Day 1302 a whirlwind of a day! 🎃👻🎃

I have no idea where today went… it’s been an absolute whirlwind of a day! I woke at 4.17am but did get back to sleep for a change.

Work just flew by. We had lots of customers in which kept me really busy. I don’t think I looked at my to do list once but it was a good day.

I think I’ve said before that I’m one of the admin on a FB group called After Dry January? One of the guys in the group had hired a Tartan Campervan and I got to meet him today.

It was lovely to put a face to the name and get a right good hug from someone who’s been there from the start of After Dry January in February 2019.

I made soup in the slow cooker overnight. I stirred it at 4.19am!!

I took some into work today and was able to take Ellison lunch in for a change. She has brought soup in for lunch so many times and it’s SO good! Mine was actually really nice.. not as good as the last batch but I’d used broth mix inside of lentils this time. Back to lentils next time.

When I got home I took some photos of the crochet poppies in the Village Hall.

It’s hard to get photos without the reflection.

I threw together a quick salad for dinner and headed over to the earlier Kinisi-flow class at 5.15pm. I took photos inside the hall.

Aren’t they beautiful! ♥️💜

I’d like to say that our crochet group did all of these but actually it was really only Jane! She was very good at them. The rest of us just spurred her on and Anne came up with the concept of attaching them to the wreath. It’s a a lovely tribute. ♥️💜♥️💜

The Kinisi-flow class was amazing! I was able to do almost every move for once and I really felt the flow. I got a lovely Pukka tea bag at the end… called JOY. I came home and made the tea in my favourite mug.

Oh and happy Halloween… you can tell it’s not a big thing in our house…. But I like the emojis! 🎃👻💀👻🎃

Stay safe everyone 👻🎃👻

Day 1301 did anyone else sit outside for lunch today?!? 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

I didn’t get a chance to say yesterday, but, for those of us in the UK, who’s clocks went back an hour yesterday, was it not just THE longest day ever?!? That was very poor grammar but you get the gist…. It was such a long day, in a good way. It just never stopped ! Craig was ready to head to bed at 7.30pm before he realised!! It’s amazing how one extra hour can make such a difference.

It was a lovely day today. Cold, but the sun shone for most of the day. Ellison and I decided to sit outside for lunch!!

Check us!

I was cold but it’s so lovely to get fresh air at lunchtime and to get away from my desk.

I’ve been a strange mix of in control and spirally anxious today. Ali, at work, did a really good job of talking me down as soon as my anxiety kicked off. I recognised it was happening and managed to see the true picture, if that makes sense. Adding something new into my job totally panicked me, he explained how it would work and straight away I realised I was only anxious of the unknown and once I work through it… it will soon be the normal day to day.

I quickly catch thoughts that don’t serve me. It’s ok that a part of me feels this way. I joyfully release the thoughts and embrace the positive.

I’m still saying this every morning and today has been a prime example of that happening.

Since I’ve come home work I’ve made dinner, been to Tesco for a food shop AND made soup!!

I never go to the supermarket in the evening and yet it only took me an hour and I actually enjoyed it. I love it when I forcefully break one of my self imposed rules, and it actually works out being a great idea. 😂

So that’s all for now folks… awright Bugs Bunny?!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1297 Thursday already!

It’s my weekend already…. What a quick week.

I went in to work early today as it’s financial year end and I need to have all invoices reconciled by Tuesday. Was in for about 7.20 and didn’t get away until 4.20pm…. Did I get my reconciliation finished?!? Eh, naw! of course I didn’t.

I have to say, the old me would have stayed until yon time tonight to get it all finished. The new me might still do that on Monday night but I have two days to get it finished.

I love doing the reconciliation but I put EVERYTHING else before it today… then got really antsy that I couldn’t get to it.

I quickly catch thoughts that don’t serve me. It’s ok that a part of me feels this way. I joyfully release the thoughts and embrace the positive.

Anyway, I’ll get it done… because I have to. 😂

I have been ravenous for food today. My fasting really tested me today…. I’d drank a lot more water than usual and none of it was ever enough. I caved 15 minutes before lunch and then I was sooooo lucky as Ellison brought soup and a buttered roll, for lunch, again. I loved it!! I was still trying to get my hands on as much food for the rest of the day. Funny how some days are like that.

Check the colour of the sky when I left work tonight. It was SO dark!! It hasn’t rained yet but it really looked like it was going to.

I’ve been listening to an amazing podcast that Angela, my Health Kinesiologist, recommended. I’ll post a link to it. It’s called Diary of a CEO (which is not a pleasant thought for me as it’s a kick back to the old world) but, Steven Bartlett talks to Dr Tara Swart about how stress is contagious and can cause belly fat!! I could listen to Dr Tara Swart for hours as she has a lovely voice with clear explanations.

Diary of a CEO

It’s really eye opening and shows how much we need human contact and how we sync in with each other. I’m fascinated by it. It’s a long one but well worth a listen.

So nothing much else to report. Still feeling a bit meh with no real words of wisdom. I think everyone is feeling the change of season as the nights start to draw in.

Oh I did order some lovely new bedding as a wee treat.

I usually spend £20 on our duvet covers as we have soooo many dogs, it’s impossible to keep anything good…. But these are GOOD ONES… as my Nana would say. Such a difference to sleep in a quality duvet. I also got a new actual duvet at the same time as ours was a good few years old. It was in desperate need of replacement!!

So I’m off to Largs tonight to see Beith Young Farmers Show. Louise next door is in it. I need to get up off the couch and get moving shortly!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1296 a good day!

A day that starts off with THE bat 🦇 signal isn’t usually going to be a good one… but when you’re driving to work and witness a wee one for real, it is really pretty cool.

A bat flew out of a hedge in the early morning light (just looked like a bird) and in my headlight showed an almost perfect bat signal. It was a very precious moment where you realise how beautiful nature can really be.

You can tell someone is feeling a bit brighter, waxing lyrical about random things like that. 🙄😆

Kinesiology was really good last night. Angela said that’s it’s good to approach a session when not in crisis mode. It allows you to tackle some genuine issues before they hit that fight or flight mode.

I have homework as well… an affirmation, which I thought was a good one.

I quickly catch thoughts that don’t serve me. It’s ok that a part of me feels this way. I joyfully release the thoughts and embrace the positive.

I do need to get my head around it being ok to feel a bit low some days….. These feelings are still very valid.

My friend Isy sent me this yesterday, which summed up exactly how I was feeling.

Today has been different altogether. I’ve been clear headed and focussed. I’ve not been anxious or paranoid.

We had a great Tartan management meeting today and I love a good meeting, a good communication session, a good discussion on the future. Can’t beat it!

It’s been a really good day.

Did I mention I bloody love driving a beetle. What a difference a car makes.

Off to crochet now!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1295 another day in the life…

Hmmm I don’t have much to say today…. Yeah I know…. Doesn’t happen that often.

I had a very productive morning and cleaned out drawers of clothes BEFORE I went to work. I washed up last nights dinner dishes too. I was on a roll…

I love this.

I had another great sleep but I’m tired today. I couldn’t think as clearly as I have been. I was a bit more fuzzy headed.

I have Kinesiology tonight at 7.30pm and for once I don’t have some big burning issue to discuss. I’m sure I’ll come up with something once we start talking…. Hmmm maybe a bit of a meh day I guess.

I’m fine just no words of wisdom, no drama, no stress, no anxieties! As I write that I maybe think today sounds like a pretty good day!

I think I’ll share some photos that I haven’t shared for a while.

Sunset on the south of the Isle of Arran.

Sunset on Largs.

Sunset over the Isle of Arran.

Sunset in Nairn.

Sunset over Clachtoll beach.

Finally sunset over Portencross Castle.

A sunset theme but they made me smile.

Hope you all have a good Tuesday evening!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1294 two drives to work before 9am and a very warm day in my new fleecy leggings 😂

I left my work phone at home today. I spent 15 minutes wandering around work thinking that should be able to manage without it… I message Craig to see if he’d be near Tartan HQ today… nope. Then realised that I can’t even log on to the Xero accounting system so would be as well driving home to get it.

It was a beautiful morning. It was freezing cold and Bertie Beetle was very frosty.

The sky was absolutely stunning on the way to work…. I only have a photo when I left….

And when I arrived…

But the colours I saw in between were just something else. It was bright red at one point. I just wanted to stop and take lots of photos along the way. It was a stunning start to the day.

So it wasn’t the end of the world to drive home and back again all before 9am. I called ahead and had Craig get the phone ready and a black coffee in a takeaway cup!!

So another laugh today was my new fleecy leggings…. I put them out without seeing a dog this morning… zero hair until I had to come back for my work phone of course!

They are a bit thicker than the ones I had last year so I want sure if it was cold enough… when I saw the frost I deduced that it was.

After my homemade soup for lunch I was ROASTING!!!!

This is not the best photo but I had bright red cheeks all afternoon until I finally took my long sleeved T-shirt off from under my T-shirt.

I sat outside for a bit after my soup as I clearly thought it was warm enough. Anything to try and calm the heat down in my face 😂😂 so I can highly recommend the leggings but I might have to wait a few weeks to really appreciate their warmth. To be fair it turned into a lovely sunny day.

After work I took another 3 bags to the charity shop and this time really struggled to leave some of the stuff. I’m at the point now where I’m giving away things that really do mean something to me but I just don’t have the space for anymore.

My sloth cushion was up for sale before I even left the shop… I wanted to buy it back!!

Here it is in Abbie the Campervan when I first got it converted….

It’s a lovely cushion but I just don’t have space for it in my life anymore. I was sad to let it go though.

Anyway that’s my day today. Sitting in front of the wood burning stove in our newly cleaned sunroom.

The kitchen and sunroom feel so good since they’ve been blitzed. I walk into the room and can breathe. I know that sounds daft but I say it like it is.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1290 I breathed all night!! 🙌🙌

Woop woop! What a difference a good nights’ sleep makes. I woke at 4.06am and rolled back over to sleep again, until the alarm. Then I couldn’t move!!

I feel SO much better today. I’m still loaded with the cold but something has definitely lifted. my head feels a lot less woolly!

Another busy day at Tartan HQ, it’s been a busy week. Despite the lurgy, we’ve survived on skeleton staff and made good progress.

I work SO much better when I’m in control. This may not come as a shock to you but I have decided I am actually a control freak!!!

Today I felt very in control. Things went as planned and it felt really good. I feel excited by work when everything is going right. I just need to master my reactions when it’s not….. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

I really need to work at letting go of control… I shiver at the thought 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Anyhoo…. It’s my weekend now and I’m so grateful for the break.

We have Storm Babet heading our way but it’s pretty calm just now.

I did have a giggle with the giant ivy leaves when I came in tonight….. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂😂

They look like giant dinosaur feet. 🦖🦕🍁🍁🍁

Hope everyone’s ok in these storms.

Stay safe everyone 🍁🍁🍁

Day 1287 I dot the told! 🤧😷

I woke up with the cold this morning. Actually that’s not entirely true as I woke up at 12.30 and about 5ish with the cold.

I was about to say I felt totally fine yesterday but then remembered that technically that wasn’t true. Least said about that the better. The minute I jumped in the shower yesterday, I felt better.

I had such a lovely drive over to Edinburgh. What a difference a Bertie Beetle makes. I’ve been meaning to talk about that for a while… Craig must be sick of me saying it. 😂 I LOVE driving again. I’m able to pull away from junctions without being terrified. I’m able to skip out in front of people rather than waiting for a completely clear road. I was driving at 70 miles an hour the whole way to Edinburgh and it felt like a dawdle. I am brave enough to move lanes again. Despite how awful I felt yesterday morning I had a really lovely drive over. I did have the car at 26°C to keep me cosy. maybe that was a sign?!?

We had a lovely family get together. I still seem to struggle with small talk. I know that I used to drink to cover that but not any more. I overthink things and can’t always think what to say. I hear myself and think “urgh why on earth did I say that?”. I cringe at some of the words that come out of my mouth…. Yet I LOVE the real deep and meaningful meaty conversations.

My mum’s cousin Pam and her husband were over from Colorado… we all met in Duddingston, Edinburgh at mum’s cousin Joyce’s…. There’s a mouthful and a half.

Here we all are yesterday.

My brother set up this great timer photo and I seemed to pick the forefront and massive spot!!

So back to today…. I went into work early as we are skeleton Tartan this week, and I wanted to let the guys know what they were working on…. As the day went on I just got more and more blocked up. I had chills shivering through me. I had the heating up on full in the portacabin!

Quite early on in the day I realised I had to stay until 5pm to receive a rental van back. The thought of it was awful…. The day dragged on and I felt so knackered. Actually I just focused on what needed doing and actually had a really good afternoon. The time passed quickly and I got lots done. I didn’t even feel like I’d stayed late. I have literally talked to myself all day and it’s worked. There have been no tears.

I have this lovely gift, from Evelyn, hanging from my rear view mirror.

Stay true to yourself ♥️

Oh and a little bit of mint choc chip ice cream makes you feel a bit better too.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1286 a wobbly morning but off to have a lovely afternoon! 👩‍👩‍👦‍👦

Well the hormones have taken hold this morning for the first time in ages. I am so tearful. The tears are just streaming down my face and while they do stop, they’re back about 10-15 minutes later. This is ridiculous.

I’ve always said I want to tell the truth with this blog, no matter how uncomfortable it is for me to do that.

I’m so glad that Craig has been away this weekend as it wouldn’t have been any fun to be around. Let’s get one thing straight, it’s not being alone that has made me sad… I think it’s my expectations for the weekend…. The amount I wanted to do it needed to be a three week weekend! I was rebuilding the house while catching up with friends and family on top of dealing with the dogs.

I’ve been so impatient with the dogs, not had the confidence to walk the three at once so had to do separate walks where I berate myself all the way round for not managing the three of them… there go the tears again. I met a man with a two dogs off lead and the adrenaline that flowed through me was enough to choke a horse. (Poor metaphor but it did make me smile). Of course it was fine.

Wow, even as I write this I really how difficult my head can be and I bring all of this on myself.

Every step with the dogs was a drudge. Bhru and Freya first, then back for Calaidh. Half way through Calaidh’s walk I felt a surge of positivity and energy which was nice. I smiled, looked around and appreciated the moment.

It didn’t last…. Poor Claire asked if she could borrow two eggs… is there a way to say todays not a good day to be borrowing eggs 🤦🏻‍♀️😔 she spotted it straight away… more tears. Jeez….

I was planning to fast until I head over to Edinburgh this afternoon but I had a egg mayo bagel and it has helped. I’d already done 16 hours fasting so I thought some food would help.

I’m gonna put this out before I go. We have a family get together in Edinburgh this afternoon at mum’s cousin Joyce’s house. (Always call her mum’s cousin Joyce for some reason… smiled again!)

I was have a lovely afternoon and at some point normal Julie will kick back in and no one will ever know. 🤦🏻‍♀️😆😉

At some point I will feel completely calm and forget that this ever happened…. Except that I have written it all down. ☺️

I saw rainbows everywhere this morning.

Heavy overnight frost!

Then I spotted these really cool clouds on the way back down the hill. They made me feel a bit dizzy through the lens. (lens?!? 😂 iPhone!!)

So yeah… not the best morning. No real reason… all hormonal and I’m cringing like a cringey thing putting this out but if you met me on the walk I’d have smiled and you’d have had no idea.

You meet people like me all over the place. Everywhere. You have no idea how someone is feeling. So please always be kind.

I say that…… and don’t be too kind if you see me today as you might get tears 🥹🥹🥹😔😂😂 best just pretending none of this has happened 😂😂

So I’m off to shower, get dressed, hair and make up done and I’ll be fine. I’ll have a lovely day catching up with family I’ve not seen since February. I’ve arranged for neighbours to pop in and let the dogs out.

I have a busy week at work while half of Tartan take holidays at the same time…. But it will all be fine and I’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. Again.

Life with crazy hormones can be tough.. but I’m fighting it every step of the way.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1280 back to earth with a bump but finally awake!

Thankfully way more awake and switched on for the first day back at work. I could even remember some things from before my holiday…. I mean, I was impressed!!

I’ve not been in the best frame of mind if I’m honest but come on, who is first day back?!

The office was pretty spotless which was very impressive 😂

I worked till 5pm and didn’t make a dent in the work I’ve got to catch up on but I’ll get there.

I’ve been on a roll since I got home and made a lovely salad for dinner, emptied and filled the dishwasher, hung up a washing and taken Calaidh for a lovely evening walk. I left at half 6 and got chatting to our new lovely neighbours so it was dark by the time I got home!

I loved the walk in the almost dark (my friend Evelyn will get cross with me…😂😘) and Calaidh did too.

Here’s she is hiding in the burn!

It actually looks pretty light in these photos!

It’s felt good to do things in the evening. I was so lethargic yesterday…. I could barely think straight, it feels really good to be way more alert.

Musta needed it!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1268 Breast Screening appointment and OUT OF THE OFFICE is on!! 🏝️☀️👙🏊🏼‍♀️🌊

My out of the office was all set up and ready to go and 4pm. Truth be told I typed it all up on Monday, ticking off another thing on my to do list. The out of office voicemail is also on…. Wonder how many months it will take me to switch that back off?!?! Let’s not think of that just yet 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

I got a very teeny, tiny long lie this morning . Ok… so I was still awake but I stayed in bed a bit longer. I had my first over 50’s breast screening appointment at 9.06am in Morrisons car park in Johnstone.

I’ve had a few before (under 50 obvs!), as I’ve found lumps in the past, which have always been cysts. This was the first call just because of my age.

It’s actually very clever…. Reception is just inside the door at the top of the stairs, there are 3 cubicles… you are allocated one, you take your underwear off and put your top back on and sit and wait till you’re called.

You leave your underwear and jacket in the cubicle and take your bag into the screening room.

For all you men out there who have no idea… breast screening is where you stand top half naked and they whap a boob onto a plate and squeeze it with another plate until it’s as flat as it can be. 😧

You have to do each one front on and each one side on while your arms are up in the air and your hugging the machine. That’s FOUR boob pancakes…… It is fairly uncomfortable and a wee bit sore. After having had a few, I know not to panic but it really is the strangest thing. There surely must be an easier way to do it but hey….

It’s done and results in 3 weeks. We are very lucky to get this free in Scotland.

So back in Bertie Beetle and flying back to work. Did I mention I love driving again?!? It’s soooo much better.

I was already completely in control at work and ready to finish up, so today was about tidying up all the loose ends.

I feel like I’ve ticked all the boxes and crossed off all the lists but I’m sure there will be something major that I’ve forgotten. 😆

Here’s my last view of Tartan Campers until Monday 9th October!! That sounds like ages away, doesn’t it.

It was actually a lovely morning, a nice sky and very calm. The calm before todays Storm Agnes hits. Our ivy is starting to turn and is looking lovely.

The storm had already hit by the time I left Tartan. It had rained for hours!! To be fair, so far, I’m not sure why it has a name as it doesn’t seem that bad. It must be worse somewhere else.

I’ve finished packing and just have the last minute stuff to do tomorrow.

Tonight Craigie and I are having a quiet night with all the candles on. We were going to go out for dinner but we’ve both been out all day, so decided to stay in. It’s so autumnal today that the candles are lovely.

Tomorrow Gayle and I head to Bodrum in Turkey. Our flight’s not until 4pm so there’s still time to get organised.

My ramblings might not always be daily or on time… I’ll see how it goes. Stay tuned to my Fb page as there will most likely be photos!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1267 the night before the night before I go on holiday!

Wide awake at 5am this morning. I read for a bit and then felt shattered when it was time to get up. I feel shattered now!

We had our AGM last night where I resigned from the Gateside Memorial Hall Committee. I did few bad but I know that it’s right for me at this moment in time. I still have to transfer over financial signatory so that will still take a bit of time I guess.

There was a very bright moon last night. It was a real surprise when I went outside with the dogs after 10pm.

So I only got 6 hours and 23 minutes sleep last night. Looking forward to an early night tonight.

It’s been another good day at work with lots of progress in the workshop and a good vibe about the place. I feel pretty well caught up and ready to finish up for holiday at 4pm tomorrow. I don’t feel ready to go on holiday yet but I’m sure some time spent dedicated to packing and I’ll be there!!

I’m still filling my knee full of ibuprofen and paracetamol so I will have to take tonight’s Kinisi-flow exercise class, easy. I know I’ll feel better once I’ve been there though.

There’s also a possibility of Aurora over Scotland tonight. It’s very cloudy with us so maybe unlikely here but hopefully some folks get to see it!

So yeah, not much else from me today. I need to get dinner, collect some packing stuff together and get to Kinisi-flow for 6.30pm!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1266 back at the office for 3 whole days!

Oooooh my flight home last night was a rough one. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿✈️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

It was delayed by an hour due to a hold up in Amsterdam. to be fair, the hour passed fairly quickly.

There was a lovely sky when I left Bristol.

I didn’t take many photos as I a bit too scared to look out the window!

I found comfort by squeezing my belly button right into my back so that my stomach didn’t feel the roller coaster ups and downs, and shoving a fingers in my ears to drown out the noise during landing. Sure I looked as calm as a calm thing. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

It was a pretty hairy take off to start with so the landing didn’t come as any major surprise. We had up to 61mph winds forecast.

I am never flying again.

Until Thursday of course. 😱😬

So yeah, home to lots of cuddles from the doggos.

Today has flown in back at work. Don’t know where the day went. I’m so busy this week trying to finish up for Turkey but also have something on every evening too. I’m finding it really difficult to pack for my first foreign sunshine holiday in years, I can’t remember what I need to take, but hey, an excuse to buy whatever I leave behind. 😆

I have the Gateside Memorial Hall Committee AGM tonight, where I am resigning as Assistant Treasurer and from the Committee.

I am surprised, but I just don’t take to the formality of a Committee, to be honest. It just doesn’t seem to be my cup of tea, for some reason. Rather than the dread of going to a meeting, I am choosing to leave. I’m more than happy to help out at functions in the hall but just not to got though the committee formality. I couldn’t wait to be a part of it at the time…. And to be Treasurer was a real honour…. Yet as with other things in my life, I’ve tried them and have chosen to move on.

The meeting is at 8pm when I’m usually ready for my bed!! It’s 18.47 and I really need to go upstairs and do some Turkey packing before I go…. I keep putting it off. 😬

Just do it!!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1262 a good day at work and travelling ✈️ to Devon!

I slept like a log. Such a good sleep. Which is just as well as I’m going to be really late tonight. I’m flying down to Bristol at 10pm to stay with my friend, Helen, in Exmouth this weekend. We’ve had it planned since she came up to stay here in May.

Craig’s alarm went off at 5am as well 😳 great….. 🤦🏻‍♀️😬

I had a very hot shower this morning. I wondered if Craig had turned it up yesterday. I had to make it cooler. The shower also had a whine coming from it.

When I went to fill my water bottle, the mains cold tap ran like the hot tap usually would. There was no pressure. I found out later on that we had a burst water main down the road!

So still in the shower…… I’ve been reading Wim Hof’s book (not while in the shower!) about the benefits of having a cold shower every day. He recommends starting with 30 seconds a day for the first day 10 days and building up to two minutes.

I tried it today. 😳

Even 30 seconds was almost impossible for me. It hurt my head so badly. It’s gonna take some practice. I did start counting a bit faster towards the end. I have to say I did feel pretty energised after it!

Been meaning to say how much I am loving driving Bertie the Beetle. It’s sooooo lovely to drive. I’m actually enjoying driving again.

I’m also very impressed with my fuel consumption. I filled up on 7th September at £77 and I still have 65 miles in the tank. I’ve driven 454 miles so far. The van matched that mileage but closer to £120 for a tank. I’m saving £43 every time I fill the tank. Wow.

In other news, I’ve really hurt my left knee. I was trying to step in and out a van that was on the ramps yesterday. My knees couldn’t cope with the height of the step…. Jeez old age doesn’t come lightly. As I stepped down to the ground, the knee I left in the van stretched a bit too much.

I’ve been hobbling about all day. Hope it eases off.

I was really clear headed and got lots done at work today. I felt ready to finish up for holiday and yet I am actually back for 3 days next week before Turkey. I’m sure there will be stuff I’ve missed but it felt good leaving today. I felt like I was in control.

So it’s now 8.25 and Craigie has dropped me at Glasgow Airport.

The sky was lovely on the way.

There was something strange when he dropped me off. We were sent to a different area to drop off and there was the smell of burning and the actual drop off area was all cordoned off.

I had to walk away in the other direction only to cross a road and walk back the other side. I was also due to fly out of Glasgow the day after the Glasgow Airport bomb attack. Our flight was delayed 24 hours and we had to queue for miles to get into the airport one by one. How security has changed since that day. It’s £5 to drop someone off!!!!!!! £5 for less than 15 minutes. That’s just ridiculous. Craig phoned to say he got through without paying as he was sent down a different road so all good there.

Love this sentiment!

So I’m flying EasyJet to Bristol tonight at 10pm. That seemed like such a good idea back in May. Means we have the whole day tomorrow rather than me arriving at lunchtime.

Helen Gray I’m coming to get you!!! ✈️😘🫶🏼

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1259 was going to be a quickie until I kept rambling 😂

It’s 8.23pm and it’s not often but I have very little to say.

I’ve had so much going on these last few days (most of it in my mind!!) that it’s quite nice not to have too many words swirling round in my head.

I haven’t felt great today but I’ve been much better this evening. Much calmer.

Work was good but actually just a blur, it went so fast! I took Khaleesi in with me again.

I only have 6 working days before I finish up for a full week off and I have SO much to do. Some of it just might have to wait. (Thousands of pounds worth of therapy to allow me to believe that!)

I had to drive to Bearsden after dinner tonight to pick up Leesi’s next prescription. The poor pup needs meds to control her pain. It’s so sad.

I’ve had some really icky feelings this last week or so. All brought on by fighting the insurance… I know that was the crux of it…. But…… all negotiated without any of my previous coping mechanisms that I used to use to to get me through the tough times. No wine, no mountains of Cadbury’s chocolate buttons. Just have to sit there and feel it all.

I’m really pleased that I’ve lost a bit more weight this week too.

At my worst when I was off sick I went up to 14 stone.

I’m down to 12 stone 2 lbs today for the first time in about 5 years. I had another lovely salad for lunch. im still really enjoying the fasting.

Anyway, I’m saying an awful lot for having nothing to say!!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1255 the day Khaleesi went to Tartan Campers & lovely dinner at Gro Coffee

It’s 8.42pm and I’ve been awake since about 4.30am….. I’m shattered but I’ve had a lovely day. I’ll make this quick!

I took Khaleesi to Tartan Campers today just to give her a different experience.

It was a very different experience for me. We often have dogs in Tartan but is the first time I’ve ever taken one in.

She was a wee bit breathless in the car on the way down. I made her a wee bed under my desk… she does look a wee bit sad here.

She relaxed into it.

She was super excited to go into the workshop. She was sniffing around and loved all the attention she got.

Here she is visiting Ellison in upholstery. She jumped up on this seat and sat smiling away, chuffed with herself.

Honestly she was amazing today. She never barked once, I was able to let her off the lead and wander around. She never moved as we all stepped over her at times. It was lovely to spend time with her.

I ran her home, got changed and headed back down to Irvine to meet Andrena and Linda,from the Fit Body Farm, for dinner at Gro Coffee in Irvine. (DECAF!!)

It was lovely and sunny when we arrived.

We had a selection of food between us. I love that. A chicken and peppers pizza, some crispy buttermilk chicken strips, some bread and oils and a caprese salad.

It was really lovely and so good to see them both. They are both so bright and cheery it’s lovely and warming to spend time in their company.

We’ve set our next date for 2 months time!!

Home now yawning my wee head off and Khaleesi has been out for the count all night Craig said! Too much excitement today.

Bless her.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1248 a hot, hot day!!

Phew what a Scottish scorcher!

It feels a lot hotter than this to be honest. There’s not a breath. We were sitting outside after work and had to come in as there are midges in our back garden?!?! We NEVER get midges!!

So yeah…. Didn’t have the best sleep last night. Woke at 4am and couldn’t get back to sleep. I stopped eating too early yesterday, after a big fast the day before so I think I was hungry. I still managed through until lunchtime but I’m having dinner tonight. You can’t survive on nothing. I’ve lost 3 lbs this week thought!

I had such a lovely drive to work today.

Being in a Beetle will take a bit of getting used to as I’m so close to the ground, I feel a bit vulnerable. Also at some junctions I can’t see over the long grass!! I used to see over everything!

I also filled up with fuel and it only cost me £75 to fill the tank. It used to cost me over £100 to fill the van so I hope I start to see a difference there.

Work was busy but we got a lot done. It was a good doing day.

There not much else to report really…. Khaleesi is settling in well. She’s sitting beside me just now.

That’s me at the weekend now, woop, woop!! 3 days off. Despite a wee wobble on Tuesday morning, I’ve had a really good week. I can see myself letting things go that would usually be a trigger to worry.

I feel very laid back and calm. This has been a week filled with huge changes and rather than fall apart, I have embraced them all.

Check. Me.

Khaleesi sporting her new collar. Makes her one of the gang. Calaidh’s is purple and pink, Bhru’s green, Freya’s is grey but they’re all the same style.

Matchy, matchy.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1245 another whirlwind of a day but Khaleesi is home ♥️

What a day. I am shattered!!

I was up at 5.20am. Showered, lunch made and out with the dogs by 5.45

A last pose in the garden before 3 became 4.

Holly next door kindly let them out mid morning and Craig was home with Khaleesi by 12.30pm. He made great time having left at 5am.

Work was crazy busy. The sun brought everyone out. At one point we had 4 lots of people waiting to speak to someone. I sat down outside for lunch and was interrupted twice! Don’t get me wrong, that’s what we’re there for, I’m not complaining it was just THAT busy.

So virtually no work done today other than to add to the list of things to be done.

In the background…..

I’ve almost run out of HRT meds so had to call the doc re a repeat prescription
The company I’m buying the car from hasn’t sent through the paperwork so I had to chase that
When they did send it through they then chased me twice to sign it, don’t they know how busy I was!!?
When I finally tried to sign it a bit wasn’t right so had to get them to change it
They chased for the payment again
Then I had to try and change my existing van insurance over to the car and their system was done so I had to call back
All the while Craig is travelling home with Khaleesi and sending me photos and videos of their progress

As I said, what a day!

We are all out in the garden, it’s been a scorcher!!

We are watching the dogs find their way around each other. Here I am saying hello.

Calaidh and Khaleesi are starting to play together. Bhru and Freya are more wary but that will come.

She loves Craig!

He’s been working relentlessly with the 4 of them. Integration into a pack of 3 has to be managed.

So not as relaxed an evening as it could be but I’m managing things way better than I would have in the past. I’m letting things wash over me in a way that makes me very proud. Despite the chaos of the day, I’ve laughed at it and things have fallen into place.

I love the calm when it comes to stay.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1238 just another manic Monday 😆 and a lovely gift from Ellison!

Actually today wasn’t really manic at all, I just smiled at that heading. 😁

The English part of the UK had a bank holiday today which meant the Scottish part of the UK got no answers to any phone calls today. 😆. It also means that it was ghostly quiet with no emails etc.

Strangely for a Monday, the phone didn’t go like the clappers either 😂

I had another amazing sleep. You’re sick of hearing that eh?! I don’t know why my sleep is so good just now, usually the 2 weeks off the progesterone is not as good but hey, I’ll take it.

Work went by fast oh and wait until you see what Ellison bought me today…..

MY PHOTOS ON WEE FRIDGE MAGNETS!!!!!

How lovely is that?! I was really touched….. also shows me what is possible with them, if I could have the confidence to do something with them!! That rose just looks stunning.

I had to go for a food shopping after work tonight… I have to say it was not fun. My head was all over the place, I couldn’t think straight at all. I’ve ended up with a whole lot of everything and nothing. It was a last minute thought so no list or plan. Never a good idea.

I came home, put it all away and made dinner and somehow it’s 8pm already!!

Lots of positive quotes first thing this morning so will share some of them.

And this next one… wow wow wow wow and wow!!!

I am in control of my own destiny. There are times when something side swipes me and I forget that but most of the time I know this is 100% true. My problems are my own.

Mull that over for a bit!

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1233 a lovely evening with the crochet hookers!

I actually worked on my blanket tonight at Crochet.

Check me!

That’s the first time in a very long time. I am tying up the ends of my blanket trying to finally finish it. This has been a real labour of love.

We had a really great chat and put the world to “tights” tonight (as I may have written once, a long time ago, and it stuck!)

It’s 8.35pm already so it’s just a quickie tonight. I’ve been awake since 4am thinking about work and then had another busy day. Gonna get an early night tonight.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️