Sunday 30 June 2019

Sunday 30th June 2019

Happy 10th birthday, puppy!!!

Our baby girl is 10 years old today and it's also 9 years ago that my father died of cancer.

Time for a celebratory walk with the old girl now.
***

A cat has poo'd in the road again, so Steve took a photo and I've just reported it to the council.  Bet the neighbour will decide that it's the pup's poo and I need to clear it up though.  No chance Sunshine, when it's not even on the pavement and I can't get off the pavement with her, as well as it having been done overnight when we were all asleep too!  I'm a law abiding citizen and do pick up the pup's poo when it's hers!  Unlike some people!
***

Steve's making us both a "posh coffee" and I'm gonna take me supplements after that, then work on getting the spreadsheets sorted.
***

Just asked Steve about adding another column to the spreadsheet and then the totals of both columns so that I don't have to get my calculator out every week lol

Time for me supplements now, so that I don't forget.
***

That's the supplements swallowed.  Pretty easily again... not the easiest ever, but far from the worst too!
***

We're having an early lunch today - yesterday's promised curry 🍛, except that I couln't find the Quorn square things, so Steve's gonna go hunting for them then making it for us  💜😋💙
***

The puppy is going for her weekly wash and brush at lunchtime today so I'm thinking she'll be doing a lot of sleeping instead of running around today, after the walkathon we've had this week!
***

She's gone and I'm missing her already!  I know she'll be fine while she's getting washed and brushed 'cos she has been up to now, but her little tiny being houses a huuuuge personality and fills every room of the house with love while she's here - it's gonna be a loooooong few hours!  😟😧
***

Just finished me curry and it was just about the right amount to fill me up without making me bloated.  Steve is such a good cook with meals that don't take much preparation like the curry and pasta bake and chips and vegan spag bol etc and it's a million times better than it was even at the end of last year... take-aways are treats instead of every meal things now and it's made all the difference to our health and helping us both to loose weight too which can only be a good thing, right?
***

Worked out that I'll be able to put about £200 into my savings by the end of July which will be awesom...

The puppy doggy is home!!!

It's only been 4½ hours, but the house has felt so empty without her!

She's flaked out between Steve's legs now, bless 'er! lol

Where was I?

Oh yeah, my ESA is being paid three times in July instead of the usual two so I'll be able to put most of that into my savings so that I'll have £230 in there so I'll get like 2p (or is it 2% therefore 4p??) interest a month which I know doesn't sound like much, but it's more than I'm getting atm!  That'll be used for Yule gifts so that I don't have to go overdrawn to buy gifts for both families again.

I'm seriously hoping that I'll be awarded PIP without going to a tribunal about it this time.  If my Higher Powers are smiling on me and I get the mobility part this time, I'm hoping to get a wheelchair accessible, automatic car on Motability so that I can go over and see my mum again.  If not, I'll save up to get a second hand automatic car for Steve instead.
***

Having an early night for a change. 🌛

Be back in the morning.  😴

Nite nite orl!  💤
***


Saturday 29 June 2019

Saturday 29th June 2019

Happy anniversary Steve!

Glad you liked your gift... it kinda jumped out of the screen at me and said "buy me for Steve!" so I did lol
***

Puppy has been walked and fed.  At least a couple of hours later than yesterday, but I obviously needed the sleep!  Mitzi was a good girl waiting for her breakfast, but she showed me a huge amount of Westitude with her refusing to sit again, so that's gonna be the next bit of training I reckon, just to remind her to be polite.
***

That's the supplements swallowed.  Almost threw up the Multi 'cos my throat suddenly became incredibly dry, but I didn't and managed to swallow them all, so that's OK and I'm dosed up for the day now.
***

The puppy wanted a fresh drink of water and two poo's!!  She seems to maybe be constipated 'cos she was straining to get the second poo out, bless 'er.
***

Chips for lunch today instead of curry 'cos I couldn't find the Quorn squares in the freezer, so we'll have curry tomorrow instead.  I don't mind either way as long as we get through what's already in the freezer so that it isn't wasted money!
***

Just taken me prescription, so I'll be logging off soon.

Nite nite orl!
***


Friday 28 June 2019

Friday 28th June 2019

6.30am seems to be my new normal time to wake up, no matter what time I take my prescription.  Took it at getting on for 8pm last night instead of my usual 6pm so was thinking I'd be asleep until 8am but I wasn't!  I was down here and in the bathroom by 6.30am again!

It's supposed to be a heatwave today so I'm gonna take the pup out for her walk now.  BBS.
***

Lovely and cool out there right now and I don't reckon the puppy will be on her diet for much longer 'cos she's got a more healthy shape to her now.  It'll still be a few months yet I'd have thought but we're very nearly there and I'm hoping that we'll be researching more healthy food for her by the end of the year I reckon!  I'm hoping that her vet will be saying "soonish" by Autumn and agreeing to try her on a new food by the start of Winter.  It's taken several years, but the end is in sight now!
***

The puppy's been fed now (her water was almost full so didn't need re-filling) and I made her "wait" for her food this morning (I don't usually, but I wanted to see how well she understood it) and to give her credit, she did wait until I released her... her eyes were so sad and confused though, they burnt into my soul though.  Need to work on her sit command though, 'cos she point blank refused to do that.
***

Absolutely exhausted after the extra extra's that the puppy has walked me this week.  It'll be 450% extra extra's by Sunday and I think that's just a bit too much too soon for my poor body.  Should have introduced the extra extra's slowly for both of us instead of expecting us to walk the best part of an exta day's walk so suddenly.  The puppy has barely stayed awake this week and I've been falling asleep pretty much as soon as my head hits the pillow every night too.  My knees are kinda going "too much, too quickly missus" but I can't change the past so I'll keep doing the extra extra's until my body adjusts to it.  By the end of the year, I'm hoping our long walk on a Monday will be up to 1500% (250% more than it was this week) and 700% (50% more than this week) every day for the other 6 days.  Not gonna push myself too hard though, if my body says 'enough' then that's OK with me.  I wanna push myself and my body, but if it really can't handle it then that's OK too.  If my body says "seriously, go home before you fall down" then we'll come home straight away.  I'm hoping we'll get to Sunday before it says that this week 'cos I think I've pushed it too hard this week, but we shall see.
***

Supplements swallowed and Steve's just said that the pages I paid him to make for me 3 months ago and was promised that would be done and dusted in 3 weeks won't be done by tomorrow and he can't afford to refund me either.

He's also paid Carer's Allowance to care for me for 5 hours a day but I'm lucky to get that in a month (unless you count cooking for us both which still means it's five hours a week instead of a day) and he spends the other 30 hours he's being paid to care for me asleep.  Just like he is now.  I can count the number of hours he's awake for on one hand and still have fingers left over.  He's got a medical appointment at 4pm that he'll be asleep until he goes to it then he'll be back to sleep within half an hour of him coming home too.  Same as every day.

Well I've had enough now.  I'm still going to get him to make programmes and pages for me but I'll pay on delivery from now on.  I'm gonna write a letter for him to give to his nurse today too.  Ask her to test his vitamin levels and letting her know that he sleeps so much too.  Can't be healthy to be asleep for 20 hours a day after all!
***

So glad I took the senior puppy for her walk very first thing 'cos we are in deep shade and I've just stuck my head out of the front door 'cos I thought someone had knocked on it, but it's swelteringly hot out there even in deep shade, so I'm gonna walk the puppy very first thing again in the morning and every morning until it cools down a bit out there!  Better for her paws and healthier/cooler for both of us.
***

I is exhaustapaytid so I'm off to bed.

Nighty night everyone.  See you all tomorrow.
***


Thursday 27 June 2019

Thursday 27th June 2019

That's the virus scan finished so time to do my weekly backups now.
***

For some reason, Explorer can't see the external hard drive and I don't know why.  Gonna shut down to walk the pup then try again when we get home.
***

That's the puppy walked and fed, so time to go head-on with the backups again now... wish me luck?
***

Supplements have now been swallowed and asked Steve to make me another couple of bottles of squash... let's see how long it is before he actually does it though.  I'm thinking at least a couple of days and when the current level of squash is right at the bottom of the bottle.  Same as always.  Dunno why I expect anything different.
***

That's the CAB lady just gone and in just 2 questions (1 in the care and the other in mobility) I'm, in theory, entitled to the basic rate of both!  I've signed the form and she's taken it away with her along with Steve's supporting document, to work on then send to the Benefits Agency 'cos it's due in next week.  I'm hoping that I'll get higher mobility and hopefully higher care because it's not safe for me to be left alone and my mobility is so bad that I can't walk past our neighbours on either side.

She asked if I was in pain and we said no, but I've just remembered that my knees ache just sitting on the sofa and my arms ache after eating me lunch so I'm gonna email her about that too and hopefully get even more points from that.

Wish me luck!
***

That's me prescription taken.  Had a take-away for tea and hopefully fishless fillets and chips for lunch tomorrow 'cos it's Friday and tradition dictates fish and chips on a Friday but our will be cooked at home instead of bought in from a chippy and it'll be a new flavour for us... vegan fishless fillets, we'll know by the time we finish if it's gonna be a regular buy for us or not.
***

The pills are starting to kick in, so I'm gonna publish this then head to bed, but read a magasine before I lay down so that I don't throw me tea up.

Nite nite orl.
***


Wednesday 26 June 2019

Wednesday 26th June 2019

Me teeth are brushed and supplements taken but AVG is getting in a bit of a flap, so it's time for the third reboot of the day now so that I can start the weekly virus scan safely.
***

Well that didn't go as planned!  Two hours later and the virus scan still hasn't started 'cos the programme is out of date and doesn't seem to want to play ball with updating itself.

3½ hours after getting up and I'm still no further forward.  Means I won't have time to study today and the CAB bod is coming over tomorrow to help with my PIP form tomorrow, so won't be able to study then either!

The virus scan needs to reboot my machine, so I'll do that now, then hopefully I'll be able to set the weekly virus scan going at last!
***

Back now.  It's been updated so hopefully I'll get the virus scan going pretty much 4 hours late!
***

OK, the weekly full scan has started again for the second or third time this morning... hopefully it'll be able to keep going this time!  😣
***

As I'm not studying today, I'm gonna read an ARC of a book that's coming out at the start of August so that I can make the most of my study-free days instead of forgetting about reviewing the book and having to rush through it after being reminded by the author or his publisher.

I won't put the review up until the book is published... you watch me forget about doing that too!  lol
***

Just finished reading the book.  It really got going about ⅔ of the way through the first chapter and I was glued to it from then on!

Gonna take me prescription now then catch up on my emails.
***

They're down the hatch now.  Been taking the lower dose for 2 weeks and 1 day now and haven't lost the plot even slightly, thankfully!  Maybe it's just me, but I'm feeling better on 7.5mg than I did on 10mg!  Really don't want to risk taking it any lower... assuming I'm still sane then I'm thinking 7.5mg is gonna be my maintainance dose, potentially for the rest of my life.  I'd obviously prefer not to be taking meds for the rest of my life, but if it keeps me sane then that's just a small price to pay.
***

I've decided that, assuming I'm re-awarded PIP again, I'm gonna organise life insurance for both me an' 'im and if I get the mobility part this time too, I'll use it to buy a wheelchair accessible automatic car on the Motability scheme too.  Now that I'm no longer in debt I can just about afford very basic life insurance on top of my bills every month and groceries every week, but having that extra money coming in would make things less of a stretch each month.  If I don't get re-awarded the PIP then I'll use my savings to hire a car for a day so that we can go and see my mum every few months as well as paying for my PPC every year, my website stuff, bills and groceries.  It'll be tight each month, but if I'm very strict with myself then it is do-able.  I did it before and I can do it again.
***

Gonna head to bed for an early night now but I'll be back tomorrow morning.

Nite nite orl! 💤
***


Tuesday 25 June 2019

Tuesday 25th June 2019

I realised that of the 3 people I thought and was promised I could trust after explaining why I have trust issues, I now trust a grand total of nobody.

Again.

I trusted all three of them with something different each and swore them to secrecy.  Each of them promised that they wouldn't let me down and that I could trust them.

Again.

All three of them let me down so I refuse to trust anyone ever again 'cos 100% of the time that I've trusted someone, they've broken my trust so the only person I can trust from now on is myself.  I will still trust people with tiny things that don't really matter if my trust is broken, same as always, but I'll never trust anyone with bigger things ever again.  It took me 20 years to build up trust in those three people so I'll be in my early 60's before I trust anyone else.

I hope I die before then.
***

It's raining hard and heavy out there atm, so I'll wait until it either eases off or it gets to about 9am before I take the pup out for her stroll.  She's still wiped out after yesterday, bless 'er lol
***

Supplements swallowed.  All four of 'em went down nice and easily this morning, thankfully.
***

That's the puppy walked and fed.  We both look like we've just had a shower fully clothed now though.  I agreed to walk the puppy in all weathers though and it's certainly all weather's out there right now lol
***

Spent the last 8 hours studying a course that I was thinking would take me 2 days because there were 17 modules but it's taken less than 12 hours and I've stopped half way through for me lunch too, but I still passed first time!  Yaaaaay!!!  25 out of 30 which is a percentage score of 83.33%!!!  Yaaay! 

Time for the admin bits on my site, then clear me browser caches ready for tomorrow, then take me prescription and head to bed for a well-deserved early night, I reckon!
***

Site sorted, cache's cleared and I'm about to take me prescription, finish me mug of tea, then I'm off to beddy-byes for a very early night I reckon.
***

That's me prescription taken.  Just waiting for the second pill to disolve under me tongue then I'm off to bed I reckon.

OK it's disolved, so I'll just read the newsletter then shut down for the night.
***

Steve's GP surgery is newly opened (in 2014) but it gets a one star review lol  I'm so relieved I left that surgery when I did and moved to the one I'm at now... so much better!  The only two slight niggles that are slightly negative about my surgery is that it took 2 or 3 months to get that first CPN appointment with Brad, but Steve reckons that's pretty normal so that's not even a negative point at all then.  The only other negative is that the inside door handle is too high for wheelchair users to use so they have to get someone's attention to hold it open for them and there's some kind of booking in device blocking the wheelchair appropriate counter so neither the receptionist or the wheelchair user knows that the other is there now.

Other than that though, they are fantastic!  Five stars from me!

I'm goin' to bed now though.

Nite nite orl!
***

 

Monday 24 June 2019

Monday 24th June 2019

Happy birthday Mum!

Hope you enjoy your gift... I'll try and remember to phone you later to wish you a happy birthday in person too!
***

That's the puppy walked, fed and watered.  Remembered to do the slightly longer than our weekly long walk this morning and I'm adding another 50% on to the rest of this week's walkies too, just to see how we both cope with it.
***

Time for me supplements now... got the dose of vitamin D on the pup's walk, but my body is screaming out for B12 now too, so I'd best give it to my body and recover for the rest of the day.
***

That's the supplements down the hatch and I can feel my body thanking me.  Gonna squirt the B12 spray into me mouth in a bit, just to top up the B12 that I've just taken.  If you use that link up there ^^ you can save 38% on it right now... not sure how long it'll last for though, so hurry up and get it at the lower price while you still can!
***

Just squirted the full dose and it's kicking in already.  Walked the puppy about half an hour ago and the only things I've done since coming back is taking my supplements and squirting the B12 spray but I already feel noticably more human.  I'm thinking my body will need this much help until it gets used to the slightly longer walks, it just needs to recover more than usual for the next little while.

Just like the puppy who's asleep on the sofa next to me atm lol
***

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***

Pazza Bake for lunch today, apparently 😍
***

The recycling and cardboard is about to go, so it's all been done nice and early this morning.  We had two completely full recycling boxes this week, so we're doing our bit for the environment which will hopefully stand us in good stead with the Green Man when we go to Summerland!
***

Taken both recycling boxes and the cardboard, so I can recover while we wait for the puppy to be picked up for her bath and brush-up then I can recover until she comes back.  We're both totally wiped out after this morning's walk!  It's helping us both to get fitter and loose some of our extra weight though, which can only be a good thing!
***

The puppy isn't going for her wash and brush today after all.  Steve's cousin (whose family does it) has got her own pet issues so it's cancelled now until the weekend.  That's OK though, it gives me and the pup time to recover from our marathon extra's this week!  Come Sunday we'll have done 450% extra extras which will hopefully take our weekly total up to a huge 4450% extra, added to the 100% standard length takes it up to a huge 5150% total which will be the longest we've done since we rescued her!  We'll both sleep well by the time Sunday rolls around lol
***

Steve's doing the washing up then preparing and cooking the Pasta Bake 🤤... my stomach is already rumbling and it's got over an hour to wait before it's fed today!!  🍴
***

Just had me lunch... it was yummy scrummy in my tummy 🤤  Thank you Steve! 🍴  The pre-wash cycle enjoyed it too lol

Need to try and stay awake until the shopping has been and gone now though... gonna be tough, but as soon as it's been and gone I'm off to bed.  I'm hoping/assuming that I'll fall deeply asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow tonight 🛏

***

Just called me mum to wish her happy birthday.  She's got a 🐭 in her house that seems to know how to get the 🧀 without triggering the trap!  It sounds like it's a humane trap, thankfully, but her mouse has obviously learnt from previous houses and traps and has cleverly worked out a way to get to the food without being caught.  Clever little thing!  I hope she catches it and releases it back into the wild at some point soon!
***

That's the shopping been and gone already.  Came to the door at bang on 6pm and had gone again by five past!  Means I can take my prescription now and have a nice early night for a change... totally appreciate evenings like this!
***

That's me prescription sorted too, so I'm heading to bed as soon as Marie's gone and they start kicking in.  Hoping to be asleep before 7pm tonight, which'll be such a relief after this morning's marathon!
***

Just ranting about the time Steve's had with his family that I haven't had with my mum.  In the 5 months and 3 weeks we've had so far in 2019, Steve's spent over 80 hours with his family.  That's more than I've spent with my mum since 2009.  Basically he spends more time with his family in 6 months than I have with mine in 10 years.  Not exactly what you'd call fair, right?

I've had as much as I can take now though.  If I'm awarded the mobility part of PIP then I'll use it to get a wheelchair accessible automatic car so that we can go over and see my mum again before it's too late.  If I don't get awarded it then I'll hire a car just for one day to go over and see her.  An expensive (about £100 a day apparently) way of doing things but I'm fed up of being a second thought now.
***

Goin' to bed now for a lovely early night... think I deserve it after this morning!  lol
***


Sunday 23 June 2019

Sunday 23rd June 2019

That's the puppy walked, fed and watered.  Just waiting for the spreadsheets to be emailed to me from my phone then I can do the admin stuff for my homepage and sort out my phone ready for next week's percentages and side-steps.

OK, the spreadsheets have come through, so onto the admin stuff before I forget.

BBS!
***

That's the weekly admin stuff up on my site now.  Want to try and increase next week's walks to 650% a day and maybe 1200% once a week just to see how we both get on.  I won't force either of us, but at the same time I want to challenge us both to see how we get on.  Technically we only need to do 100% a day, but I want to challenge us both a bit occassionally.  We've been doing 600% a day for a few months now, so I want to just see how we get on with the slightly longer walks next week.  We'll both be wiped out for a while, but that's OK 'cos it'll give me confidence to walk ever so slightly longer on flat bits and it'll help the pup to loose more weight too.
***

Just added a new page to my homepage 'cos the disability page was getting waaay too long.  The puppy's strolls will be on the walking page instead of the disability page from now on... you watch me forget though.
***

That's me supplements swallowed and I can feel the B12 kicking in already, so I must have been low in it again this morning for some reason!
***

And another new page!  I've updated the index page too.  Which page shall I do next?
***

The other 2 memorials are online now... one to my father and the other to my three grandparents.

Achieving so much this morning!

Apparently we're having mugs of zoop for lunch, which means I can create more pages without having to put my laptop on the floor... total aceness.
***

That's the Paganism page sorted.  Gonna work on my Higher Powers page now then stop for lunch assuming Steve wakes up any time soon.
***

Just finished the Higher Powers page and Steve's awake so hopefully I'll be having my zoop soon.

5 pages written and uploaded in only about 4 or 5 hours... not bad for a morning's work!
***

Just emptied Steve's Jaffa cakes into an air-tight tub and we tried one of the lemon and lime ones each first.

Very disappointing.

Just put the review up on my site and here on the blog, but they are definitely not worth 50p for each cake!
***

Steve's just ordered our tea, so I'm shutting down, prolly for the night now.

Might come back online after I've eaten, put I'm gonna publish this now just in case I don't.

💤  Nite nite orl!  😴
***


Food review: Lemon and lime Jaffa cakes

⭐⭐ out of 5

There was barely any flavour at all. My husband likes them, but they are a bit bland for my liking.

If I'd tried to name the flavour without knowing what it was from the box, I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell you. If you're after a very subtle flavour then you might find them OK, just like my hubby, but if you are expecting a citrus zing like I was just going by the smell, you will be sorely disappointed. Sorry.

Saturday 22 June 2019

Saturday 22nd June 2019

Was awake by 5.15am 'cos I could have sworn someone was hammering on the door, probably the printer cartridges and Steve would have been asleep so I hurried to get up and put just my glasses on to answer the door.

Opened the door.

Nobody there.

Steve said he would have answered the door if anyone had knocked on it.

Yeah.  Right.  Of course you would.  That's why you never do when I'm down here despite you being paid to be my carer!

Soo, gonna take my supplements then take the pup out for a waddle up and down the street then study while I'm waiting for the printer cartridge.
***

Forgot to say that I brushed my teeth this morning... first time in more than a week, but yesterday's course reminded me.  Depression Awareness today, wish me luck!
***

That's the supplements swallowed, so time to walk the puppy now.
***

The puppy has been walked and fed now.  She produced a solid, but slightly softer than normal poo that was incredibly smelly.  I, of course, picked it up and we carried on with our stroll.

I've rediscovered some huge Amazon boxes in the kitchen that are waaay too big for the blue bag, so after we've taken the rubbish and recycling out tomorrow, I'll take a photo of them and put them on Freegle.  I've got rid of so much stuff to people who genuinely want and need it that way and it keeps it out of the landfill too, which, in turn, helps the environment, which I'm hoping pleases the Green Man.  It may not seem like much but if everyone recycled and used Freegle then it would hopefully reduce the amount of waste on Planet Earth.
***

There's only 3 boxes so Steve's grumpily taken a couple of photo's of them for me to put on Freegle hopefully today... just waiting for the photo's to download now then I'll put them on the Freegle site.
***

That's the boxes advertised, just waiting for the post and photo's to be checked and approved now.

Time to start studying!
***

100% on the depression course, so I've just earned myself another two diplomas!  😁
***

Just sorted the printer.  Totally painless when you buy the right cartridge! lol  Need to remember to buy the 302 cartridges next time so that I can avoid all this stress.
***

Just scraped through the pass on the colour therapy certificate... the passing score was 70% and I got 70% so I only just passed, but I'm not complaining.  Just need to do the admin things on my site now.
***

Having a relatively early night now... think I deserve it for getting through two courses today.

Nite nite orl!  😴💤
***


Friday 21 June 2019

Friday 21st June 2019

Walked and fed the puppy.  The neighbour revved his engine at me so I put it on the victim support form and reported it to the police.  I gave him the benefit of the doubt last time but he's pissed on his chips one too many times now.
***

Think I've worked out why the printer cartridge wasn't recognised... I ordered the 301 cartridge and I think it needs the 302 lol  It's on Prime so it'll be here tomorrow then I can see for sure if that's why it's showing up as empty.

Gonna take me supplements now.
***

That's the supplements down the hatch then and Steve's dad is on his way to pick him up.

Just waiting for the Freegle bod and 2 deliveries now, then that's today sorted.
***

Freegle bod has been and gone, so it's just the two deliveries now.
***

Got an incident number from the police now, so just added it to the log sheet.
***

Had beansprouts for lunch and we're having a take-away for tea... lasagne, yumsk!  😋
***

Doing well with me fruits and veggies portions today.  Already had 3 portions (beansprouts, banana and apple) in the last 2 hours and the veggie lasagne will be even more!

Still waiting for Steve's Jaffa Cakes and Turkish Delight though... hope they don't turn up in the middle of us having our tea!
***

100% on the Dental Care Certificate... yay!  Time to do the admin bits to put the certificate on my site now.
***

Just taken me prescription... still waiting for the Amazon deliveries though!  😐
***

That's today's three Amazon deliveries just arrived so I can shut down and wait for me tea to be delivered now.  Not sure if I'll come back after I've had my veggie lasagne, so I'll say nite nite orl now just in case.

Gonna be a late night after me tea has 'gone down' so that I don't risk throwing it up as soon as I go to bed, but that's OK, just waiting for the printer cartridge tomorrow and I'll prolly be awake and the puppy walked waaaay before that arrives!

😴💤😴💤😴💤😴
***


Thursday 20 June 2019

Thursday 20th June 2019

Mornin' all.

Not gonna study today or tomorrow after all 'cos of the CCTV thing today and a Freegle person is coming to pick something up at lunchtime tomorrow too which I'd totally forgotten about.  Might persuade myself to do one of the single module ones each day, but I'm not going to study a longer one until Friday afternoon so that it'll be done by bed-time on Saturday then the depression awareness one on Sunday and Monday.

Gonna have a relaxing couple of days though... think I deserve it 😀
***

 That's me supplements swallowed.  The Calcium was pretty average but the B12 disintegrated on me tongue before I'd even opened the squash bottle!  They are all sorted for the day now though.
***

The back-up is 98% complete, so as soon as that's sorted I'll put the external hard drive away and walk the pup.  The battery is barely warm, so I won't shut down, I'll just keep it running until I head to bed, including when we have our lunch (vegan spag bol), so it's a good job I'm not studying a longer course today lol  I doubt I'll be able to keep my eyes open this afternoon lol
***

That's the back-up finished, so I'm gonna unplug it, put it away then walk the puppy.  I didn't feed her yesterday after her diarrhoea so I'm expecting her to hoover up her food as soon as it hits the bowl today.
***

Puppy has been walked, fed and watered.  She's totally ignored her food so far though!
***

Steve opened the bag of banana's and helped himself to one.  They are really nice apparently, so I'm gonna have one too when Steve's successfully opened my bottle of pop!

Got sticky hands from all the pop that spilled out now, but I've got my pop so gonna have a slurp then try a banana.  We've done really well with our fruit and veggies this week... we had lettuce in our burgers on Tuesday and 2 apples each yesterday and a banana each already today.  Not ideal but sooo much better than it used to be.
***

Oooh!  Those banana's *are* nice.  Just sweet enough without being sickly sweet.

This time last year it was 2 take-aways a day, every day, but now it's cooked at home food and even fresh fruit and veggies which were sooo far from our thoughts a year ago.  I'd only just started drinking tea and coffee back then too but look at me now!  Coffee and/or tea to drink every day and I can count the number of take-aways we've had in the last 6 months one one hand and still have fingers left over.  We're still not getting the recommended 5 portions of fruit and veggies a day but I'm so proud of us for totally turning our diet on it's head and we're both slowly losing our bellies and becoming so much healthier.  Soooo proud of us!  We've had one take-away this week, but that was in addition to the home-cooked lunch so it doesn't count, so assuming Steve cooks for us tomorrow he'll have earned another two mini Toblerone's.  Need to look in to getting him the replacements for them soon 'cos there are only another couple of week's worth left.  Lemme ask him if he wants the Turkish Delight or Fudge while I remember... hold on!

Turkish Delight is his decision, so I'll go and order it now.

Kay, just ordered it and it'll be here tomorrow 'cos it's on Prime, so that's hopefully 6 week's worth of cooking available now.  Just the 2kg of fudge left to inspire him to cook then I'll have to find another reward lol
***

Just bought him 46 Jaffa Cakes (10 lemon and lime cakes as well as 36 orange ones) that are on Prime, so they'll be here tomorrow too so that's another 11 weeks added to the 5 weeks of Turkish Delight and the week's worth of Toblerone's that are already in the fridge is 17 weeks (4 months) worth of home cooking that'll be here by tomorrow evening which gives me plenty of time to find something else to reward him with twice a week!
***

Just had our lunch of spag bol but Steve made enough for 3 instead of 2 so one of us is going to have left-overs for tea tonight lol

Just waiting for the engineer to turn up now, then I can do the self-harm awareness course when he's gone.
***

The Turkish Delight has been dispatched via Amazon Logistics so it'll prolly leave me waiting until the last possible delivery lol  Not to worry though, as long as it gets here then that's all I want!
***

That's the CCTV camera sorted now... took under 5 minutes to get it fixed in place and the batteries only need to be replaced every year or so.  We've got a window sticker to put up so hopefully the neighbour will leave me alone now!
***

Studying Introduction to REBT: Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Certificate this afternoon.  Wish me luck!
***

100% on module 1
***

90% on module 2
***

80% on module 3.  One more module to study and prolly an end of course assessment which will decide if I've passed or need to re-take it.
***

Another 100%!  Yay!  I'm slightly more hopeful that I'll pass the end of course assessment now lol
***

Oh!  There wasn't an end of course assessment after all!  That's 2 courses and five modules I've studied this afternoon so I'm feeling pretty chuffed with that!
***

That's me prescription down the hatch and I want an early night tonight so as soon as I start feeling even remotely tired I'm shutting down and heading to bed.
***

Just started yawning, so I'm shutting down and heading to bed now.

Nite nite orl!
***


Wednesday 19 June 2019

Wednesday 19th June 2019

The puppy has got explosive diarrhoea so I'm not going to walk or feed her today.  I've asked that Steve says about it to the vet but he refuses to see it as diarrhoea and says "it's just a floppy bot like we all get occassionally" despite her already going for 3 poo's in under an hour and each of them being diarrhoea and nothing solid in any of them.  I want to message his cousin to see what to do about the pup going to the vet today so that it isn't a wasted trip for her if she says to leave her here until it clears up.

Gonna get straight on with the studying instead.

I'm sure the puppy will be OK, I'm just worried about her 'cos she's a senior puppy now is all.
***

Given Steve the final deadline for the software and pages - the pages have to be ready to go by the end of June or I want £1,000 refunded and the software has to be ready for testing at the bare minimum by the end of July or I want my other £1000 refunded.

I'm so fed up of paying in advance because Steve promises it'll take "a couple of weeks" then still be waiting 2 months later.  Well I've had enough now.  From now on, I'll tell him what I want the page or software to do then pay on delivery like everyone else he does pages for does.  From now on, I'll be a customer and pay on delivery instead of being forced to wait months for something that was originally promised would take a fortnight.  Not any more.  I'll still keep requesting he does things for me but I refuse to pay in advance any more.

On with the anxiety course now though.
***

That's me supplements taken.  Nice and easy this morning, thankfully.  Just a single mouthful of squash for each pill... I could get used to that.
***

The puppy has just gone to the vet and I'm missing her already!
***

I was wrong last night.  The anxiety course has got 10 not 16 modules, so what I'll do is start studying the depression course as soon as I've finished the anxiety course and just hope that I remember enough to pass the course tomorrow evening!
***

I was wrong about the pup too.  Apparently Steve's cousin (the vet nurse) had a day off today so she gave Mitzi a look over at home and gave her another wash and brush instead of taking her into the vet.  There doesn't seem to be anything urgently or seriously wrong, thankfully, and it hasn't cost a penny so I can stop fretting about it now.

She's just getting old and itchy now that she's a senior, much like OAP humans!
***

Passed first time with a score of 83.33%!  Yay me!  Just need to update the pages now... gotta find out if the banking survey is today or tomorrow first though!
***

I'm guessing that either the banking survey is tomorrow or I haven't been selected for it for whatever reason.

Worked out tomorrow's studying.  Not going to force myself to get up early tomorrow, then I'll walk and feed the pup, study the self-harm awareness course first because it's a single module video course and if it triggers or upsets me, I've got the rest of the day to recover so that I'm not plagued by nightmares or intense feelings of wanting to harm myself because it's so long since I last hurt myself so don't wanna undo all the hard work I've put into my recovery.  After the self harm is the CCTV engineer, then lunch, then I'll study the dental care certificate 'cos that's another single module video course then take the rest of the day as it comes.

Friday and Saturday will be the depression awareness diploma and the bundled course diploma then we'll see what happens on Sunday.  Wanna keep studying while I'm motivated to!
***

The REBT certificate is only 4 modules, so might work my way through that either tomorrow afternoon (if I do the dental care before the engineer comes tomorrow) or on Sunday to keep me motivated.  Dunno for sure yet though... what do you think I should do?  Leave me a message in the comments overnight tonight to let me know?
***

Having an early night for a change... just waiting for my phone to charge to reach 15% then I'm off for the night.
***

The phone is at 16% so I'm orf to bed 🛏 now

Nite nite orl 💤
***


Tuesday 18 June 2019

Tuesday 18th June 2019

That's the puppy walked and fed.  She was biting the pads of her paws last night so she's going for a trip to the vet again at some point today.  I think it's her dew claws overgrowing again but apparently Westies can get itchy paws so maybe that's what it is?  I'm more than happy to pay for the visit, I just want the puppy to be OK is all!

Time to take me supplements now then start studying.
***

That's the four supplements swallowed.  Nice and easy this morning thankfully.  Even the Calcium went down with a single mouthful of squash this time.  All set for the day now though, just need to start studying while we're waiting for the pup to be picked up.
***

Module one finished in just under an hour and there wasn't a mid-module test so maybe there won't be on the other 9 modules either?
***

Modules two to five finished in about an hour each and I'm now half way through the course.  No mid-module recaps like there were with yesterday's course so maybe there's just an end of course assessment to do?
***

The pup isn't going to the vet today after all.  She's being picked up tomorrow morning between 10.30am and 11am to hopefully find out what was going on with her pads last night.  It can't be anything urgent or there wouldn't be the delay, which is a relief.  Just need to remember not to take her harness off her after her walk tomorrow now lol
***

Just finished module 8.  Two modules left to study and prolly a whole course test at the end then that's another course finished and one certificate and hopefully a second diploma in two days under my belt too.
***

That's module 9 done and dusted.  Just module 10 and prolly an end of course test to attempt then that's another course done and dusted.
***

Passed first time and almost 2 hours sooner than I was expecting first thing, too!

Time to do the admin bits on my site now.
***

In less than 36 hours I've gained 2 diplomas and 1 certificate.  Gonna upload today's two to my site as soon as the FTP programme loads up.
***

They are up on my site now so it's time to clear my cache's ready for tomorrow's virus scan now.
***

That's the cache's cleared, so time for my prescription now.
***

Prescription sorted.  Today was 7 days since I started taking the new dose and I haven't had any negative effects yet, thankfully.  If the last week is anything to go by, I'll be awake at 6.30am tomorrow 'cos I seem to wake up 12 hours after I've taken the pills.

We're having burgers, lettuce and cheese for our tea tonight.  Yumsk hopefully.
***

One of my burgers is gonna be huuuuge 'cos there will be 2 patties in it as well as double cheese and double lettuce lol
***

Couldn't eat the third burger after scoffing the double one.  I'm just nicely full now but if I'd risked the third burger I'd have been bloated and prolly felt too sick to sleep when I laid down in bed so didn't want to risk it.

Gonna start studying as soon as I've walked the puppy tomorrow morning 'cos the anxiety course has got 16 modules so that's gonna take a couple of days to finish then the depression one has got 10 and the self harm one is just a single module video course so that's the order I'll do them in: anxiety then depression then self harm.  which'll prolly take getting on for 4 days to complete them all so it's gonna be a big test of my memory, but it'll be 3 diploma's and a certificate by Friday evening added to the courses I did yesterday and today, means I'll have studied 5 diploma's and 2 certificates before the weekend which is awesome!
***

Goin' to bed now.  Nite nite orl!  💤😴💤
***


Monday 17 June 2019

Monday 17th June 2019

Mornin' all.

Been paid me ESA so I've invested in 3 more courses from the New Skills Academy and it only cost £30 total.  I've got sooo many courses to study now though, but at least it'll keep me out of trouble while I study them.

The puppy is snoring her head off, so I'm gonna take me supplements before I take her for our daily stroll.

The printer still isn't accepting the new cartridge for some reason though and I don't know why!  😟  It does this every time and it's fine when I've worked out what I'm doing wrong but I can't remember what I did last time.  I've tried reinstalling it multiple times, turning it off then back on again and I've even turned it off but it's still not working!  😞
***

That's the supplements taken.  Went down amazingly easily this morning, thankfully.  Just one mouthful of squash each (two for the Calcium) pill and they went down first time I swallowed with no complaints at all.  I could get used to that lol
***

Puppy has been walked and fed now, which means I can spend the rest of the day studying now.  Gonna do the EYFS Teaching Diploma course today I reckon 'cos it's been a while since I did a diploma course and even longer since I did one about childcare!

Wish me luck!
***

Got 4 out of 5 on the first module and it took 55 minutes instead of the 80 minutes that it predicted at the start.  Hope there isn't an end of course assessment on this course!  If there is, I'll read through all my notes first, before I take it and hope I pass first time.
***

Just had the bloke to fit the CCTV camera on the phone.  He's coming on Thursday between 1pm and 1.30pm-ish... you watch me forget though!  lol

Apparently I've also got a banking survey to do on either Wednesday or Thursday at 5pm but I haven't heard for sure which day it'll be yet lol

Steve's making me another "posh coffee" (i.e. made in the cafetierre instead of instant) so hopefully I'll stay awake until the shopping has been and gone tonight  👌
***

4 out of 5 on the middle of module two assessment as well.
***

We're both having a bowl of scambly eggs for lunch today which means I can eat at the same time as study which is perfik for me today.
***

Just finished module 2 and that took about 55 minutes too, instead of the predicted 80.

Time for another wee then onto module 3.
***

Module 3 mid-module assessment result:  5 out of 6, so I've got 3 questions wrong out of 16 so far.
***

Finished module 3.  This one predicted 90 minutes but I finished it in 50.
***

6 out of 6 on the middle of module 4 test which is awesome!!  That's only three questions wrong out of twenty-two so far!
***

Another 6 out of 6 for the middle of module 5 test.  Three questions wrong out of 28 at the almost half way point.
***

I'm now half way through the course.  Hoping to be finished at about 7.30pm then I can go to bed happy.
***

4 out of 6 in the mid-module test for module 6.  That's 5 wrong out of 34  😟
***

5 out of 6 for module 7 which makes the running total 6 wrong out of 40... hope there isn't an end of course test for this one and that the module scores will be added together instead!
***

Another 5 out of 6 for module 8, which makes the running total 7 wrong out of 46
***

6 out of 6 for module 9 which is probably the most important module of the entire course because it was about promoting child welfare!  Running total is now 7 wrong out of 52 and there's just one more module left to study.  Still hoping that there won't be an entire course test though!
***

There is an end of course test at the end of module 10 so I'll hopefully remember to have a read of all my notes after I've finished the module and before I click on the button.
***

Another 6 out of 6!  That's only 7 questions wrong out of 58 which ain't so bad!  👍  Gotta copy and paste the module summary then revise all the modules of the course to make sure I do as well as possible in the final test.

Keep yer fingers crossed that I pass first time!
***

*ahem* With absolutely no revision or note checking, I passed first time with a score of 73.33% in a time of 6 minutes and 39 seconds  😁👍👍👍

Sooo proud of myself now!!

Time to do the admin bits for my site now then I can relax with a huuuge grin on my face!
***

Child Internet Safety Certificate course tomorrow so that I can complete the Combined EYFS & Child Internet Safety Diploma Course which is a bundled course that today's course started and the Child Internet Safety Certificate tomorrow will complete so I will have completed a bundled course and can count 3 of 'em in my completed courses page, which ain't bad going for a couple of days!
***

 Just ordered a celebratory pizza each and taken my prescription.  Today is day 6 on the reduced dose and I haven't gone dolally yet, which is a relief.  Not even a hint of paranoia which I sometimes got on the stronger dose.  Much bizarreness but I'm not complaining.
***

Going to bed for the night now.  🛏

Nite nite orl.  💤💤
***


Sunday 16 June 2019

Sunday 16th June 2019

Sooo tired!  Why on earth did I wake up at 6am again??  Why couldn't I have had an extra couple of hours sleep??

The printer ink cartridge was dispatched a couple of hours ago but I bet it'll be late that it turns up... bet I'll be waiting for over 12 hours from now for it!

The puppy is going for a wash and brush at lunchtime today so we'll do the rubbish, recycling and food caddy when she's gone.  I'll miss her like crazy again, but it's only a few hours rather than overnight again and she seems to enjoy herself and comes back exhausted, bless 'er!
***

That's the puppy walked and fed.  She was really hungry today 'cos she only let me put literally 2 nuggets into her bowl before she forced my hand out of the way, hoovered them up, let me put a small amount more in (no more than 10 nuggets), bashed my hand away again and hoovered those up too.  It was only then that she let me put the rest of her food in her bowl!  She's finished it off and there's still a small amount of food left in her bowl now but less than usual, bless 'er.

Time to update the spreadsheets then code and upload them now I think.
***

Just waiting for the spreadsheets to arrive in me inbox and I've just been reminded to take me supplements so I'll do that while I'm waiting.
***

The Iron was an absolute nightmare to get down this morning... 4 huge gulps of squash then it got stuck half way down too so needed another gulp to flush it all the way down!

Not good.  Not good at all.

I'm bloated with squash and I've drunk most of the 2 litre bottle in one morning!

The spreadsheets have come through now though, so I'll do the coding and uploading on those now.
***

That's the spreadsheets sorted, so need to update the PIP answers with Steve's feedback now.
***

That's the PIP form answered and printed off now, with some other bits added including my difficulty with stairs and memory which I'd totally forgotten about.

Just waiting for Steve to do his part of the form now, then I can stop worrying about it until the end of the month when the CAB lady comes over.
***

My hubby and puppy are asleep on each other now... I'm the only one awake in the house!
***

That's the rubbish, recycling, cardboard and food caddy out, had to make two additional trips out in the hosing down rain for Steve's rubbish and the pup's poo from the back yard.  I had to back up down the entire hall with the recycling.  Again.  He literally took 2 steps then flung the rubbish and cardboard bags at me then the food caddy.  Had the cheek to complain about holding the bag open for Mitzi's poo.  He's dry and can count the number of steps he's taken to help with both hands and fingers left whereas I've not only walked the puppy this morning but taken it all out then came back, did his rubbish and the pup's poo.  I bet I'll have to answer the door to his cousin too, on top of the delivery, yet he's getting carers allowance to look after me for 30 hours a week.  I'm lucky to get a tenth of that in reality!  😠
***

Just asked him to do the things he's already been paid to do (software, pages and his support for my PIP renewal) but I bet he won't have even written a full stop further than he has now at the end of next week.  From now on, I'll do like the other people he's done stuff for and pay on delivery instead of in advance!

I'm gonna give him until the end of the month to get the software and pages sorted or I want my £3,000 (not a typo) back so that I can find someone else to do it for me.  I paid him back in March and was promised a month for it to be totally sorted, so why am I waiting 3 months later??  😠  His brother has, potentially, found someone else who wants a site built but I bet they get their site before I get mine, despite me having already paid and this person not paying a penny until they get the site finished and they're happy with it!
***

Slight change of plan with the pup... they aren't coming for her until 5-6pm now, which is fine and dandy, but I'm not staying up until she comes home - if I'm tired at 6.30 then that's when I'll go to bed and Steve'll have to get the door.
***

Bloated from me Balti curry lunch now... yummy scrummy in my tummy except that I got all bar one of the bits of chilli pepper spiciness so my stomach is kinda going "what the frig?!" and I've got breath "like a fire-breathing dragon" now, according to Steve lol
***

The puppy's just gone (less than a minute ago, literally) and I'm missing her already!  😢  She's only a small dog but she's got a huuuuuge personality and emits an incredible amount of love just by being here!
***

That's both me prescriptions taken.  Had to use about ⅔ of a 2 litre bottle of squash to get all 6 of my daily pills down today though.  Not a good day unfortunately  😔
***

The printer cartridge came half an hour ago and I'm having trouble getting it set up in the printer.  Gonna try rebooting me laptop then giving the printer one last chance before giving up for tonight.
***

Nope, didn't work so I'm gonna publish this then shut down for the night.  Maybe I just need to let it rest for a while and it'll magicly work in the morning just like (I think) last time.  I'm certainly not gonna get stressed out about it 'cos I know it's installed correctly, the printer just hasn't found it yet is all.

Still missing the pup and I'm hoping she'll be home before I head to bed tonight.  I'm sure she's OK, I just want to stroke and talk to her before I fall asleep is all!

Nite nite orl!  Sea ewe in the morning.  💤💤
***


Saturday 15 June 2019

Saturday 15th June 2019

Steve made 4 litres of squash for me overnight, so I can take my supplements without worrying this morning.  💑  Thank you Steve!  💟

Which should I do first though - take me supplements or walk the puppy❓❔  Steve said supplements first so that's what I'll do.
***

Other than the Calcium (of course, nothing new there then) they all went down reasonably easily this morning.  Time to walk the senior puppy now then.

BBS!
***

The puppy met her Irish friend from yesterday again and got talked to and stroked as we finished off her walk.  She was in heaven again.

Out, walked, fed and watered and it's not even 8am yet!
***

Time to read me emails then start me online day.  Need to check for birthday's on the forum so that I can announce them first though!
***

That's the forum sorted, time to read me emails now.
***

Emails (except survey invites) done and dusted too
***

£32 for the puppy's food and shampoo ain't too bad, just means that I won't be able to save anything at all when I'm paid on Monday, but that's OK 'cos I'll be able to save a small amount in July 'cos of the extra pay day.  The pup is soooo worth it and much, much more!
***

That's the very old, very mouldy bread bagged up and put in the waste food caddy... just need to remember to take it out tomorrow now lol  There's no point having a waste food caddy and bags for the waste food, then not use it❕  We use the recycling boxes and rubbish bag every week, the cardboard bag a couple of times a month, so why not use the food caddy too❔❕  Steve said he's just been binning the waste food in the rubbish bag up to now but why not make the most of something that's collected every week too?  It can all go into a composter or whatever then and it's even less rubbish to take out!  It's free, helps the environment and is collected each week so why not make the most of it❔❔  It's just a few extra minutes a week to get into the habit of using it, so it'll be good to use that too!  Just gotta persuade Steve to get into the habit of putting waste food into one of the clear bags then into the waste food caddy then put that on top of the recycling boxes on a Sunday when we take the rubbish and recycling out.
***

Apparently room-temperature eggs are OK for "a couple of weeks" so I'm having potato squares for lunch today and "we'll have scrambly eggs or an ommlette or something later on in the week" which is fine by me, as long as the eggs are used this time 'cos the last twice (at least) that we got them they had to be binned without being used, so a total waste of money that could have been spent on something else.
***

Quick question for my Brit foodie friends: Apples, the deep red/crimson ones that are slightly taller, sweeter and juicier than Royal Gala etc apples... what are they called and when are they in season from/to please?

We've added banana's and apples to our online grocery order that's getting delivered on Monday evening and I've been looking for them for a few weeks now but they are never there 😔

Are they an Autumn/Winter apple and I'm wasting my time even hoping that they'll be available for several months yet or is it like the Aunt Bessie's stuffing and it's another thing they've dropped from their online shopping thing please?

Just one last quick question, about eggs this time: kept at room temperature, how long from the day you buy them are they safe to eat without risking salmonella please? Steve says a couple of weeks, I say a week and we've wasted 30 eggs over the last few weeks 'cos they'd been hanging around without being used. We got another pack this Monday just gone and I personally think we're risking salmonella if we don't scoff 'em tomorrow but the hubby reckon's they're safe for another week. I'm happy either way, I just don't fancy risking getting food poisoning is all!
***

The apples are Red Delicious apples, I just prefer the darker end of the scale 'cos that means they've had more sun or something, based on the apple tree that's in my mum's garden!  I know what to search for on Sainsbury's now... just gotta remember lol

Steve was right with the eggs too, they are still edible as long as they sink to the bottom of a cold bowl of water, so hopefully we'll have an omlette next week without me getting so fretful about food poisoning.
***

That's me prescription swallowed.  Amazingly easily tonight!  😲
***

That's the PIP form answered in a Word document and printed off for Steve to hopefully have a read of and add anything to it.  The black ink has totally run out so I've just ordered another one that'll be here tomorrow... hope it comes with fitting instructions so that I don't mess it up!  😣
***

Going to bed now... 😴

Nite nite orl!  Sea ewe in the morning!  💤
***


Friday 14 June 2019

Friday 14th June 2019

Was awake at just gone 6am today so I've just come up with an official welcome letter for my writing site members that has a couple of bits that are reliant on the application form info they submit to me and gives them all the info they need to make the most out of their membership.

Gonna walk the puppy now though, before I forget.
***

It was peeing it down out there again so we're both soaked through to the skin!  She met a lovely Irish lady and got petted and stroked so she was in heaven.  Really enjoying herself and her little tail was wagging soo fast!  Bless her tiny furry paws!
***

Just taken me supplements.  Went down pretty easily this morning, thankfully.
***

Asked Steve how long it'll take to do the welcome email and he said he's going to have to do it on the server for some reason.  Making things more complicated than they need to be again  😟

Been waiting since the end of April for putting a bit of software onto a webpage, middle of May for a piece of software for my homepage (where you're prolly reading this from now) and it'll be another several months before I get this done, despite him promising "a week, tops" for each of them.  Been 2 months for the webpage, 6 weeks for the software and I bet it'll be at least August for this, even though I've already paid him for all of them.  He's got a site to do for someone who hasn't paid him yet, but they are getting priority... hardly fair, is it?
***

Just got my PIP renewal form through the post so Steve's phoned the CAB lady so hopefully she'll be able to come out and fill it in for me 'cos I can't remember how to write!!

Anxiety is through the roof, but at least I can put Brad's name down for the mental illness part and I can put down that I've seen a doc too which apparently helps with the claim if you've seen a doctor recently.

We shall see.
***

The CAB lady called back, literally five or ten minutes after Steve left lol

Just texted Steve to ask him to phone her back when he gets home.  Hopefully they'll be able to connect up and arrange for her to come out to help me with the form.  Wish me luck that I'll get enhanced rate for both this time instead of just the lower daily living that I've been getting for the last year lol
***

She's coming out on 27th June at 2pm-ish to help with the form.  She will hopefully know the right things to say in the right places to get me the award again... I've been like this for over 20 years and you'd think that by now I'd be used to filling in the dratted forms but I ain't!
***

We had chocolate biscuits for lunch and we're having Burger King for tea, so Steve won't be getting his week-day reward 'cos today has spoilt it!  If he cooks both days of the weekend then he'll get his reward on Sunday... disappointed that today spoilt a week of home-cooked meals though  😔
***

Just worked out that after all the bills come out tomorrow, I'll have just about enough left to cover Monday's shopping then I can use the money I'll get on Monday to cover the last 2 weeks of the month's shopping without going overdrawn, so that's not so bad.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to put any last little bits into me savings at the end of the month... it'll be under £50 but it's better than nothing!
***

July is gonna be a rich month for me, compared to this month, 'cos I'll be paid four times instead of my usual three so I'm hoping, in theory, to be able to put my entire PIP payment and most of one of my ESA payments into my savings, just in case I'm not re-awarded PIP again.  Let's look on the bright side and hope that I *am* re-awarded PIP and hopefully get the mobility part of it this time too... if that happens then I'll be able to put all of that into my savings for getting a second-hand car and all the insurance and MOT and petrol for it and stuff, so that we can go over and see my mum again after getting on for a decade (it'll be a decade in mid-August 2020).  I want to buy the car outright though instead of through motability or loans or whatever.  I want to be able to hand over the cheque and the keys to be handed to Steve then not have to worry about giving it back next time my PIP comes up for renewal and leaving us stranded again.

I miss me mum I does!
***

Just taken me prescription.

Hope I can lay down without throwing up me tea tonight because of taking it so soon after I'd finished eating!
***

I'm cream crackered, so shutting down for the night now.

Nite nite orl!  😴
***


Thursday 13 June 2019

Thursday 13th June 2019

That's the puppy walked and fed.  It's hosing it down out there though so only walked half our usual length so far.  Assuming the rain stops I'll take her out for the rest of her walk later on, but neither of us like getting wet so we'll do it in two parts today.

I put Steve's headphones on Freegle a couple of days ago and someone replied at about 10pm last night wanting two of the three so they will hopefully be gone by bed time tonight.

Talking of bed time.  I took my two new pills last night and other than not being able to swallow the 2.5mg one as easily as the 10mg one, they were fantastic!  Got a slight head/eye ache but other than that there haven't been any negatives either from the side effects, the lactose or the lowered dose!  Gonna give it a week and take it from there, but it seems to be OK so far!

Taking me supplements now then start studying the Alternative Healing Therapies Certificate for the rest of the day.
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Just taken me last Calcium, so I've taken 6 months worth of supplements on the trot and it's pretty much routine now, thankfully.

Time to back up everything then creating business cards then studying for the rest of the day now.  I'm hoping I'll be able to save a PDF of the business cards before I buy them so that I can get approval before I get 'em printed.
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We're definitely having a huge roast for lunch, so I won't be studying today after all.  Just wanna get the back-ups done and dusted and the business cards designed and hopefully saved so that I can hopefully get them approved then have me lunch and not be able to function this afternoon lol
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That's 2 of Steve's headphones been picked up and I'm about to put a photo of the third pair up on a new Freegle post.

Backups are still plodding along and it's stopped raining now, so I'll take the pup out for the second half of her walk in a bit.
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That's the back-ups finished for another week, so time to pack it all away and take the puppy for part two of her walk.  I'd like to do another 300% but we'll take it as it comes.  My knee has just started playing up so I'm hoping the puppy won't want to do much more than that.
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That's the puppy's walk finished off, the cafetierre and both mugs taken into the kitchen and both of our bottles of pop brought in, so I'm hoping I won't have to move for the rest of the day other than to get my lunch and going to the bathroom 'cos my legs are shaking and weak now, so I don't wanna walk very much for the rest of the day otherwise my legs will give way on me and I won't be able to get back onto my feet.  Just like happened with C when we walked into town and back.  I never want that to happen again, so I'd prefer to play it safe and listen to my body from now on.  Right now my body is saying "don't move off the sofa you daft arse" so I'm not going anywhere for the next hour or so.  I just hope there isn't any post or anything that needs me to go to the door 'cos my carer is more interested in watching the telly and falling asleep rather than what he's paid to do!  😟
***

Just answered the door to the postman so my legs are going "seriously don't move off the sofa for several hours or we'll give way underneath you" but Steve's just gone to put the lunch on which'll be ready in about an hour so I hope my legs are stable enough to let me go into the kitchen and back for me lunch, but I seriously cannot move for the rest of the day now.  'Please let me fetch me lunch and take the plates back out, legs!  I won't move further than the bathroom for the rest of the day before I go to bed tonight.  Promise!'  My hands are shaking which is a huuuge warning sign for me!  😟
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He's just agreed to bring my lunch in for me - we'll see if he actually does or not.  There's a 50/50 chance atm... I'm thinking that he won't, but we shall see!
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Just bought another 2 courses but they are both video courses so they are short and I'll be able to do them both this afternoon while I'm recovering from me lunch lol  😃
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Shutting down so that I can nervously go for a wee before our lunch is dished up.

I really can't move around too much this afternoon 'cos me right knee has started aching now which really isn't a good thing and I'm hoping that it doesn't give way on me so that Steve doesn't have to pull me to my feet.
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That was a yummy lunch... we agreed that it was a bit dry but the roast potatoes and stuffing added that bit of extra oompf to it.  Might try a tiny amount of gravy next time, just to give it more moisture but other than that it was totally yumsk.

I read the Victim Support information pack while our scrummy lunch was finishing off and it seems that not only is our neighbour subjecting me to anti-social behaviour but he's harrassing and stalking me too!  I've got some record sheets to record his behaviour on for the next four weeks and I've got to include the cars revving outside our window, his shouts and taunts and things like that for the harrassment and his "repeated and unwanted behaviour" towards me for the stalking too.  I've got to report it to the police on 101 every time and record it on the log sheet thingies too.  He's not going to get away with it this time.  I'll take him to court if that's what the police advise!  I refuse to let him get away with the crimes he is committing this time.  The first time I was too easy on him and believed that he'd leave me alone after the police visited him, but obviously not, so I'm not gonna let it drop this time.
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About to start studying the Child Protection certificate and there are 4 modules so it'll take about 2 hours to finish it off and hopefully pass first time.
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19 out of 20 ain't a bad total for the 4 assessments combined!

👍👍👍
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24 out of 25 is slightly better.  Two questions wrong out of forty-five is good going I reckon.  Which course to take next though?
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100% right on that course... can't get any better than that so I'm pretty chuffed right now.

Gonna update the pages, take my pills then head to bed with a daft smile on my face I reckon.
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Heading to bed now... nite nite orl!
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Wednesday 12 June 2019

Wednesday 12th June 2019

Was awake and down here before 6.30am!

I checked my bank balance before I came down and Namebright have taken money out of my account without my permission so I'm gonna demand a refund then hopefully put a block on their account ever taking money again.  Not happy about that at all.

Gonna take me supplements and walk the puppy then nervously get ready for this afternoon's appointment.
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That's me supplements taken, so time for an early morning stroll with the senior puppy now.
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The puppy forced me to walk 700% this morning.  I was happy to come home after 600% but she carried on walking another 100%.  That means that, after only 3 days, she's already walked me 2100% extra already this week and we're less than half way through the week too!  Won't be able to walk far for the rest of the day.

Steve's dad is taking me to the surgery so I don't need to get stressed out about taking Patric or trying to eek out £10 for the taxi.  I'm hoping it's just a mole, but I obviously can't see it so want to get it officially checked out just to put my mind at rest.  Better to be safe than sorry and all that.
***

That's me new prescription just been delivered so I can start taking them tonight to see how I get on with them... wish me luck!

Also gonna shut down my laptop as soon as I take them then just talk to Steve or watch the telly or whatever for an hour before I head to bed tonight, just to see what happens.  It worked last night so I'm hoping it'll work again tonight.
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The new 5mg ones are orodispersible but they've got lactose in them so it might make me ill which I'm really not looking forward to, but we shall see I suppose.  The 10mg ones have got lactose in them and the new 2.5mg ones are the same brand, so hopefully they won't affect me.  Keep me in your thoughts and prayers that my body doesn't reject these ones!
***

Zoop and chocolate mini rolls for lunch today.  Yumsk.
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Had my appointment through for the ultrasound now.  Gotta have a full bladder for it and hold it in for an hour beforehand.  Not looking forward to that at all!
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As predicted it was nothing to worry about.  Just a cyst and I don't need to worry unless it becomes painful, grows bigger or gets infected.  I was in there for maybe 2 minutes tops and my anxiety over it is now no longer active.  I just need to keep an eye on it via Steve is all, but that's it now until the until the ultrasound on 4th July then another appointment with Brad (the CPN) on the 26th to see how I'm doing with the new prescription.

We're having a celebratory tea of chippy chips on me.  Steve's still getting his Toblerone's assuming he cooks tomorrow (he's promised we'll have a full on roast) and Friday 'cos we had a home-made meal of zoop for lunch so it still counts 'cos it wasn't ordered in and delivered.

I could get used to having good days like this!  lol  👍👌👍
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Todays food for me:

Mug of zoop
2 chocolate mini rolls
2 pickled eggs
1 of Steve's chips

Gonna take me prescription now and hope it doesn't make me too ill!
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The 2.5mg tablet was getting on for half the size of the 10mg one but was so much harder to swallow for some reason... maybe because it's a new dose??
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The pills are already kicking in and making me tired, just like the Zyprexa did so I'm gonna publish this then head to bed.

See you all at some point tomorrow!

Night night!  😴
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Tuesday 11 June 2019

Tuesday 11th June 2019

Was down before 7am again and have already had a Chocochino lol  Gonna tickle the puppy then take me supplements and take her out for a walk.
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That's the puppy stroked and me supplements taken.  Almost choked on the Multi and the Calcium crumbs went everywhere so it wasn't as good as Sunday but they are swallowed for another day now, so it's time to walk the puppy.
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Puppy has been walked, fed and watered now.

I've brushed me teeth and Steve's made a "posh coffee" for us both, so I'm all set for the day now.  Just waiting for my new prescription to be delivered today then I'll charge up Patric's batteries ready for tomorrow.
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Oooh!  That's a point!  Our senior puppy saw her first ever magpie on her walk this morning!  The magpie was on the other side of the road, next to the flats and she was on the other side, halfway down with me.  She was obviously overcome with natural instincts, even at very nearly 10 years old, but she didn't try to pull me over this time, thankfully.

The magpie strode into the parking area and Mitzi was like "can we go after it?  Please, please, please❔❔"  She wouldn't hurt it, just sniff it and want to make friends, but after 9 years (since we've had her) without any kind of bird life at all, her instints are still in there somewhere!  She's such a friendly puppy who just wants to make friends with everyone and everything she sees!

Talking about her walk, she did a tiny-for-her (normal volume for most dogs her size) wee and a huuuuge poo after less than 75% of her walk.  I'm a responsible dog owner so I picked it up of course, but it was huge even by *her* standards❕❕
***

Just phoned Victim Support and they were really helpful.  The volunteer has arranged for a referral to a support worker that I can phone and talk through things with whenever I feel I need to which'll take 4-5 weeks and she's arranging to have a CCTV camera sent to me and a contractor will contact me about getting it fitted.

I've gotta contact the police about what he shouted at me at the weekend so that it's logged and can be included in the case they are building against him and I've gotta do that each time it happens... basically the more he has a go at me the more evidence the police will have against him.  I refuse to let him drive me out of my home and I've got the police and victim support on my side now, so as long as I keep reporting each incident as it happens, the deeper the poo he'll be getting himself into without realising it!  He's in the wrong for his anti-social behaviour and now that the police know what's going on and have given us a crime reference number (or whatever it's called) the more and more evidence they are building up against him so he's piling on the poo against himself without even realising it!  Having a go at the PCSO and his daughter making empty threats about reporting us to the RSPCA will hopefully get put into the case notes too!  They made the threats when I wasn't even there so that will hopefully go against him in the case notes too.
***

Just emailed the PCSO looking after the case explaining what happened at the weekend so that he can add that to the case too.  I'm not going to back down this time.  He's pissed on his neighbourly chips one too many times now and I'm not going to drop the case this time.  If he stays in his house for the half an hour or so I'm out with the pup every morning then that's all I want.  I'm not going to drop it this time though, like I did last time.  All I'm going to say to him from now on is "please leave me alone" whenever he says anything to me then come home and report it to the police when I've finished walking our puppy and we've come home.
***

Spicy bean burgers for lunch today.  Totally yumsk!  Steve said about getting some shredded lettuce to go with them next week, so I'm gonna go and find a packet and add it to next week's shopping while I remember.  BRB!
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OK, that's the shopping started ready for next week.  Got the lettuce and a packet of beansprouts added to the shopping too... we're so much better at eating most of our meals at home and we're even adding fresh veggies to the order too which is even better!  It's amazing what can be achieved with a bit of bribery!  lol
***

Just got out of the bath, ready for my nursey appointment tomorrow.  It's a 10 minute appointment that I hope will only take maybe a minute.  Just need a quick look at a lump next to my spine to tell me it's a mole and to stop being so paranoid (that's what I'm hoping for - better to be safe than sorry with a close family history of cancer) and I can eff off and let the next person go in on time or maybe even early.  Or, the dreaded "I'll refer you for tests at the hospital".  Steve says there's nothing showing on my skin but he can feel the lump too so I want to get it checked out for sure, for reassurance as much as anything. I'd rather be parnoid and it turns out to be a new mole rather than ignoring it as soon as I find it and it turns out to be cancer of my spinal cord that is too far advanced to do anything about.

Besides, I haven't got any life insurance so don't want to saddle Steve with the hassle of a funeral as well as everything else 😉.
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That's me prescription taken and my webhosts are doing some emergency maintenance on the servers tonight for some reason so don't worry if you can't get to my sites tonight for a while.  Not sure how long it's gonna take... hopefully minutes, might be hours hope it's not days though!  😟
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Just gone 8pm so I'm heading to bed now and hoping my sites will be back up by the morning.  I'm having an early night though, in preparation for tomorrow.

Nite nite orl!  😴💤
***


Monday 10 June 2019

Monday 10th June 2019 - part two

I was wrong this morning.  We were only there for 2½ hours instead of the 4 I was thinking, so add that to the 4 hours 3 weeks ago and the 3+ hours when we got our hair cut last time means that in less than 2 months we've seen Steve's family more than my mum in almost 9 years - hardly fair, is it?  That's not including him seeing his dad for a medical appointment every Friday, and his sister most Mondays to help to put the shopping away!  Let's leave that aside though 'cos it's not the both of us seeing them, but still, 10+ hours in 6 weeks is more than I've seen my mum for literally years!
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6.03pm and the shopping has already been and gone!!  Means I can take my prescription now and have an early night as soon as Marie's gone home!

Dunno what I've done with the last 5 hours though, terrible innit!
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That's me prescription swallowed at 6.10pm and I'm hoping to be in bed (although prolly not asleep lol) by 7pm tonight.  Had a busy day so I think I'll deserve the rest tomorrow lol
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Just worked out that I can cover the rest of June's groceries and bills and I'll still be able to put £52 into my savings, as well as getting ESA in 6 days time too.

Scratch that, I'll pay a chunk off the mortgage instead of increasing my savings.  Won't be able to do it *every* month but I can afford it this month so I want to help out as much as I can while I can.

I'll hopefully be able to help out in July too, but August is when my SCBWI membership renews, September is my PPC renewal and October are Chris', Steve's and Steve's dad's birthday, so they're gonna be expensive months and I'll be saving up for Yule after that.  I'm hoping I'll be re-awarded PIP again so that I can still keep helping with the mortgage occasionally too.

I'm heading to bed with a smile on my face now.

Nite nite orl.  💤💤
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Product review: 50 heavy duty refuse sacks

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

These sacks are wonderful!  They really are heavy duty and we can put all sorts of rubbish in them and they've coped really well so far!

I'll definitely be getting them again as the roll starts to run out.

There's no way to tie the bags up when they are full other than tying a knot in the bag itself, but I knew that when I bought them.

If you need some sturdy, strong bags then definitely get these and you'll never look back!  At 15p a bag you can't really go wrong, just be prepared for the weight of the roll when they are first delivered 'cos they are unexpectedly heavy and I really wasn't prepared for that so almost dropped them on my foot when they were delivered!  lol

Clothes review: New Look Women's T - Shirt

☆☆☆☆ out of 5 

I'm... OK with this purchase. It's a good fit and washes well, but could do with being longer.

I'm petite and it only just covers my belly so taller peeps might find that their stomach is exposed, especially when they lift their arms. That's the reason I'm knocking a star off it. If it had been 20-25cm longer it would have got the full five stars from me.

It's ideal for warm Summer days and a cardigan could see you through Autumn too.

Not the best purchase in the world unfortunately. Sorry. Just those extra few centimetres in length and it would have been great. If you're comfortable with your stomach being on show then you might give it 5 stars, but I don't like my belly so can only give it four.



Drink review: Dapple (double apple drink)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

The package with these cans in have just arrived and we've (me and hubby) just had our first taste.  OMG they are absolutely gorgeous!  To quote the hubby "a slightly sparkling version of that Copella one... where do you get them from?".  I'm gonna put them in the fridge now to see what they're like when they're chilled.  To quote the hubby again "middle of a hot Summer, a glass of that would go down as a refreshing treat!"  I couldn't agree more!

Monday 10th June 2019 - part one

That's the puppy walked and fed and my supplements swallowed.

She met 2 cats on her walk today and almost pulled me over twice.  Thankfully I stayed on my feet though, but my knees are killing me now.  The supplements went down OK... not as well as yesterday, but not the worst either.  Going to go and brush me teeth now.  This blog will be another two-parter 'cos of going to get our hair cut today and we'll prolly spend most of the day there again.  Tsk.  If we spend more than 4 hours with them, we will have spent more time with them in 3 weeks than we have with my mum since my father died at the end of June 2010.  Hardly fair, is it, considering that the only reason I agreed to move in with Steve back in 1998 was that he agreed to visiting my mum regularly.  I don't call 8 hours in 9 years regularly, do you?
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Teeth brushed and puppy watered.  Apparently there's an AI toothbrush that learns your brushing technique and times you brushing your gnashers so that you can be sure you're doing the full 3 minutes of brushing recommended by dentists lol
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Just saved meself over £1000 (not a typo) by buying 2 course bundles for £60 total instead of £598 (that's not a typo either) each!!

Just need to upload the pages to my site then publish this then head out to get our hair cut.
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The two pages are now updated so I'm gonna publish this then shut down.

Buh-bye for now.
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Sunday 9 June 2019

Sunday 9th June 2019

Came down at just gone 7am this morning and took my supplements straight away which forced Steve to do a bottle of squash for me.  Feeling really proud of myself 'cos I got them all down with the 400ml-ish that was left from last night and I didn't accidentally throw any of them up or struggle to get any of 'em down!  I could get used to this lol
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The puppy forced me to walk a huuuuge 900% this morning, which means that we've walked 5100% total in 7 days, which is 4400% extra.  How awesome is that?  Me legs are really feeling it now though lol
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That's the rubbish and recycling out now with only a minor disagreement this week.  We put out two totally full recycling boxes and the rubbish bag is barely ¾ full and so light!

We bagged up the last of the butterfly bush that we sawed down the other week and it's pretty much all gone now.  There's still a branch stuck in the arm-hole of one of the plastic chairs that I'm not tall enough to pull out so Steve's promised that he'll get his brother over at some point to get it out and the other branches that have been out for at least a year sawn down and binned.  When that's done, I'll just need a yard brush and pan to sweep up all the bits of twig and dead leaves that are currently on the ground, then we just need to get rid of the toilets and cistern's that have been out there since Steve came out of hospital the last time (2-3 years ago apparently) then hopefully get someone in to get rid of the grapevine that has grown up the entire side of our house and has completely covered the spare room's window!!

One area at a time is going to get sorted even if I have to do it totally alone despite Steve being paid to be my carer.
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Just had a shower and washed me hair ready for tomorrow.  Almost fell off the seat 3 times though!
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The puppy has just unexpectedly gone for another wash and brush-up!  Apparently Helen messaged Steve but it didn't go through to Steve 'cos he was watching something in full screen on his laptop and it didn't appear on his phone either for some reason!

Thank you to my Higher Powers for getting me out of the shower and dressed before they came!
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The puppy's home at last!!!

She's a sleepy puppy again, but her love is filling the house again.  She's the smallest member of the household but fills the house with an impossibly huge amount of love!
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Busy start to the week, starting tomorrow:

Monday - hair cuts
Tuesday - my prescription is being delivered
Wednesday - medical appointment

Gonna be exhausted by the time I get home on Wednesday!

I'm exhausted now, let alone on Wednesday!
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Just advertised Steve's headphones on Freegle.  Better to give them away than bin them and all that jazz!
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That's me prescription taken.  Nice and easily with just a small mouthful of squash, thankfully! 👌  Today has been a really good pill taking day... this mornings supplements went down with about 400ml of squash and now my prescription this evening with just a single mouthful... I could get used to this!  😁👍
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 Just bought Mitzi a faux fur pet bed and only paid the shipping of $9.49 which is a touch expensive but I suppose it's coming from America and prolly won't be light either, so that's not so bad.  We shall see if it ever arrives and I'll be keeping a tight watch on my bank account just to be sure that I haven't just been conned.

I'll soon find out I guess!
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Gonna have an early night I reckon.  💤

Nite nite orl! 
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