First dose of the vaccine...tick!

So - its the end of April and I've not posted anything since February.  A lot has happened since then!

Andy had his first dose of the vaccine a few weeks ago - maybe longer than that? It seemed everybody around me, my age or younger had the vaccine but me - but then i got mine yesterday - hence why I have the time to catch up on my blog! Its my day off and I am having a couch day as I feel so tired and yuk! I was quite a wuss about the needle.  I've been nervous about it for a while as I have a thing for needles, and it didn't help that the vaccine and its progress has been on the news loads and every time they play film of people having the needle or a photo of a needle!

I got the vaccine at Taunton Race Course - Andy got his at our doctors surgery.  The people doing the injections were so good with me - it was obvious I was struggling - but I got through it - and the injection itself was nothing!  Then as the day went on I just got mega tired! I had a sleep - and ended u in bed really early - and now I just feel like I have a mild flu.  Andy just went to the shop for me and brought back a ton of cake and chocolate - so Keto went straight out of the window!

In other news - Andy got a job and is working again! yay!!  What a relief! He is working for a cyber security company - sounds like he is already bringing them a lot more than they expected - and he is really enjoying it!

This has meant we were able to use some of the redundancy money - and we got our front carpark transformed into an actual driveway! I'll put before and after pics up on another post.

We also decided to splash out on carpets - so I went on a huge painting spree before they were delivered/fitted.  Wanted to get some wallpapering done too - but ran out of time.  Because they had the wrong size for one of the rooms, and didn't allow enough time - they are not finished yet, but we're almost there!

Ehhh I feel sick! Not sure if that is the carrot cake I just ate or because of the vaccine...probably both!

So - where are we with the lockdown? So - we locked down early in the year (again) on 6th January 2021 because things got really baaaaad and then some of those restrictions were lifted on 12th April 2021 - so it was a long lockdown!  On 12th April - the main differences were -  you could go to the shops, hairdressers, meet a few people outdoors.  During this time vaccinations were surging ahead and hospital rates and deaths went right down.  

The next change is 17th May - where two households can meet indoors....then by June 2021 all restrictions should be lifted.  I am not sure this will happen however, because there is always the threat of a new surge.

The UK are aiming to have everybody vaccinated by July 2021 - apart from the few that can't be vaccinated for medical reasons or the weirdo's who think the whole thing is fake and a scam (annoys the crap out of me!)

The news at the moment is reporting on the disaster occurring in India - they are running out of oxygen, there are photo's of people dying outside hospitals, loads of funeral pyres - and just death and heartbreak.  They have just reported over 200,000 deaths.  It is so tragic....

The UK have had 127,451 deaths.  Although we have all lived with the pandemic for over a year now - it is still difficult to believe that this hit the whole world like it did - still feels surreal.  I'm still finding it very difficult to come to terms with losing my Dad.  It was the anniversary of his death on 15th April 2021.  I allowed myself to wallow in the sadness and let myself think of the memories - all of which I push down most of the time because it is too painful.

So - its my 50th Birthday in May - and I am hoping to get to see all the kids, and Helen and Paul.  That will be awesome - we are all going to take covid tests before we meet up - Helen and Paul will be the first to come over- and then Adam, and then Lissa.  You can get tests really easily now - just go online to the Government website and every 2 days you can order a pack of 7 tests per household.

Connor is still living with us - and it is great having him here - we socialise together almost every weekend - play pool - and now poker too!  I get to see loads of pics of the grandkids usually via WhatsApp - it does feel like I've seen then grow up to some extent - even though I haven't been able to actually see them in person.  They post pictures daily which is awesome.

I hope the weather is nice when they visit - I bought them a garden swing lol - and it will be awesome to be able to play in the garden and have BBQ's.

we'll have to see!

A little tired and hungover!

 Hi,

So....I just read back over my last blog - which I forgot to post - maybe I hadn't finished? anyway it is mainly talking about Trump....he has left now thankfully...and his impeachment trial is ongoing - but he wont get found guilty....

So England went into the 3rd Lockdown on 6th Jan 2021 (I think that was the date) and it is now 6th Feb 2021 and I down think the lockdown will be lifted until March.  We still have high daily death rates and people in hospital.  The vaccine is being rolled out - think they have moved from the over 80's to the over 70's.  People in care homes have had the vaccination too.  My mum and Andy's parents have had it, as well as Helen and Paul because they work for the NHS....don't think me and Andy will get it until May - and because i am not 50 until May - I could miss out on the over 50's if it comes to us before then.  I'm a bit nervous about it - hate needles! Also some people get quite ill - but I don't really care, I'd rather feel a little safer having had it!

The UK is now at 111,264 - so well over 100,000 cases - the new variant didn't help being so much more contagious. We have been over 1,000 cases a day and too many days.... Hopefully the vaccines will start to have an effect soon.  People have been living with this for almost a year now and life has just changed so very much.  Seems like such a distant memory being able to just get together with people - go out shopping, go for a meal or a night out.  How we took it all for granted!

Last Friday, I decided to get dressed up - by that I mean - but actual normal clothes on rather than lounge wear! I did my hair and put some make-up on and got Connor and Andy to make an effort too - they were more than happy to join in - then we had a games night - we called it our night out, in.  We did the same again last night - hence why I'm a bit delicate today!  We have a really good time with Connor - we all have a good laugh and play pool!  Everything has been a lot more fun lately, partly, or maybe mostly, because Connor moved in, but partly I think, because I am enjoying work a lot more - I've changed my hours and am working Mon/Tues Thurs/Fri and work longer days so I get Wednesday's off.  Also - Andy has started to get interviews and the market seems to be improving.

I still can't wait though until we can start to get back to 'normal' or at least having the kids come around with all the babies!!  They wont be babies when I see them though they are all growing up so fast!!

Doesn't look like 2021 is going to be better than the infamous 2020!

 

Hi again!

So today there have been the most deaths reported in a 24 hour period than any other day since the pandemic began - with 1,325 deaths.  To think we were over the worst of in the summer - and we actually went out once or twice too!

Well the other day I posted figures for the first time in months - this was on Tuesday and it is now Friday - here is a comparison:

Tuesday 6th Jan 2021

Total world cases: 86,549,352

Total fatalities: 1,871,620

UK total cases: 2,774,479

UK fatalities: 76,305

Friday 8th Jan 2021

Total world cases: 88,902,065 - difference of 2,352,713

Total fatalities: 1,915,338 - difference of 43,718

UK total cases: 2,957,472 - difference of 182,993

UK fatalities: 79,833 - difference of 3,528

Over 1,000 deaths a day in the UK since Tuesday!  I don't mind admitting I don't want to leave the house - it is very scary!

In other news - after talking about the madness of president Trump - it all went to crap in America!!

So, Congress convened to validate Joe Biden’s presidential win, Trump addressed the crowd just outside the White House for more than an hour, urging them to march on the Capitol building. “We will not take it any more,” he said.  “You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong … I know everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building. To peacefully, patriotically make your voices heard.”  The crowd followed his instructions and began marching on the Capitol.

Many of these people had guns on them!  They forced their way into the capital building - and senators were terrified and hiding - this was all on TV - we sat there amazed watching it on the news (so many times in the last year we have watched TV news in disbelief over one thing or another!).

In the end 4 people died and one police officer....

When all those people were inside the building - Trump was called upon to do/say something - eventually he released a recording which started with the RUBBISH that he had been cheated - he told the rioters - we love you, but you need to go home!  NOT you are criminals causing criminal damage and threat to lives, leave or be shot or arrested - lots of people are saying if it was the Black Lives Matter protestors it would have been very different!

Since then there have been calls for him to be impeached (again) or to use the 25th amendment to remove him.  I don't think either of these will happen as he has less than 2 weeks left as president - but I wish they would do it!

He later came out and condemned the rioters - but it did not seem genuine - and it was edited so somebody took his stupid rants out to make it look better.  he is now saying he is not going to attend Biden's inauguration...CNN said:

President Donald Trump said he would not attend his successor's swearing-in, a day after his top aides cajoled him into releasing a video conceding he would soon be departing office.

"To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," Trump tweeted, making formal what many had long assumed: that Trump would eschew the traditional step of personally demonstrating the peaceful hand-off of power to President-elect Joe Biden. He'll be the first outgoing president to skip his replacement's inauguration in more than 150 years.

It came as Trump faces an uncertain final stretch in office. His top aides delivered a blunt warning to him Thursday as he sat sullenly in the West Wing and watched as his Republican allies, Cabinet secretaries and former senior staffers criticized or denounced him one by one.

It is crazy that he was voted in, in the first place - as he's an egotistical idiot on a huge power trip who cannot take/accept losing and has to sulk and blame everybody else - wow he makes me so annoyed!!!  Most of the people breaking into the Capitol building were not wearing masks and we are in the worst part of this pandemic with evidence of a new much more contagious variant - so there will be a massive spike in the virus amongst the people that were there (typical Trump supporters because he has led ppl to believe that it is nothing to be scared of).

Lockdown number 3

 

Hi,

So last night Boris announced that England is now going into is 3rd lockdown.  Scotland and I think Wales have already made this decision.  Figures are currently worse than last April when we had the first lockdown - re cases, more people in hospital - not as many deaths because many infected people are younger and care homes etc. have much more protection now.

This doesn't really affect us much to be honest because we were not really leaving the house anyway - certainly wasn't going to pubs and restaurants.  This lockdown looks like it is going to be for at lest 6 weeks, and during this time most vulnerable people should get the vaccine.

More than 1,000,000 are currently infected in the UK - 1 person in every 50.  

I used to put all the daily figures in this blog - this is the last one I did....

Tuesday 9 June

Total world cases: 7,208,064 -------------------69, 594 increase

Total fatalities: 410,732-----------------------2,593 increase

UK total: 289,140 -------------------------------1,741 increase 

UK Fatalities: 40,883---------------------------286 increase

here is todays (without the daily increase numbers)

Total world cases: 86,549,352

Total fatalities: 1,871,620

UK total cases: 2,774,479

UK fatalities: 76,305

What a difference! I remember the UK government predicting that if we only had 20,000 deaths we'd be lucky - and thinking 20,000!! It is now over 76,000 and rising and not that far off 2 million worldwide deaths.  Not only that but lots of people are suffering from long term effect of the virus.

I still think that this virus is man made - maybe one day we will find out.

In other news - in November Trump was voted out and Joe Biden won the American election.  Trump has acted like a spoilt child saying he actually won and cheating has been going on.  Strange that - many people were accused and convicted of cheating in the year that he got in!  Biden takes over on 20th January 2021 - I can't wait to see him kicking and screaming as people drag him out of the white house.  He never stops surprising me with the stupid things that he says - he has recently been recorded trying to get Georgia to alter the figures so that it looks like he won.  I bet if I go onto CNN right now I'll find some other story of his ridiculousness...it is a daily thing.

Anyway - I have nothing else to say because all I have done today is work from home - although I did go out to collect a signed statement and because we are not back on keto - Andy came with me and we got a drive-thru mac donalds lol.

Very soon I'm going to try and get my sh*t together and go back on keto - and we are in the middle of moving our gym into what was our dining room - that never got used! I got andy a water rower for xmas so we need to get that put together and I need to order a new monitor for the running machine as that has broken...then all I need to do is actually start using it!

2021 - a New Year ahead.....

 

Hi!

So I haven't written anything since September 2020.  I wrote that I was still fed up but looking forward to the fraud job I got, that the NFL season had just started and both our teams won, we had a great time meeting up with ppl for Andy's birthday and that I had lost a stone (but just gained 4lb after the birthday celebrations!).

Well, I have started the new job now (on November 23rd) and it lifted my mood considerably and made me realise just how much I was not enjoying my job!  I work from home everyday and have an office set up in one of the attic bedrooms - I enjoy the work more, and don't have to work shifts - a massive improvement.  Andy still doesn't have a job and has now left HP - although it doesn't feel like it as he has had no pay-out - still has his laptop etc. but that should get sorted soon.

The NFL game that the Jaguars won - was THE ONLY game we wont this season! lol.

Andy's birthday was the last time I think that we met up with anybody or have done anything because we went back into lockdown as the virus was spreading too quickly.  We then ended up with different tier systems around the country - at first 3 tiers but then a forth was added - with restrictions being more severe in the higher tiers.  The kids and grandkids were all supposed to come over xmas because they were relaxing the rules for a 5 day period - and then just before xmas they said - it is all cancelled because the virus has mutated and is now much more contagious with the number of infections going up - so nobody could come.  I cried when I listened to the news broadcast announcing this!  We had just spent hours decorating the house and making it look like santa's grotto expecting all our visitors - we wrapped all the presents and were getting excited, I couldn't wait to see everybody and catch up - and then it was all cancelled.  Then, we had to think about spending xmas day just the two of us - some advantages too - but not the same as a house full of partying happy people who have not seen each other for ages!

Christmas day was actually very cool - I had got used to the idea and over some of the disappointment - me and Andy had a really nice day - and we got in our fancy dress and had a video call with everybody which was really good.  We got to play with our pressies - which we never have time for!  Christmas dinner was not stressful at all - and we managed to keep the kitchen tidy.  It was my first Christmas ever in my life with just one other person - although I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend it with!

On Boxing day (I think) Somerset went into tier 4 (same as national lockdown) and this was a surprise - and very worrying because Somerset had never been hit very badly.  Tonight there is another announcement - I expect a full national lockdown.  We are getting more cases each day than ever before. Scary, scary stuff.  On a positive note vaccinations have been approved and they are being rolled out - me and Andy expect ours to be around June!

Connor has also moved back in with us! He has had a tough year.  Wales has had tough lockdowns which meant the apprentice he was doing was massively delayed so he couldn't earn money, and his driving lessons were delayed, then him and Emily split up - and he ended up having to get out of the house and he had no money - so he let us know on 29th Dec, and we collected him and all of his stuff on 30th Dec - we only just fit his stuff in the car!  So - he has only been here a few days - but it made a huge difference to our new year celebrations as we ended up playing drinking games and having a really good time.

Today was my first day back at work, which sucked - but at least I was at home!  Tonight we hear what boris has to say next.....

19 Sept 2020

 

19 Sept 2020

So, I know I haven’t been too happy in some of my last posts.  Nothing has changed lol.  That’s not true to be honest – I have been trying to get myself into a better place.  I have started working on the house again on my days off work, and that makes me feel a bit more productive. 

Me and Andy have been doing the Keto diet for about 8 weeks – and I lost 1 stone – until we had a weekend off and I put 4 lb on in 2 days! 

I applied for a job with the fraud team, which would mean I enjoy the work more, won’t get sent out at the drop of a hat when a case comes in, no shift work and mostly working from home – and I got the job!!  Have to wait a couple of months though because it is a new team and they are recruiting a new supervisor – but it can’t come soon enough!!

Andy still has not found a new job – he is still working (or not really working) his notice period, but it is very worrying and we both try not to let it get to us – but it does sometimes! 

Since I last wrote on here, Andy has had his 50^th Birthday!  I got him a Steve Vai guitar and other bits and bobs.  We did an Escape Room with Helen and Paul which was really good fun and we escaped in 52 minutes! Lol.  We went for a meal in Exeter – we went to the Cozy Club – and I had AN AWESOME burger – with actual bread! Lol.  This was the weekend that we both broke the keto diet (and I put on 4lb and Andy put on 7lb). 

When we got back home Adam, Erika and the twins had just arrived, Connor followed and Lissa came the next day (on the Saturday).  We were supposed to take it easy on the Friday night – because more of a party was planned for the Saturday – but we still drank too much and went to bed late! 

Saturday – Lissa turned up – and we put some 50^th decorations on the walls – the kids had got him £30 worth of scratch cards for his birthday and he won £47 lol.  Would have preferred £300,000!!  Helen, Paul, Eloise and Zack also came – and we all had a really good time!  Played pool, and a drinking game Paul and Zack had put together – bit difficult to remember now what was so fun about it cos I don’t remember the details, but I remember laughing a lot!

The next day, on the Sunday, Lissa and Connor had to leave, and Adam (and fam) stayed another night.  We all had a pretty lazy day and I was knackered! I went for an afternoon kip cos I really wanted to be able to stay up for the NFL – it was the first games for our teams! We continued our non-keto eating and had amazing nachos and cheese sauce!!  Both of our teams won!! Yay!!

 

27 July 2020

 

27^th July 2020

 

It has been so long since I have written in this blog, and I was doing so well too!  But – I suppose life got in the way because I have been working and the annex is back up and running.

 

I suppose the biggest thing that has happened since I last wrote is that Adam had his twin boys!  Erika had a section – so we knew when they were going to be born – and it was on 29 June – almost a month ago now – actually I believe that they were 4 weeks old today!  They are adorable!!  Rory and Rudy – Rory was 6lb 1oz (I think) and Rudy was 4lb 8oz.  I went to see them and Helen came with me when they were two weeks old, they were so unbelievably tiny and so cute!!!

 

I went to see Lissa, Antony and little Ada before I went to see Adam.  So that was awesome – having seen lots of pictures of Ada but not having seen her in the flesh – which just seems so wrong – but the virus is still very much about….

 

Lissa & Adam had got together before this and had taken pictures of their babies together.  Ada was in the middle and the twins were either side of her – and I couldn’t believe how big Ada was compared to the twins – it made her look like a toddler.  Adam got one printed out and sent me a copy in a frame which is awesome and is now on my wall.  When I saw Ada I was shocked at how small she was – she looked really big in the photo but still a tiny baby in reality – when I saw how small Ada actually was I thought omg how small will the twins be??  So, me and Helen spent the day with Lissa which was so good – to be able to chat with her and see her in the flesh rather than via video chat – and to see how happy she was with her gorgeous little girl!!  It was funny because she kept commenting about how alike me and Helen are – and I would have to agree in many things!  Me and Helen had a nice long chat on the journey – about something or nothing – it’s easy and we laugh at the same things, and we got much closer (if that is possible) when we spent all that time in Manchester together and went through the trauma of losing dad together.

 

Anyway – I thought it was really nice that Helen was with me, and she gets to see the babies and my kids too.

 

So after spending the day with Lissa we then headed over to Adams house and I walked in and OMG – the baby in his arms was so unbelievably small – I assumed it must be Rudy the smaller one – but it was Rory – Rudy was even smaller than that!!

 

I fell in love with all of the babies basically!  I could easily have brought any of them home with me (only one though!)

Another thing that was good about visiting Lissa and Adam was to see the work that they have both done on their houses – they have done such good jobs getting their house into really good condition.  New bathrooms and kitchens galore! Lol.  Both doing really well!

 

So – me and Helen spent the night at Adams and left to come home just after lunch time.  It had been a really awesome weekend catching up with everybody and seeing all the amazing babies!!

 

I then felt bad about Connor – about not having seen him for ages – and all the family chat just being about babies and stuff so I messaged him and they arranged to come to us the following weekend!  Then there were discussions about when Adam and Lissa might be able to come and visit – anyway to cut a long story short – they all came the following weekend!  It was so awesome!!  Having everybody come to us with all the babies too!!  It was just so lovely having all the family together – we had such a laugh and I enjoyed every minute of it!! 

 

We got lucky with the weather on the second day and the sun came out enough for us to have a BBQ – so we were all in the garden – I set my camera up to take 10 pics – we all stand there and be sensible for the first 1 or 2 pictures – then we get sill and mess about!  These always end up the best pics and I have managed to get one printed out – it turned up this morning and is now on the wall!!