Project 366 week 9

A week of banging my head on a brick wall with sky. Apparently my contract is up and my price has jumped by nearly 50%. So I tried to get hold of them on the phone, lines are busy you will be approx anything from 20  mins to 70 mins to hang on the phone to get to the front of the queue. Tried looking at their home page at the deals and offers but came up with a can't process your request error every time you click it. Tried live chat but every time you got a green light to chat by the time I got my name in and why I wanted to chat the light had gone back to red and I never got through their either. Tried pm's on twitter and facebook but every link they gave me either timed out, was down, was not available etc Eventually on Friday I got the price back down to lower than it had been for a better service. I was on for 6 hrs on Thursday but was obvious the chat person their end was talking to a number of people as was often taking half an hour or more between questions and answers. He finished at 8pm on Thursday and still no answer. Every suggestion I made ( low price for new customers but not existing) and a few others just got an excuse as to why I could not have it. So the last message I left him was what I could get it for at BT, and asked for that to be matched and if it could not be then he was to take the last message as my months notice to leave and go to BT. No hassle no quibble no more discussion. He restarted at 9am Friday and by half past price sorted, don't know why they are so flipping awkward when they always give in anyway.

We have worked our way through The Outsider on Sky and have to say I really did not understand what was happening and still don't even though it has finished. 

Sunday

Still off on Sundays and spotted an ad for somebody selling dirt cheap a microwave/grill/oven combo with a stainless steel interior locally so we went and picked it up as ours has a white painted interior with paint peeling off, hubby has painted it a few times, but we could not afford a new one. Turns out the young couple selling it had bought it from a charity shop but they could not work the oven bit so were selling it. They had just come from South Africa less than a month ago so we knew thay had not had it long and it hd been PAT tested.

We went for just over a 3 mile walk while it was cold but dry.

a bright patch in between the falling rain

Monday

A run up to Glasgow to get the nerve conduction tests done. There was a weather warning in place for heavy snow for that area from 6am to lunch time So I popped my wellies, a flask, some water and a few snacks as well as an extra jacket and my kindle in just in case O got stuck in snow.

But got up and back no problem. Tests took slightly over an hour as he did a few extra tests not asked for from the history I was giving him. I had a 15 min appointment so would not have liked being the person in after me. Various electric pulse tests both my hands, both my arms and knees to toes as well. Some of the tests were done with fine needles others just like a TRNS machine.

Told me I had carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists, But he said the results of the other tests took longer to interpret  and he hoped to get them back to the Consultant in a week. So just need to wait on an appointment from him hopefully soon.

While I was up there I took the prem baby clothes into the maternity unit as they had had a shout out on Facebook looking for stuff.

Hubby went in the evening to help DD1 pick up a low cabin bed for Spud as she has out grow her toddler bed and it is past its best. Sadly it was not dismantled ready so needing to go back for it. I cycled on my exercise bike while he was out.

one of the Our Wullie's at the hospital 

Tuesday

There are renovations going on to the wall at the graveyard in the village. They have made the main road in/out of the village single lane with diversions in place, that at times is closed both ways while the do stuff requiring bigger pieces of machinery in.

Had my appointment with the Skills Agency and she gave me a few ideas on other jobs that I had not considered, including a few places I could pick up office skills as a volunteer.  But not going down any route just yet until I get the rest of my test results.

Hubby went back with DD1 to get the disassembled bed. Dog and I went for a walk round the village while he was out. Just made it back before the snow and sleet restarted.

digging out wall and tree roots 

Wednesday

Had spoken to the young couple we bought the microwave from and arranged  to drop them some toys off as they only had a few for their 1 yr old daughter. Took some of the spare ones out the loft that probably will never be used by us again, we have plenty down, and dropped them off. They were very grateful for them. I was in the town for my cheap shopping anyway. I have done plenty of taking this last few months, so this is me paying forward the kindness I have had lately.

DD1 got Spuds new bed assembled so now has all single beds so the sheets, quilt and covers from the cot bed are no longer needed.

Bob and I went to bingo again in the afternoon, DD1 had somewhere else to be. I won 3 prizes and Bob won none. I chose another three items that will put by for Christmas.

this weeks prizes. 

Thursday

Hubby had a GP appointment and got bloods taken while he was there.

Took the dog for a short walk while it was  bitterly cold but dry, as we had shopping to do.
 So as it was still dry hubby took dog to the beach for her second walk while I shopped. I picked up a meal deal between us while shopping so we went back down the beach to eat it. Took the dog another walk but you could see the rain coming in and the wind picked up very strongly in less than 10 minutes. Blooming freezing and wild wind by the time we returned to the car.

Watch the rain blowing over the wall and wetting us at the top of the hill.

Friday

Had another meeting with line manager, HR and unison now I am back at work to agree on a plan for the next year. All sounds very fair to me. But it obviously going to depend on my results. So made another appointment with Occ Health and they are emailing the physio for me to get me any other appointment and see what support they may be able to help.

DD1 dropped off the bedding and my carpet shampooer she has had for about 4 months, not that I have needed it.  I gave half of the bedding to next door and the other half I am going to pop along to the S.A. couple who said they would be grateful. Waste not want not.


Dropped the covers into next door and when I told her what I was doing with the rest she handed me a bag of clothes that are too small for her wee one, so will drop them off tomorrow with the bedding. Nice to help people that need help.

Had to laugh at a news item that was on this morning, maybe the reason why my ISP is busy and not answering phones all week!!

a random sign in the area a volcano had erupted.

Saturday

Got hubby to bring down the box from the loft with my certificate showing my University Degree pass. Lots of memories in the box, will share some of them with you in the near future.

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Project 366 week 8

Made an appointment for Skills Development for next week, coping with one thing a day is enough at the moment and had other things on on the days they had available. Have said to work that I am forward thinking and doing this and they agree it is a good idea just in case. Made up a start to a basic CV but realise it needs to be different for every job I apply for depending on what the job description says.

Sunday

The day dawned dry and sunny but with rather a strong wind so we decided to go for a walk along the cycle path rather than along the beach as we knew that would be rather unpleasant with the cold wind. We did 3.5 miles and home just before the rain started.

a mast on a hill side 

Monday

Still not up to much these days. Just trying not to sit around to much. So another walk round another park.

Deer in Dean Park 

Tuesday

Was rather a showery day on and off but I took the risk taking the dog out, we were both fairly well wrapped up just in case. At one point the sleet/hail was very heavy and driving across the way. Spotted this notice in the entrance to the school where we sheltered out of the rain and sleet.

s sign at the local school. 

Wednesday

Had a to do list I keep putting off, so this morning all but one were done. I did phone the last one but there was a queue about 20 mins long so hung up.

Went along to the local afternoon prize bingo that runs in a wee cafe. Went along with DD1, Bob and Spud. Was about 28 of us and the wee cafe was full. Nice to get out for a while, mixing with people and trying to reboot my confidence levels.  I did win one prize and Bob won five. Was a lovely wee afternoon and so informal and fun.

one upside down cheeky Monkey 

Thursday

Still not able to be volunteering as a ride leader as still can't use my hands for long enough on the exercise bike to risk going out on a street bike but at least indoors it can be ridden without  hands.

Went along today to an information session highlighting an event that The Active Travel hub are running next month with various work places. Again it got me out and I went for a walk round a  nearby park afterwards before heading home.
The weather varied from snow to sunshine but managed the walk without getting wet.

advertising their up coming activities 

Friday

Had to attend an appointment for an assessment as I have had to sign onto Universal Credit  and they need to satisfy them selves I am genuinely off sick. Here is hoping so cos if the last few months have not been too ill to be at work then I don't know what is.

an empty waiting room 

Saturday

Flipping heck the wind last night and today was worse than last week end when Dennis was around.

I had applied for these through a blogging opportunity, seemed appropriate with what I have gone though the last few months.

giving it a go

 Started them yesterday so will let you know how I get on. First impression is the capsules are rather large, but if you feel daunted at the though of swallowing them you can open the capsule and spread it on your food.

GOPO® Joint Health is made from 100% specially cultivated natural rose-hip and is the only product of its kind to contain a high level of GOPO® - a key component of the rose-hip which may play a valuable role in the care of joints and joint tissues.

GOPO® was discovered over 20 years ago in Denmark and significant levels can only be obtained if the rose-hips are dried using a special patented process. GOPO® has been available in Denmark for over ten years and has been the subject of several scientific studies.

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Project 366 week 7

Sunday

I have had itchy eyes and been sneezing like Sneezy this last two weeks or so, convinced it is allergy related, but seems a bit early for tree pollen.
So got some eyes drops and something to stop the sneezes.

We have got winds, nothing much worse than a normally February on the coast,  but nothing like what was predicted and it did not start raining till 5pm.

allergies are a pain 

Monday

Another day that was not as bad as predicted weather wise. A lazy day on the fitbit, a mere 6349 steps, probably one of the laziest days this year.
DD2 bought me this as part of my birthday last year, so it was appropriate this week.

knitting badly but knitting none the less 

Tuesday

A bit of early morning babysitting as DD1 needed to get Bob to the GP and the clinic in the village is only open two hours two days a week,so many appointments (if you can get one at all)  are in the next village. Rather than trailing the three wee ones and the two she was watching for a friend while the schools had an in service training day I went down to watch them.
They were playing hide and seek, nine times out of ten they all piled behind the couch. Lottie is counting, and the wee boy (H) is one of the extra ones. Was quite funny as H would run over to them where they were hidden and point and laugh.

playing hide and seek, Dinkies turn to count 

DD2 turned up in the afternoon with the two girls to stay for a few days.


Wednesday

A First Aid Training Day with Active Travel hub, another part to the cycle volunteering. Not that I have done any cycling with them for four or five months now. An interesting course, thinking has  changed since I last did a course probably twenty years ago when I was a volunteer creche worker as well as a playgroup leader, makes me feel old to think that far back. This was based round being outdoors for when we are out with groups of people.

the system we were working with. 

Thursday

DD1's birthday so having made her cake yesterday I got to Ziggy to decorated it. It was decorated in a very typical toddler fashion. She put the parma violets on top shoving them in quite hard, getting butter icing on her finger, licking it off her finger and then putting on the next one. I put the butter icing on the back of the Jaffa cakes and she stuck them round the outside. Sadly I got distracted by a phone call and forgot to get a picture of her with the cake.

concentrating on spreading the butter icing. 

blows out her candles after a rendition of  Happy Birthday and three cheers, 

Friday


Have been knitting a second cardigan for Roo, did a normal one in five sections instead of the top down all in ones I have been doing for ages now. Was annoying myself as picking up the top and knitting the rib and it kept going wrong somehow, no idea why as it is simple, but it kept going wrong. So I ripped it out twice and gave up. Tried again this morning and managed it, and then realised I had put the two fronts on the wrong sides, so it is sitting here waiting on being ripped out again and hopefully it goes right the next time.

DD1 had an appointment for herself so I took Ziggy down with me to play with Spud while DD2 did the packing and loaded her car. It was peeing down time I was walking up. Left Ziggy there got her mum to pick up on the way out of the village so she did not get soaked.

DD3 and Fifi did some clothes tie dyeing a few weeks back and made a couple of babygros for Roo.
She is getting big and moves around by bum shuffling, quite comical to watch as she zooms off at a high speed this seems her preferred method of moving, making no attempt to crawl but no need to as she manages to move around fine this way.

Nipped into town to walk the dog somewhere dry and drop something off with a friend.

is'nt she beautiful 

Saturday

We never do Valentines day but hubby bought this for me for some reason, not that I am complaining.

a lovely 3D picture made with pebbles and a stick. 

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3 Reasons Why You Should Be Careful to Be Neither Too Slow nor Too Hasty in Life

Pixabay CC0 License

There are often some conflicting messages put out there about how hasty you should, or shouldn’t

be, when making your way through life.

On the one hand, there are sayings like “slow and steady wins the race” and fables like the
story of the Tortoise and the Hare, that tell us to slow down. Then, on the other hand, there’s
all the advice that often gets repeated in business and motivational circles that “time is
running out,” and “you’ve got to hustle.”

The great German poet Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe had a balanced take on this whole subject.

He wrote: “haste not, rest not.”

Here are some reasons why you should be careful to be neither too slow nor too hasty in life.

Because opportunities don’t hang around forever, but they often
need to be seized with some care.

It’s true that opportunities often don’t hang around for long. When a door opens that you want

to walk through, you better walk through it reasonably quickly. Job roles that you see being

advertised will typically fill up within the blink of an eye, and if you hesitate with a

romantic interest, they may lose interest in you.

That being said, even when it’s necessary to act quickly, you still need a certain level of care.

Take a deep breath. Figure out how you should act.

You don’t have to have everything worked out perfectly, and you shouldn’t get caught in

analysis paralysis. But just as opportunities can be lost because you hesitate too much, so too can

they be lost because you are too hasty and use the wrong approach.

After all, if you turn up for a job interview in your everyday clothes, without preparing, your haste is unlikely to have done you many favours.

Because you might misjudge a situation if you are not both
thoughtful and also proactive enough

There are often technicalities and factors to consider that can be easily overlooked or

misjudged if you’re not both thoughtful, and also proactive enough.

If you’re thinking about getting some work done on your home, for example, it would

be important for you to be proactive enough to do your research and find out about the

legislation that pertains to the area. Otherwise, you might risk violating policies about

permitted development in conservation area.

In this case, getting on the right track involves both taking a moment to figure things out, and

also actively taking steps to increase your insight.

Because both too much haste and too much complacency can have tragic consequences.

It’s all very well if something just goes a bit badly for you on a given day because you are a bit

too hasty, or a bit too hesitant. But sometimes haste and hesitation can have tragic consequences.

When people react too quickly and too emotionally in the heat of the moment, they can say and

do things that will forever damage their lives, or the lives of their loved ones. Likewise, when

it’s time to stand up and act in line with your morals, hesitation can mean irreversible

consequences.

In any situation, it’s important to be able to combine self-control and a dash of thought with

the ability to act quickly if needed.

There is no universal standard where it’s always better to act fast, or to act slow.

Balance is essential.

This is a collaborative post.

Project 366 week 6

Sunday

It is a special day date wise, geocaching.com are giving away a souvenir if you find a cache, so I did, a local one I should of found a long time ago but served its purpose today. Spotted out first snowdrops of the year round the tree the cache was in.

Monday

What a weird day weather wise. Sunshine, sleet, hail, snow as well as thunder and lightning. 

Had to nip into town and pick up mine and hubby's prescriptions.  Handed in the towels while I was in town.
Watched the end of From Darkness on BBC iplayer, spotted the row of cottages that we stayed in a few years back while on holiday. If you want you can read my post on Ellenabeich on the island of Seil. We had the single storey building to the left of double storey. The only place you got a mobile signal was on top of the hill behind the house, was a steep but worthwhile walk, round the side and then to the top was easiest, which also gave you stunning views.

Funnily enough we also watched Deadwater Fell, very similar ilk of programme, and it had various scenes along the local coast here.

Tuesday

Had to pick up a form from doctors that was not ready yesterday and pass it on. Picked up a cache that was nearby.
Then went home for some lunch and popped to Kilmarnock as hubby wanted some welding rods to sort the front gate.

Did a 2.6 mile walk with the dog round a local country park while we were there. Never a fast pace, took us approx 1hr 45 mins but Dixie likes to socialise with other dogs she meets. Picked another cache up as well, could not find the second one we looked for.

This sign makes me chuckle anytime we pass it.

Wednesday

Did my cheap shopping and walked the dog. Back and cooked up the fruit I picked up. Hubby went to a local community council meeting in the evening while he was out I did another mile on the bike, and then some knitting, also did a mile in the morning while hubby was still sleeping. He came back and walked the dog again while I used my ab machine.

Thursday

Joy of joys a visit to the dentist. I was booked in for a filling originally back in early September but asthma was so out of control a filling was impossible. Was rescheduled for November but was in too much pain with my arm and on too many painkillers to cope with it. So eventually getting round to it, was picked up in June that I needed it but have to say no pain from the tooth so not like I was desperate for it.

Went for a walk along the river before the dentist then while I was in hubby and dog went for a second walk.

Home and decided to make a fruit crumble but realised some of my eggs needed using up.  So made a pastry  base by rolling flat some stale bread, thinly spreading it with margarine and lining a tin with it marge side out. Put in soft fruit I had cooked up, for "normal" people you could have sliced it and layered in raw, then topped it with sponge mix and cooked it. The bread tastes perfectly acceptable as a pastry substitute.

Friday

Was going to go for a walk with DD1 and the kids, who are off school for half term, down to the fishery but Bob was in bed with a migraine and Minky is hanging for something. So she decided she was not going.
We for a 2.2 mile walk round the woods with dog and hubby instead. Came in changed out of my wellies into shoes and straight down the shop free dairy free spread as needed it for tonight but used the last yesterday.

Spent time in the kitchen making tonight's tea, a lasagne for tomorrow night. mac and cheese for Sunday and spare mince to freeze.
Kitchen always suffers when I bulk cook but saves a mess over the next few days.

Saturday

This letter came in the post yesterday. Put a copy on my local facebook page, as I could not do it without people handing me in stuff.

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#walk1000miles Month 1

We really do live in a nice area, west coast of Scotland, miles of beaches, dozens of parks and beautiful countryside so  I am going to share some of the sights, things that tickle my imagination and the seasons as they change.

Some of the pictures are not overly clear as some are well zoomed in and all took on my phone.

Month one and I managed 143.56 miles. Enjoy your look along the coast

lights on the river

patterns on the beach

wood texture

Old Christmas trees being stacked to protect the wall and create a natural habitat in years to come

A row of windsurfers

jumping

wind surfer and a sea boarder with a sail

Sea breeze to dry your washing?

25 by 16 ft

 Ship wreck

2 left wellies

Man overboard