Auntie Bees PMR, GCA,and Chronic Pain Sufferers Advent Calendar. Dec 2. In the spirit of Pacing , a little Festive Fun. Where's the Snowman?

[Blearyeyed]

In the spirit of Festive Pacing , as many of you are still enjoying and absorbing the stocking full of Christmas Tips from Day 1 , here's a candy cane scented tiny tip for today and I will post those Fatigue Free Giving tips on Day 3.

If you missed yesterday's post of Festive Pacing tips , please feel free to look on my profile and enjoy a catch up now or merely enjoy a tiny bit of fun today.

Tip for today , December 2 nd

Just like every other time of year , remember the road to Christmas ( and even the Big Days themselves ) should contain at least 15 minutes of Relaxing Fun , all to yourself. Nothing is more important to do each day than topping up your Battery with a little " Mental Me time" .

If your 15 minutes involves resting with your feet up , while catching up with your Faraway Friends on PMR/ GCA UK , you are in for a little treat this afternoon .

Spot the Snowman ?

Yes, if you look at the photo above can you well travelled Forum Members beat the Brain Fog and guess where my daughters Snowman Selfie is ?

I have a feeling Pro or the Euro Gang might spot it .

Answers in replies please , plus any of your suggestions of how you help yourself relax between assaults of Turkey , Visitors , Chaos and Christmas Cake .

And remember , 15 minutes of Fun is never 15 minutes wasted .

In fact , they can become little New Traditions all your own 😘😍

just like our Families habit of making a Snowman Selfie wherever we find a spot of snow!

Photo , kindly donated by my eldest daughter , lovingly known as Eric!

I love the impromptu use of pens for arms!!!

Pain Friendly Advent all , Auntie Bee xxx

[Yellowbluebell]

Bee you have lost so much weight!!

[Hidden in reply to Yellowbluebell]

😂😂😂

[Blearyeyed in reply to Yellowbluebell]

😂😂😂😂

No , that's not Me , that's one I made earlier , 21 years earlier and as much of a nutcase as her Mother my eldest daughter , known as Eric.

Obviously , not a real photo , my children aren't both made of snow 😋😂😂😂

[Yellowbluebell]

I have to set the sat nav to get to scats, so there is zero chance i would know where the photo was taken

[Hidden]

I tried to cheat as Google can search for similar images... I think the snow person in the bridge view broke Google.. 🤯🤭

I did do 15mins of relaxation today though. I think it was called going to lay down after the dog told me off for losing the ball. I am still enjoying the idea of what people will think walking past what looks like a swans nest in swamp grass, with a perfect orange egg ball nestling in the middle. 🥚🌻😁

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

You'll have Twitchers coming from far and wide armed with binoculars and cameras waiting to photograph a unique find as it cracks open its egg!😋😁😁😁😁

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Should have gone to SpecSavers ...

[Blearyeyed in reply to PMRpro]

😂😂😂😂😂

I'm relying on you to guess this one ( No Pressure!!!😋😂😂😂) without doing a Poops and trying to cheat on Google!😂😂😂😂

[Hidden in reply to Blearyeyed]

Before I Googled I tried to see if there were locations embedded in the photo details but it must be a copy of a copy of a copy. It distracted me from achey legs for a few minutes... Berlin or somewhere like that would be a guess but never been... 😏

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

No clues , I'm a meanie except for quite a famous bridge in this small capital city

[Highlandtiger in reply to Blearyeyed]

Is it Sarajevo?

[Blearyeyed in reply to Highlandtiger]

I'm giving everyone a little longer to guess before I reveal the answer but you never know 😋

[Maisie1958]

Ponto Sisto in Rome has the round cut out circles similar to this but could be very wrong! I don’t relax -but have scheduled in a monthly myofascial release massage for the pony now she is getting older -was skeptical but she’s brilliant after it-just need to save the pennies for me to have one . Though I don’t like to be touched ... ☺️

Loving your posts Bee x

PS -when I say I don’t relax—I do slob about a lot, just don’t do the mindfulness stuff!

[Blearyeyed in reply to Maisie1958]

I giggled when you said that the massage was for the pony.

I must say I don't like to be touched ( probably because of what has now been diagnosed as Fibromyalgia and EDS ) and I can sometimes get a Flare from massage.

My physio has started me with Manipulation Therapy and I can cope with that and get a lot of nerve relief.

It is like a cross between chiropractics and Bowen Therapy . When I sit up I get a sudden feeling like cool water running down my spine , and do feel less discomfort and have less dizziness in the week after it. It helps with your Autonomic Nervous System.

A good slob about can do you the world of good and costs nothing on occasion , and just sitting back and breathing in the day for 15 minutes can do wonders too.

I will give the answer to the photo some time soon watch this space , and thanks for joining in xx

[SheffieldJane]

It looks a bit Dutch but not quite Amsterdam. I thought Paris but no Eiffel Tower. It reminds me of Bakewell 😂 a bit but too big. My me time’s nearly gone. I give in.

[Blearyeyed in reply to SheffieldJane]

As , in your "Mental Me Time" is being taken over by your sleepy time , I hope.😳💤

Do you know , it does look like a bridge in Bakewell , I went there once I can see that .

I will say it's definitely not Paris but no more spoilers until tomorrow.

However , if you get a bit of snow and want 15 minutes of childish PMR Friendly fun with Family big and small making snowman selfies is a ton of fun without the shivering and Fatigue.

I'd love to see one of all our forum folks wouldn't you?

Hugs xxx

[Hidden in reply to Blearyeyed]

I must have gone over Bakewell Bridge 100s of times and I wouldn't have known what it looked like side on if I fell over it or off it... Which is more likely with the traffic. And yes I realise it's not that bridge but it makes you realise that you don't see things around you that are beautiful in their own right.....made by humans or nature. Everything becomes background noise. I am going to try and spot one background noise a week noise and start a photographic diary. Ah... The beauty of having to slow down with a chronic illness. 😍☕🌻

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

That's a brilliant way to get a bit of 15 minutes of Relaxing Fun , and boost your positivity about life in general. I used to say to many people on courses that they forget just how beautiful the places they live really are as Life creeps in they see the world around them in Black and White , when a tourist arrives with new eyes and sees it in Technicolour.

I took some interesting snaps around Paris , which oddly seems to be the City of abandoned chairs , but they were strangely beautiful and poetic if looked at the right way.

I'd love to see what you come up with , perhaps the first lot could have a Christmas theme?!!

[Hidden in reply to Blearyeyed]

I will try. It usually takes so long to get the camera up on my phone that the thing that caught my eye has disappeared. There was a lovely scene someone left on a wooden beam seat in late autumn...there was one or two of all the fungi around the woods placed on the seat. I took a few pictures. It was lovely but I found myself hoping it wasn't young kids who didn't wash their hands. I am not expert enough to determine whether any were poisonous but suspect some of the 20plus examples were.🍄

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

That sounds the like the badly disposed of remnants of a wildlife group fungi foray , or maybe an untidy photo artist ( tut!tut!) .

I had that problem even before the bleary eyes of GCA , and the other conditions mean I get tremors pretty quickly as I hold my arms up , but you get round it , find you knack and spot more slower subjects, like yourself 😋😂😂😂, and it really does improve the mood.

Even the blurry photos have their own beauty .

[Highlandtiger in reply to Blearyeyed]

So true. Case in point....I used to live in Edinburgh and worked in the centre for about 20+ years. I’d get my bus home every day on Princes Street just down from Edinburgh Castle. One day on a cold crisp winter's day (when Edinburgh looks at its best in my opinion) I actually looked up at the floodlit castle with an indigo sky and a full moon behind it and suddenly thought how much tourists would love it and how lucky I was that it was part of my daily commute.

[Highlandtiger in reply to Hidden]

That’s a great idea, to make a conscious effort to spot a background noise. This year I’ve been noticing the skeins of migrating geese more than ever. I don’t know if there are more this year or whether I’m just hearing them more because I’ve slowed down! They started coming about mid September just when the swallows disappeared, and have been coming ever since. One morning last week there were waves and waves of massive V shaped formations. I love the way you hear the very faint honking, then look up and eventually you can see the first skein then the next and the next.... I could watch them for hours, changing over taking turns to lead. Migrating wildlife of all sorts is a wonder to behold.

[Hidden in reply to Highlandtiger]

It is indeed. I like to see the starlings flocking in their thousands and going to roost. It's the "death dive" that gets me. I don't know how they stop before smashing into the ground. 😁

[Thelmarina]

Thank you so much for your timely reminder about pacing at this time. Yesterday I ordered a Christmas tree to be delivered to my home, and it felt so good! My daughter quite rightly said that I could go to a local nursery and choose one for myself, then have it delivered. But the bliss of not doing that is wonderful and frees me up to do more important things like ice my cake! Thanks again xxx

[Arflane97G in reply to Thelmarina]

Have gone for a fake Xmas tree this year, decided that the stress of trying to find a parking space near the tree sellers, choosing one and then disposing of it afterwards was just too much but having seen lots of happy people trudging home with trees on Sunday I am having second thoughts! My husband’s mother is Eastern European so we put the tree up as close to Xmas eve as I can bear so maybe I will keep an eye out for a little one closer to the day and sneak it into the hallway maybe🎅🏻

[Blearyeyed in reply to Arflane97G]

Maybe you could just buy some mistletoe instead!😋😘

[Arflane97G in reply to Blearyeyed]

And some holly... great idea!

[Blearyeyed in reply to Thelmarina]

So glad it has been of help , just keep festive Pacing and you will get their in the end xx

[Bridge31]

Copenhagen ?

[Bridge31]

Hardly a small capital city though, so that’s not right. 🙁🙆

[Hidden in reply to Bridge31]

With your username you should get this one... 😉

[Bridge31 in reply to Hidden]

My 15 minutes is up now 🤨

[Hidden in reply to Bridge31]

😂😂😂

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

😂😂😂😂😂 Bridge , of course , you're on form for this time in the morning !

[Hidden in reply to Blearyeyed]

Is it morning already..., 😴😴😴

[Blearyeyed]

Answer will be disclosed , after Midday , hope the suspense doesn't ruin all the relaxation!

[Pixix]

Late catching up but no idea anyway. Fun! Thanks.

[LemonZest11]

Loving this ... could do with a snowman today, it's 38C in Aus!!

[Blearyeyed in reply to LemonZest11]

😨😨😨😨😨, good grief , you would have to keep it in the freezer 😋

Just giving the answer now , and posting of todays tips for Fatigue Free Gifting , which you will probably see after bed???

But , I will have a door dedicated to Christmas in Hot Weather some time soon .

In the mean time , damp cloth in a plastic zip bag , hand fan , spritz bottle of water ( for neck , face and feet on the go) and drink water like a fish.

[LemonZest11 in reply to Blearyeyed]

Haha, yes and lots of lovely air-conditioning! Have you been to Australia? We get used to it and often smirk when we read that UK is sweltering in 30C heat wave!! But yesterday got to 42C, that is 124F!! A bit bloody much. Looking forward to your next installment, love it!! 🌞🌡🏊‍♀️

[Blearyeyed in reply to LemonZest11]

No, not yet I hope to one day , but I did work for a year over in Dubai and spent Christmas there so I know the heat can give a whole new dimension.

I've just popped on a post for Dec 3 about surviving gift and food shopping ( loong but jam packed tip fest 😋 ) And there's been bags if replies already with even more tips too .

I'm definitely doing a Hot Christmas Advent Door soon though , as so many have Christmas in summer or go on holiday to hotter places to avoid the Christmas in the cold .

I hope you have your party outdoors after the day has cooled down a bit , otherwise you are going to have to get your minions to provide a parasol and a slave with a big fan!😋😂😂😂

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to LemonZest11]

You have to bear in mind that the UK 30C is yukker than yours may be - certainly nasty compared with us where the humidity is low. Always hot and humid in the UK - too much sea ...

[LemonZest11 in reply to PMRpro]

Well not really. Australia is vast ... bigger than you might realise, and so we have the lot: humid, dry, it’s all pretty hard to take once the temp rises above 35C. But the difference is, I think, that we are used to it, we build our houses for it and we are all (mostly) air conditioned, and so there is always respite within the home or shopping centres. We just laugh because to us, 30 is the perfect day, but get a run of them over there, and it’s a dangerous heat wave. But I do get it, but allow us our snigger. Xx

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to LemonZest11]

I have been to Australia, have driven from Brisbane to Melbourne, flown to Uluru and driven to Alice Springs and flown on to Cairns - yes, aware of how big and how much climate variation.

I didn't comment on why humid in the UK is unpleasant - but you're quite right, they don't build for it to recover overnight. I live in Italian mountains, we often have 35+C during the day together with uninterupted sunshine, but it falls to 18C or lower overnight so you can cool the house down in the early morning and then pull down the blinds. No air-con here either.

[LemonZest11 in reply to PMRpro]

That sounds idyllic ... you lucky thing. What a fabulous place to live. Do you have family close to you? The food, the people and of course, your gorgeous vista.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to LemonZest11]

No - all still in the UK and if they go anywhere is is unlikely to be here!

[Blearyeyed]

Ta Dah! I will now reveal the location of Selfie Snowman and I can say ,yes , there is a winner out there.

The Bridge , called the Latin Bridge , is famous as the site that saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that started World War 1 , and it is located in.....

Sarajevo!!!

And our clever capital spotter was ....... Highland Tiger 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🎉🎉

Well done HT ! Our Forum Geography Prize goes to you xxx

Now , watch out behind today's Advent Door for some tips and suggestions on Fatigue Free Gifting , it's on its way !!!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Why were you relying on me? Never been there!! I wish ...

[Blearyeyed in reply to PMRpro]

It's because you talk about a lot of places and managed to say where Eric went to Film in Italy last year when I forgot the name just from the description .

So I thought if you had visited you would know it straight away , to me you are Brains after all!😋

Beautiful and much under visited country still struggling to get back on its feet financially after the Bosnian War.

The other photos she has of out in the countryside of the fountains and mountains are amazing , just your sort of countryside .

She went to visit two friends there to volunteer painting murals in a school and came back more than 50 new friends both old and young and the desire to go back as often as she can.

Where East meets West .

[Maggiemudshark]

Loved this. Going to Tahoe

California at XMAS if there is snow will make a snow man and post it for you