July Monthly Round Up

A collection things that happened in the month of July

This month has been pretty hot! If you’re like me you’ll have been looking for any way possible to cool down, but hey, it’s summer and this is what a good old British summer is all about! I’ve had quite a lot going on this month one way or another; some of which you will have seen in previous posts but some of which will be new in this post. You probably already know about my room redecoration (I’ve talked about it more than enough!) but that was a pretty big part of the month of July. My wallpaper is up, walls are painted and new furniture is slowly being added – it’s all starting to look how I’d hoped, which is rather exciting! I thought I’d share a couple of sneak peeks with you, as I’m hoping to do a room tour when it’s all finished.

Another exciting thing that has happened this month is my charity project, Creature Comforts, which is slowly coming together. If you’re interested in finding out more, you can check out the Facebook page here but basically we are asking people to volunteer to make animals in whatever way they can, which will then be sold to raise money for Beat and Mind. The very lovely Emily over at Jammy and Jelly has kindly done some of her amazing illustrations to use as part of the project, which includes this awesome logo, that I am so happy with! This month I got together with my brother’s fiancé and we made these funky sock monkeys to get the project started. Please do contact me if you’re interested in helping out!

As I’m still struggling a lot with my health, I don’t really get to go out and about an awful lot, which is pretty difficult as you tend to feel quite lonely. However, I saved up some energy and, a couple of weeks ago, dolled myself up ready for my work BBQ. I’ve actually now left work so I can hopefully go to college in September, so I wanted to make sure I attended my last work BBQ. Although it wasn’t easy and it took a lot out of me, I was so happy I managed to go and it gave me a great excuse to dress up and do my make-up.

I thought I’d finish this part with a positive step I’ve made this month towards improving my overall health. Although I will never be completely well due to the diagnosis I now have, there are things I can do to help myself to be as well as I possibly can be. One of these things, which I started this month, is doing gentle physiotherapy, which helps to build up my muscles around my joints and also improves my core strength. I’ve only had two appointments so far, and have been doing my exercises every day (before you think of me doing hardcore gym exercises I have to make it clear that physio exercises for this condition are incredibly gentle!) but I’ve been getting a lot of problems with pain. So, my lovely physio has now referred me for some hydrotherapy, which I’m due to start next week. We are hoping it will benefit me a lot more as it’s meant to be great for people who have multiple joint involvement. I’ll keep you updated!

Things I’ve learnt this month…

+   Finally having answers is a massive relief

+   I was right in what I thought

+   I love gardening, even if my plants do always die!

+   You know you’ve got a good friend when months apart make no difference when you catch up

+   I hate those days when the pain is so bad you can’t get comfy

+   Sometimes being positive is incredibly hard

+   It’s really scary when your health dips so dramatically

+   I’m fed up of fighting for help and just meeting constant brick walls

+   When they said men were confusing they weren’t lying!

+   Feeling sick and in pain all the time is so draining

+   I’m fed up of having a body that won’t work

+   I’ve tried being myself but I’m never good enough

+   I’m fed up of always being second best

+   Inside I’m still a young child and get excited about the littlest things!

What to look out for in August

I’ll start off with DVD’s, although in the month of August there don’t seem to be to many exciting new releases, which is a bit of a shame, although I don’t watch that many films over the summer holidays, especially when the weather is so lovely. Firstly comes Rio 2, which is due for release on 4^th August, so not too long to wait! I have to admit I’ve not yet seen the first film, so perhaps I’ll have to pick up both of them and watch them if we get any rainy days. Then on 18^th August The Love Punch is released. I don’t know an awful lot about it, although I do remember seeing trailers for it a while back. But it’s got Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson in it, both of who I like, so hopefully it will be a good watch.

 

Something I’m so excited about for August is the return of Great British Bake Off! It comes back to our screens next Wednesday (6^th August) at 8pm and I will definitely be setting our box to record it, just in case I can’t sit down at watch it. I absolutely love watching it – getting inspiration for things I will never bake and watching Sue and Mel distract the bakers. Are you a Great British Bake Off fan?

August has some great cinema offerings, which is great if you’re on your summer holidays and want something to do (think of that lovely air conditioned theatre!) Firstly comes the Inbetweeners 2. Expect lots of funny antics as the boys go backpacking in Australia – I’m hoping it will be just as good at the series and first film. If you’ve got children to entertain there are quite a few showings of kids films old and new, so check out your local cinema as they often have special screenings for younger children. A couple that look like fun are The Nut Job, where a thieving squirrel needs to rob a nut store in order to survive, and Planes 2: Fire and Rescue – a follow up to the first film, made by the same people who made Cars. Either of those look great for the adults as well as the little ones, so be sure to check them out. A film that I didn’t realise was being made comes out in August. It’s called Hector and the search for happiness – you may have read the book previously, which I know I did. It was quite a nice little book actually, about a psychiatrist who goes in search for happiness, and it made me think a lot about my own life. I’m hoping the film will do the book justice and am looking forward to checking it out. Lastly, Daniel Radcliffe is back in another non-Harry Potter film, What If. I’ve read quite a lot of positive reviews saying it’s your typical Rom Com type film, so if you want a light-hearted watch, this might be your thing.

In August, something I’m particularly looking forward to is going on our family holiday. We’re off to Center Parcs at the end of August and I can’t wait! We went last year and loved it, so are heading back to the same place. I’m looking forward to enjoying our hot tub, perhaps going swimming, definitely having a visit to the spa and maybe even having a go on a Segway. I’ll be sure to fill you in on all the details when I get home. Are you off on a summer holiday?

Do you have any favourites or things you’ve learnt in July? What are you looking forward to in August?

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