Canal Paths

When I decided to move to England there were loads of this that I was expecting and looking forward to about the country and culture. But I have come to love something I did not even realize existed.

When I think of canal's I think of Amsterdam and Holland. I do not think of England. Yet there are loads of them in England. They are wooded affairs which cross all parts of England. They used to be used as "roads" for carrying all manner of goods be slow moving barges pulled by horses or donkeys before engines made their debut. Now they are used as recreational spaces and long canal boats leisurely make their way through locks which the boat operators open and close themselves. The old towpaths that the horses used to plod along are now used by walkers of dog, runners, cyclists, and commuters.

I have come to love them. The paths wind along the canal varying in widths and maintenance level. They offer up a large variety of views from rolling English vista's to peeks into others back gardens. They offer a traffic free place to ride your bike, run or walk enjoying a cool breeze and a shaded path on a sunny day. The wildlife, occasionally if you are quiet enough, share a bit of their world with you as you travel by. Wildflowers and trees vary your view and provide the occasional fruit snack as you pass. I have been riding loads along the River Wey canal path on a regular basis and try and explore other canal pathways as well. They offer up what I like to think of as a secret view of England.

W4CR challenge completed!

June 21 2013. The wind blowing at just the right speed (15-20 knots) The direction not to shabby, a bit onshore but okay. Location, Hayling Island Seafront. Support crew, husband; photographer, husband! Challenge: to windsurf double the time (4 hours) I normally am on the water and to complete 20 dry tacks (record so far being 3 in an hour).

We arrived at the beach and the conditions looked good. The tide was high and I was being a bit of a chicken so after everything was rigged up I did a bit of "simulator" training with my board (minus the fin) and my rig on a sandy bit of the beach. I think I was really trying to calm myself down a bit.

By 13:30 I hit the water. I had decided ahead of time to split my time up into sessions so that I would have breaks for food and water. Due to the wind being "light" we had decided that I would use Mark's smallest sail (the largest I had ever attempted to  sail) a 5.5; so most of the first hour was me getting used to his sail, the feel, the weight, and its reaction. While I tried to get planing a lot of my runs were wobbly and full of bad body stance. However I did manage to get 10 dry tacks in! Well to be honest I really did 12 but my adjudicator (Mark) decided that two of them didn't count as he was only counting the dry ones that I sailed well into and well out of. ARGH!!So at the end of session 1, one hour under my belt and 10 dry tacks. If I could keep this up I would be laughing.

Second session: Focus on blasting. With a few encouragements and hints from Mark I really focused on getting into and out of the harness quicker, dropping and digging, and stance. What a difference that made. Everything got light and felt very balanced and best of all I was blasting along. Not in the foot straps, but moving at a good pace with everything light. I even practiced taking my hands (one at a time) off the boom. It was such fun. I was also able to sail for longer distances with confidence now that I had this technique better. But my tacks....not so good. They for what ever reason got very wet! By the end of the  second session I had only increased my count of good dry tacks up to 14. Worse...I was feeling exhausted. Lunch and a long break was needed.

Third session: Dark clouds rolled in and I'm not talking figuratively; the thickening clouds matched how I felt, my hands were sore, my arms trembling and small things that I have long mastered seemed like a massive effort. Worse it felt like I was sailing terribly, everything I tried to do felt like it wasn't working. I was discouraged and I wanted to come off the water. But I knew that you all were rooting for me and I knew that if I just kept pushing I would make it. Somehow I dug deep ignored the dark grey clouds, my sore hands, and trembling arms and managed to push my good dry tack count up to 18. Even more surprising was Mark's comments when I came off the water, he said that this session had probably been my best so far, and that I looked like I was moving faster and sailing faster. MIND GAMES...maybe fatigue helps to focus your technique...I don't know. All I know was that I was glad I only had one more session to go.

Danielle (who I've been getting lessons from, and whose team I was originally supposed to be on) and her partner Phil came down at this point to cheer me on a bit. They did a great job at distracting me from my pain and encouraging me to keep pushing as after all what's one more hour? So back to the water I headed. I felt like this session was my best yet. Unfortunately, in an effort to warm up my support crew wandered off and so missed what I felt were my best runs of the day. I even managed a tiny accidental jump off a bit of chop that surprised me and I fell off giggling with the fun of it. I was back to having fun. Yes my body felt slightly broken but I felt like things that I have been told, shown and coached were coming together. I can hardly wait for my next session if I can manage to lift my arms again. Best of all I managed to add the final 2 good tacks to reach a total of 20 (just don't ask how many I had to do to get that 20) and spent a total of 4 hours and 17 mins on the water. Challenge complete.

Thank you to all who donated, to those who are going to donate, to those who sent me kind words of encouragement. Thanks especially to Mark who sat on a cold, often cloudy beach for over 5 hours cheering me on.

To those of you who wish to donate please go to my Just Giving webpage and click on Donate. The website is international and will accept donations in multiple currencies (after clicking on Donate just change the currency to your desired currency from the drop down window). It is completely safe and secure. Thank you.

Enjoy the short video below of one of my "runs"...the guys who go past in the background will hopefully be how I look soon, but this is MUCH better than I did look a year ago...

Hard but right choice

Well.....Yesterday was my big event and I didn't even get wet. It was blowing a gale! Literally, gusts up to a force 7 which is classed as gale force winds. So in talking with Mark, and windsurfing friends I decided that for my safety and longevity I would postpone my challenge for a day when the winds were not creating conditions that were WAY above my skill level. Now those of you that know me should know that I am not above going out in challenging conditions, but when friends of mine who are miles ahead of my skill level where talking about "overpowered", "survival", and even called their challenge off early due to safety concerns (GetWindsurfing) I felt like I made the right decision, even if it did make me a little sad.

I still will complete my challenge, but I spent yesterday encouraging and supporting my two personal windsurfing, female hero's! In a male dominated sport us girls have to stick together, and these two were out there with the guys, showing true bravery. Danielle of Get Windsurfing was so inspiring to watch! A petite female, she was showing most of the guys out there how it really should be done, technique over muscles won every time. In the full on conditions, yesterday she was making "survival" look easy and SO much fun. The other girl is a friend of mine and she is several steps a head of me in skill level. She is my hero as not only did she go out but she took the smallest board she has ever sailed on a borrowed 3.3 and she did awesome! I was so jealous of the fun and the fight that she was having. I have no doubt that today she will be sore, but content and happy with her amazing efforts of yesterday. Go girl power!

I am now chomping at the bit and am doing my wind dance in our conservatory trying to convince the wind to come back, but maybe not quite so strong. I am itching to complete my challenge, have some more lessons, and crack getting in the straps and harness. Next year I will be out there on the water.

Check out the 35 knots of Slalom Madness video which of the conditions near where I was to sail...know you can see why I didn't go out! The pros were struggling! Enjoy

Link to Video

Hayling Island, Seafront June 15, 2013

Gulp! I have done it. I have gone and signed up for my first ever windsurfing event to raise money for Cancer research. For those of you who don't know about this event it is a Sunrise to Sunset Watersports event. The goal for the REALLY good windsurfers (and other watersports persons) is to be out on the water for 16 hours. Most people do this in a team so allow for food and bathroom breaks. I am not yet good enough to be on a team but I wanted to take part in this event so I have joined the group of personal goal individuals. So while I won't be out there for the entire day I will be really pushing myself. Normally a 2 hour session leaves me ragged and not being able to lift my arms, especially if it is blowing! So I am going to do double that....4 hours on the water trying to spend most of that time on my kit, rather than falling in the water. The bigger goal is to complete 20 dry tacks, my personal best so far being 3 in an hour. SO I am definitely going to have my work cut out for me!

So please show your support for me and click my Just Giving webpage to donate. Enjoy the photos below of my excellent windsurfing skills to give you a bit of an idea of how big this challenge is going to be for me.

I am in the water...

Why my arms get tired

Hoping I don't fall off...

Whoops

Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall

Look out I'm coming through

Wobble tack

The Haling Island Seafront...where the event will be. Fingers crossed it is this sunny with a bit more wind.

Vasiliki, Greece

Vasiliki Bay, Island of Lefkada, Greece

Last minute decision making saw us booking a holiday with Ocean Elements to stay in their Surf Hotel for 7 days. So by Sunday afternoon I had another stamp in my passport and we was enjoying the beautiful view of Vasiliki bay. The plan was to take advantage of all the different toys that Ocean Elements includes in the holiday package from windsurfing to SUPing, kayaking to dingy sailing, as well as mountain biking. The holiday started off really well with a bike ride to take in beautiful views and explore the village as there was not really enough wind to bother with windsurfing or sailing.

Vasiliki Harbour

Vassiliki Bay

Day one was a highly usual wind day which made any wind activities incrementally difficult. The staff who had seen Vasiliki through more than one season told us that they had never before seen the wind do what we dubbed Vasiliki allshore! For those of you unfamiliar with wind let me explain: When sailing or windsurfing you need to know what direction the wind is blowing so that you can plan the direction that you are going to sail in to maximize the speed and ease at which you travel. So you may hear windsurfer talk of a "cross shore wind" which mean that the wind is blowing parallel to the shoreline which means the optimal windsurfing line is perpendicular to the shore which means you can easily and reliably get back to the same starting position. Vasiliki all shore meant that the wind was blowing in all directions at the same time, how? We have no idea BUT it meant that it made for some very confusing visuals. At one point I was sailing on the same tack (side of board and leading hand/foot) as two other people but we were all going in completely different directions. Normally Mark would be able to blame this phenomena on the lack of my ability, but this time all windsurfers were having the same issue! Everyone came off the water slightly confused and frustrated.

The second and third days were much better as the conditions were planing conditions. Yes I am now starting to plane!! So much fun! I don't quite have it cracked and I still fall in LOTS and turning still involves more swimming than windsurfing but I am getting so much better. I have graduated from the wobbles of last summer, the wave sailing in Brazil and am now beginning to plane and learn light wind freestyle! I went to all my lessons I am now considered a intermediate planing windsurfer which means that I am working on planing getting in the harness and foot-straps which will mean I can go fast! I am still trying to conquer a dry fast tack, but have also started to learn how to do a non-planing carve gybe as well as generally increase my skills overall. My instructors (Hannah and Emily) for the week were amazing and I feel like I learned SO much. I can't wait to go out again here in England even though it will be chilly in comparison. The second half of the week was not very windy at all so the had us practicing lots of light wind skills which is something I never really did before. It really slows everything down so that you can concentrate on what you are doing and the implications of that action. One of the other members in my group had a blast working our tails off at trying heli-tacks, back winding the sail, sail 360's, body 360's (my record was 8), and upwind 360's. Mark took video of me and I also created a new move a reverse 3 point turn. How I do it I have no clue! hehe it looks ridiculous. We also laughed our heads off to the point that we had other guest on the beach stopping and watching us. 

Trying to plane/blast

Light wind freestyle

Due to the light wind conditions and the fact that on Tuesday Mark hurt his leg and could not really take part in the I did a few things on my own. I went for a kayak trip to a secret beach which was such fun. One the way there I saw a school of sardines jumping for their lives. And on arriving to the beach we scared a bunch of naturalist's taking advantage of the secluded spot and hazy UV rays hehe! I have never before see naturalist be shy - not only did the cover up but the hid in the rocks and they were all at least 50 years old...maybe it was their first go at it? 

I also went for a bike ride that took us through the olive groves and through the back part of the village to another secret beach, only this time there were no naturalists.

The other adventure was a SUPing trip. There was no wind so I took out a windSUP (Stand Up Paddle baord with the slot for a windsurf sail) out to goof off on. I tried a bit of freestyle but only succeeded in looking like I didn't know what I was doing and got a bit wet. Then Hannah who was in the safety boat boat told me that there were dolphins out in the bay. So I went for about an hour paddle to try and find them. I did manage to see them but they were a way off, the crested through the water and then disappeared  So a tiny glimpse but I still loved every moment of the paddle. Being on the water is just were I love to be.

So although our last minute holiday wasn't everything we had hoped it would be. We still had a good enough time that we both want to return, but this time try and not get hurt so that I can learn to sail! Who knows maybe again later this year??? Time will tell.

Nice, France

The weathermen in the UK described it better than I could. "Although the summer of 2012 was predicted to be the hottest on record, instead we have had the coldest, wettest, and least sun during a summer on record"! As a result Mark and I decided to make sure that we had a real summer even it was just a short one. So we returned to the internet (our favorite travel agent) and started searching. Mark was on flights and I was on accommodation: destination Nice,France. For me it would be a first visit, for Mark a return to familiar grounds. This time rounds we shunned expedia and hotel site. In fact in general we have decided to not stay in hotels again, unless there really is not other choice. So I went on to Housetrip.com and after a bit of searching found a great little apartment in central Nice. It was within walking distance of the Gare du Nice (5 min) and only a 10 min walk to the beach. A modern lovely little flat with massive french windows with a Juliette balcony, a little kitchen kitted out with everything your heart could ever desire in a kitchen, lovely touches of home, books, simple, clean modern, fabulous! All this for the same price of a budget hotel. The only thing it didn't have was A/C but the host did provide with two large and powerful fans. All booked up we then began practicing our French phrases.

Arriving in Nice about 3 weeks later we were greeted with clear blue skies, azure blue sea, and hot sunshine! Landing was interesting as the runway is pretty much on the beach so up until just two seconds before touch down it looks like you are going to land in the Med! YIKES! Once again with my Canadian passport I collected a stamp while Mark only got a cursory glance and a wave through! hehe! We headed to the public bus, getting our tickets and taking out seat. Soon we were off. We drove down the promenade de anglais towards city centre. The sea sparkling on our left. So blue! It only took about 15-20min to get to the train station at which point we then began walking. We missed the street the first time, but soon righted our mistake. And found ourselves a bit early to the apartment and meeting point with the host. So we perched on the seats and had a bit of lunch; at 10:45. In our defense we had been up since 3am when we had breakfast. 

The host was lovely, and quickly and efficiently showed us the apartment, all of the extra that she provided. Then was on her way to recover from her night shift. We quickly unpacked and then headed out to explore. Mark was tour guide and I was photographer!   After a few false starts from my tour guide we made it to the flower market and out to the beach front. From there we climbed to the top of the old castle/fort ruins for the views of the beach and the town.

From there we spied one of the boats that Mark used to work on. What are the chances...which we later visited. We also discovered a man made waterfall impressive for it size given it it on the top of a cliff with very little natural water sources that we could see.

After visiting the yacht that Mark used to work on rather than going up all those steps again, we walked round the front taking in the war memorial and the view of the sea! So pretty! We then wound our way through a bit of the old town were we discovered a lovely ice cream shop. Yummy. This was to be come a regular daily treat regards of which bit of southern France we were in. A daily ice cream cone! So tasty. 

After our treat it was back to the apartment for a bit of a rest. As we had been up for ages and had walked quite a few miles already.  So we rested, found a food shop, made a bit of supper and then as the sun was setting headed out for a night time adventure. I had forgotten how much I love the night culture of these sorts of towns. The place was thriving the restaurants all tables spilling on to the cobbled streets that were pedestrianized. Each restaurant had different colored chairs so you could easily identify one from the other. so that other would find you and you were sure to remember where you had been. Families and couples strolled taking the lovely aroma's and the music that enticed you towards a chair of some colour....any colour. Shops remained open hoping for a bit more custom from those who wait until the cool of the evening to come out to look for a new pair of sandals or a post card to send home. The Flower Market had been transformed into a large out door seating area for the retuarant that during the day border the flowers. Artists, acrobats and buskers amuse those out for a walk as well as those enjoy a fresh french meal served under the stripped canvas of the flower market, a short walk from the sea. The grey pebbles of the beach had turned silver in the moonlight and people sat by the sea watching the waves crash in or trying to take a picture of the reflection of the moon on the sea. It was beautiful. I wanted to stay out all night. But even with a nap in the afternoon eventually we made our way back.

Windsurfing!!

This is the story of my first English windwurfing experiences my other times being on the water being on holiday. On Saturday I went to Pagham with my hubsband (a long time windsurfer) and stopped into L.A.R. to rent some beginner kit. Lee helped me get the kit setup. I was sporting a Viper 80 and a 4.5 sail that was a bit knackered. Off I went. The first few goes were very wobbly and shaky as it had been over a year since I had been on a board but with a bit of effort, encouragement, and coaching from my husband I was soon making my way out and back with a few dry tacks. I was happy and content practicing close to the shore and so my husband went off to play. He came back and also had a huge grin on his face saying how great the conditions were. The sun was shinning the sea was a beautiful blue and I was having a blast practicing on the beginner kit. It is amazing how fast time goes on the water. A lot of the other much more advanced sailors who were there stopped to say hi to me and encourage me on my efforts. By the end of the first hour I was regularly beach starting with success and managing to return to the shore without drifting WAY downshore (ok....ok....so I had the help of the daggerboard, but trust me for those of you that beginning is a distant memory this is a victory!). Two and a bit hours later I was exhausted. So out of the sea I came and called L.A.R. so that he could come and get the kit. I then sent the rest of the day happily watching my husband blasting away reveling in the pride that I too had had a good session. Even better, my personal coach took a few pictures AND commented on how happy and proud he was on how quickly I improved over the course of the two hours.  

Sunday morning I woke excited and raring to go!! The plan was head to Hayling Island check out the boot sale and then as I was chomping at the bit to get back on a board on the sea to drive back to Pagham for another go on rented kit. I was even more excited when I looked out the window to see the wind blowing the leaves of the trees around. The plan for me at the car boot sale was too look and see if there was any beginner type kit that was used, but good for me to practice on here in the UK as a beginner/improver. I knew from speaking to Lee on Sat that he had a possible board that was a bit too advanced for me but still a possible option. When we got there there was another female windsurfer who is a was also looking at the board (starboard carve 131), and I made the decision that I would be better off renting a for more goes before I try buying an board under 140l. So I told her that I wouldn't make an offer. Turns out to be a great decision as she is looking to sell a 145l board that I may end up buying from her...fingers crossed. So then looking around I found a very nice gentleman who was selling off some kit that he was just looking to shift and so I got a great bargin for me!! A 4.7 N/S that is a wave sail so it will be great for when I start learning to hook into a harness as it should be tough enough to withstand me crashing into it!! The sail was in good condition and I also managed to pick up a Neil Pryde mast from the same guy! From another windsurfer I grabbed a used boom that would fit my little hands and my new sail and I was then almost half way to owning my first rig! I was beyond excited with the gear I got and the deals as well.  

The hard work

 
Loading my new kit into the car we were off to Pagham. At 12:30 meet with Lee at his shop and I got a mast extension and a mast foot rented the Viper 80 and I was off to the beach. It was with great pride and excitement that I (with my personal coaches assistance) I rigged my own kit up for the first time!! Wetsuit on and the began to realize that it was quite a bit windier than Sat AND I was on a bigger sail! Okay....Okay....it was only by .2 of a meter but to this beginner that seemed HUGE! My nerves increased and it took me a good 30 minutes of crashing and burning (totally due to nerves) before I calmed down and realized it was just the same as Sat but windier...it didn't hurt more when I crashed and using the right technique I could control the sail! Soon I was again beach starting and I even kind of did a sort of almost water start....I think....(following more lessons from my personal coach). Again (with the assistance of a daggerboard) I wasn't drifting downwind and I manged to get clean tacks a little bit quicker. Again all the guys at the beach were great! Giving me thumbs up, asking me how I was going, giving me tips, and telling me how great I was doing. After a little over two hours I was exhausted so again up on the beach for a rest. After the rest it was time to de-rig! Wow that is hard work with exhausted arms, back, legs and well everything! But what fun and I was so happy with my efforts progress and "new" kit!

I just wanted to share my first English windsurfing adventure and say thank you to the guys who sold me their used kit for a good deal, thanks to Lee from L.A.R. for the rentals and advice, thanks to the guys at Pagham who made me feel welcome and encouraged me, but most of all thanks to my personal coach.

My Books

Just a note....

I was thinking the other day and I've decided that I should tell you about the "Books I've Read" tab on my blog as it is relatively new. This is something I started to do for my own interest. The books I review are purely books that I have read at sometime. I am trying to make it so that as I read a book I review and then this will become a record of the books that I have read. However I am not keeping up as I read too many books. hehe!

The books I have reviewed to date are either given to me, I purchased them, a publisher sends me a copy to read (with no compensation), or I obtain then through Read it Swap it.

Read it swap it is a network...for lack of a better term, where for the small obligation of setting up a user name and password you are connected in to a network of readers. To date this is only available in the UK. How it works is that you put up on the network any books that you have that you are not interested in keeping. The website then puts them in the Library and any other user then can find it. If another finds a book of your that they would like to read then they request a swap with you. You are sent an email, and then by logging in you can see all the books that they have to swap. You then decide if you want to swap or not. If the answer is no then you are done for that swap. If the answer is yes then you will post your book to them and they will post their book to you. The only cost involved it the postage and here in the UK that is usually under £2.50 (depending on the weight of the book).

I have saved OODLES of money doing this!! And have had not difficulties in swap not happening! Sometimes I even get little notes, bookmarks, of teabags in with my book! It is great! Not to mention gotten rid of books that I didn't want to keep, expanding my reading experience to authors I probably would not have ever found, and keeping me in books without spending a fortune (I read about a book a fortnight) I love this service!!! So if you are in the UK and you like reading check this out.

Global Corporate Challenge

As of today I am now a member of the Global Corporate Challenge! It is a pretty cool thing actually. A corporation (for me Guys and St. Thomas')  agrees to take part in it and then so many teams of 7 get to sign up. What it means that as a get fit challenge the GCC encourage all participants to walk just a little bit more. Steps are logged and the teams go on a virtual journey around the world. So our research team (seven of us) registered as a team, we called ourselves....."The Eppendorfs"....don't ask why. The challenge starts on the 24th of May. Registration for the challenge closes May 4th so if your company has decided to participate sign-up quick!!! You get pretty cool freebies, PLUS if you stick to the challenge of 12,000 steps a day, unless you are already super fit you will have an improvement of health! Oh and by the way this is worldwide so if you are going to be in it let me know your team name so I can see if the Eppendorfs are ahead of your team!

Happy Walking!!

A Nutty Cake for a Nutty Husband

Feb was a busy month for Mark and I. There are a lot of special days that we honor in this month! one of the important days that never goes without a bit of a celebration is Mark's birthday!! I decided that we would have a day of cakes for him. So the morning started with homemade American style blueberry pancakes: a recipe from "the Joy of Cooking" by Betty Crocker whatsapp'ed to me by my sister. I have adapted it to make it a bit more healthy (lower GI) by substituting a cup of plain flour with a 1/4 cup of soya flour and 3/4 cup of wholewheat flour. It requires a bit more milk but I add this by look and feel.

The second cake I made for him was a bit more labour intensive. Also from my memory I believe it is only the third cake that I have made from scratch! Most of my other cakes have all been made from a box as it is cheaper and easier. hehe! However, whether it is a new wife syndrome, or a factor of me getting older, OR the fact that in my time away from work I truly do enjoy taking life a little bit slower! I am getting old...OH dear!!!Anyways my first cake I remember making from scratch was when I was little. The second was only a few short months ago. One of our wedding gifts was, "Baking Made Easy" by Lorraine Pascale. I made the "I can't believe you made that" cake on page 58. It was a great success with Mark and his Uncle so I thought to myself....easy! I will just make that cake again BUT instead of following Lorriane's advice for decorating I decided to make something up on my own.

 After much thought and consideration I decided as the cake was going to be one of Mark's favorite things....chocolate. I would add in his second favorite thing....nuts! This was the finished result. It was in a weird way VERY easy but VERY fiddly at the same time. In case any of you have a nut lover in your life let me share what I did.

First between the two cake layers I put a layer of homemade chocolate butter cream (thank you Loarraine Pascale) with copped mixed nuts as well. The sides and top of the cake was covered in a simple vanilla buttercream icing (again homemade). With the exception of the top of the cake I didn't worry too much about the icing looking okay or being even as I was planning on covering my messy work with more chopped nuts. To place the chopped nuts I used the uber technical skill of... take a handful of nuts and squish them onto the sides. This was the fiddly bit and if any of you know a better way to do this I'm all ears, please leave comments. That process took the longest and judging from the speed of which the cake disappeared I will be making it again, so all suggestions are welcome! I then took half walnuts and using a knife cut them in half again and placed them as edging around the top of the cake and the same for the star in the middle. Volia! Cake finished.

It was very scrumptious. But probably not so much on the healthy side, but the pancakes were! So it evens out right? 


WARNING: This cake has been made with nuts. If you or anyone who might want a piece of this cake has an allergy to nuts PLEASE do not serve it to them!

Snow!

 Last night it snowed. Big fluffy flakes that slowly drifted down through the night sky. This morning the snow sparkled on everything, we only got about an inch or so but it transformed the world into a white wonder. Thankfully there was not SO much that driving became a nightmare for Mark. I was lucky as it is a rest day for me so I didn't have to worry about train delays and whatnot. I got to stay at home and rest. I went for a walk in the common that is behind our house and it was so nice. A bit nostalgic for the snow in Canada hearing the crunch of the snow under my boot was a welcome home. A friend was testing me and said it must make you miss Canada and I said yes, but this is the way I prefer my snow short stints rather than the months that you get in Canada. By 3pm in the afternoon the snow had melted and the tops of the grass was once again visible. They are calling for more snow tonight, but we will see. The sun is currently peeping out between thick clouds help so no sign of more snow yet....

This week I went to see my Neurologist about all that has been happening. He was very kind and patient and listened to and answered all my questions. This is the low down. He is very confident that what I have is some version of "trigeminal nerve pain syndrome". What this means is that for whatever reason my nerve that is responsible for the left side of my face has decided to act up which for means that I have sinus pain (similar to what you might experience when you have a cold) and continual tingling to the same side of my face. I spent the time in the hospital as they were worried I might have a bigger scarier issue, but I don't. My scans and CSF tests came back a-ok! Hooray!!!! The other thing that he is very confident about is that with a few more months of treatment I should be able to come off the medication, WITHOUT return of symptoms! So good news all around! There are a few things that I need to avoid over the next few months but nothing too terrible. I can travel and do most things that I want to so I can't really complain. I am getting stronger and stronger everyday, but I have to continue to go slowly. If I push too much by doing too much in one day the next day is very uncomfortable for me. Funnily enough the thing I struggle the most with is the tingling...it is like I have a permanent itch that no scratching helps to resolve. a single hair that falls onto my left side of my face can drive me wild! So funny! I am grateful that is the worst of it as some of the things they thought it might be were a lot worse than a itchy face. Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and concerns...we are getting there. By May I should be back to myself! Until then one step at a time.

Whitmoor Common

Back to Work

So today was the first day of my 4 week progressive return to work. Only four hours in the office, but that means I'm actually out and busy for 7 hours. Yup....Hour and a half to get to work one way. Needless to say I was tired on returning home but a bit of a rest on the couch and I'm ok...thankfully I have tomorrow to recover before trying again on Fri. Slowly and surely I will get stronger. I'm very grateful for the sickness policy at work right now!! As I know if I were to return to full time hours right now I would not be successful. Thanks work!

It was good to be back at work and really nice to see everyone again. They have all been REALLY supportive of me while I have been unwell and it is good to be on my way back!

We have an appointment with the Neuro Dr in the foreseeable future which will hopefully give us a few more answers to our million and one questions. Anyways that is the update for now.

Spring?? In Jan???

This is not your imagination. This is not a photo taken last spring. This photo was taken this week in my garden! YES it is snow drops in JAN!!! Hooray for global warming! We have had a very mild winter here in England and I can't help but brag a bit! hehe!! Not only snow drops but on closer examination of my garden I have yellow crocus's that are blooming, and the beginning of daffodils, tulips, allium, and hyacinths! Not to mention that my summer yellow rose has not stopped blooming as of yet! It is making it harder to be patient though as I want to start planting NOW! But there is still risk of frost SO must wait a bit longer before I get my garden well and truly going!

I am getting stronger and apart from a cold that I am now battling I think that things are improving. Next week I think that I am going to start to slowly go back to work. The Dr. is recommending a "phased return to work" SO  we will see how that goes. Other than that we are just taking it one day at a time. Thank you for all your well wishes, thoughts and prayers they have been much appreciated. We are still waiting to hear back from the Neuro Dr about when we get to go and see them to find out more about what is going on with me.

I have added a "Follow me by email" gadget to my blog. If you wish you can put your email in there and then when I post (I know few and far between) you will get an email with the post in the email as well as a link to the actual blog. This should make it easier for you to keep on top of my updates as we all know that they are irregular. You should not receive any other advertising email as a result of following me.

Dr. House comes to life

So a few of you have contacted me regarding a small comment I tried to sneak in the last post....my hospital visit before Christmas. Well I've been in hospital again and have unwittingly became the patient of a Dr. House episode. They are having a hard time figuring out what is wrong with me....I know many of you could offer loads of ideas on the front :) however this was for real. All my tests kept coming back as normal.

However I was and am in a fair bit of pain. Chronic headache, with leftsided tingling in my face. Bloods.....normal, ct head nothing obvious, head MRI results pending. For a while we had a bit of hope that they had figured it out as initial results from a lumbar puncture showed "organisms" but further testing on the sample showed that those bugs were merely a contaminant in the sample. So after a week in hospital I am back home. My head still hurts, the tingling is still there. The Neuro Dr I saw (and am now under) thinks it may be "atypical nerve pain" and has placed me on a Neuro pain drug to see it that will help at all. But that will take 4-6 weeks for it to reach the right level in my head.

So that is the story. I'm sure many of you will be concerned at this news. Mark and I appreciate your thoughts, prayers and well wishes. But we don't know more than what I have shared now with you all. I have a follow up apt in 4-6 weeks with my Neuro Dr.

Now all of that to say the following, home has never been so good. After eating hospital food for a week meals at home are beyond delicious! Being a patient in a hospital when you don't have a diagnosis is not fun. No one really knows what to do with you or how to assess you. Which can be frustrating. Family and close friends are beyond valuable as they give you the strength to keep fighting for the next test, the right Dr, the right treatment. I had a few great nurses (mainly the night ones) who listened and cared! The value of a good nurse is what patients say...there are no words for how much it means. To have a hand held, to take a few minutes to listen...invaluable to your patient who is on isolation, in pain, scared and who has no diagnosis! Thank you to all of you who do that to us your patients. We are grateful, calmer, and respect you for all you do.

I am ok...sort of. I tire very easily and am slowly getting the strength and stamina back to hold my head upright; side effect of suffering for day and a half with CSF leak before Neuro was able to come see me and we figured out I then had two sources of pain instead of one. I am off work for the next while and waiting and hoping that new drug I started does the trick. So keep us close in your hearts and minds.

Wedding pictures

Missing a sister :(

 

The girls of the family

   

Doing me up....Thanks Mom...you are the best

The mess!!!

 

Under my dress is Rachel...again....some more :P

and again...

Thanks Jude for being unofficially the official maid of honor 

Sisters!!!

The Entourage

Writing a poem...prejitters

15th Century Hall

I grew a tail...yup..That is Rachel under there trying to fix my bustle.

Bouquet that Mom, Jude and Rachel made from flowers from my and Sue's Garden

The Kiss!

Signing

The Ring!

My Groom!

Mark and his Mum (Sue)

Off to Married Life!!