2021 - Week 8 One Daily Positive - Just another week.

I've decided to unlink my blog from facebook. I post a link each week, people read then that's it, apart from fellow bloggers leaving a comment, I have no idea who has read it, then randomly get asked a question by someone I know that has so obviously come from a blog post but it is asked in a way as if they haven't read it and have been given the info by someone else.Why not just say 'I saw it on your blog' or 'someone else told me about it from your blog' I hate the fact so many people in real life now have access, it seems quite unfair, they read the blog, know what I'm getting up to, don't tell me and therefore miss an opportunity for me to ask them what they've been up to.

I've put on 8kg since I stopped smoking, I didn't realise this was happening until last week when I struggled to get into my jeans. I've been mostly wearing my walking gear when out or PJ's/track suit bottoms at home. I'm reducing the amount of food I'm eating and not buying any junk food so I can't eat it if it's not here. I've already cut out Gluten and citrus fruits due to migraines and dental implants, now to focus on cutting out/down sugars and stopped taking it in my tea and coffee. I refuse to go without my caffeine (once a day) and dairy in my latte. Although I have cut down on my cheese intake and have bought 'no fat' yogurts.

Sadly there is currently no increase to my iron intake or a reduction in my white blood cells. There is nothing little left I can now do other than regular infusions which are booked for next week.

51 Saturday Awake at 4am, more rain, stayed in bed on the lap top, walked Bob, spent some time sorting through the kids and mine keep sake stuff. Bob had a bath in the evening he was starting to stink and I sat on the sofa, watching The 2nd best Marigold Hotel and blogging under the cat.

52 Sunday Morning spent commenting on blog posts. Finally with help from my friends/neighbours the sofa is now out the other neighbours garage and back in the living room. I would like to add at this point, I've not had anyone else in my home for 11 days, this is technically a bubble for one day as they don't see anyone else either. I doubt I'll se anyone else now until regulations/rules are relaxed. Drove the car to the other side of town to walk Bob so I could take some photos of a construction project. I then spent the evening tidying and cleaning the attic rooms which I'm using for storage and as a craft room/study.

53 Monday I did nothing all day till 4pm other than have lunch and snooze on the sofa. I then had a bath, took Bob on a long walk, cleaned the bathrooms and did some more tidying in the attic rooms.

54 Tuesday I did nothing all morning. Visited the Osteopath in the afternoon, a quick shop in Waitrose for fresh items and the evening was spent as a virtual guest for the filming of QI from the comfort of my living room.

55 Wednesday I did nothing again all morning, then all of a sudden I was dressed, walked the dog, did some weeding, baked bread and cakes, did some washing and research for getting the dog to Northern Ireland as well as several telephone calls with family and friends.

56 Thursday Walked Bob at 7am then off to Worcester for my click and collect shopping from Tesco. I had a walk round the empty City centre and down by the river, had a lie down in the afternoon then rearranged the dining room. 

In the evening Peter and I shared our view of the moon from 3000 miles apart.

57 Friday Took Bob for a walk, then off to the Osteopath and post office on the way home. Rest of the day spent in bed or on the sofa, so tired. Did the ironing, watched TV and bed.

On the blog this week:

Post Comment Love - A weekly link for any post written this week

My Sunday Photo - Construction in Dubai. The Beach - 6 years apart.

What happens at on a TV recording ass a member of a virtual audience - My TV experience with QI

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Week 41 - One Daily Positive

I haven't been eating properly the past month, due to isolation and eating out of boredom, also with a migraine the past week, cooking has been difficult, so I did some batch cooking and can go back to my routine of shopping fortnightly, as I can meal plan and picking up fresh milk and fruit etc when needed.

I had a hospital appointment Saturday for an iron infusion, been getting dizzy and breathless with more frequency and the migraines have been back with a vengeance. The car park was almost empty and parking was free which was a bonus as I had no idea how long I'd be in there. I was also asked to replace my cloth mask for a paper one, apparently it's a new directive. There must be some science behind it. 

278 Sunday Up early, bathed and dressed. Cooked a few meals, caught up with blogging and comments, took Bob for a walk along the Malvern Hills, grabbed a take away coffee and home for a roast and to sort through yet more paperwork.

279 Monday I booked to visit a National Trust Site at Croome, they've opened up more of the grounds so a much longer walk for us, the house only opens in the afternoons and they said someone will look after Bob for me next time I visit if I want to go in, as long as it's quiet. I put the first part of the curtain track up in the conservatory.

280 Tuesday Took bob for a walk and tidied up the bits and pieces from where I'd been scrap booking and putting up curtain rails. Our Daughter in Law and Grandchild visited mid morning till late, we went out for a walk in the afternoon, had lunch and dinner. I was exhausted by the time they left.

281 Wednesday Had to go into Worcester for a refund for the door that Wickes finally collected, they emailed and tweeted saying it had to be done in store. When I got there they said they couldn't refund without knowing where the door was, made calls and informed me the refund was processed yesterday. Not a complete wasted trip, I walked around town, had coffee and bought material to make the curtains for the conservatory. I pout the rest of the rail up and had to do some complicated maths to work out the best cuts from the 2 part rolls I bought.

282 Thursday Spent the morning blogging, then planted out some winter seeds and did some more work on the dolls house, had lunch, started reading another book, dinner, walked Bob, moved a bed to the spare room, lugged a mattress upstairs and cut the material for the curtains. 

283 Friday Had to go out to buy more header tape, so treated myself to a coffee stop, home to finish cutting, sewing and hanging the curtains in the conservatory, sanded the dolls house down ready now to start painting. Met a friend in the afternoon to walk the dogs together. Sewed all the curtains and hung them to check for gathering and length.

284 Saturday At Worcester Royal Hospital for an iron infusion, the rest of the day spent in bed or on the sofa, had a really bad migraine within an hour, which was expected from previous experience, the dose is being split over two weeks so hopefully it won't last as long or be as intense as the last time.

On the blog this week:

The unseen Pier at Bierbeck in Weston Super mare

My September Garden

Jobs for the garden in October 

Box of Favours Sponsored Post

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Exercising a dog in Dubai in summer.

Between the end of November and the end of April, we walk outside, twice a day. In December, January and February, I walk Bob whenever the mood takes me or him and sometimes we'll have a 3rd walk in the middle of the day for something to do.

In March and April we walk according to the temperature, so usually within a couple of hours of sunrise and after sunset.

We're in June now. The sun rises at 5.30am and sets around 6.45pm. Before we set off on our morning walks, I check the ground temperature. In the same way you'd check a babies bottle isn't too hot before you give it to them. If I can't walk without burning my bare feet, then Bob can't walk either. 

Between June-October, walks will reduce to almost none as the humidity levels rise, even walking after sunset, it's still too hot for Bob to be exercising in temperatures of 45c. I started to reduce the length of the walks and cut them down to once a day. 

Bob has been enjoying a super long lead to go for walks around our neighbourhood. We do occasionally get tangled in a tree and there is some grass we can walk on, but most of it is sand, which gets as hot as the pavements.

I also take Bob to a dog park once a week. There's an outdoor area with a pool, where I let him run off some energy when we arrive and he'll take himself off for a dip in the pool.

  The indoor play area is air conditioned, with an indoor pool also.

We have our own pool at home, with solid walls which I use to bathe Bob in. I'd like to get a bigger one for us both to use, but the garden is too small.

I'm in the UK now till the end of August. Bob will be spending most of the time in kennels. It's a large indoor play space, where he can mix with other dogs, get regular exercise as well as a comfy bed and food. He actually loves going to Doggie Day Care and is a regular visitor at Paw Parking. 

Animal Tales in Dubai

In the last 3 weeks it has become cool enough to spend time outdoors and we've resumed our weekly trips into the desert with Bob.

 It would appear though we've broken the dog with all this sudden walking every evening and running off the lead.

 The cat lost her extra weight over the summer from being kept indoors due to the heat and away from the stray cat feeding scheme and is back enjoying her nights out on the tiles. She is still spending the days indoors and seems quite happy with the arrangement.

 We're seeing more stray cats around. This one is at the local shop near work. It has had it's ear clipped so rescuers know it has been TNR'd. Trapped, neutered and released.

 This is the latest stray to have adopted us and waits on the wall for me every morning, it's ever so friendly. I'm not feeding it, but we have a little chat every morning and it just wants some love and affection.

 Ras Al Kor nature reserve is on my route home from work, so I stopped to take this photo in the week. It is in a nd around this area they will be building the World's tallest structure at over 1km high, the nature reserve will remain untouched, but I'm sure the wildlife will be affected as the landscape changes dramatically over the next few years. 

 I found these stuffed toys in a toy shop in Dubai Mall, almost life-size and with a hefty price tag, just who buys these things? Where do they put them and what do they do with them?

 The downside of winter is that the insect are now out in full force and we are over run with ants and flying things and we're starting to get bitten when we sit outdoors in the evenings.......grrrrrrrr.

Dog walking in Dubai

Dog walking in Dubai

So far Bob and I can walk where we like, when we like as long as we don’t go on the beach or in shops. Bob must stay on the lead at all times.

Bob is from South Africa, he is a veld dog, he lived with us on a golf estate where there was little traffic and what there was, was very slow. We also took him to nature reserves, where again there was no traffic and we could let him off the lead.

Bob is very unsettled, not just with the traffic but the sights, scents and sounds. He’s off like a blood hound everytime we leave the front gate, we cross the main roads and he’s jumping out of his skin at the engine noises of V8’s and supercars, mind you it unsettles me a bit when one revs up alongside.

As long as I take a few treats with me, reassure him, order him to sit and keep him on a very short leash, we’re managing things, however we’re not as successful with air brakes on the bin lorries and are avoiding going out at certain times as I’m fed up of being dragged into hedgerows as Bob runs for his life.

It’s winter time here and I’m waking Bob early in the morning and early in the evening as even now it’s far to hot to walk out in the day time. I can imagine in the height of summer Bob and I will only be outside when it is dark.