Tag: Relaxation

Day 1158 start and end the day with gratitude! 💙💜♥️

I’m starting the day with gratitude today. It’s another beautiful morning though there is a cool breeze. I’m sitting outside in the garden with jammies on, having my first decaf coffee of the day.

I’m drinking out my lovely Slothy Julie mug and feeling grateful for all the lovely gifts I got for my 50th birthday, this being one from the lovely crochet hookers!

It’s just beautiful out here (could lose the breeze but let’s stick to the gratitude!)

There are no dogs at my feet…. There is no one in our house but me. The Scottish Dog Behaviourist is off out walking them this morning. I have really enjoyed our dog jogs but I am equally happy for the morning off to just sit here and just be.

I shared something on my FB page this morning which really struck a chord with me. (give Charlotte Freeman – Momentary Happiness a follow!)

I was the Queen of people pleasers! I went out of my way to make “YOU” happy…. Whoever you were, regardless of how you treated me, if I could make you happier then somehow my life would be at peace. Oh how wrong could I have been. This is what finally broke me…. Tying myself up in knots to please everyone else buy myself.

My head literally screams at me now when I agree to something I don’t want to do. It creates a whirlwind of emotion and angst (oooh what a word before 8am!) I don’t get a minutes peace from it until I say NO.

I do think that it could be perceived as selfish these days, and I get that, but I have to work very hard at preserving my mental health. I have learned over these last 4 and a half years, that I need to listen to myself now. I need to put myself first and do what is best for me.

As awful as that might sound to the person still stuck in the people pleasing loop…. I can honestly say this is one of the things I am most proud of.

Despite everything I have been through, I’m so grateful that I have been given time to learn this lesson. They say that true learning comes from adversity.

So back to today… it’s been beautifully sunny today though it was forecast to be cloudy. Sat here in the back garden at 6pm and it’s windy so cooler than it should be.

The little gift shop was lovely as usual. Always get to chat to so many lovely people. I was lucky enough to get a buttered cinnamon scone from Lindsay that works there through the week and Norma, who works in Harmony next door for me a packet of crisps!! So kind of them both. I had my usual salad for lunch. I’ve been living on salad this week. It’s been great! Long may it continue.

It’s nice to be sitting back outside where I started the day, although this time surrounded by Border Collies 🐶🐶🐶

The dogs have all just made a bee-line for the front door which means that the Scottish Dog Behaviourist just got home from his first day back at work!

I’m gonna sit just right here for a while.

Stay safe everyone ☀️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

Day 1153 wild sea swim at Portencross! 🏊🏼‍♀️🤿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙☀️

That sun emoji is still right up there at the top. Even above my ♥️ emoji which I use a lot.

I’m sleeping really well these days… there no snoring in our house as he’s away and obviously I don’t snore at all so I’m out for the count! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️😂

I felt a lot of anxiety when I woke this morning. It’s a beautiful day again and I have a sea swim planned at my favourite Portencross beach, today at 11am.

Now that sounds to me like the perfect day… and spoiler alert… it absolutely was… just the best…. But oh my god I make some amount of fuss in my head before I go!!!

There’s the dogs to be walked… and I like to do that before everyone is up… so I better get moving…

We went a different way today. They were so excited as they know they get off at the top of the hill so they pulled me all the way up. I stressed about that.

Then Freya needed a wee rest!

There are loads of buttercups up here.

Look how clear the sky is. You can see all the way over to the Isle of Arran.

A gate specifically for The Windsor Waffle my blogger friend. Just so she knows I’m still looking for gates 😂

Sooo many buttercups!!

I still had ages to get ready to head to the beach. I was stressed about remembering everything I needed to take (which was all safely stored in one place, I might add..) and of course I needed to be there an hour early so I could get parked. my driving and parking anxiety has been quite bad this weekend.

We’ve had a big event on in the Village Hall this weekend and I seem to be petrified of not getting parked when I come home. My whole weekend has been jigged around this event, which is, quite frankly, ridiculous!!

Anyway… I get there for about 10am and this is what greets me. Portencross is the best I have seen it this year.

The water is so still, so calm and peaceful. I could sit here for hours.

It’s just a shame a big group of age 60+ seem to have moved in to the picnic area and even at that time, have music blaring on a loud speaker. They are all chatting over it. Sitting under a large gazebo, none of them in the sun and they’ve brought an actual karaoke machine. I mean, really?!? Who does that. No care for anyone else sitting nearby them. Not sure why they hadn’t just stayed at home.

Down on the rocks and thankfully their tunes don’t travel.

I sat and watched this wee family of ducks float past! The wee one at the back was paddling like crazy to keep up. I was so lovely to watch.

I go swimming with Ellison from Tartan Campers and her sister Eileen who has been doing it for years so knows her stuff! We also met Chantal and Lesley today (they are really good swimmers so they were off for a good two kilometre swim).

Eileen is really good at taking photos but had left her phone pouch at home. I gave her mine. No point in me faffing with my phone and getting nothing! Also allowed me to relax and enjoy it without taking photos all the time.

We swam out the little stony beach at the side of Portencross Castle.

We literally walked in here and swam away!

Don’t be fooled into thinking I was swimming with a spaceman!! Ellison is wearing her snorkel mask which covers her full face and allows you to breath through your nose and mouth while snorkelling.

Eileen obviously took all of these photos. It just felt like such a special day. I’ve always wanted to swim there. I was petrified of jellyfish and saw none. I preferred not to look but once I borrowed Ellison’s snorkel I saw that it was amazing to swim under water.

I could have lay about in the water by the side of the castle all day!

It’s lovely to come out of the sea into the heat but you’re still exceptionally cold. The heat helps you to warm up a bit faster but you still have the shivers.

We sat and had a lovely lunch looking out to sea, I took a salad with me, I was ravenous by then!

Then to top it all off, Ellison and I took a wander back round to the castle and went inside. I’ve always wanted to do that! The views from the top are incredible.

This next picture shows the bit we swam in. It was amazing to see it from above.

Yet another day spent with people who are very good for my soul!

The whole reason I write this blog is to show people that I might look like I do lots of amazing things at times but I do feel a lot of anxiety around it. It doesn’t always come easily to me. It would have been so easy to stay home today and look what I would have missed.

Feel the fear and do it anyway!

Off to meet friends in the pub tonight about half 6… it’s been all go but a great weekend!

Lots of calls with Craig during the day today catching up on his dog training too! All good over there!

Stay safe everyone ☀️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙🤿

Day 958 first real day of holidays

It nice to have a day off work. To have no plans.

We slept through the Fit Body Farm this morning. Think we’re both exhausted after such a busy weekend.

I didn’t have much voice this morning when I woke up after shouting over the noise at the party and singing at the top of my lungs and way to much talking…. But do not fear because it came back, Craigie hasn’t had the luxury of a silent day. 😬😆

We took Abbie the Campervan back to the garage at 9am and walked back home from Glengarnock.

It’s a lovely morning but bitter. Hat and gloves for this first time.

I have Freya, I’ve just hidden her 😂 it’s more a photo of Craigie’s ass 😂 and me wearing his hat. 😂

This next one would have been amazing except for the power lines.

Gloves were off by the time we got home but it was a cold walk.

I got vouchers for Gro Coffee in Irvine from my Auntie Marion. Strike while the iron is hot, we have spent them already!

We had a lovely wee lunch. Look how pretty the food was.

It was super tasty too! I also had my custom coconut milk latte and Craig had posh diet coke!

We did not have a cake. Check us. We still have a house full of cake and regardless of what you might think when you might want cake… you CAN actually have toooooo much cake 🎂 😂

Forgot to share a really cool card I got from Kate and Jamie who live in the village. I love it!

So I’ve actually handled all this turning 50 malarkey, quite well. Age is just a number but this doesn’t feel as easy as 40 did.

I have had the best time despite wishing we were in the Maldives for a fortnight. We’ve seen so many lovely people and I’ve made some very special memories of my 50th.

The HRT is going fine despite losing a patch and having to plaster one down. Craig is the key to a plaster sticking. Any I’ve applied end up falling off.

I’m off the progesterone just now as it’s 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off, but I have to go back on it on Wednesday night.

I’m a bit nervous as it made me feel so low a few weeks back, but I need to take it.

“If oestrogen is the feed you use to grow a lawn, progesterone is the lawn mower that keeps the grass in check”. So my eloquent Doctor put it.

I’ve spoken to so many people this weekend about menopause. There are 34+ symptoms that are now attributed to peri-menopause or menopause.

All of these can be helped by replacing the hormones that we lose at this time of life.

It’s no less natural than taking insulin when you are diabetic or even for humans to drive in a car. It doesn’t matter what age you are. There are benefits from taking HRT that will help on later life. If you’re not sure, read up on it. You might be surprised.

In a stark reminder of my new age bracket, I’ve just received my bowel cancer screening kit. Craig’s lucky I won’t get him to help with this. 😆😂

It’s not even 3pm and I have my feet up, I’m listening to my birthday playlist on Spotify as I write this. I never got much chance to listen on Saturday.

I may have a nap.

Yet the garage phone just as I settled down…. Abbie is still wobbling despite having the passenger side drive shaft fitted. They need her overnight. They’ll drive her up on the ramp tomorrow….. the saga continues.

We are just watching the last ever episode of The Walking Dead. The end of a blood thirsty, zombie era. Who’d have thunk the blog would ever say those words?!?

I actually cried…. Way more than I should have. I’m just tired 🥱 😂

Hope Monday was ok for you.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️