I’m not a fan of Cardio-Pulmonary exercise tests (CPET). They’re exhausting. Professional athletes regularly enjoy them as part of their training regimes. Keen amateurs pay big bucks to have a go. And Phil would love love love to strap on the probes and push himself really hard. 😉 But not me- I’m not a fan. … More Some Long Overdue Tests
This time last year, my brother linked me to a couple of newspaper articles. One was hailing the latest vaccine breakthrough, and the other suggested we’d soon be able to buy coronavirus tests online. Although, we were only a few months into the pandemic, it felt like we’d been living under lockdown forever. Washing food … More The Road Back To Normality
Last March, as the coronavirus started to sweep through our country, I sowed some seeds. Tomatoes and cucumbers and sunflowers. For the past decade, I’ve eagerly and excitedly counted down the days to the third month, as only then can I begin growing my vegetables plants. After weeks and weeks of dark and cold, sowing … More Seeds of Hope
My brother had a baby girl in January. Libby. His first child. As we started shielding a month after Emma and Gary announced the happy news, and because they live a couple of hours from us, we had to watch the pregnancy unfold over the internet. Congratulatory cuddles were replaced with squeals down the phone, … More Finally Meeting My Niece
What a strange year! 🙂 Aside from a few weeks of freedom in the height of summer, Phil and I have spent the last thirteen months shielding from the coronavirus. Staying in to stay safe. Between March and July, and between September and March, our home and village have been our whole world. No catch-ups … More A Winter of Shielding
For the past six months I’ve been living with the dark clouds of depression. Crying, sad, melancholy depression. Angry, irritable, short-tempered depression. Pessimistic, hopeless, giving-up depression. Trying to stay afloat during a pandemic, has been a battle unlike anything I’ve faced before. The storm clouds rolled in last September (read the blog). With coronavirus case … More Living With Depression
For the past year, whenever I’ve felt down or frustrated or sad about the strangeness of our current lives, I’ve dreamed of a successful vaccine. A possible saviour from this nightmare. An end to all this madness. As one of the ‘Clinically Extremely Vulnerable’, it feels like all of my hopes for a future without … More The Lifeboats
For the past eight years, I’ve been slightly fearful of snow. Whereas once it represented adventure and excitement and fun, since developing Pulmonary Hypertension, it makes me feel trapped and isolated and in danger. The cold air further restricts my airways and lungs, making me breathless after just a step or two. My rural village … More The First Snow
It was dawn on Christmas day. The puddles had turned to ice, the muddy swamps were frozen solid, and the grass was covered in a pretty layer of white frost. But instead of being tucked up in a warm bed, we were wrapped in extra layers, sitting atop our local hillfort, waiting for the sun … More A Different Christmas
Phil and I have been dreaming of getting a second furry family member for years. Lottie the wonder dog had transformed our lives, and so the thought of double the love and the fun and the snuggles was hard to resist. But the logistics of hospital appointments and visiting folks and holidays with two seemed … More A New Puppy
We Can Adjust The Sails 