A day closer to the weekend

I went to bed last night with anxious anticipation of going into the office today for the first time in three months. However, I did check my emails just before bed last night, to discover that I was not to go in as  other issues had arisen at work! Part of me was relieved, however the other part of me was slightly peeved as I had worked myself up a little in preparation to go into the office. I also missed a review with my doctor today; so I do feel a little all over the place. A little out of control and I don't like it.

Today was weigh-in day at my lovely Slimming World group. I'm not ashamed to say, that today, I gained a pound. Shock... horror... gasp... I'm ok about it, I'm not one of those to loose continuously... and to be honest, I don't have the easiest lifestyle in which to fit SW in sometimes.  I know that in theory it is easy to do, I also know that in practice it is easy to do.. however, with arrangements as they are now, it does make it difficult, and to be honest, sometimes it is like fighting a loosing battle. I love my SW group. They are the most amazing group of people, everyone is so supportive, and everyone is truly happy for you, or commiserate with you.
On the slimming world wagon, I started off promisingly well... Last Friday we did make the most amazing meal, which I was proud of "Thyme Lamb" and it was beautiful. If I can find a link to the recipe I will be sure to add it. But it seems that after Tuesday, I just didn't feel the mojo for it.

Knitting wise - considering this is a knitting blog!! I have started a beret hat... I am struggling a little with my knitting at the moment.  I am very keen to try all sorts of different things, and I think I start projects, and then can't get on with them, so they get shelved. Today I reluctantly frogged my skye cape. It had started quite well, but then with the pattern, I think I must have gone wrong in one area and then this caused me to be out of sync forever more! It sits off the needles in my basket, waiting for me to bobbin up the wool...

So onto the weekend. We're off to Somerset to stay with M's aunt.  It should be a great weekend. I'm nearly packed. I've just got to zip everything up, and then tidy the room and I'll be ready to go.  I just hope that I do not forget anything. I'll be annoyed if I do!

Oke poke. I'm off to get some sleep.

A little better today I think...

Good Morning World...

Good morning - well... what a night last night... I met with friends for coffee, which was lovely... however, the headache did not shift. On the way back in the car I had my head in my hands, and it was all I could do to not be sick, or not jump out of the car into the fresh air.  The most bizarre thing happened when I got home. I got out of the car, and I felt better. I walked the 10 or so steps to the front door, and as soon as I walked through the front door the headache was back. I made my way upstairs to the bathroom, and was quite sick. I wouldn't have said it was a migraine; as I do tend to down-play things.. but perhaps it was.... I felt exhausted afterwards, but keen to get into the fresh air.

I went to bed last night; M stayed after a night out with friends, and we both sat in bed with our Kindles... Ever the technical couple! Now M has gone off to work, I have put my hair into my fantastic Laurens Way Dream Rollers (To see the Dream Rollers click here!) and I'm going to have a nice soak in the tub, and let the steam work its magic! (NB. These rollers are nice and easy to put in, and I always get such lovely results... It can't be bad that you even get compliments when you've got your rollers in!!)

My mum has knitted me a snood - a lovely chunky-knit snood... Sainsburys stock Red Heart wool, and their Lisa Big yarn includes a one skein pattern for a snood, but it was one of those patterns that no matter how hard I tried I could not get my head around! So good ol' mum made it up for me.

Knitting wise I'm in between projects at the moment; I can't seem to settle on one project. I think that explains how I feel generally at the moment...

I'm going into work tomorrow, and I am a little apprehensive. I don't know what to expect, part of me is excited to see everyone, but generally I'm anxious about it. All my life I have been working towards achieving something, I've always had the end-goal of education, and now, having completed my education I do feel a little lost. Everything before was all leading towards my education.

I need to get feeling a little more upbeat. Christmas is getting closer, and so is 2013.... IT WILL BE A GOOD YEAR! IT WILL BE A GOOD YEAR

Out of the loop

I've been out of the (communication) loop for some time. We have a problem with our internet here at the moment, I try and post from my phone when I can but the posts don't seem to load... This will explain that over the weekend when I do have access to the internet some posts will appear which may seem out of chronological order.. Please bear with me whilst I sort it (or at least attempt to)...

So.. a quick update... This week I have driven my car for the first time.. I wish I had something better to report that to say that I need my car serviced! It appears that I am low on brake fluid...
Another update.. I may have counselling for the new year. This is a positive step. I will need to call them tomorrow to confirm.
My doctor has reduced my dose of medication which I start tomorrow. 10mg... I'm hoping that my headaches will reduce, and hopefully my fluid moods will level out somewhat. Also, I am hoping that I don't get as tired... time will tell.

Tonight was my first weigh-in at Slimming World... and I lost 1.5lbs... I know, for the first week on a new regime that is not a high loss, but it is a loss none the less. I do struggle at weekends as I stay with M, so I am going to have to make some changes... But I have got my SW head on a bit better now!

Anyhow... I'm getting tired here... hardly surprising as it is half twelve... but I felt I needed to write...

Write tomorrow!
xx

Tailoring

Last week I posted about our visit to a tailor... Good news. M picked up his coat on Saturday and is very impressed with the service, £30 for two sleeves. Needless to say, we will be going there again!

Another week closer to Christmas

Ok... The realisation hit... we are just five weeks away from Christmas (eek). An "eek" of not only excitement (I do love Christmas); but also an "eek" of realisation that having been off work, I have very little spare money to buy any presents... Therefore, this year, everyone is getting hugs... or something knitted... which relates to another unfortunate problem all together...

I had quite a good week this week. The yarn had arrived for me to finish my snood... (picture attached), and just coming up to the end I had a little friend come and enjoy the fruits of my labour... (picture attached).  But I did finish it and have worn it nearly every day since. No one has really complemented me on it aside from my mum and M himself! But I haven't been out properly, so here's hoping (well - we all need nice compliments from time to time don't we?). So with the snood finished, I was excited to return to my cape... But I picked it up, and I could not get into it at all... It was frustrating an upsetting... And, since then, everything that I have tried to do I have not been able to "get into" I just can't find that rhythm. I keep finding projects and making a start, and I get so far and then :-P it just goes. I'm hoping today will be a better day for knitting.

Like I said, I had quite a good week... I've been discussing with work about returning, and I'm hoping to do this before Christmas... get myself back into some kind of routine whilst it's quiet. Work have suggested that I speak with my doctor again to seek advice, as they are happy for me to take what ever route to return is going to be best for me. If anyone finds this blog and has got this far - and has any advice about how to return to work after a long period of illness... please let me know. As although I feel well supported by friends and family, I've never been in this situation before, and I hope to never be in this situation again. There is very little advice that I can find that speaks about the after effects of Viral Meningitis.. but the information that I have found has come from some very good sources.  Continuing briefly on the subject of meningitis, I heard on the Radio yesterday that the government are planning to implement the immunisation of meningitis into the routine immunisation plans for children Link to Telegraph News Article .  I sincerely hope that this is a true plan for our government, and will be following these news stories with interest.

Continuing the theme of a good week, I returned to Slimming World; my lovely lovely Thursday group who I truly love dearly. It was good to be back, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the wagon.  Although the weekends do prove a struggle for me, as I stay with M and his family each weekend, it is difficult to implement SW needs into a whole family diet.  The furthest I have got is the introduction of FryLight, the low-cal oil spray.... I guess with SW it will be a case of "Watch this Space". I'll try to find some kind of ticker to track my losses (and let's face it.... gains)...

It's looking to be a beautuful Sunday. Might pull on the wellies and go stomping in the woods... might drag some inspiration into me to knit!!!

Oh what a wonderful weekend!

I love weekends. I love waking up, and sitting up in bed knowing that neither of us need to get up and do anything; well, anything other than making a cup of tea :-)

This weekend was quite a busy one, we had to make a trip to a tailor so that M's coat could be adjusted.  We've never been to a tailor before, and I sought recommendations from friends via the wonderful world of facebook. A recommendation that came up was a tailor in a nearby city (St Albans), Waterers http://www.waterers-menswear.co.uk.  We were both impressed with the service we received and the price. We pick the coat up next week, so we shall see what the workmanship is like. I do not doubt that it will be very good!

During the day I also transferred my knitting from straight needles onto circular needles so as to distribute the weight (as I have been finding that I'm beginning to get a strain on my right hand). Once I had transferred the stitches, I could not figure out how to knit without knitting in a circle.   A few tips if I may -

1. Don't think of how you knit when you are mid flow, think of how you start your knitting.  
2. Think of the two needles at either end of the cable as two separate needles, it helped me to push the stitches off of the back of the metal needle and onto the cable.

In the evening we were meeting friends. We had planned to go to an independent cinema; The Rex http://therexberkhamsted.com, and their restaurant The Gatsbyhttp://www.thegatsby.net/about.html. We can highly recommend the whole experience and we can not wait to go back.

Right, I'm going to have my first cup of tea of the day....
I'm sure I will be back before the end of today!