Well, I’ve been missing in action for a couple of months, and I haven’t even got a note from my mother! 😃 To be honest I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, 🤣🤣 living life, and to heck with counting spoons. 😟

In June I had a holiday booked with my daughter, daughter in law and wee grandson. It was booked last year before the wee man made an appearance. The girls had tickets for a concert in Dublin 2 years ago, which was cancelled of course due to the pandemic. So I was conscripted as babysitter whilst they went out to enjoy a baby free evening of fun and frivolity.

There was plenty time to prepare, but of course I left it till the last minute. Actually about 6 weeks before we were due to go I realised I needed a new passport. I thought, well its only Ireland,🤣 but Brexit put paid to that complacency well and truly!

I had an anxious 21 days before my new passport arrived. How wonderful was that? Three weeks! When some folk are camping out at passport offices to get their ID to leave the country.

I decided to fly from Edinburgh and get the assisted travel option. They were very good, and helpful, kind, and compassionate. All until the gate was changed and I was literally left on my own. That was a difficult trek through the airport, but at least there were lifts.

Recently there have been reports in the News that ‘folk have cottoned on to the scam that gets you through a packed airport!’ Well excuse me! This is not a scam. This is a facility for folk who have a disability of some sort. I got really cross when I read those reports. Hopefully the facility will continue to be available for people who really need it.

Dublin was a joy, and looking after my grandson, Ellis, whilst showing him Andy Murray playing at Wimbledon was also a joy. Ellis was only two months old at the time, but he’s going to be schooled in the armchair arts of tennis and football whether he likes it or not from Granny.

Luckily I was able to have a rest day in the hotel or I really would have struggled for energy.

July in Langholm is all about The Common Riding. Even more so as we have been denied it for the last two years. So horses, ride outs, town band, pipe band, parades, it’s all been going on for the last fortnight. My other two children came to stay and we all had a great common riding day then went out for the evening. Its such a friendly town, and probably because my children met up with old school friends, it was a proper happy time. Its amazing how a celebratory atmosphere, good conversation, some dodgey karaoke, and a couple of g&t’s can help leave the fibro to one side for a couple of hours.

But life can’t be put on hold can it? We have to have some excitement and socialising otherwise it would all be very boring. Of course I was hardly moving over the weekend, and today not much better, as the fallout of overdoing it sets in. In June I had a couple of weeks of migraine. I knew it was through overdoing things. Photosensitivity sparked the visual disturbances of migraine and I lived in a very dark home for 4 days. Curtains closed constantly, wearing sunglasses as well, and letting the neighbours know that i was indeed still alive.

In these circumstances it’s good to have family and friends who understand, and empathise.

Of course the beautiful weather was fabulous, but just a bit too bright for me at the time.

I managed to drive the dogs up to the forest for a run about yesterday. There is no chance of a walk with me for the next few days.

A couple of months ago I put in a request for a disability walker. You know the ones with four wheels and a wee seat. I already have an ‘account’ with social services, so I used the single access number to register my request.

030 33 33 3001

It was very easy, and I was assured that I would be put on the list straight away. Apparently the people who deliver these items wait till they have a few deliveries in the same area before actually getting it together to bring them. Now, I’m no einstein, but I would have thought that if you request and are approved for a mobility aid that means that you could really do with one as soon as possible.

So two months down, and I’m still waiting. I’ve just phoned the single access number again to check how the request is going, and been told that I have a Domiciliary visit tomorrow at 3pm. That’s at my home. Now, if I hadn’t rung this morning I would never have known! There has been no communication from them at all. I find this quite unacceptable to be honest. If they came and I wasn’t at home what would they do? As it happens I have a different appointment tomorrow at 4pm so I’ve just had to change the date of that one. The NHS are confirming appointments via text message now, with a link to give the details. I’ve had a few of those from the hospital, but nothing at all regarding this. How to raise your stress levels in one easy lesson!! I’ll let you know how the visit goes.

So the next thing in my diary is the whole family coming to visit at the end of the month. I can’t wait, in all honesty, but I know it will be 3 days of full-on-ness over the Bank Holiday. I may as well just rest from now……lol 😉😴😴😴😴

In the middle of all this my two wee dogs have had fun too. They went to sray with friends of mine whilst I went away. It was a steep learning curve for them as there are three cats 🐈 in the house. My friend trained my dogs not to chase. How cool is that? They came back all happy, and excited to be home, and now I can let our chickens out into the garden because the dogs won’t chase them!!

Thats what I call a real bonus.🤗

This morning I was put in Facebook purgatory for supposedly posting spam. I didn’t if course, but I have to sit in the corner with my head bowed in shame whilst the powers of Facebook decide my fate.

Seems like a good time to carry on my resting…..

so, Where’s my Netflix playlist,….

bye for now,

Eileen xx