A fresh bright week

Good morning friends and family on a very busy Monday morning in our house. Apart from all the normal Monday household activities, I had to get all THREE dogs to the grooming parlour by 8.30, sheeesh great fun. I had decided to change groomers as there is now a local lady who has a mobile grooming setup, silly me. I contacted her last week and she is fully booked for the next six weeks???? So, I had to make a quick decision, I quickly booked them in for Christmas 😁 , then made an appointment for today with their current groomer with some very specific instructions, she has recently taken over the shop and not quite as good as the previous owner. Boooom and that's how my week has started - it is already busy right up to Friday and My brain has barely registered that it is Monday. Given all the activity above and to come this week, I am just grateful that it is a new week and last week is well and truly finished. It was not the best week by any stretch of the imagination for a variety of reasons, despite that statement I actually managed to get quite a lot done (nope, not the bathroom wall 😭). I successfully, completely re-fashioned two outfits, one an old pure cotton nightie which I did a makeover on, secondly and the most exciting was a pair of jeans. There is a story (isn't there always?) I bought these Soviet jeans about 2 years ago at a charity shop for R15, they were too small, there is always that secret hope that some diet will magically gobble up all the excess weight but, they are extremely soft, lightweight, long, faded and have a slight stretch, just perfect. There they sat all this time until. ....... I cut them right up the outer seam from hem to waistband (I would NEVER do that to a pair of jeans I had paid a proper price for LOL). The previous week when Jelly Bean and I had our girls day I bought some super 'almost' granny print cotton material, I then proceeded to insert a panel on the outside of each leg. It got a wee big complicated at the waist band but I had figured it out ahead of time 💡and inserted a plain piece of denim looking material at the top of the panel. VOILA it worked fantastically and I now have a stunning pair of super comfy denim jeans that hark right back to the mid 70's which has always been by favourite style era. Next, to tackle the rest of the pile of clothes awaiting transformation and wearing. All this activity plus a number of other factors left me about as sore and low as I have been in many years, definitely not my best moments. Poppet just happened to call me during this time and we had a long chat, she is a very wise lady my daughter. Long story short, I am feeling much better and have realized that I'm not superwoman, much as I would like to be. Let me say this here - having a chronic health condition, whoever you are and whatever the condition, is extremely frustrating. In addition to dealing with the pain and various symptoms, there are dozens of things one wants to do /used to do /need to do but one is limited for various reasons, not only is this frustrating but it is confusing for those around you because you do not necessarily look ill. I am encompasing many different conditions and illnesses here i.e., Diabetes, Anxiety, Fibromyalgia, Mood Disorders, Epilepsy, Chrohns Disease, just off the top of my head. You look normal, mentally feel like you always have and yet are limited in certain areas. As I explained to my precious Hubby while we were chatting about it and he said he understands that I don't like going out and I said no, on the contrary I love going out but depending on what the 'out' is sometimes it is just too much for me. I will cope fairly well whilst I am out but the moment I stop the the pain / fatigue /symptoms will hit me like a freight train. For example a shopping trip which takes all day and involves many stops will flatten me as opposed to going out for coffee or a walk on the beach or a quick shopping trip with one or two stops, I will be tired and sore but I can deal with it. The reason I share this today is twofold : A. I am not the only person with a debilitating, at times,chronic condition. B. If my Blog is to be about the twists and turns of my life then it means honesty regarding the ups and downs. I am sure that among you, the readers of my Blog, some of you may have different conditions and symptoms but we all struggle with the same feelings of inadequacy, failure, grief for the person you used to be, frustration, and so the list goes on. What I am learning is that even though I may feel it, I am not alone. To this end we are making small but significant changes to still lead a 'normal' and exciting life as we've always wanted to do. On Saturday there was a Family Spring Day in Pringle Bay and at the last minute the three of us decided to go and investigate, there was not much different to a normal Saturday market day with various stalls selling the usual books, clothes, food etc. it was beyond busy, Jelly Bean actually asked "where do ALL these people come from?" After a quick browse during which Charlie came face to face with his first sheep 🐑 and was more than startled hehe, we took ourselves off for a superb cup of coffee/tea at our favourite Coffee Shop, bought a few odds and ends for the grocery cupboard and came home. Hubby and I then proceeded to wash down the deck, oh my goodness it was a big job but I actually had so much fun. I washed with the hose and he swept with a big broom. There is something very soothing and satisfying in washing dirt across and off a surface, then I discovered that if the hose was set hard and sharp I could wash away even the moss and algae growth left from winter. I probably used way more water than I should have but our deck is looking wonderful. Hubby put an ad on Facebook for the galvanized railing that went around the deck and within minutes someone contacted him and arranged to collect yesterday, which they did. Now we can really begin to see the difference and visualize how it is going to look when finished. He also has an order for three furniture items for Poppet and family which will begin this week. So folks, that is my news in a very small nutshell. I would like to thank you for your continued support and readership of this Blog. IF by sharing events, twists and turns from my life I can reach or help someone else, then the purpose of writing My Life's Winding Roads is worth it. particularly after what this year has thrown at us, should any of you feel down or in any way overwhelmed, please feel free to message me in the comments section and I will do my best to listen to you and share any tips that I have found to be helpful. I bid you all a wonderful week, please stay well, continue to take all precautions to protect yourselves against Corona and stay safe. Ciao Ciao. 

The sea yesterday morning.

My 70'Jeans.