It's all Ed Sheeran's fault......

 When I'm asked

"What did you do this summer?" I will proudly announce

"I stopped biting my nails!"

I have been biting them for the past 56 years

Well, I didn't have any teeth for the first year, so it's 55 years.

At the start of the summer I decided that this was the time I was going to kick this disgusting habit....and I did!!! 

So I took myself off to Jenny B's to get a manicure. I've gotten one before but it had involved gel and shellac and other artificial stuff. This time I just wanted ordinary nail polish as I wanted to celebrate their naturalness. I couldn't understand the look of horror that crossed Jenny's face when I said I wanted normal nail polish, surely that would be much easier than the other stuff?

NO.

Jenny explained that normal polish takes 4 HOURS to dry properly and there is a HUGE chance of it smudging before that. I promised I'd be good and not move.

When she brought out my colour choices to choose from, I couldn't decide so I went for them all!

Once they were done I sat back in an armchair and placed my hands on the armrests to wait. Jenny headed into the next room to attend to another client.

I was sitting back, relaxing and listening to the music, when Ed Sheeran came on. All I can say is, I challenge anyone who has lost their mother to listen to Supermarket Flowers without bawling.

https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+supermarket+flowers&rlz=1C1CHWA_enIE605IE605&oq=youtube+Supermarket+Flowers&aqs=chrome.0.0i512l3j0i22i30l7.16439j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I felt my eyes welling up and the tears ran down my face and got caught in my mask! Of course I had to adjust it....with my hands! But it had been ages since I got my nails done so they had to be dry enough to touch things, right?

WRONG.

When Jenny came back to check, two of my nails were smudged and had to be redone. This time I sat like a statue and never moved until I got the all clear. It was worth it!

Now I just wonder if Ed will pay my bill. After all, it was all his fault they had to be redone!

Paddle your own canoe

 Ping!

It was a text message from my friend Audrey.

There is a four week course on Kayaking on the canal in Mullingar especially for women. U interested?

Well I'm always on the lookout for a new challenge/skill to learn so we signed up.

Unfortunately I was away last week for the first lesson so I was I was a little apprehensive about going this week.

What if they've learned all the important basics and I'm just left to paddle my own canoe.....and I flip over!!!!

I needn't have worried. The instructors went over everything with me and I took to the water and started paddling......around in circles!

I thought it would be based on the basic laws of physics, that if I applied a force to one side there would be an equal and opposite reaction on the other side.

Bullshit! My kayak seemed to have a mind of its own and went in whatever direction it wanted. Circles were its path of choice.

Eventually I got the hang of it...kinda. We all set off paddling leisurely down the canal. It was supposed to be a 1k paddle but I'd say I did triple that amount as I veered from side to side, ended up facing the wrong way....but I made it!

When we had finished that the instructors started to teach us a few more "tricks".

The first one was how to change direction and how to turn your kayak in circles! 

What the...????

I had spent the lesson trying not to go in circles and now they thought they had to teach me how to do it???

And guess what, when I TRIED to go in circles I ended up going in a straight line!

So next week WHEN WE GO TO THE LAKE I am going to try reverse psychology. If I need to go straight I'll try to go in circles and vice versa. That should work.

LOVED IT!

 

I'm ashamed to say......

I arrived back from a fabulous road trip around the sunny south east of Ireland.

And boy was it sunny!

On Sunday morning I woke up back in my own bed with the sun streaming in the window. I was determined to make the most of it as the heatwave was to come to an end the following day. I wracked my brain trying to think of where to go, somewhere not too far away as I was tired from driving.

I thought of Tullynally Castle Gardens, a mere 25 km away. All I can say is

WOW!

 

Don't panic! That's not a real crocodile in the centre!

This is my favourite photo. If you look REALLY closely you will see two ducks waddling on the log over the lake. It reminds me of that scene from dirty dancing!

And yes I am ashamed to say that this was the first time I visited this gem of a local place. I'll be back!

Long Lost Families

 As you know one of my first projects to undertake, when Lockdown first entered our lives, was to crochet a little zebra.

Thanks to the middle aisle in Aldi.

Lil' Covid, as he was called, became my companion through many a long and lonely day. He was often the only one I could vent my frustrations to, and he was a very good listener!

Don't judge me, think of Tom Hanks and Wilson!

So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I spied, what can only be called Big Covid, in a shop window in Wexford last week when we were on a staycation. As the shop was closed at the time, I had to find my way back the next day and try to find it. I DID!

So this fella was bought immediately and has now been reunited with his lil' brother.

I love a happy ending!

My heart will go on

 Last week I made a trip into my doctor. In the process of my examination he took my blood pressure and announced that it was high.

I was very surprised as any other time it has been normal or even low.

He took it again and it was still high.

I'd say it was even higher as I got such a shock.

So I was back in today to get fitted with a monitor which checks my blood pressure for the next 24 hours.

Every half hour I beep as if I'm reversing, it puffs up for about 10 seconds and then life goes on as normal.  The nurse reassured me that it happens every hour during the night, but I guess I'm still in for an interrupted night's sleep.

Ah well, I'll find out tomorrow if I have a heart or not!