EH - Essex > Hebrides...the next step of the adventure?

EssexHebridean

:wave: Hi Angel & Scott - I'm going to make a point of logging in to PA regularly each day for the rest of this week - if nothing comes up in that time then I'm scrapping it as presumably I'm just not their target demographic. As for Toluna, yes, it certainly needs viewing as a (very) long term project!

The TCB money came across to the bank overnight so I transferred that to the Sainsbugs card - total in signature updated. :T

Discovered when I got home last night that the garage key must have fallen out of my pocket when I pulled the car keys out last night. Thankfully I have a second key on my keyring but the point of the separate one is so that I don't have to keep stopping and starting the car so that was a bit annoying. However, by chance I had checked it was in my pocket at a certain point as I walked back to the car last night, which narrowed down where it could have dropped...retraced my steps this morning and some helpful soul had popped the key onto a wall where it was sitting, wet and forlorn but perfectly serviceable! :T I'll take that as my win for the day I think.

Still walking lots, still avoiding refined sugar, and still generally watching what I'm eating - but back to struggling with sleeping. Last time it was this bad was at the point where I was seriously struggling with anxiety a couple of years back, but this time I can't pin it down to anything obvious. I do seem to get disturbed at the same sort of time each night though so I suspect it's something that our inconsiderate upstairs neighbours are doing.

And as if by magic - £1.85 study from PA. I now have a better understanding of how it works, I think, too.

angelpye

Yay, on the study! I quite like them as I find them a bit unusual with all the degree students researching for their dissertations - makes me think it gets quieter though as they will be done soon. Still none for me today

Not sleeping is awful - I have similar issues and it makes it very difficult to function at your best especially when its prolonged. How annoying though if it is your neighbours! Hopefully you get to the bottom of it soon

MistyMountainTop

I don't know how old you are EssexH but if you are in your 40's the not sleeping thing could be down to hormonal changes. I struggle with it quite a bit now, the Dr told me that hormone replacement therapy would help but I don't want to go down that route.

EssexHebridean

angelpye wrote: »

Yay, on the study! I quite like them as I find them a bit unusual with all the degree students researching for their dissertations - makes me think it gets quieter though as they will be done soon. Still none for me today

Not sleeping is awful - I have similar issues and it makes it very difficult to function at your best especially when its prolonged. How annoying though if it is your neighbours! Hopefully you get to the bottom of it soon

Well they certainly have form for being very loud very late - so it wouldn;t exactly be surprising. On one occasion MrEH had to go up there in his dressing gown at 1.30am to ask them to please stop their toddler running around the place stamping his feet... :mad:

MistyMountainTop wrote: »

I don't know how old you are EssexH but if you are in your 40's the not sleeping thing could be down to hormonal changes. I struggle with it quite a bit now, the Dr told me that hormone replacement therapy would help but I don't want to go down that route.

You know I'd not even thought of that, but yes, you could be right. I've had one or two other indicators that might add up to that as well, if you get what I mean. Hmmm. well initially at least I'm going to simply try to work through it in all the usual ways - and improving my overall health is probably the first thing there - and I'm on that already! :T

Walking is still happening - in fact my phone tells me that my monthly average "per day" steps are now over 8,000! My yearly average is showing dead on 6,000 as of today too so that's creeping in the right direction. I have noticed my pace has stagnated a bit the last few days though so I think tomorrow will be a day without pushing my pace overmuch - although I'm guessing my step count will still be reasonably high as we're off to Derby for a beer festival. :beer: Food monitoring is also going well - it's the first time in years I've managed this successfully for any length of time and I'm starting to feel the benefit I think. Need to continue with working on moderating portion sizes etc but I'm consciously not going too hard, too fast on that, as I don't want to scupper myself by feeling hungry, or deprived - I know from the past that's kiss of death for me! Also drinking masses of water (and consequently improving my step count with the many trips to the loo that are required as a result!) :rotfl: (And no, I won't be logging either food OR beer tomorrow, thank you!)

Madam in the office has been in a filthy mood all week - I think it may be because it's half term week so she's been forced to actually spend time with her children. She's one of these pushy parents that usually has some form of activity arranged for every spare second of the poor things time. Her 12 year old came in with her Monday & Tuesday and I was astonished how young for her age she is - think lots of baby-voiced "mummmmmmmmy" type whining. Mentioned it to MrEH though and he said - she still gets talked to like an 8 year old, so probably sees no reason not to act that way, too. It's quite sad really.

Kitchen stuff is starting to move forward I think - we need a new plan though as the layout has changed a bit!

rtandon27

EssexHebridean wrote: »

...Also drinking masses of water (and consequently improving my step count with the many trips to the loo that are required as a result!) :rotfl:...

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Think I might borrow this tactic as the scale says I've put on 2.4lbs over our holiday! - Wonder what that number would have been had I not been averaging 10000 steps per day, including a couple of 12 mile hikes! Too much starch & not enough leafy greens consumed while away!

I'm sooooooooooooooooo glad to be home & back to normality!

Pah to having to deal with your Madam - big PITA having a prima donna in the office! I feel for you!!!!!

EssexHebridean

I swear a thousand of my steps today must have been going up and down the stairs to the loo RT! :rotfl:Plus of course the stair climbing effects too - it's a win/win situation really! And yes tio the Prima Donna effect - it's a flipping nightmare when she's like she's been this week! Oh well - I survived the week without murdering her - I'll claim that as another win!

CC bill in today - several chunky bits on it including nearly £300 of airshow tickets for me and others, and over £300 on the car stuff. Aside from MrEH's share it's all sorted and where it should be though - he'll transfer his across over the weekend. Impressed that our belt-tightening exercise has paid off too - to the tune of £120 surplus in the joint account this month!

Not greatly impressed with either the S6 or the POTW this week. I *might* be tempted by the blueberries, and if we're in the direction of Lil's I may end up with the baby potatoes and the kale. one job for the train tomorrow is to put together our meal plan and shopping list for the week though. Tonight's dinner ended up being omelettes using the last of the eggs rather than the bolognese that was on the meal plan - mainly as I discovered last night that I'd misjudged my shopping so there were no onions and no mushrooms to go in it! :rotfl: The omelette was very nice anyway - took the chance to use up the last tomato, and end of the cucumber, and one of the remaining avocados for a nice salsa style salad to have with it too.

Scott_Weiland_2

How much water are you drinking essex? how many litres

MistyMountainTop

I am now obsessed with looking at houses ooop there. I know realistically I wouldn't be happy living where there is so much wind and so few trees but the idea of it is lovely, especially the thought of being cut off from the mainland and safe and snug on an island. Are midges a problem?

I have been trying different herbal supplements to try and deal with the interrupted sleep, but not found anything that actually has worked yet. I am looking forward to it being all over, though a friend of mine said it took her nearly 10 years... :eek:

EssexHebridean

Scott_Weiland wrote: »

How much water are you drinking essex? how many litres

I'm aiming to get to the 2l mark but not always hitting that. I tend to be shocking for remembering to drink unless i make a conscious effort though - I can easily suddenly realise I'm thirsty mid evening and only then twig that's because I've not had anything since a cup of tea at work mid afternoon! I've got a refillable drinks bottle that takes 600ml so I just keep filling that up!

MistyMountainTop wrote: »

I am now obsessed with looking at houses ooop there. I know realistically I wouldn't be happy living where there is so much wind and so few trees but the idea of it is lovely, especially the thought of being cut off from the mainland and safe and snug on an island. Are midges a problem?

I have been trying different herbal supplements to try and deal with the interrupted sleep, but not found anything that actually has worked yet. I am looking forward to it being all over, though a friend of mine said it took her nearly 10 years... :eek:

Midges can be a problem, but actually that's where the wind comes in, as midges don't like wind! It's rare to find a completely still windless day in the summer - when you do though they arrive in their millions and not a lot gets rid of them! The no tree thing is quite a strange one - it means a real difference in the species of birds you get there for a start - our pal was one of the RSPB wardens up there until recently and he always delighted in informing visitors that there are more Golden Eagles on the island than there are Chaffinches! :rotfl:

EssexHebridean

Well the beer festival yesterday was excellent fun - had a really good day with MrEH and a friend of mine and his Mrs too, first time I'd met her and she's lovely! A nice amount of beer (and very good beer, at that!) and lots of good chat - can't ask for more than that! caught up with a few other people we know before our friends arrived too so that was good.

The meal plan got done on the train as planned so we whizzed round and did the shopping this morning. Farmers market so we're stocked up on meat for the next few weeks - a couple of packs of lambs liver, a piece of beef shin, some sliced haslet for sandwiches, minced beef, minced pork, and a couple of packs of streaky bacon. :T Most of it has already made its way to the freezer and will come out over the next little while as needed. Did go to Lil's in the end and bought all 4 items from the POTW, then the market for crisps for MrEH's lunches, and cheese from the Wyke Farms stall - 3 packs of their vintage cheddar for £5 is a proper bargain. Finally ThaT supermarkeT for the ordinary bits and bobs - annoyed to see that they've stopped stocking the organic skimmed milk in 4pt containers - you can only get full cream and semi skimmed now apparently. we were planning to go back to buying it but that was when we assumed we could get it on the 2 for £3 offer - we probably won't, now.

Been out and done my fast walk this afternoon - and finally got back into the 15m/mile range - although only just - 15.59! :rotfl: Pretty happy with how I'm going with that though - that was over 1.7 miles with the last stretch uphill too - using the Map My Walk app to track is working really well for me. now to start chipping away at the 15's and also start increasing distance again.