Happy Halloween and a fun printable

Hi Honeys
I hope you're having a wonderful day and having fun preparing for the fun of Halloween tonight.  I had such fun yesterday making up little treat bags for tonight 😊

This hasn't been a great year so far dear ones, it started in January with a bad chest infection and I've been really struggling with my health all year since.  With the last few weeks taken up with trips to hospital and to see our Dr I really needed a smile and yesterday I got to spend a couple of hours smiling as I made up treat bags for tiny humans who'll be knocking on our door tonight.

I adore Halloween honeys.  We have a dress up weekend at work which is always fun.  Last year I managed to convince the sweetest wee boy that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry was a real school and this year I had a mini wand duel with another wee boy who proudly told me he was a Griffyndor and seemed amused that I was dressed in my Slytherin House uniform, "why aren't you a Griffyndor tho?" he asked me 😊

Halloween is absolutely the highlight of my Autumn each year and I so look forward to making up lots of treat bags for our visiting trick or treaters.  Each item included in the little treat bags is picked for smiles and fun. 

Self Care Project: Skin Care & A Little Treat For My Face

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products, just sharing my latest step on the path of my self care project and a little treat I bought for my face x

Hi Honeys

How are you today?  Here we are on the last weekend of October.  Halloween is on Tuesday but before then I have two "dress up days" at work and on Sunday Hubby & I will spend the afternoon making up little treat bags for the tiny humans who'll visit on Tuesday.  This might well be the best weekend I've had in months honeys 😊  I just love Halloween 👻

If you saw my post yesterday you'll know I've decided to begin a new project which I've called my self care project.  I think it's way overdue too honeys because there's been close to zero self care around here for a very long time.  My first, very tentative step is to try to deal with the dry skin on my face which is irritating me terribly.

I've tried so many different moisturisers with little to no effect.  I'm assuming I just haven't found what works for me yet.  I've also started making a real effort to drink more water every day.  So far I've been able to get through between a litre to a litre and a half each day, in addition to my normal cups of tea, glasses of milk, fruit juice etc and I'm hoping to keep to this and maybe once I get used to my new routine manage to increase it a little.   

Beginning My Self Care Journey: Why Hydration Is Vital For Health

Please Note:  This post does not in any way act as medical advice.  I'm beginning a new self care project and wanted to share what I've found out about how important hydration can be for our health.  If you suffer from any health conditions or would like to find out more about how hydration impacts on your health please speak to your doctor or health care professional for advice.


Hi Honeys
How are you today?  Autumn is very quickly turning into winter here. The nights are increasingly dark, chilly and unwelcoming.  So much rain honeys and so, so chilly in the winds.

I know I say it every year but I'll say it again anyway 😊  I firmly believe that it should be a legitimate choice at this time of year to hibernate.  As the weather turns cold, rainy and miserable I'd happily wander off upstairs to bed with a hot water bottle and our furbaby Jade to hug and just stay there!

Around early to mid March, depending on the weather of course, my dear Hubby could come wake me up with a lovely cuppa, a smile and a "it's sunny outside honey, I've put your first load of wash on and you have a new washing line up outside." Such joy!

I would (as near as my poor wee arthritis knotted body would let me) bound out of bed and happily throw myself into doing laundry and pegging it all outside 😊  I so love doing laundry honeys.  I adore it.  During the long, long (toooooo long) months when I can't peg my laundry outside I have the blessing of our "pulley" and I don't know what I'd do without it.

Lack of outside laundry pegging opportunities, lack of sunshine and a general feeling of "it's not summer anymore" blues are weighing heavily on me.  Added to this I still have that dreadful cough I've had for approaching four months now which the Doctor at the hospital told me has become bronchitis and my skin feels like it's never seen a drop of moisture in, well, ever really.

I mean, there are fallen leaves outside that are less dried out than my face feels honeys.  This is just yet another problem I'm going to have to address at a time when I'm feeling less able to cope with anything than I have in the longest time ever.  So, dear ones, I've made a decision.

My new project has to be me.  I'm going to have to focus on feeling better, because right now I'm so run down I'm just not coping with anything.  I've been ill most of this year and I've allowed a combination of low mood, zero energy and battling constant chest infections, headaches and body pain to beat me into submission.  So much so that I've given up any semblance of self care.  This has to change dear ones. Just has to.  My dear GP has tried to help by giving me antibiotics to try to shift this horrid chest infection which has now turned into bronchitis but I have to concentrate on helping myself too.

I'm going to make a serious effort to begin a self care routine.  First problem on my list to find a solution to, although there are others of course, is my turning leathery (eeewww!) skin.

I should quantify that statement by saying its not all of my skin.  It seems to be reserved to the skin above my eyebrows and on my forehead.  I can't understand it.  I've tried so many moisturisers, day cream, night cream but the dry, "flakey" patches re-appear.  Just ick!

OK, so first area to focus on in my little self care project then honeys is my skin.  There are, of course, other parts to my latest, and probably most important (after all what's more important than our health?) project though.  Other areas will include:

What To Expect When Having A CT Scan

Disclaimer:  This post is not intended to be medical advice.  Any concerns should be discussed with your doctor or health care professionals honeys, I just wanted to share my experiences in the hopes it might help others avoid being anxious about having a scan. 

Hi Honeys
These past few weeks have been eventful to say the least.  Do you remember the never ending chest infection I've been battling?  Well it's been over 3 months now and my wonderful GP, and he really is, sent me for a chest x ray.  The x ray had something on it that the radiographer at the hopital didn't like and my GP somehow managed to get me an appointment at the (incredibly busy) Respiratory Clinic and also requested a CT scan too, which I was told by the hospital bookings clerk when she called me, might take at least 5-6 weeks to arrange.

Next thing I knew I had a letter telling me I had a 9 am appointment on Tuesday of this week and later I had a phone call telling me I had an appointment for a CT scan at 1.30 pm that same day!

It genuinely is wonderful, especially in these days of way over-stretched resources, to be registered at the Practice we are, and to be cared for by such fabulous Doctors.  Our Practice has two Doctors, one Practice Nurse and the sweetest admin staff all of whom seem able to move mountains to help patients.

Over the last twenty years or so they've been our family GPs, they've always gone the extra mile to help, always listened,  never been too busy to return a phone call and have always referred me for tests if they've had even a little doubt over what ails me.  The Practice really is a treasure and being a patient there means the world to me.

So dear ones I thought I'd share what happened during my visit to the hospital in the hopes it might help alleviate any of the anxiety that I had for anyone who has to have the same tests.  Before we begin, take a few minutes to go fetch a cuppa🍵 and maybe a cookie too.  This is going to be a long post.  I'll wait, see you back here in a few minutes....

Friday Smile: New Pencils Rock!

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products, I'm just sharing a smile 😊

Hi Honeys,

It's been a bit of a week to be sure. Too full of stresses.  I had to go have a CT scan this week, having already been sent previously for a chest x ray.  It was an odd experience honeys, not the worst thing I've ever had to deal with, but not something I particularly want to go through again either.  Does that make sense?  I'll post about it soon honeys, knowledge is power after all and you can't be afraid of something if you know all about it.  So, in the hope that my experience might help anyone else not be afraid, I'll write a post describing what happened, I promise.

In today's post I'd like to share a little Friday smile if that's OK? 😊

Of course my ever present smile (on wee paws) is our furbaby Jade 😊 Bless her, our baby keeps me company when her Daddy is at work all day long and during this latest illness has been happily sharing a blanket with her Mummy on the sofa.

The thing about being all propped up with pillows at night is that it's practically impossible to sleep.  Even when I was so exhausted I could cry and would nod off I didn't sleep long.  Why were you all propped up Rosie? Well honeys, the coughing wouldn't let me sleep anyway, no matter what position I was in but it just so happened that if I tried to lie down on my usual single pillow I had such trouble breathing and would jerk awake because my airway had closed or tried to.

Frightening honeys, just frightening 😡  Well, what's a girl to do when you can't sleep for an irritating cough and can't lie down?  Do you remember I said recently I'd (re)discovered the joy of colouring?  It's a perfect way to pass the time on (very long) lonely, quiet nights when Hubby and our furbaby Jade are both happily soundly sleeping and I'm fed up watching infomercials on late night TV.

It's quiet, (Hubby works long hours over spreadsheets full of figures and has an early start every morning) it calms a stressed mind and I love doing it.  It really does calm me.

Heading upstairs to bed on one of the (too many) sleepless nights recently I picked up my colouring things, namely a brightly coloured, soft pencil case which is home to my favourite pencils and one of my colouring books (presently I'm drawn to the Calm book.) 

Having picked up my pencil case and book I spotted something I'd bought a few weeks before and had genuinely forgotten about in the midst of the never ending coughing fits, headaches, body aches and trips to see our family Doctors and to the hospital.

They were sitting, still in their storage tin boxes on the little cupboard in the hall at the bottom of the stairs and I have to admit seeing them made me smile again as much as I had when I originally saw them in-store with Hubby.  How could I forget about these beautiful things honeys? 

Who knew colouring pencils could be found in metallic and watercolour shades? I certainly didn't.  Wait till you see what the pencils themselves look like...

Christmas Is Arriving Early This Year!!

Hi Honeys
Christmas trees are appearing! Yep, not just trees either, we're talking window displays, tinsel, assorted baubles and so much lighting that, in the words of one lady I spoke to at work last night, who was referring to a particularly vibrant holiday display she'd seen on her way home from work "that tree will be visible from space!"

I've been keeping count of how many Christmas trees have appeared locally so far and as of last night there are now six homes with trees in place and decorations all done.  The first of these trees appeared almost two weeks ago and it's been joined steadily by other trees since 🎄

There may even be others dotted around brightening the ever gloomy Scottish skies but it does raise questions, don't you think honeys? When is the "right" time to decorate for the holidays?  Is late September too early?  Is it anyone else's beeswax anyway? 😊

I'm genuinely surprised and a little puzzled dear ones.  We were recently chatting in the break room at work about how time has flown past this year and next thing I know Christmas trees are being spotted 😊

Maybe everyone needs a little cheering?  This past year has been a challenging one in so many ways and if heading up into the loft in search of the Christmas decorations brings a little joy then why not?

When is the earliest you've ever decorated for the holidays honeys?  Are you seeing Christmas trees appearing near you too?  Till next time dear ones, have a wonderful weekend full of smiles and hugs, wrap up warm, it's getting chilly ❄ Huggles always xx

Apologies & A Little Rosie Update

Hi Honeys
I have to begin with a huge apology.  I've been neglecting this blog for too long, I'm so sorry for my lack of regular posts and thank you so much for being here anyway 💗  This hasn't been the best year dear ones.

This year started with a chest infection in January.  Antibiotics and a course of steroids saw that on it's way but the run down "someone's drained all my energy reserves" feeling has never left.

Absolutely everything has been such an effort this year and I haven't been able to do a fraction of the things I had planned.  I only work two days a week and even that has been too much for me for a while now.  Where I used to lose a day or so to complete exhaustion after my shifts I'm now losing two or more.  My energy reserves are so low now that everything is, as I said, an almighty effort.