hour before it was due. We left bang on time! The drivers are foot to the floor the whole way. They seem to flash their headlights a lot to let a car in front of them know they intend to pass…. We drove sooooo fast, there were a good few hair raising moments and we were FIRST in the queue for the Jet2 flight for Glasgow. That never happens…. Well it just did but you know what I mean.

Security is pretty high in Turkey. You put all your bags through a scanner before you check in and hand your bag to the ground staff…. You are also body searched as everyone beeps through the scanner. Next is a queue for passport control. Once through that it’s Duty Free. Bodrum was the most expensive duty free I have ever seen….. Gayle was looking for Turkish delight for her daughter…. The only Turkish delight we saw was €49.60 for 4 boxes stuck together…. Special price?!?!?!?! Nearly £50 for 4 normal sized boxes of Turkish delight?!?!? Then I saw Toffifee for €5.50 a box, we can get that for £1 here!

The whiskies were astronomical. Nothing worth bringing home for Craig.

Gone are the days of cheap duty free. So I brought nothing back for anyone unfortunately.

We then went to the gate and I got bag & body searched again and swabbed for drugs never had that done before.

The plane comes in on perfect tie and we board in perfect time…. And the next news ever…. We have 3 seats to ourselves!!! Bliss.

We flew over Sofia in Bulgaria, Serbia, Budapest in Hungary. Vienna in Austria, Prague in Czech Republic, Germany, Amsterdam, over to Newcastle where we started our descent… then down over Lanark and up to Kirkintilloch before we landed in Glasgow. The pilot was very informative!!

He said the words “battling headwinds all the way”….😱 I never, ever need to know that. In all honestly, the flight was great, despite the space, I couldn’t get comfy AT ALL yet I’m certain I slept most of the way. We cannot fault Jet2 at all. The flights were bang on both legs.

Glasgow Airport had other ideas.

Upon landing, Jet2 text to warn of delays at baggage reclaim. There were several flights landing at once. We all merged into passport control at the same time. We had a fair queue there. Jet2 staff met us in baggage reclaim and apologised and kept us fully up to date. Can’t say they didn’t try to make up for it.

Gayle’s son Robbie, picked us up and took us straight home. He didn’t leave the house until we saw the first of the bags come through. It was perfect timing apart from the delay.

So yeah, back to the FOUR dogs… they were still here this morning too. 🐶🐶🐶🐶😂

I didn’t sleep in too late and I’ve been unpacking and cleaning all morning. I was on a roll.

We decided to head out to Gro Coffee in Irvine for a late lunch…. We took Khaleesi.

Look at the lovely autumnal display at the fireplace. So pretty.

We sat in the outdoor area which is filled in at the sides when the weather cools down, with lovely, warm heaters and blankets.

I had the breakfast taco and Craig had spicy buttermilk chicken pieces…. Turns out they were VERY spicy.

Khaleesi was great and was fascinated by 3 birds that were wandering around!

We may have brought some cakes home!!

I now feel tired…. And sick 😂 we never had anything like this sweet in Turkey. My gums are recoiling from my teeth after eating that 😂

So yeah, no more sunshine, plenty of grey sky and rain and a horrific forecast for tomorrow.

It’s always sad when a holiday is over but I have some amazing photos and some lovely memories of my trip with Gayle.

A quiet night in tonight before I crash out. I can feel my eyes drooping already.

And still a lot of dogs. 🐶🐶🐶🐶

Stay safe everyone 🐶🐶🐶🐶

Day 1210 torrential rain all day but still a sunny disposition 😆🤦🏻‍♀️😂

It has not stopped raining all day. I was up by 6 and into Tartan for 7am, to wash Abbie the Campervan, as people were coming to view her today.

I wore old clothes and took my work clothes with me and even a hair dryer! I needed it all. I was soaked through by the time I’d finished. A customer came in to drop off a van about 7.30am and I looked like a drowned rat 😂

Anyway, sadly it was not meant to be. I have a very clean van for no reason as they decided to buy something else over the weekend.

After the initial disappointment at getting out of bed so early and getting soaked, I wasn’t even that upset as these things happen. No amount of being upset or annoyed makes any difference… and yes I hear myself! Who actually am I?!

There have been a few things today that would normally really stress me out or set some rocket off, inside my head. I’m so pleased when I can let things go that would usually be a trigger. I accepted the situations for exactly what they were and got on with with was needed. I really felt the difference today. (I should say that none of these things are a big deal and all SHOULD be totally let go anyway.)

When you suffer from anxiety and serious overthinking, it’s an amazing feeling when that critical voice is quiet. That voice would have had a field day today. I know everything it would say and even when I try to hear it, I sit here smiling knowing that none of it is true and none of it is means anything. I hope that makes sense.

The Scottish Dog Behaviourist is still out at work so I have the remote to myself and I’m catching up on Sweet Magnolias…. My lovely friend Cheryl-Lynn posted on FB about it, I didn’t realise there was a third series yet! It’s such a sweet show… it wouldn’t be Craig’s cup of tea…. At all. 😂

I’ll leave you with some photos of Abbie the Campervan. FOR SALE!!

It’s the cleanest she’s been since I first bought her from exactly that same spot outside Tartan Campers!

That was the fastest photo shoot in the rain!!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1194 a lovely wee morning shopping, afternoon nap and a hen party in the pub!

I was awake early today as the Scottish Dog Behaviourist had his usual early morning alarm. I thought I’d get up and at it rather than wasting hours on my phone.

Straight out with hoddit, doddit and ploddit for our early morning dog jog! Freya was just not feeling it today. She might be coming in to season maybe?

Everything is so green after the amount of rain we’ve been having. It was such a dry June that I really feel July is making up for it. The rain today is like a tropical storm! (Ok I know that Mrs Scottish person has no real concept of a tropical storm, it’s just heavy rain! 😂)

I pass this every dog walk and think this would make a great gang hut.

Gang hut?!?!? That makes me smile as I don’t know that I ever had a gang hut when I was wee and yet I think it would be great now?!? For my “gang”?!? Basically somewhere cool to sit and hide is more likely these days.

I also had a wee thistle photography session again this morning too. I don’t know how they came out until I go to look at them right now 😂

Hmmmm much the same as every other day…. One day I’ll get the thistle photo that will launch my photography career 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 today was not that day!

Spotted this wee guy in the field!

There’s a problem with this next photo. There’s a sheep and a lamb in the primary school playing fields.

Quick hop in the shower and then off up to Braehead shopping centre for a strapless bra for the hen do tonight. (as a wee aside it turns out I’m not wearing the dress that needs one!!)

I had a lovely wee shopping trip to myself.

The cropped cargos were nice but not what I was really looking for.

I really liked these full length cargos. I ordered them for home delivery as they didn’t have the regular length in stock. The ones in the photo are short.

I loved this linen vest top but it just didn’t look right on. Too square at the top and straight up and down. I got the black cargos but I don’t think I need both them and the grey ones. Might take the black ones back.

This wee playsuit actually looks really nice in the photo but it was super uncomfortable and clung to all the wrong spots.

Linen top was lovely but did nothing for me.

Black T-shirt was lovely but again… I’m not a massive fan of a high neck.

Got this next one. The v neck felt better on.

And this next one… I never saw that coming?!? Needless to say…. I didn’t buy that!

I have to say that I’m feeling really good about my weight loss. I’m not trying hard, I’m not making a huge effort. I’m just fasting for 16-20 hours every day and it feels like I have taken back control. I love the food that I’m eating in between. I appreciate it, I savour it and I feel very grateful for it. I know that sounds daft but you know I say it how it is.

I find my main meals are much healthier than before because I want it to be tasty and not just carbohydrates, which taste of nothing. I still have cakes, milky coffees and crisps, I just don’t eat them all day.

So I’m gonna put this out there as I’m proud of where I’ve got to…. I tried on bikinis today….

More than anything, look at the difference in my face because actually that’s all that matters.

The majority of us hate our bodies. I am learning to be very appreciative of what I have. It’s a different story without the bikini top on but let’s deal with one thing at a time and don’t worry there will NEVER be photos of that!!!

So yeah tonight we have Elly’s Hen next door on the village pub. Since I don’t go out much, I am very lucky it’s just next door. It’s been TORRENTIAL rain and tonight it a tropical theme!!

It’s dried up now and long may that continue.

Here are Claire and I ready for the hen!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1193 a lovely walk and lunch out!

What a lovely way to spend a day off. I slept like a log again courtesy of sea air and progesterone. That stuff is good for a great nights’ sleep.

Up and out for a dog jog for the first time in a VERY long time.

Check the action shot 😂

I actually managed to run a fair bit of it, which felt great, considering it’s been so long. it’s a really good way to start the day.

We still have the barriers outside the house, from the water pipe work that was done while we were on holiday. 🤦🏻‍♀️

It was raining, but warm enough for me to have just a T-shirt on. I got wet but it didn’t matter, it actually felt really nice not to care.

I did some housework and then went to Kilbirnie Loch, Lochshore to meet my friend, Shelagh, for a walk and lunch.

The heavens opened as we arrived but we set off anyway. Check the hood up shot but it was raining very heavily.

The rain cleared and the sun was lovely for a bit. We definitely got the best of the day.

It’s pouring again now incidentally and forecast for rain forever!! 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Shelagh has a really wonderful energy and spending time with her is really special. She is healing from a year and half of cancer and treatment and is inspirational in the way she has handled it. She makes sense of my head which is lovely too.

For those who’ve been reading from the start, you may remember that she was my original Health Kinesiology Practitioner. It’s lovely to spend time with her now and get to know her. She obviously knows everything about me as I’ve poured my heart out to her over the years… and she stuck around!! 😂😘

We had a lovely walk for about an hour and then headed to the Lochshore Café for lunch. We had a bowl of tomato soup. It was so good after our walk. I had a white chocolate piece of rocky road with an oat milk latte for desert. I scoffed it before I thought to take a photo, it was soooo good!

Really lovely to have a catch up.

I headed to Tesco for a food shop afterwards and then back home for more housework and I’m just waiting on the Scottish Dog Behaviourist to get home from work so we can have some pizza and garlic bread. My mouth is watering at the thought!!

It’s 6pm on a Friday night and he’s just driven into view outside the house. A long shift for a Friday!! Love that the dogs know he’s out there!!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1190 a brighter day today… still under a FB ban 🫣

Another blog that hardly anyone will read but hey… as I said, if you find it here then thank you 😘

I’m still barred from FB until about 10pm and then hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to plead my case and get them to take me off this horrible list I seem to be on. I just want to go back to my account, unhacked and WAY more wary of the vulnerability of it all.

If that’s not possible then I will consider leaving FB altogether and I’ll find another way of publishing my blog and photos.

So yeah, I feel different today. I feel like I’ve accepted the reasons for everything that’s being going on. I woke up this morning, opened my eyes and knew instantly that something was different. I’ve felt really hard done to in the last week or so. I’ve felt like everything seemed a bit hopeless. I’ve seen the negative in everything.

I can’t tell you how good it is to feel a wee bit better. Life doesn’t feel hopeless today.

I don’t know why I feel better. There’s obviously always things that happen to me that I can’t write in the blog. Things that affect me but are not my story to tell. The blog feels like a real chore on those days.

I’ve been so irritated by everything this last wee while and today I see the positive in everything, the reasoning behind everything, rather than the anger. It really makes such a difference. However the switch got flicked I’m not complaining. It’s so draining when you feel mentally rotten.

It poured with rain overnight last night. Absolutely stotting down when we went to bed. it was the same again this morning.

Mid afternoon the sun came out and it’s been lovely and warm. Long may that continue.

I’ll leave you with some Just Jules sunset photos again…. Because they make me smile!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1189 WordPress renewal and another day chasing Facebook 😩

So yeah that’s WordPress renewed for another year. It costs me £100 a year to rant and moan 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 maybe I should just write it down on some paper, save a fortune and be done with it?!? 😂 Acht I know there are more positive days when I get to travel around our beautiful country and share photos of stunning beaches and sunsets!!

Also another day of being public enemy number 1 on FB. My account has definitely been compromised, to put it mildly. I’m still barred for another 29 hours or so. The majority of my readers are on FB… my new photography page is on FB. I know life does not revolve around Fb but from a positive point of view mine has recently. Maybe this is a lesson to rely on it a bit less and look for other ways to do what I do?!?

Hmmmm… I’m angry and upset and have struggled to come to terms with how difficult is for me to voice that opinion to the FB powers that be. The hackers keep finding me no matter how many times I change my password. I’m not sure how that can even be possible?!?

Anyway, it is what it is…. I’m home now and it’s pouring with rain outside so we have all the candles lit and none of it seems quite so bad.

I have a feeling my account will never be quite the same again. I feel like I’m on some list that is now easily targeted. I’ll see how the next few days go and maybe have to start afresh.

For those who read this tonight, thank you for finding another way…. And I’m sorry for the negativity!!

I’ll end with some Just Jules Photography shots just to brighten the mood! It works for me anyway. 😆😘♥️

Ahhh that’s better!

Have a good Monday night!

Stay safe everyone 🌧️🌧️🌧️

Day 1174 a day in Scottish paradise, 3 seasons in one day!

(Again posting on actual day 1176 as no signal on the campsite!!)

Oooh I did not sleep that well. I was shattered but between the heat, some strong gusts of wind, Freya panting in the heat and someone snoring, I felt like I was awake a fair bit. That is ok, I have all day to do absolutely nothing if I want to.

The campsite is very busy but generally quietened about 10.30 to 11 ish last night when I went to bed. We sat watching the bunnies in the field in front of us. At one point there were 5 of them running about right in front of us. Fascinating to watch them.

This was the view out the window at 4.30am. It doesn’t get that dark up here. Even at 1.30am there was light in the sky.

It’s forecast to be sunny this morning and it’s trying really hard…. Not quite managing it.

Freya has been exceptional. Honestly we are blown away by our youngest pup. She’s always been the youngest of 3 so has always been more of a dogs dog than a people dog.

She’s lying at my feet now, honestly barely a peep out of her… except for that exceptionally heavy breathing through the night. The material for the sleeping bag isn’t the best for the heat. It’s amazing in summer but it was holding the heat a lot last night. She got herself a bit too embroiled in it! By the time I moved her, she stopped panting almost straight away.

So it’s now 8.15pm and with all things it’s not always perfect in paradise. It was so windy that we had to pack up camp to a certain extent. Down came the windbreak and pop top and we wound in the Fiamma awning. It was wild.

We went for a walk before it rained and the scenery was still stunning.

We went to Flossie’s Little Blue Shop in the Clachtoll village. It’s the cutest little place. We had cheese toasties.

Then the heavens opened and it rained for about 4-5 hours. Solidly. We went for a nap and I read. Don’t know if I’ve said that there no phone signal so I’m not glued to my phone which is nice.

We had a lovely salad late afternoon and it brightened up. We took Freya our for a lovely walk up to Stoer, the next village.

We walked round the Stoer headland and found the famous Broch. This was a stink g place. Must find out the history when we have signal.

It’s now 8.30pm and the sun is shining. It’s much cooler than it has been these last few weeks but it’s beautiful and that’s the main thing.

Stay safe everyone ☀️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿☀️