How is it September already?! This year is just
flying past! I can't believe it's only a month until my birthday! It’s really starting to feel more autumnal now, with chilly,
darker mornings and misty days. I’ve actually started feeling a little bit
Christmassy (I know, a little early!) and have enjoyed curling up on the sofa
with a hot cup of tea. Saying that, I’ve seen the forecast for next week and it
looks like it’s going to heat up again! I always find it hard to know how to
dress at this time of year. One minute I’m shivering, then the next I’m boiling
hot! I am looking forward to autumn fashion though – snuggling up in cosy
jumpers, bobble hats and boots.
Last Sunday my Dad asked if I wanted to go to
church with him and my Mum in the morning, but I thought sitting through a
service would be hard with my pain as it was, so I declined. I didn’t sleep
that well on Saturday night, so it was probably good that I said no so I could
have a lie in. I had a fairly quiet morning pottering around and doing my
medications for the week ahead. I also managed to do some blogging and watched
a bit of TV. In the afternoon I decided to try and chill out as much as I
could. Despicable Me was on the TV, so I popped that on and sorted through a
load of old magazines. I’m one of those people who like to cut up old magazines
to use for crafts, but my pile was getting a bit crazy! Thankfully I managed to
get through the whole lot, which was a job well done. I felt absolutely
exhausted though, which seems to be an everyday occurrence these days. I had a
Lush bath in the evening to try and relax, which was nice.
As I mentioned in the previous couple of week’s
Sunday Snippets, in August I was joining in with the Crown and Glory Glitterati 2nd birthday celebrations, which included a
photo challenge on Instagram! If you want to see everyone else’s, simply search
the hashtag #CGGlitteratiTurns2. Day 28 is ‘Everyday’ – I find the majority of
pieces can be worn as an everyday piece, but I find hairbands like this one
particularly easy to throw on.
I woke up on Monday morning with a really awful
pain in my head and neck area. I’m guessing it was an after effect of the
injections, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. I had hoped to get
a lot done in the morning, but it took me a long time to get round to doing
anything. I did manage to get one blog post written though, despite being in
tears because of the pain. On Sunday one of our neighbours brought round a huge
punnet of blackberries she’d picked, so on Monday afternoon I somehow managed
to make a blackberry and apple crumble. I was actually quite pleased with
myself, as I’m not the best at cooking! But it was probably a mistake, as my
pain was even worse afterwards.
Day 29 of the August Crown and Glory photo
challenge is ‘Advice’ – I’m terrible at giving (or following!) advice, but I
thought this quote, beautifully drawn by Jilly Jilly was pretty
good. It’s one of my favourites – a good Disney quote!
I had a fairly quiet morning on Tuesday doing
some YouTube video editing and watching TV. Around lunchtime I rested on the
sofa for a while and caught up on a few emails. Then my Dad drove me to the
hospital for my appointment with my local gastroenterologist. When we got there
they said that my actual consultant wasn’t there and that the wait to see the
person covering her was over an hour, so I was a bit worried that it was going
to be a waste of time. But after about 15 minutes I was called through to see a
different consultant who had finished his clinic and came down to help out. He
was really helpful and thorough. He is referring me for a gastroscopy because
he’s concerned I may have a stomach ulcer. My acid reflux and pain has been
getting so much worse, so I’m glad he took it seriously. He also wanted me to
have some bloods done and to go back to the Dietician as well, to see if we can
get to the bottom of why my blood sugar levels keep dropping. We came home and
I rested for a while, then Richard and Lisa came over for dinner, which was
nice.
Day 30 of the August Crown and Glory photo
challenge is ‘Giving Thanks’ – I have so much to give thanks for. Life might be
incredibly hard trying to fight chronic illnesses every day, but I have a
loving family, beautiful friends and a roof over my head. I am able to push
myself to do things, and although I constantly feel unwell and in pain, I can
still do these things. I have access to (mainly) free medical care and support,
which keeps me alive and as comfortable as possible. It’s very easy to see the
negatives every day, which is why I always make a point of posting my happy
photo each day. Because no matter how crappy life is, there is always something
to be thankful for.
I was up quite early on Wednesday morning for
my first session with my new counsellor. I was feeling pretty nervous about it
but she was really nice. My Dad brought me home and I spent the rest of the
morning sorting out some of my clothes drawers. After lunch, my Mum and I went
round to my friend Katy’s. I caught up on some emails on my laptop while my Mum
had her nails done. Then I had my eyebrows waxed and had a massage. When we got
home I set up this little 30th birthday spread. It’s to help my
friend, Karen, celebrate her birthday, as she’s very poorly and unable to leave
the house. So she’s asked all her friends to take photos of us celebrating
virtually with her.
Day 31 of the August Crown and Glory photo
challenge is ‘Party Time’ – I can’t believe I actually completed the whole
challenge! It’s been so much fun being creative with the prompts we were given,
and also so lovely to see what all the other girls have posted. I feel very
lucky to be part of such a supportive community.
So I finally gave Richard and Lisa and David
and Emma their wedding presents, which means I can now share them with you all,
as I think they’re awesome! The lovely Amy Rose Studios drew
this beautiful wedding portrait of David and Emma. I’m so pleased with how it
turned out and hopefully they like it as much as I do!
On Thursday morning I woke up not feeling too
brilliant. My POTS seems to be playing up a lot at the moment and it’s making
me feel really rubbish. I did a little bit of clothes sorting, and then had a
reflexology session. It definitely helped me to relax and I actually had a
little doze after she’d gone. The rest of my family went out for lunch, but I
stayed at home and rested. I watched TV, snuggled up with Freddie and browsed
ASOS for a while. David and Emma popped over, so I had a quick chat with them
and gave them their wedding present. I didn’t do a huge amount else apart from
resting, but I did open some post. My driving license finally arrived! It’s
been over a year since I had my seizure (I was meant to be seizure free for six
months) so to have it back feels amazing. It only lasts for three years, and
then I have to reapply again, but at least it’s something. Now I just need to
re-learn to drive!
This was the second portrait Amy Rose Studios
did for me – this time of Richard and Lisa on their wedding day. How beautiful
is it!!
I didn’t get up as early as I’d hoped to on
Friday morning, but spent the rest of the morning editing some photos and
writing a blog post. My Mum, sister and I popped over to Homesense to pick something up. The
car park was crazy busy though and as we were trying to reverse into a disabled
bay, the car behind us drove up so close that it nearly went into the back of
us! I don’t understand why people can’t just be patient and give people room to
park, especially when trying to get into a disabled bay! When we got home I
rested for a while and caught up on some emails. My Mum then took me down to
the doctors’ surgery for a blood test. I had a different nurse to the one I
usually go to, so was a little worried as I’m so difficult to get blood out of.
But she managed to get some on her first attempt, which is unheard of for me!
For some reason though I felt a bit lightheaded, so when we got home I lay down
for a bit. In the evening I opened my September Crown and Glory Glitterati box, which has a 90’s theme. It brought back so many childhood memories!
I had a lie-in on Saturday morning, which was
much needed. I managed to get my blog post up and then sorted through another
drawer full of clothes. I’m trying to do a little bit of sorting/tidying here
and there in the hope at some point it will make a difference! My Mum and I
popped round to my neighbour’s with her birthday present, then my friend Lilli
picked me up with her boyfriend. We went to Starbucks and I had my first
Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year. I had it made with coconut milk, but probably
shouldn’t have had the cream. We had a nice catch up, but when I got home I
wasn’t well. I was a bit of an idiot and totally forgot to ask for a decaf
latte, which I think was the main reason I felt so bad, although the cream
probably didn’t help. I spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the sofa
resting.
You can check out my YouTube channel here, where I have recently uploaded a few new videos (and hope to
continue doing!)
I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more,
so if you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.
What have you been up to this week? I always
enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!
Mmmm, pumpkin spice latte! The weather is actually warming up where I am, so I've been making the most of it with walks and drives by the beach. Nothing like a bit of sun to make you feel better.
ReplyDeleteIt was very yummy - just wish I'd asked for decaf! Ah walks and drives by the beach sound so lovely. You're so right - I love feeling the sun on my face xx
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