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

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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

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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.

Week 25 One Daily Positive and Project 365

The negatives

I'm bloody shattered, still haven't caught up with my sleep. Bloody boiling hot all week and too many medical appointments. Migraine meds and this heat reacting and side effects unpleasant. I'm just trying to get through to the weekend as I don't won't to miss out on the fun stuff, but something will have to give.

The positives

I had an amazing weekend and I'm grateful that I can not only afford to do things like fly to Paris, but I'm physically capable of doing it as well. Same time, same pace (maybe a different train platform) next year.

Saturday 20th June It was hard sleeping due to the heat. After breakfast we were out by 9am on the train to Luxembourg Gardens and then back on the train to Notre Dame and a walk to Pont Neuf to see the art installation on the the bridge, a walk back to The Palais de Justice where Marie Antoniette was held prisoner and back near our accommodation for lunch and the afternoon was spent sleeping as the temps hit 36c and it was just too hot to do anything. In the evening we were on the train to Rue to Rivoli to some up under the pyramid of the Louvre. We strolled up to Place de la Concorde and caught the train to George V on the Champs Elysees and at sunset climbed the 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We then watched a lightening storm and fireworks from our balcony that both lasted around half an hour.

Sunday 21st June A better sleep, breakfast and off to Chatelet les Halles and I strongly recommend that unless you have to go to this station, just don't. It's a massive station with connections to every street and station in Paris. We finally found our exit and relaxed in Starbucks for an hour whilst waiting for the local game store to open to collect some Pokemon cards. Next up a wander over to Notre Dame where we'd forgotten to take photos the previous day, some souvenir shopping and lunch in our favourite place. Back to the apartment where I packed, had a shower and set off for the airport. I arrived with 6 hours to spare as trains were being cancelled in the morning due to heat and lack of air conditioning, there were strikes on some services and rather stay in the apartment or lug my bag around in the heat, it made more sense just to be relaxed in the airport where I had dinner, read my book, drank coffee, video called the grandkids and had a half hour nap on a sofa. Flights across Europe were cancelled due to thunder storms also. Thankfully mine was only delayed by 5 mins but I was glad I'd chilled out at the airport and avoided all the stress. Peter collected me and we got home around midnight.

Monday 22nd June It was a long and hot day in work which included javelin throwing for PE. I met Peter for a coffee in town, then home for a nap on the sofa before going to gym in the evening. Bath, dinner and long chat with my niece and an early night.

Tuesday 23rd June A good sleep and a long day in work with power cuts and none stop complaining from the kids as if I could do something about the sun. Home via the retail park to do some shopping and Peter met me. I then went back out to the gym, had a bath and a carefully choreographed call with my friend who was also in the bath. I watered the garden, then went to bed to watch the second half of the football and do some blogging.

Wednesday 24th June I had the coolest classroom today covering English as it has tone of the few air con units, still didn't stop everyone moaning about the heat, also didn't stop everyone running around around at break and playing football at lunch. Peter spent the day visiting his mum in Keynsham and after work I had an appointment at the breast screening clinic. When did they stop calling them mammograms? Off to the gym, dinner, a family drama that was unnecessary. Video chat with niece, call with cousin on her honeymoon and plans for weekend with friends firmed up.

Thursday 25th June I was wilting by 1pm and the students were struggling to keep up. I had 3 classes combined into one with 9 students in total. For English I had 3 students and by period 5, the TA and I gave up and we took our 4 students for a wander in the cooler corridors, ignored a small water fight and found some shade and a bit of  breezy area outside. I came home, we had a hours nap, lost my rag with lack of air in the house and drove to the common to sit in the shade for an hour. Had a call from the GP surgery about my meds and medical review and next steps for further treatment. Called in at Morrisons, continued watching Clarkson's farm, cold bath and bed. 

Friday 26th June Opted to lie in a little and got stuck behind every tractor going and arrived in work with a minute to spare. Another hot day which actually felt muggier. More kids in today, but ice lollies delivered to classrooms was a big help. My classroom reached 32c today. Home behind every tractor Herefordshire had available and into town to get my nails done. Peter met me for coffee then evening spent on video calls and unwrapping my presents, dinner and Clarkson's farm, garden watered and bed by 10pm.

On the blog this week:

A weekend in Paris

Word of the week - Birthday

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Word of the week - Birthday

June is a busy month for Birthdays.

Both our daughter in laws have birthdays in June, so does my mother, a couple of friends, our son's dog and more importantly so do I.

I'm 55 today. What a number.

Child free or empty nester, not yet retired, but defiantly adapting to a slower pace of life or am I?

I ran a marathon in the spring. I'm running an ultra this autumn.

I've just got back from a weekend in Paris with a friend and boy am I feeling it, trying to catch up on missed sleep is not an option these days, it's a challenge.

My son had a pop at me when I complained about the heat 'you used to live in Dubai, get on with it' I spent the bloody summers in the UK, not Dubai for this very reason and we had air con, like everywhere, even in the beer gardens.

So what am I doing for my birthday in this heat? Well I'll be in work on Friday, I'm taking biscuits into school. I'm not being tight, well I am, I can't eat the cakes everyone else brings in for their birthdays so I'm not spending out a lot of money, in fact I'm not sure why I've even bothered buying anything at all now as I'm typing this out. 

I've had cards and presents come through the post already. I've opened cards, but not gifts.

We're going out for the day on Saturday which will involve a lunch and friends and a walk and I'm hoping to spend most of Sunday in bed followed by a trip to the coffee shop and at some point I'm really hoping that I've dropped enough hints and there will be cake.

As the week has gone on, new plans have developed and I'm actually camping on my friends drive Saturday night and visiting another on Sunday morning, so no lie in, no sign of any cake on Thursday night either.

Post Comment Love 26th -29th June 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 had an amazing weekend in Paris with my friend Dorette, although the weather was way too hot and we had to retreat indoors around 2pm and not venture back out till 8pm. But that meant we saw some amazing sunsets from the balcony and the Arc de Triomphe and we treated ourselves to ice creams under the Eiffel Tower one evening.

Another exciting weekend as I turn 55 today, I'm in work today but spending the evening with Pent and  time with friends over the weekend and chilling out with a lunch and a walk and fingers crossed a cake.

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