It has been a freezing week here in the UK, with widespread snow and some areas completely cut off.  Now the big thaw starts….we hope!  I can’t claim to have been cut off, but the cold is not the friend of my back and the titanium inside me feels as cold as the snow outside.  My spinal cord stimulator has been doing battle with the chronic nerve pain in my leg and back, as is seemed to ricochet off the charts….forget pain scored out of 10, how about multiply that by 10.  Even turning the stimulator up – increasing the intensity and speed of the “current” that I feel – couldn’t dampen it.

But the good news is that whilst I have been keeping warm inside I have been doing a fair bit of blog browsing and even got round to finally registering on UK blogs!  I guess the next thing to do is sort out going self hosted – the student engineer is supposed to be doing this and hosting me, after all IT and software is his thing – and he has been web hosting since he was about 14.  But I am just his mother….and placed way down the list of priorities!!!  There are no plans in the pipeline to attempt to make my fortune blogging, but it would be nice to be able to be available for some more review opportunities…..so come on, son, get it sorted.  He is currently sitting here programming and flying a drone in my lounge……aghhh mind the dog! (My video won’t work so a pic will give you the idea)

The other son has been in contact this week, but not because he wanted to make conversation with his parents…..we usually just get messages passed on from Snapchats received by the lovely girl.  He wants his suit, his shoes, tie and tie pin sent to him….by this Thursday please for a formal dinner.  Hmmm….I wonder if there will be a little something for Mother’s Day sent by return courier?  I won’t hold my breath.

Our other family member to be happy to see the thaw is our shaggy old dog, Samson.  He will hide rather than have to go outside and I am sure that the cold makes his arthritis worse.  But do you think he will take his pills? We have tried burying in his food, wrapping in melted cheese, fig rolls, even inside pasta….but he is wise to it all now and will eat his food leaving 3 pills in the bottom of the bowl, with not a tooth mark on them!!  Suggestions people – he is on doggy cocodamol and Pardale V – and his cocodamol costs a damn site more than mine!!

So now some blogs for you – I have found everything from heat hacks (perfect just now), to skills we mustn’t lose (please, please let me know how you score…and if you have tapped a tree!), to making fashion accessible.  Sustainability is very current and we can probably all pick up some tips to change our habits, and if you are planning a UK or European city break don’t miss The Style Thread.  The final post in an invitation to a special virtual coffee morning on International Women’s Day – join with bloggers globally to celebrate.

Grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy some “me” time!

https://teaandmaz.com/2018/03/03/anxiety-makes-want-hate-convinces-believe-everyone/

http://ohlovelyblossom.com/personal-battle-anxiety-tips-overcoming-panic-overwhelm-stress/

https://eco-gites.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/skills-we-must-not-lose.html

http://www.someplacestrange.net/2018/03/sustainable-me.html

https://bettysib1998.wixsite.com/young-sick-invisible/single-post/2018/03/02/Heat-Hacks-1

http://www.pigletish.com/blog/mentalillness

http://retrainbrainandsimply-shine.co.uk/how-being-really-vulnerable-resulted-in-my-diagnosis

https://myblurredworld.com/2018/02/18/making-fashion-accessible-blind-vi-person/

http://www.thestylethread.co.uk/2018/02/city-breaks.html

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/international-womens-day-march-8th-2018-pressforprogress-coffee-morning-next-wednesday/

Please comment, like and share these posts if you enjoy them!

Have a great week,

Claire x