Week 28 One Daily Positive and Project 365

The negatives

Been feeling sick all week, every time I eat or drink anything, so been eating smaller meals. The meds GP gave me had so many side effects and made things worse. I've just got to work my own way round this. A blown tyre and a cut shin.

The positives

Migraine finally eased and getting some decent sleep, last week of school went really well with trips and activities. A thoughtful gift from a friend.

Saturday 11th July 9th anniversary since my dad died and the night I met one of my best friends. Peter and I made our way down to Newport to meet Rosie and Simon our oldest Twitter and real life friends of 17 years. Then onto Tredegar Park to set up camp for the night. A walk around and found some deck chairs in the shade to read. Out for dinner at the Dragonfly and back to watch Bellingham win the football ‘he’s one of our own’ #bcfc

Sunday 12th July Packed up and popped into Asda to buy lunch picnic style and called in to visit Nephew, Niece in law and great niece for the day. Only 90 mins away and we really don’t visit enough. I gave great niece my troll collection from the 80/90s which she loved. We drove home via Monmouth for a coffee. Van unpacked. Garden watered, outdoor lights changed, cat had been unwell so rug and sofa washed. Dinner made, book read, TV watched and bed.

Monday 13th July 2026 A very stressful afternoon with a tyre blow out. Home almost 2 hours late. Changed for gym, went for coffee to calm down, gym was hard, home, dinner, shower and bed.

Tuesday 14th July school trip to Birmingham Bullring. Fab day out with the kids, lots of money spent, lots of back and forth taking kids to Primark. Got to know another member of staff really well over a Starbucks and on the journey. Home, changed, spin class, football, dinner, bath and bed. The HS2 link.

Wednesday 15th July Morning spent creating online mentoring folders and afternoon playing Traitors with year 9. Home and some tidying then Peter and I did a food shop. Peter drove home, I went to the gym and with 20 mins to spare before KO I ran home in 17 mins. A late night after post match commentary.

Thursday 16th July Back to Birmingham with school and apart from having to direct the coach driver into the centre, it was another good day. Afternoon and evening spent gardening, waffles for dinner, early bath and bed

Friday 17th July Last day of school. Sports day. I fell off a bench and cut my shin open. I ended up with a mixture of year 7s and 8s in the afternoon. We had a mixture of UNO, a movie and a nail bar on the go. Home via a coffee with Peter to show him my new nails. We watched some telly, video calls with the grandchildren, had a BBQ and a visit from the children next door for a duck and treasure hunt, bubble blowing and chalk drawing. A late night, tired but happy.

On the blog this week:

Word of the week - complications

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

Days out in my campervan in June 

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Post Comment Love 17th-19th July 2026

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

Want to find out more about Post Comment Love #PoCoLo? 

What an exciting week with the World Cup. 

We were camping on the weekend and watching the quarter final final game Norway v England on ITV.com on a 10 second delay. I heard the cheers on the campsite, but Peter didn't and was disappointed I'd spoilt it for him with singing 'he's one of our own' for both of Bellinghams goals.

Spain beating France on Tuesday and England beating World Cup holders Argentina on Wednesday night.

or

England going out to World Cup holders Argentina on Wednesday night.

(Blog post written and scheduled on Wednesday just before kick off, I think England can do this)

Will England be in the finals on the weekend? No

Who knows? 3rd and 4th place to be decided on Saturday at 10pm

Either way I'll be watching.

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Word of the week - Complications

My tyre blew out on me on Monday driving home at 50mph. After regaining control, I came to a halt just off the road at a 4x4 garage. After checking I was ok, they ordered a new tyre and I left the car there for the night and Peter picked me up. We returned the following day to collect the car.

All sounds simple enough, but if you know me, you'll realise it was a slightly bigger story than that.

My tax had expired and my breakdown didn't cover me as I therefore had no insurance and we couldn't find the V5C (log book) and I had a breakdown. Then I calmed down and the people in the garage were very kind and they made the suggestion that they would sort the car and even offered me a lift home.

I tried to tax the car, but without the V5C I needed to apply for a new one which takes up to 2 weeks to arrive so no car...mmmmm I phoned the BMW dealers in Plymouth, they very kindly said they'd sort the change of address out as they'd sent the V5C to the wrong address and that was why I'd never received the renewal notice. 

It's still my legal responsibility to ensure I have tax, but I'll be honest so much has gone astray since Stephanie died, that unless it's on a direct debit or I write it down and set endless reminders these days, things do just pass me by. It's so not like me, it frightens me.

The dealership not only changed the address for me, but on my behalf they paid the full years tax in person at the post office the following morning (I did have to pay them back for that part) 

I popped to the house where the post had been going to, to apologise for the error, no worries. He said there had been a parking fine from Waitrose in May, so off I popped to `Waitrose who are kindly chasing this up for me as I'm worried it'll end up as a CCJ if it gets left unpaid as it's with one of those 3rd party parking companies.

Sometimes things are more complicated than they need to be and sometimes it's other people that complicate things.

I was able to keep a clear head and work through things methodically. I took my time and was calm when talking to everyone involved, taking full responsibility for the situation (lack of car tax) and asking for assistance and I was helped, above and beyond. I didn't talk about Stephanie or say I was struggling with grief, I just asked for help and I received it and everything worked out.

I've just got to wait now and see if there are any penalties for not having paid the car tax on time and I'll deal with that as and when.

Days out in my campervan in June 2026

There really aren't that many days out in the campervan at all, unless you count the days I take the van to work because Peter needs the car or I fill it up with diesel because the Maple Leaf garage near where I work is one of the cheapest in the UK.

In the summer there's no real need for the van on a day out as we'll take a picnic and not really go back to the van to eat it as the car park is usually too far from the event we're attending and who wants to sit in a car park to eat their lunch. If we're at the beach, you can rarely park anywhere near the sea or where you get a decent view other than looking at an industrial or housing estate or you're in the middle of town, so we tend to take the car where we don't have to think about height restriction barriers either and we can access more parking spaces with multi story and underground car parks.

The van seems to be used more for days out in the autumn and winter months when less people are out and about due to the weather, when we prefer to be out, when we can shelter in the van from the rain and the cold, have a picnic in the dry, out the kettle on and get changed and dry out before heading home and it encourages us to get out the house more in the winter months than we did before.

This year I've challenged myself to camp at least one night every month in the van and this month I almost didn't make it. I managed to sneak a night on my friends drive in Monmouth, literally arriving and asking her to move a car as I was setting up.

She offers me a bed in the house each time I go over, but I sleep so well in the van and honestly it's quicker to set up the van than it is for her to have to strip and change a bed after I've stayed.

My friend's drive has a lovely view, you'd never imagine I was in a housing estate. It's lovely and secluded at the end of a cut de sac.

The other side of the fence is a walkway, rarely used other than the occassionaol dog walker, but in the night there was a bit of a panic with a loud thud and a slump, followed by a second and a third. I quietly pressed the lock button on the keys. No further movement and I went back to sleep.

In the morning there was evidence of squirrels or cats having fallen out the tree and sliding down the roof, the windscreen and scurrying away. I suspect they hadn't encountered a sloped vehicle roof before.

I've been googling and following Ford Nugget groups to try and see if there is a better way to fold the material of the roof. It appears that I;m actually folding it better than most and I've shared a few tips of my own in several places. I can fold the roof down in under a minute and I'm that confident I can do it without trapping any of the material on the outside I rarely check these days. I just there was a way to make it look neater on the inside just for my benefit.

The pink material is my bed sheet, that I forgot to tuck away properly.

July's trip so far was to Newport to visit friends and family. Schools break up soon and we'll be off on more travels soon.

Week 27 One Daily Positive and Project 365

The positives 

Got selected to run the London Marathon 2027. Made it through another heatwave week in school with no aircon and migraine free, so far. 

The negatives

It's too bloody hot.

Saturday 4th July I had a lie in after a disturbed nights sleep and we headed off to Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds for midday, starting with coffee and lunch in the cafe, then strolling round the house and gardens and getting home at 5pm. It was a lovely and relaxing day. After a bath I was in bed around 9pm.

Sunday 5th July Another night without a lot of sleep. I went out to the retail park to do a bit of shopping and for a coffee. I did some research into some changes that may have contributed to this last migraine attack with a reed diffuser and medication side effects playing a big role.

Monday 6th July Back to work, still feeling ill, the head pain comes and goes and I've been getting headaches as well as migraines, thankfully not at the same time and the headaches are left sided. I'd had a disturbed sleep waking around 2.30am and turning the telly on to watch a bit of the England game. Work was a late one with a staff meeting till 5pm. Home and I picked Peter up on my way from the retail park and stopped for a coffee, had a bath, some dinner and straight to bed.

Tuesday 7th July Slept a solid 9 hours. Still tired on waking. Into work, some drama re trips and students. Into town after work to the post office to send a gift to grandsons in Northern Ireland and a print from Paris for son in Australia. I had a coffee, did a bit of shopping, home for dinner, a cold bath and in bed by 9pm.

Wednesday 8th July Slept another solid 9 hours. Tired on waking again. Into work, hotting up and muggy. I don't bat an eyelid at some of the things I have to write up that go on in work. Home, hot and bothered and after a lie down and a snack, I decided to go back to the gym for stretch and mobilise. Got the class time wrong, so had a coffee first. Home, watered the garden, had a light dinner, a cold shower and straight into bed.

Thursday 9th July Home from work and evening spent on the laptop in the garden sending emails, uploading photos, blog posts, updating my diary, taking more photos for vinted to upload over the weekend. Sorting through some of my childhood toys for my great niece. I got notified that I have a place in the London Marathon next year and my pre ordered 25/26 4th kit from Birmingham City arrived just in time for the 26/27 season.

Friday 10th July Too hot in work, the library was registering 39c by 9am. I spent the day supervising year 10's not in mocks and most of the day was spent outdoors. Home via the coffee shop to meet Peter, some food shopping, had dinner, watered the garden mostly from emptying the water tank in the van that I'd forgotten about. Plenty of ice pops. I made several phone and video calls to family and friends and packed for my weekend trip way. Had dinner then popped round the neighbours for half an hour, watched the 2nd half of the football and had a bath and into bed.

On the blog this week:

Post Comment Love - link up with any post written this week

Word of the week - sapped

The best bits of June 2026

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Post Comment Love 10th-12th July 2026

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

I've been back in work this week, still headachy, but just getting on with it. I guess I could sit in A&E or phone the Dr up everyday and scream I'm in pain 24/7 but it doesn't take the pain away, so living with it is what I'm doing. It becomes a dull ache, more of a constant tap, tap, tap on the side of the head with a random ear piercing noise and bright light shone in the back of your eye for a split second with an occasional smack on the head with a brick, then we're back to normal which is the constant tap, tap, tap on the side of the head.

If I could liken it to anything it would be the worst hangover you've ever had.

I received some fantabulous news yesterday.

I still don't consider myself a runner. I'm still not following any official training program, but for the London Marathon in April 2027 I have 9 months to train unlike the Brighton Marathon in April 2026 I only had 6 months to prepare having not run since I was in school.

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Word of the week - sapped

I am completely physically and menatally exhausted. It's taking every ounce of strength and energy I have to function.

I am functioning but at my own speed, in my own time and on my own terms and conditions.

I'm able to look after myself physically in terms of ensuring I'm fed, have adequate sleep, my personal hygiene is seen to and I'm making time to look presentable with hair and make up. I can function to drive the car and arrive at work on time. I don't unpack my work bag and stick to a strict routine of making my lunch as soon as I get home and packing it in the fridge and laying my clothes out for the morning, before I switch off for the day and by switching off for the day I mean do absolutely nothing.

I am so sapped that sometimes I come home and lie down on the bed and then nothing, no social media, no TV. I have a bath, something to eat and I go to bed. Other days I will stop on the way home for a coffee and do some blogging like I'm doing now (Tuesday) with Peter coming out to meet me and other times I water the garden and follow along with a program on the TV. 

I've 6 hours between getting home from work and going to bed and an hour in the mornings to get ready in before going to work. Weekends are free to do whatever I want to do. Peter is home to keep things ticking over and that's all that's happening at the moment for me. 

I'm not bored or frustrated. I'm not irritated or annoyed. I'm not even upset by it. 

I've no energy or time for anything or anyone else. No one has noticed my absence, some have noticed my lack of effort as surliness rather than with care and concern and the possibility that something may be wrong.

The heat isn't helping, having migraines has wiped me out, medication changes and side effects almost finished me off and missing Stephanie just makes things a million times worse.

I guess I've just been on a low. I'm waiting for things to happen, other people to make decisions that inform my decisions. 

I got my email this morning from to say I've been successful in the London Marathon ballot for 2027. 

We're away this weekend seeing friends and family and the weather is cooling next week and only a week left in school before the summer holidays, so I'm hoping I'll get chance to recharge my batteries, get back to the running and have a rest and switch my brain off for a while also.

I've had nothing to do for a long time. I don't do well having nothing to do. I need a challenge, a target. Just sitting around and doing nothing tires me out. I become lethargic and it gets harder and harder to get going again.

The best bits of June 2026

In no particular order.

It's been a long month, a cold month and a hot month. It's been packed and full of travel, days out, my birthday and a trip to hospital.

Cat keeping cool but me hot.

At my cousin's wedding in Eastbourne.

The morning of the wedding on the front in Seaford.

My first time volunteering with junior parkrun at Chippenham Playing Fields in Monmouth.

Monmouth Carnival.

Beautiful flowers in the garden.

Our school stayed open in the heatwave, it was hard going, but numbers were low and there were a couple of fans, but absolutely no air conditioning.

Not as hot as car temps in Dubai, I used to finish teaching in Dubai I the summer and the car would record temps of 57c. Seat belt and buckle burning and steering wheel too hot touch.

Annual weekend in Paris with my friend.

Lots of lovely foods.

Coffee shop dates for one mostly this month.

Walks around Malvern.

Trip to the theatre "Abigail's Party'

Birthday cards and gifts, shared with Father's Day for the week.

A visit to the Three Counties.

A visit to Hidcote.

I don't care much for June, I'm glad it's gone along with all its dramas. I don't care much for July either. In fact I don't really care for much at all right now.

June reminds me of loss.

It was when we came back to the UK during covid. It's a trigger point of control and manipulation. It's the countdown of the last happy times spent with Stephanie. 

There is lots to be happy for and celebrate, it's difficult when it all intertwines and for now it is difficult to separate, it wasn't on the 4th of July when I started this post. But today the 6th when I'm finishing it up, it's hard, so I'll leave it up. Maybe tomorrow or even in an hours time, things will feel different, that grief.

Week 26 One Daily Positive and Project 365

Cake Gate - There was no birthday cake. But there was a huge bar of Birthday Chocolate from my friend.

The positives

Not sure if this is a positive really after finding the USB fan in the van, after the heat wave. I didn't have a fan in several of my classes last week, but I did get through the week.

The negatives

Migraines triggered from the heat in Paris last weekend still be held at bay by medication, have taken more meds through the UK heat wave, ended up in hospital on Tuesday.

Saturday 27th June Had a lie in then off to Hidcote to meet Mary and her son for the day for a catch up and a walk. Then home and back out at 4pm to Monmouth to see a friend for a couple of hours, then off to camp on another friends drive for the night. In bed by 11pm. First triptan taken due to migraine aura identified.

Sunday 28th June Woke at 3.30am with a couple of thuds on the van roof. Discovered paw prints and long skids tracks down the window that look like squirrels had fallen out the trees during the night. Into town to volunteer for junior parkrun then off for coffee. Back to the house to pack the van up and returned to town for the carnival and DIL joined us with the grandchildren. Home via a stop in Starbucks where I caught up with some work from school. Peter made a BBQ and evening spent in front of the TV, early bed due to head pain.

Monday 29th June Awake most of the night in agony with migraine 2nd lot of meds taken at 7am and I slept till midday, then on and off till around 6pm. Peter went out to play golf in the afternoon. I managed to keep some food down and drank a lot of fluids.

Tuesday 30th June Hardly any sleep due to severe pain, phoned Dr who got me in at Same Day Emergency Care in Worcester. I was seen, treated and home in 6 hours. had a drip, IV paracetamol and anti sickness meds and a referral back to neurology. Home around 6pm, plenty of fluids, rest, a bath and straight to bed.

Wednesday 1st July No work again. I managed a walk to the pharmacy to collect my prescription then straight back to bed for the rest of the morning and uploaded photos onto vinted that I'd taken several weeks ago. Not feeling hungry, but am drinking well and spent the afternoon in the back room dozing and watching some TV. Got up to watch the England game but fell asleep after they went 1-0 down, woke for England's equaliser with a 'TFFT' then over celebrated the winning goal, had a bath and a lie down in the back room and bed by 8pm and asleep by 10pm

Thursday 2nd July Walked to Dr's for blood test and B12 injection and Peter picked me up as I'd over done it. Home and spent till lunch time lying in the back room doing nothing other than watching a bit of TV and some blogging and some sleeping. It was a close friend's, friend's funeral today. We knew James and had seen him recently, he was 61. After lunch I went back to bed for an hour then showered and I popped out for half an hour in the evening to see my old student who had invited me to see her off for her prom. I came home and went straight to bed.

Friday 3rd July I'm just so bloody tired, feel sick and woke with head pain. Been really careful with meds as I'm fully aware of rebound headaches. Been eating properly and keeping hydrated, getting up out of bed and dressed to ensure I'm motivated. All stressed removed from my life and surrounding myself only with people who give back. This is the end of the second week of head pain. I'm aiming to go back to work on Monday I can't just stay off work forever, I can afford to retire, but that's not me, I need to get back out running and to the gym, baby steps. I took myself out in the afternoon and had a coffee, wearing my sunglasses indoors and realised I couldn't read so popped into Poundland to buy some reading sunglasses and realised I still couldn't read as it was too bright still, so wrote some letters to son in Australia and grandchildren in Northern Ireland. Peter did a BBQ for an early dinner. I had a bath, into my pjs and sat in the back room watching TV before going to bed at 9pm.

On the blog this week:

My garden in June Part 2

Word of the week - Malfunction

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

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Post Comment Love 3rd-5th July 2026

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

How did we get to July so quickly? This year really needs to slow down.

I've had no goals this year other than to spend at least one night a month in the campervan and I almost didn't make it in June until I snook a night in on my friends drive last weekend for the Monmouth Carnival and an afternoon with the grandchildren.

It's been a bit of a mixed week.

I've been off work this week with a migraine and a visit to hospital. I had a hacking cough, stomach bug and spent most of the week sleeping.

A close friend's, friend, who we knew and had spent some time with, died suddenly in May and it was his funeral yesterday. He was 61. 

My old student invited me to see her off from her home for her prom on Thursday evening.

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Word of the Week - Malfunction

It's been a difficult week this week. I've really struggled with my health and ended up in hospital in same day emergency care on Tuesday having not been able to shift a migraine for 12 days.

I think this one has been triggered by the constant heat. My preventative medication has reduced my migraines from 15 a month that have required additional medication to only 17 over the past 12 months that have required more than one dose of triptans to treat. That's quite a reduction.

The migraines are so debilitating, whilst I can function, go to work and get on with things, they take so much out of me.

Towards the end of last week I managed work, home, meds, bed and on the weekend I took it really slowly, lots of meds and it went unnoticed as most people were feeling fatigued, slow and over tired with the heat in work. The pain gets held at bay with the medication, all the other parts of the migraine are still there. 

All I've done this week is sleep, get up to eat, manage to either pick up a prescription, walk to the local shop and have a blood test before going back to bed and sleeping for several hours, then sleeping throughout the night. 

I haven't been able to focus on reading or watching the TV and have found it difficult to hold a conversation. Let alone catch up with the reading I had planned.

The hospital meds have taken the pain away, well most of it, but I'm still not functioning. I obviously need the rest both physically and mentally.

The garden was set up on Sunday with the plan that I'd be sitting out in it this week after work, having BBQ's (we ran out of gas. Peter cooked inside) I've been sitting inside, looking out. It's just as pretty with the doors wide open and lovely and cool.

I'd had plans to weed the front garden, but that didn't happen and I didn't let it bother me, the ground was too hard anyway.

I did manage to get some photos uploaded onto Vinted and sold a few items within minutes with a coat heading out the door and off to Melbourne.

I had to cancel all my gym sessions this week and that made me restless, but I lacked the energy to tie my laces.

I managed to watch the England game although I did doze off during the first and the second half as it did look like they were going to malfunction after the 6th minute. After England's first goal I commented with 'TFFT' but I nearly ruptured a vein when they scored the second goal and shortly afterwards took more meds and had an early night.

We had planned a weekend away camping but decided to cancel as I just need some down time, a few lie ins and a chance to chill out and re set. 

My Garden in June Part 2 2026

The garden is looking spectacular, everything is in full flower, the fruits and vegetables are all in flower or early fruit. It's jsut a shame it has been too hot to sit in the garden and enjoy it.

We've finally got round to cutting the fir tree down and hoping to be able to transfer it to the front garden along with the hydrangea, along with the rest of this soil to finish levelling the front lawn off and create a hedge.

We're being conservative with watering and our more needy plants are in the shade.

I'd not realised how many of Stephanie's roses had bloomed, they've now been dead headed. They smell so beautiful.

The water butt is almost empty and no rain is forecast for another week. The overflow containers have been empty for ages now. We're already using the washing up water for the front garden. I want to get another water butt for the house extension to be able to collect more rain water.

We had a fab day out to Hidcote in the Cotswolds with Mary and her son last weekend. I love visiting gardens to get ideas for ours. It was the planting combinations that I was interested this time and I identified lots of plants in full flower that I'd been pulling up out of our front garden thinking they were weeds. 

Obviously everything one sees in these gardens has to be scaled down when one tries to replicate it and I'm not sure most of these ideas ever work. However, I can replicate these ideas.