100 Happy Days - Day 1

This has been doing the rounds and basically it's to find a bit of happiness in each day and upload a photo of it. I did it a bit haphazardly on my Instagram page but I've decided to document it properly on here starting today. 

So on day 1 my photo is of some digging I did at the allotment this morning. I am going to try and do a little bit each day rather than a lot at once and that way I won't burn out. Half an hour this morning was plenty. My back was really hurting and my body was telling me to stop. I did half a bed and filled a 70l empty compost bag with tap roots which were just starting to bud. When I stepped back to see what I'd done it wasn't much but it was an achievement and a start. 

#100happydays

Plus Size Bloggers And Being Honest

I've been sitting on this one for a very long time and kept quiet but after reading the same sort of post on several plus size bloggers blogs lately I can't sit on my hands and not type anything. 

First of all I'm overweight. It's no secret. I am a size 18 and am about 4 stones overweight. I like clothes and discovered a plus sized blogger by chance which led to links to several others and they were all promoting being body confident and their love of clothes. They were all bigger than me with the exception of a couple. 

At first I was shocked especially at the way they posed for underwear shots but at the same time admired their confidence. One thing that really struck me though was despite the body confidence they weren't being honest about the outfits they were blogging about. Again with the exception of the couple who were on the smaller side of the community. Comments such as 'I got a 24 but I could easily have fit into a 20' when it is so obviously only just fitting them across the bottom. Or things like 'it was too big across the bust so I would downsize next time' when in actual fact the said garment is stretched so badly that it's a wonder the buttons haven't pinged across the screen at me. 

Now that isn't what bothers me. What is rather concerning is the number of health concerns these ladies seem to be having lately. Bad backs, heartburn, dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy, diabetes to name just a few. Every single one of them with health problems claims to eat healthily in moderation and exercise three times a week and say their health issues are definitely not attributed to their weight.  I'm sorry but I beg to differ. It doesn't need Einstein to explain that eating healthily in moderation and exercising three times a week would result in a healthier body and weight loss.

Yes this isn't just appropriate to fat people (plus sized is fat by the way no matter how beautiful you are and try to dress up the wording). Lots of thin people who eat crap and don't exercise are just as prone to health issues. Carrying that extra weight doesn't help though and I do have to ask if a person can't be honest about how a garment fits when the opposite is so obviously true then how honest are they about the food and exercise lifestyle they lead? 

Food for thought so to speak. 

#plussizebloggers

Why Hello There 2014

Ok so it's 29 days into the month and I'm only just saying hello to any readers (if anybody is out there reading) for the first time in 2014. Suffice to say a daily blog post wasn't a goal.

My first 2014 post is joining in with Yarn Along. 

I'm knitting a scarf from this pattern by Red Heart in some James C Brett Marble Chunky. It has to be seen in person to appreciate the richness of the colours. 

I'm reading Addicted by Zane. I'm only just starting so I can't tell you much about it yet. Fingers crossed next week I'll take part again in Yarn Along and be able to say if it is a recommended read or a don't bother taking it off the book shop shelf.  The last *top shelf* book I read was 50 Shades Of Grey and I only got part way through before being bored out of my brain so I'm hoping this is an easier read.  It's definitely different from the mystery books I've been favouring lately.

2013

The review of the year that is. My feedly thingy has been full of rather full on reviews of everything the people I followed encountered and to be honest my life isn't that interesting that I need to do a full on pictures and everything one. It happened, I learnt a lot about myself and other people and now we are on the cusp of another year. 

2013 started with my husband a day out of surgery and in a lot of pain for the first few days into it. He recovered and got back into his running. He even managed two 10k races which was a definite highlight. One kid had a broken finger and another had a broken knee (let's just call it that because the actual fracture of his patella sleeve was much more complicated than just a plain old broken knee cap) during the year. I had the bloody scare with the lump under my arm and we even encountered hand, foot and mouth disease. The autism reared it's ugly head on more occasions than I'd like, we are still no further on with CAMHS than we were apart from an appointment with the person in charge after my complaint and a further appointment with a psychotherapist who put us on a waiting list for something I'm not comfortable with but hey ho they are supposed to know best. 8 years we've been at this lark now with them. All I can say is thank chuff there is a fantastic local support group just for parents of autistic kids run by people who work within an autistic resource. 

The absolute highlight of 2013 was when we had a very proud mummy and daddy moment as our daughter graduated from university and then went straight back again in September to start a teaching degree. So much work but so much reward knowing she has a career in front of her. 

Our lives changed when we got the kittens in September. They're still up to mischief and mayhem but so loving at the same time. We'll just forget that one of them got inside the cat litter bag the other day and did a whoopsie in it rather than the tray. 

Baby number 2 turned 18. I don't know how that happened but it did and we now have two adult kids to be very proud of.  We visited several potential universities over the autumn and he's been offered a place at all 5 he eventually applied to (dependent on grades achieved).  He has some big decisions to make soon. 

My professional life has taken me in ways I didn't expect. I have two volunteer roles which I don't really want to go into detail about except to say I'm enjoying the challenge that comes with more responsibility. In the case of one I have done a full year and a term of the added responsibility after 20+ years of being just a member of the team and whilst it has been difficult at times not to take the back seat and let things be run how they used to be, we've come through it and I'm happy with the way I'm doing things. 

My professional working life took an unexpected turn after finding out about a local craft fair running once a month and being accepted onto it. I've met some wonderfully talented people through this and whilst the fairs aren't going to be as often in 2014 due to the shopping centre they were held in deciding to alternate them with car boot sales in their car park I've picked up links to other places. I've learnt what does and doesn't sell and have so many ideas in my head for 2014. Royal Mail changed their package system in dramatic fashion which buggered up the success of some of my best selling items and I had cause to rethink a few products. That thinking in place has given me ideas for 2014 which I would probably have bypassed this time last year. 

One last thing - bloody Facebook! I have a love hate relationship with it but have definitely downscaled my use this year. Yes I've put meaningless nonsense about reality tv and other things but not on the scale of in the past. It is useful for so many things with genuinely nice people and I've met some of those this year especially at a local knitting group so I'm not giving up on it.  What I've realised this year is that I really need to hit the delete button on so many drama queens only interested in themselves and not in how people can help with the question they've asked or situation they're moaning about. I think I've maybe either grown up (yes I'm 42 I should have done that already) or just realised that I can take a back seat and watch the car crashes happen. They do on a regular basis to these drama queen attention seeking esque people.  Some people just thrive on attention I guess and it's funny to watch.  

Hope you've had a good 2013 and have an even better 2014. 

I don't have goals specifically for new year this time because they don't work. I have one or two things in mind but they won't be started in 1st January so I can't fall into the trap. 

Where To Start?

Well first of all I had a health scare which put the fear of god up me.  What started as a visit to the docs for an underarm lump she thought was an infected hair follicle and treated with antibiotics x 2 ended up with a trip to the breast screening clinic at the hospital and lots of very anxious days of waiting for the appointment day to arrive.  Crapping myself didn't quite cover it.  

The atmosphere in the clinic was tense to say the least and why wouldn't it be when everybody is there for the same reason namely a suspicious lump or similar.  Add to that a delay and you can imagine how drained and scared everybody looked.  Thankfully for me the doctor took one look at the lump (topless because they have to look at your boobies at the same time) and said he thought it was a serbaceous cyst and he would organise an ultrasound so onto the next waiting area along the line.  Again topless while she put the ultrasound on the lump.  I'm sure I could have kept my bra on for an underarm scan but hey ho.  Very elegantly she told me it looked like (quote) 'a load of crud stuck in a sweat gland'.  Lovely way to put it but made me laugh and infinitely more preferable to the alternative which maybe some people might have heard from that clinic that morning.

So it means a little op when they can fit me in to cut it out.  The consultant gave me the choice but it won't go away on its own and could need antibiotics again so chop chop I go when the waiting list allows.

That was 5 weeks of thinking time which put things into a bit of perspective. I've taken a step back from Facebook.  Just odd bits and bobs but it put the shallowness of some people into perspective.  Pathetic little things that are the end of the world to supposedly mature ladies and you just want to  shout 'SHUT THE **** UP AND GROW UP'.

So that is my little rant about Facebook and a reason for internet absence.  We did however during that time have half term and a couple of daytrips so I'll share those another day.