...loving life (notes on a week filled with good)

This has been an odd week. Work on Monday. Two days of WRAP (Wellness Recovery and Protection) training*. Two days off - tea out with Dave, time with Mhairi and the Buns, drinks with work folk - and a quiet sleepover at work ending with a cooked breakfast.

Shortbread for training

Tapas from La Rambla, Paisley, on my Friday (Wednesday)

Thursday, and my scarf became a wee den for the Buns

Saturday Sleepover breaktime treats

And after the sleepover, A sunny Sunday afternoon drive to Largs, through the Ayrshire countryside and Muirshiel Park. We sat by the beach eating our ice cream, played to 2p and 10p falls, bought sweets from the wee sweetshop, and drove home along the utterly stunning Clyde coast. 

Nardini's icecream, playing th 10p falls, chocolate satins from the sweetshop, looking out to lhe edge of Millport.

The coming week holds more excitement, more goodness. Tomorrow is SPRINGSTEEN at Hampden.  Friday and Saturday are my days off, and will involve prep for Dave's 30th birthday party.

It's all good. :)

*WRAP focuses on knowing how you function when well, what your triggers are when you are becoming unwell, and on making an action plan for when you are at the point where you can't get back to wellness yourself. I am still working on mine, but I'll post about the process when i've thought it through more.

...living the good life...

...for a weekend at least.

Maesneuadd (prionounced My-snay-eth)

This weekend, Dave and I went to visit his dad and stepmum at their smallholding in Wales. We went to visit them, but also to help with some of the bigger jobs on the farm. This time, we were helping with tagging the new lambs, and spraying them and the sheep so that the don't get sheep lice. Glamorous, eh?

Sheep wrangling is not easy, They are skittish, and very fast. We began around 2pm on Saturday. Alan and Lisa lead the sheep from the small field to the big one with the enclosure in it.

What followed was two hours of us trying, and only marginally suceeding to get some sheep into a pen. The idea was to tag the lambs, and then treat the sheep for lice if possible. The hope was that all of the sheep would walk nicely into the pen. in reality, there was a lot of the sheep running in the opposite direction. We finished this session with two lamb tagged, and three sheep treated. Alan and Dave managed to tag and treat one of each at feed time, and it was decided that we'd try to do a few more at feed time next day, as it was the least stressful method for the sheep.

Alan and Lisa leading the sheep.

The kit - l-r :marking spray and stick to make lambs with the farm mark, lice treatment in syringes for easy spraying, tagging machine.

Adjusting the  pen

Perparation and penned sheep

The next morning, we adjusted the shape of the pen so that it was more of a straight run, Alan led the sheep in, catching five of the sheep and a lamb, and we managed to finish all of the treating of sheep, and two more of the six lambs were tagged

Tagging the lamb - the machine works like an ear stud gun. The lamb didn't seem to feel any pain.

Free sheep. In the centre is a lamb bearing the 'M' of the farm.

On Sunday I helped Dave's dad build a bamboo frame for, and plant some runner beans. They grow their own bamboo, so supplies were plentiful for uprights.

Of course, it wasn't all hard work. Saturday also include a trip into Dolgellau - the nearest town - a barbeque, and watching a (terrible) film in the small sitting room in the evening. Dave spent a lot of time playing with Cadi, their new sheepdog puppie, and we had a walk around the land. The last time we were there was the end of January, and the changes of four months were vast. Greenery and flowers everywhere, new baby animals, no snow, and it was mostly dry! We ate a lot of good food, and The views are nothing short of spectacular.

Dave and his new chum

Film and wine central. I adore this room.

Cader Idris in the background. The farm in the middle, and Lola running through my photo!

We drove home last night, with achey muscles  full stomachs, hilarious memories and some freshly laid eggs. Fortunately this time we'll be able to return sooner and experiences a bit more of the farm in summer time. I might get to help make hay!

...Blogging Every Day in May - Day 31 - One WHOLE Month!

This person has blogged EVERY DAY IN MAY... (not the photobomber)

I can't believe I've blogged every day for a month. When I decided to join #BEDM I was in a complete blog rut. In the preceding four months, I'd blogged five times - not great considering a couple of years ago I averaged twice a week. BEDM has been a bit make or break for me - I'd seriously considered stopping in the week before. So, at nearly Midnight on the 1st of May, I joined in an attempt to work out if blogging was still worthwhile.

What I've learned this month is that I actually do have some good content in me. Whilst this blog is mainly a diary, I'd prefer that it be an interesting one. Not, as in about the last years worth of posts, a rushed list of what I've been doing. I've learned of more amazing blogs, and made a few new bloggy friends.


The posts I've enjoyed most have surprisingly been the more personal ones - I've enjoyed 'Letter to My 13 Year Old Self', 'Bad Advice', 'Who Inspires You' and 'Life's a Lesson'. They've been the hardest to write, the ones I've almost given up due to, and the most rewarding. I feel like I put quite a lot out there, and have had lovely responses.

I've also learned that 'I don't have time to blog.' simply isn't true. My reading of blog has suffered, but I can definitely handle blogging a couple of times a week and keeping up with that. We are going to Wales for the weekend, so more regularly scheduled blogging will return next week.

I think a big THANK YOU is due to Elizabeth for setting up this whole thing and bringing lots of bloggers together. And a big CONGRATULATIONS is due to all the bloggers who finished. WE DID IT!

...Blogging Every Day in May - Day 30 - Who inspires me.

I'm lucky. I live a life that is filled with inspiring people.

There's my husband, who stayed in a job where he was treated very badly, for long enough for us both to ensure we'd be ok. Who is a scientist not for glory, but for the love of it, and the desire to do it well and help. Who loves music and his band so much he's toured the UK by megabus. His drive and determination are inspiring.

There's my sister, who lost her mum when she was young, who is partially deaf, and who has such a sunny outlook on life and such caring for others it makes me so proud I could burst. The first class degree helps with the pride thing :)

There is my auntie Ina. Who worked two, sometimes three jobs to provide a secure life for her family. Who looks after our whole family, and who sees Hazel and I as two of her own. Her strength has inspired me throughout life.

There's Dave's dad and his wife. Who took early retirement, and moved to a smallholding in Wales to live their dream of self-sufficiency. Thier courage, determination and optimism is inspiring.

There are many, many of my friends (many of them bloggers, you know who you are) who are filled with caring, and creativity, and ambition and humour. Who provide a support network, who strive for a good, well lived life.

You see. A life filled with inspiration.

...Blogging Every Day in May - Day 29 - Morning ritual.

As I work shifts, and so start work at different times each day, my morning rituals vary.

If I start at 9am, like this morning, my alarn goes off at 6.50, and I run about like a headless chicken for half an hour, down a cup of tea if I can, and then leave at 7.20 (when a second alarm goes off).

When I start at 10am, I get up at the second alarm. Oh the difference that half hour makes. After 7am is just so much morr civilised! I get up and put the kettle on, and get back into bed 'til it whistles. I have my cup of tea in my jimjams and we watch the news. Then dressed, make the bed and do a quick tidy. And I leave at 8.20.

If I start at 12 or 1, and don't have work to do or am not having breakfast with Mhairi, I still get up around the second alarm. And do my 10 start routine. But at 9, Dave goes to work, and I watch telly or a film, and knit or crochet for a couple of hours. Total bliss.

Days off are a whole other thing. I get up an hour before Dave, and sit in my jimjams, with a blanket in the quiet, with a pot of tea. Sometimes I watch telly or read, but often I just sit. Just sitting is a lovely, free luxury.

...Blogging Every Day in May - Day 28 - Bad Advice

I was sitting here, thinking I'd have to go off topic because really, people generally give me good advice. And then I realised that while that is true, advice isn't always asked for.

We (particularly women) are bombarded by advice and it's evil  commercial counterpart advertising every day in magazines, on TV, on the internet. Now, much of the advice is good. The media source I've felt most supported by and taken value from is the bloggosphere (and it's extension twitter). It's much more 'This worked for me and it might for you if you fancy it.' It's positive.

BUT.

In mainstream media, it tends not to be. A lot of it is criticism masquerading as lifestyle 'tips'. And most of it is based on changing OTHER PEOPLE'S opinions of you. 'Get a sexy bikini body in 2 days!' '5 Minutes facts about -insert current event -' 'Be a better lover!', 'dress for your shape', 'How to raise children, work full time and be a Stepford Wife'. And then all the ads for supposedly amazing make-up/skincare/haircare supported by non-existant science, guaranteeing they'll make you a better version on you.

It's all quite sinister. It targets every weakness a person could feel they have. And it's really difficult to ignore. A few years ago, I realised that as a 26 year old married woman who is not massively career driven (I like to do my job to the best of my ability, but I'm happy in a low level job), I didn't 'fit' the target audience for most women's magazines. The ones for people in their mid-20s were about going to work hungover and having one night stands and clothes from topshop, and the ones in the demographic above are filled with career stuff, things about second marriages or being single at 40, and coats that cost more than my entire wardrobe. So I stopped buying them. Also our TV broke.And suddenly a large amount of the pressure went away.

Of course I still by products for my skintype etc, but I find the lack of targeted advice and advertising incredibly freeing. I do buy a few magazines - The Simple Things, Oh, Comely and occasionally Country Living, but these focus on a lifestyle I have to an extent, and are much less product driven, and so much less disheartening and demeaning.

Basically, everyone start off as a worthwhile human being. Of course we want to look our best/have a nice life/be interesting/be healthier, and if you are a bit nervous or unsure, tips are great. Most of the media stuff did not help me when I wanted to improve these aspects of my life. They mostly just made me feel inferior.

Fortunately in that last few years I've realise improvements I make should be for my own wellbeing.

I guess that's my bit of advice. If you are going to alter something about yourself, do it for you. Not for someone else, and not because a magazine says you should.

...Blogging Every Day in May - Day 27 - My (Non-existant) Secret Talent

Today's #BEDM topic is Secret Talent. I am totally drawing a blank.

You see, I don't think I have one. I'm a bit of a dabbler in life - I like to experience lots of things - so I'm reasonably good at/have basic skills in lots of things, but I'm not super talented. I quite like it too. I figure there are some people who are amazing at one or two things, and then some like me, who are too busy trying stuff to get REALLY good.