Ups and Downs of Life

[LavendarLady]

Feeling better today and thought I would write a more cheerful blog having been all doom and gloom the last fortnight. The pain is much less thanks to the Diclofenac last night and feel brighter. Been into town to pay some money into the bank (for a change) and to get some Euros for our holiday.

Had to drive round the Market Place several times to find a disabled parking spot just to go to the bank. Otherwise, even for the disabled, it costs to park in our town and I resent paying £1 to park for 30 minutes to go to the bank.

You would think some enterprising bank with all our out of town shopping centres would open up a sub branch so that we didn't have to keep trying to get into a busy town centre.

You may have wondered (or not - lol) why I chose LavendarLady as my alias on this site. The fact is near to us is the national lavendar collection - an absolute picture in the Spring - all the different colours from white through to deep mauve. We also have Imperial Gem lavendar in the garden which is a riot of colour and a great bee attractor. It is usually covered in honey bees, bumble bees etc all happily collecting nectar and buzzing away.

The wisteria has flowered 4 times this year and has also been covered with bees. The scent as you go into the garden almost knocks you over. It is gorgeous.

We are off on a week long river cruise soon from Oporto to the spanish border with some side trips along the way including some visits to wine and port lodges (Himself is well pleased about that). So really looking forward to that. Weather in northern Portugal is very hot at present so hoping that will chase away the last of the aches and pains.

Animals going to kennels - don't know what Berry will make of that although he will be sharing with our other lab Tilly. Both Tilly and Minniecat are well used to the kennels and Tilly loves being there - she usually has her annual bath and comes back smelling gorgeous, claws clipped etc. We call it her MOT.

Minnie usually sulks for a day or so and we have to take the food she is used to. When we fetch them back, Minnie won't speak to us for a while until she realises we are all home again. My friend is coming up every day to check the house and take in the post etc. So looking forward to a relaxing break.

I also hope to get some good photos to do some painting in the winter months although at times it is difficult and painful to hold a paint brush or pencil and my shoulders and wrists ache, but it is a relaxing hobby.

Anyway, hope everyone is feeling better today. I had a lovely view of the sea this morning from the top of our only high hill round here. Shades of Julie55 standing on the toilet on one leg which she mentioned in an earlier blog to see the sea from her house. If I tried that, I'd fall in!

Love LavendarLady . PS I used to tap dance but kept falling off the taps. LOL. xx

[Lillibet]

Hi Lavendarlady!

I am so glad you are posting positively! Doesn't this bl***y disease get you down sometimes?

Your cruise sounds wonderful - many years ago, in a previous life pre-babies, I was a dancer on cruise ships (probably why my feet are so knackered now!) and visited the Med quite often. We would do the summer season out of Venice, then about September time would cross the pond and do the winter out of either Florida or Puerto Rico. I absolutely loved it.....

I have negotiated with school to reduce my hours to a 4-day week, so am hoping very much that this extra pacing/resting time will help me cope better with the pain when it is at its worst. Even if not in pain, I can pace out my weekend jobs over 3 days and the relief is already showing my mood upswing.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Liz

[LavendarLady]

Hi Liz, what an exciting life you led. You are probably right, the dancing wouldn't have helped your feet - think it was that which has contributed to my foot problems as well. Very glad you have been able to reduce your hours and feeling the benefit. I never regretted going down to 3 days a week and now work from home although I spend 2 days a week at CAB.

Hope you will continue to feel good. Will let everyone know about our river cruise as it will be over far too soon! LavendarLady x

[Hidden]

what a great blog. oporto. how exciting .. are you drinking the local drink!? wh.. I havent travelled for about four years now im v jealous. my computer still holding up with 30 registery errors!!, sat job is to but new hard drive.. backing up on disks long and tedious... is it your burmese that gets the bath?

I didnt know you painted how lovely xx

[Gina_K]

Lillibit a dancer woohoo! lucky you, I have two left feet, post a pic of you in the day?

Lavendar Lady, I did wonder why you chose that name, imagine you as someone very elegant, I imagine you quite like my sister Yvonne, who is an artist and lives in a lovely part of U.K. North Oxford.

Julie, good luck, with new computer, treat yourself.

Anyone heard a word from J or L?

[LavendarLady in reply to Gina_K]

Hi Gina, yes I am told I am very elegant!!! I am also very tall with red hair - used to be a size 10 until the steroids caused problems. I do paint but it is very much a hobby - not professional at all.

By profession I am a Barrister so have spent my professional life grubbing around murders, rapes, assaults etc. Interesting if time consuming. In my younger days, also modelled for London Fashion Week and Vogue.

Not heard from either J or L. J seems to have ceased to be a member on this site. LavendarL

[Gina_K in reply to LavendarLady]

My sis not professional either, but loves to paint and draw, has her own studio (in the garden) she is brilliant but very self critical.

Do you live in Southern England? Wow from your description I am imagining the most glam lady. You would be a lovely poster girl for RA. Red hair (Irish Descendants?) My daughter has fab coppery curly hair, sadly, she has it dyed and straightened to within an inch of its life , we joke it would be afraid to bend these days.

I know what its like also to deal with the 'great unwashed' sort of mars your perspective. I hav'nt had that exiting a life, but am very happy (content anyway). I am a debt collector, in the legal sense Hoho! now you are imaging a gangster. No debt owed from recoveries in court cases with undertakings to insurers. such fun (joke)

Its you I want to see a pic of, can you post an old modelling shot just for the 'crack' as we Irish say.

Sorry bout Julie, did'nt realise she was so close to saying bye bye, it was a bit of a storm in a teacup. Maybe, there was a lot more going on than I was aware between the cast

I am now chatting a bit on a quit smoking forum, what a change!

Er have to dash my pug is killing my shih tzu, such a pair of bitches! LoL,

Gina.

[LavendarLady in reply to Gina_K]

Will try to find a photo which is not too dog eared and get himself to scan it in.

Mother had some Irish on her side of the family through her father but don't have much info about that. There are several red heads in our family including my son. Mind you, over the years I have been every colour under the sun! LL

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Hi lavendarlady, glad your feeling better, a must for your holidays!

I too get so annoyed about paying silly prices for disabled parking places, our local Asda store though as just introduced free parking for badge holders!

We have also had to put our dogs/cats into kennels, except for this year, only having one dog now our next door neighbor offered to look after our dog, which was great for us.

Hope you have a lovely holiday, and a rest, the wine and port lodges sound fab!

Lovely explanation of why you decided upon LavendarLady,, always wondered why you chose that name.

Speak to you soon.

Take care

mand xx

[sylvi]

morning lavenderlady, what a beautiful pic, just what we need to cheer us up. Great blog, i've got lavender in my garden, also i've got rosemary and different types of mint too. Theres swiss, pineapple,morrocan and others. I also have a buddlia which has been covered in butterflys all summer. I have evening primsrose in my garden as well and you want to sit out there and watch the flowers come out and the scent is lovely.

Lillibet interesting life you have led.My son is going on the cruise ships now. He flew to orlando yesterday.

Sylvia.xx

[LavendarLady]

Hi Everyone, just thought I'd let you know that things have improved. Shoulders not so painful, neither are hands and fingers. Went to work this morning and saw 2 clients and their troubles. Nice to be able to help get them sorted out. Also had a good result for one client and her battle with the banks. One bank is using an insurance policy to pay off the debt which client didn't know was there and the other bank is almost wetting itself trying to sort out the other debt. Talk about mis selling and this is supposed to be the caring bank. But having pointed that out to them, they are doing a thorough investigation which can only be good for my client.

Seeing my consultant on Friday and I anticipate a steroid injection to get me up and going ready for my holiday. Only a week unfortunately but sunshine, good food and wine should do the trick. Reminder to self not to have too much wine after the last time! LoL.

Dentist in the morning, - wisdom tooth is bothering again so hope he can do something as don't want toothache on holiday. Then car to garage for her first MOT. It's like my son going to nursery for the first time! Hope they don't find anything too expensive to fix.

Some side effects from the Diclofenac - mainly a desire not to be too far from a loo! So won't take it tonight. Had very little discomfort last night but that was also helped by the Nurofen I had during the day. Had overdone it on Saturday catering for 30 people so me and my 2 helpers peeled 22lbs potatoes, cooked 4 kilos of mushy peas and I cooked 100 sausages at home!

Really exhausted on Sunday and very achy in most joints particularly my fingers.

Hey ho - Carrying on as best I can. LavendarLady x