Paraben Free

Following a conversation with Mamilein I'm am now pretty much paraben free.

Mamilein has take to watching science and documentary programmes.  I regularly get told to watch it, she hasn't quite grasped that I can't watch German TV in England.  I have managed to subscribe to and follow the shows on Facebook.  One day we were discussing her desperate need for a grandchild (I'm trying) and she mentioned a show where they had been discussing that parabens in everyday products could/were affecting fertility.  Which made me think of it is true, it is quite a small change for us to make that could have huge consequences for our future.  So after lots of research, we are now 90% paraben free in our house.  The only Issues I've had is my face, it can't cope with paraben free products so I have stuck with classic Nivea.  Everything else we use is now paraben free and while I haven't noticed any changes, yet, I feel happy in the knowledge that I am living a cleaner, healthier and safer life.

You are not alone

I joined an infertility support group a long time ago and just watched. Reading the stories of other ladies trying to conceive.  I've never felt compelled to write a post.  But this cycle has been strange.  Everything seemed to be going exactly according to my Ovia app predictions.  Then nothing, no AF and a NPT, quite disappointing so I posted onto the group.  Within seconds I had many messages of support.  It's lovely to be able to share your feelings with people who really know what you are going through.

I Am Trying To Believe In Miracles

And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 8:2 

Happy Blogiversary

It has been a year since I started this blog.  Looking back I can't believe how much my life has changed and how happy I am.  

I have got a new job, which isn't without it's challenges, that I absolutely love.  I have most definitely got my teaching mojo back.  

After becoming more conscious about my overall health, I have begun to take matters into my own hands.  I go to fitness classes, hike and swim every week.  I have upped my fruit, vegetable and calcium intake and lowered my fat, sugar and alcohol (I am pretty much tee total now). I am healthier than I have ever been.

Fertility wise, I don't feel any closer to the goal.  I recovered from my op quickly and have to be honest I had extremely high (slightly unrealistic) expectations.  My cycles were 60- 90 days long, when this all began, are now 22-28 days long and while this is fantastic, I'm still not 100% sure I actually ovulate.  Which is the whole point surely?  I have a few appointments coming up which will hoepefully clear everything up, fingers crossed.

I have become more conscious of making sure that the time GO and I spend time together is worthwhile.  We have been on so many day trips, and weekends away.  We have coming with nature, been out for amazing meals and made the most of our National Trust membership.

What a year I have had, it has been full of highs and has been lacking in lows, which after the past few years is a great improvement.  Let's see what the next year on the blog brings.

Time to get fit, and I mean it this time

I have recently come to the conclusion that I am a slow burn when it comes to new ideas. Although I jump on the bandwagon with new things, especially at work, quite quickly, I often then slowly realise that I don't like it and try to get off.   This has been my approach to fitness in recent years. 

I try something decided I love it, invest in all of the equipment/membership and then by the third session fall out of love, or get bored, and I find I am stuck with it.  I either let it go to waste or would just try to ignore it.   Gym membership.....

Which is why I have put off writing this post.

A case in point, was my decision to walk 1000 miles this year.  I bought the boots, a new coat, poles and lots of books (even though you can get the information for free on the internet).   By March I realised that I was never going to make it to 1000 miles, just making it 10 100 miles would be an achievement enough, I wasn't doing enough during the week to add to my mileage.  I should just give up and not bother!

While I would normally have stopped altogether and chalked it up to experience. Something in me didn't want to stop, I know 1000 miles this year is not going to happen, how long would it take me to walk 1000 miles I wonder? I found an app that has helped my keep count.  While I am not out every weekend, I am out, often, and my walks are getting longer.

Now I was out and moving at the weekends, keeping me busy while G.O was at work. What about the rest of the week? As a supply teacher I am now getting home for 4/4.30 pm almost every night (except for staff meetings).  Whereas  I used to come home at 6/7 pm, and would eat, shower, sleep, then go back to work.  I was now finding myself with 6 or 7 hours to kill before I went to bed.  What to do?  

What ever I decided to it would improve my PCOS fight, it couldn't  hurt to lose a few pounds, get fit and hopefully have a bit of fun.

I began with a Zumba class on a Monday, 6.30-7.30 pm, I used to hate going at that time because, I could never make it.  It was fun, intense and hard work to begin with, the class was rammed every week.  £5.00 per person and there were about 50 people, is a very happy instructor.  Each week I pushed myself a little bit more, the day after I would feel the pain, I loved it.

Shortly after I began to look around for another aerobics class to fill in my time.  I found one at a local primary school, I went along but it was too intense and the instructor was very severe.  I didn't want to lose my motivation so I looked elsewhere.  At school I mentioned my lack of classes and in particular yoga classes (except use and stress relief in one go, bonus!), as I was pointed in the direction of Tara Yoga.  

It is a one hour hatha yoga drop in class, and fits the bill for me.  It's relaxing and not too strenuous. Rather than doing moves that flow into each other, you hold poses for a long time.  Giving your body a chance to really stretch.

To supplement my zumba and yoga sessions I also swim during the week.  For the first time in my life I feel healthier, toned and I believe I am getting fitter each week.  I have definitely started to move more and eat less and it is having an impact.  I should have done this years ago...

Bank Holiday Shenanigans - Part 3

Bank holiday Monday is always a treat, not only does it make the weekend a three day weekend, it also makes the following week a four day week.  

Precious time together

Normally the Oxford May Day celebrations are a major event, which means that the tiny pub the G.O manages opens up very, very, very early (5 am) to provide sustenance for the many jolly individuals taking part in the celebrations.  This year the celebrations went off without a hitch (or so they say), and with May day being on the Friday before bank holiday Monday, it meant G.O was able to spend the day with me.

Bright and breezy on the Monday we set off for the big smoke, parked the car in the usual car park.  It is such good value for your money £3.00 until 4am the next day, and there is a security guard.  Got onto the Metropolitan (my 'home' tubeline for 6 years) and headed on the longest tube journey in the world (obvious exaggeration),  it only took an hour but it takes you past all of the landmark stops and onto the Dockland Light Railway (DLR), which in my opinion is one of the greatest transport inventions of all times.  I have some very fond memories of the DLR, in what was a horrendous time I had a blast.  We arrived at Custom house and it was buzzing.

Watching one of the live sessions - George Clarke's Amazing Space Woman

G.O had purchased ticket to the Grand Designs Live show, it an three day event based on the TV show of the same name.  While G.O are in no position to build, renovate or even buy our own home at this time, I love visiting the show because you never know who or what you will see/meet. At last years show not only did I meet The Renovation Man himself, we also watched a live Italian Cookery show.  "You can make it yourself itsa eezee!  Only flour, egg and water".  Each stall holder is trying to, obviously, get your custom.  I enjoy floating past them with "sorry I don't have a house!"  Why are you here? they all ask.  Reasonable enough question.  

Behind all of the architect, builders, solar panel, hot tub stalls is the food and lifestyle section.  All manner of companies are there and all are giving away free samples.  G.O and I will go past our favourite stalls three of four times and the booty we have at the end is phenomenal.  We don't ever bring or buy our lunch, if you are savvy you can be fed and watered by the stall holders themselves.  We had cheese, wine, sausages, crackers, yogurt, bread, and ice cream all given to us by the companies.  It is a veritable smorgasbord.  Not only is there food to try, there are new gadgets that have just come on to the market.  We were suckered into buying glass cleaner fluid that made my ring sparkle (I later realised it was just the lighting, hey ho), a heated back massager that is amazing at getting rid of all the knots in your neck, back and shoulders and also gives the best hand massage (no double entendre here).

Building a house inside the Exhibition centre

After about six hours of wandering around picking up freebies here and there, we decided to hit one of our new favourite places to eat My Old Dutch in Kensington, on our last visit I had overdone it a tad on the Kaasballen, so this time I knew it was all about moderation, and as always it was delicious. It was the perfect end to what has to be one of the greatest Bank Holiday weekends of my life. 

 A Hoisin Duck Pancake

It was only the tube ride back that I had a feeling of de ja vu, it was exactly a year ago that I went into the Headteacher's office at the Little Village school and offically handed my notice in.  I had told the head that I was thinking about resigning in the April (three hours before Ofsted called to say the were going to pop in and see us), but that weekend, I had no stress and had had an amazing time with G.O so I decided that I wanted a better work life balance which I wouldn't be able to achieve at that school.  Also I wanted to move, but that is another story.

This was me not overdoing it!

Bank Holiday Shenanigans - Part 1

Getting some fresh air

So G.O and I had managed to arrange to spend a bank holiday weekend together, sort of (more on that later) and we were going to make the most of it. 

Then as is usual for us, Saturday rolled around and we were both exhaustimacated, we don't often get to spend the weekends together and aren't really sure of the protocol.  Do we go somewhere big an flashy or local, do we stay in and potter?

In the end I decided to just chillax at home, we hadn't done that together in a while.  I went downstairs to make a healthyish breakfast muffins bacon cooked in the oven (for crispyness) and scrambled eggs (eat your heart out McD's), while his lordship caught up on his beauty sleep (god only knows he needed it having worked about 1000 hours in the past few weeks).

While I was waiting for everything to cook (Healtyish and easy) the post arrived. There was amongst the junk and party political rubbish a letter for G.O, I didn't recognise the postmark.  I raced upstairs and have home the letter.  Urging him to open it, it might be something exciting, It was, kind of.

I had signed G.O up on the mailing list for his favourite cider, which unbeknownst to us also sold my favourite garden wines.  The Lyme Bay company.  I've never tried the cider but the wine has a kick and a half and a flavour to suit every palet (no I'm not on commission).  I've had the wine before and a couple of glasses and I am out like a light.

He excitedly looked at the catalogue, while I finished breakfast. After everything had been devoured, and G.O was cleaning up, I read the catalogue.  "Did you know that mead is supposed to help boost your fertility!"  I announced. "Nope!" Came the slightly disinterested reply.  "But they sell the cider I like in the Bicester garden centre you like!" Within the hour were in the garden centre pushing a trolley of exotically flavoured ciders and a garden mead to the check out. Bang goes our chilling out at home time.

As we drove back home, going the country way for a change.  I decided to make a pit stop.  

Beautiful Bluebells

I pulled into the Boarstall Duck Decoy, my intention was only to show Stuart where it was, excitement overtook me.  I changed into my boots and began to show G.O the beautiful sights and sounds of Boarstall.  "I came here before, on my own.  I was driving by and just thought I'd pop in, a bit like now!"

We spent a very long time looking at and photographing the amazing Bluebells, it's a shame I can't bottle the aroma it was intoxicating, sweet but very subtle.

Our first stop was the duck hide, we had the place to ourselves and were able to just sit in the hide and watch the water listening to the birds and take lots of

photos.

As we left the hide, I was shocked to see someone standing about twenty metres away just watching us.  S/he didn't move, wave or acknowledge us in anyway, they just stood on the path hands behind their back.  G.O was oblivious as he was too busy taking more photos of the Bluebells, he must have hundreds of them.

We carried on round the route and came to a fallen tree, which I decided was left for people to climb on, so I did.  

The view from the top of the tree

I felt very high up and wobbly, when I looked at the video G.O took I realise I was about 1.5 metres off the ground, but added to my height that's over 3 metres.  

Alright I climbed a tree that had already fallen down!

I jumped off, retrieved my bag from the natural bag holder and carried on.  I could hear other people behind us and didn't want them to bump into us when I was stuck up a tree, so to speak.

Natural Bag holder

As we scurried away I decided to leave them a false clue, just in case they were following us (you never know). I have been watching a lot of Man tracker and Survive That! recently.  I'm all about surviving in the wilderness and not leaving a trace behind me.  I'm not quite there yet!

Setting a false lead - which way did we go?

We carried around the bend, and bumped into the observer again, I still couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman.  As we got closer SHE shouted to us "clock tower, has four faces, see!" She grabbed me and pulled me closer to a flower that did look like it had four faces.  

"New princess is a girl, isn't it?" I agreed, and said how I had hoped it would be a princess, nice and even (didn't realise that had happened).  She didn't seem to want us to leave, so I distracted her by asking G.O to photograph the flowers and began to walk away.  I couldn't decide whether she was a guide just passing time or a very weird lonely individual.  Either way I made my way around the pond, sharpish.

We hopped back in to the car.  "Before we go home I just want to check something!"  The last time I had been here I had also been to the Boarstall Tower, it couldn't hurt to see if they were letting visitors in.

Away with the colour fairies

Do I had now, pretty much, relieved myself and life of additional stress and anxiety.  However, in my opinion, there is always time for some stress relief and I have found adult colouring books.  

I have spent hours colouring the first page and it's not even half finished.  It is lovely just to sit and colour.  I do occasionally join the children in the mark making area and always enjoy the experience. 

When I heard about these books, I decided that I had to invest.  It's so lovely just to switch off and let my mind wander.        My life has become increasingly electronic (all of my books are now on my Kindle, and I love the convenience of it)  and it's to refreshing to indulge in such a basic and, dare I say it, primitive activity.  

1000 Miles 2015 Challenge

After reading about 1000 miles challenge in the walker magazine, I decided to give it ago.  It sounded easy, 1000 miles, but when I actually started to think about it, it's not as easy as I first thought.  

I have been tracking my walks using photos and the "mapmywalk" website.  Which has enabled me to track my total.

Some Photos of my walks

Wheatley

Wittenham Clumps

After spending the weekend with four of the loveliest people, including one stowaway.

I decided to make the most of the first days of spring by going for a walk.

After dropping of SB an JB at the train station.

I decided to go for a wander to the top of the Clumps, having heard the views were amazing, I wanted to check it out for myself.

After reaching the summit, I Skyped Mamilein and papichen but they were watching TV.

After walking into the valley and then back up again, I was starting to look the same colour as my jacket, RED!

I was definitely feeling the burn, as they say.  I had a chance to catch my breath in the many dens that had been built in the clearing.

It was worth though, the views were spectacular and with such a clear day, I could see for miles.  I could even make out the M40.