Before I get started I’d just like to say thank you for the lovely emails and messages. Not just last week’s ones but for the whole year.
It cheers me up no end to read them. Firstly, who doesn’t like hearing nice things about themselves - amazing, wonderful, thanks for that, I’ve got a very big head now. :)
I am so very grateful for all the emails. Thank you a million times over.
But the messages I get saying that someone feels comforted and more hopeful and positive because of something I’ve written or at times photos they’ve seen of me, that makes me feel incredible. Because that’s what I’m here promoting stoma positivity for.
If me standing in a bikini makes just one person think ‘you know what I could do that too!’
That’s magic to me. That’s music to my ears. That’s what my blog is all about, that’s why I started it. I can’t promise life will never have its problems but what I can do is assure and reassure that a colostomy is not the end of the world! Not even close.
And if we could just get the remaining medical staff to stop thinking of a stoma as ‘the end of the road’ ‘out of options’ and any other negative statements, that would be great! :)
Thank you a million times over for your support and readership too.
These blogs have had well over 100 thousand reads, I stopped counting at 100k.
That’s an awful lot of people reading them. That’s an amazing amount people I have shown how life with a colostomy can be.
My blogs are a happy place because I have no complaints with my stoma life. Yeah, yeah, I know, occasionally it leaks, and I’d love to wear slinky silk dresses, and with a stoma it wouldn’t look so good, but they are a very small price to pay for this incredible life!!
I’ve been everywhere in the world I’ve always wanted to go and some places, just because I could. Having a stoma hasn’t stopped me from doing anything. In fact, having a stoma has allowed me to do more than I ever did before.
Talking of going places, this year was a bit low on the trips away side. Usually, in normal years, I fly to Spain every 6-8 weeks, plus I do lots of day trips abroad or even a big holiday.
So far this year the only place I flew to was Gdansk, in Poland. Just for lunch. Flew out at 6.30am, had a wonderful day in Gdansk with friends, flew back at 10pm. Absolutely perfect. A day trip to Poland in February was my only flying trip this year.
We holidayed in the UK, we focussed our holiday spending budget solely here, to do our bit for the economy, but also because we have neglected to go to the amazing places Great Britain has to offer for many years. And a pandemic seems as good a time as any to holiday within our borders.
We were blessed with incredible weather on all of our trips. To Devon, Wales - twice and Scotland, all pretty hard to beat. They are spectacularly beautiful places, and with a bit of sunshine too they were sublime. :)
But next year we hope for brighter days and to get away, where you go away away. We’re planning a driving holiday to our house in Spain. We’ve got lots of things we want to take over to the house so what better way than combined with a tour of Europe too.
Plus we have now booked a big holiday, which I’m very excited about. We’re off to Reykjavík in Iceland for 3 nights, and then on to NYC for 4 nights, next November.
I love NYC, it feels very much like home. It’s a great place to visit, plus I have always wanted to go to Iceland but it’s just a bit of a shlep for just coldness. So this trip is the perfect package.
I am very very excited. I have already been trying to plan what to wear. Hahaha, yes I realise November is quite far in the future but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. :)
I’m hoping I can summon the courage to go to the Blue Lagoon. I don’t mind being seen in a bikini, but I’m really not a fan of changing my bag in public places. But it would be such a shame to miss the opportunity of a dip in the iconic waters of the Blue Lagoon, so I might have to just suck it up. :)
This last week was fairly quiet. Chris and I just pottering around at home, staying safe, keeping out of trouble.
Someone that emailed me last week mentioned that they found it surprising that I was coping with 2020 life so well.
I’d like to clarify that, and say for the most part I have. I do have some off days where I can barely bother to do much, but thankfully not many.
The reason I’ve coped well? I think it’s got a lot to do with the fact that I’ve only ever really worked alone. I was a Nanny for my career (yes it’s a career!! It isn’t just playing with babies, watching telly, and eating biscuits & chocolate all day, you know!! Even if that’s exactly what it looks like. Hahahahaha).
I wasn’t a sociable, Nanny Circle type of Nanny. I was a - “oh my God I love playing with children & their toys” at home type. So I didn’t ever see anyone from one day to the next. I carried on in that vein when I became a mum too. I used to infrequently go to groups and clubs, I’m not a huge fan of groups of people.
I like, and at times - prefer my own company, always have.
So staying home not seeing anyone isn’t really that different to my life in general. I miss lunches out with friends of course, but not brain/heart achingly so.
I think it makes my time pass easier if I get a bit dolled up sometimes, even if it’s just to have dinner at home with Chris. Is that sad? I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I’ll just be me, it’s all I can do. :)
I made an effort with myself, I feel it’s only right as I’m a terrible cook. ;)
Top from The White Company, Trousers from Primark, Shoes from Mulberry (ridiculously expensive, and unwearable, they are cut in a way that clearly doesn’t suit my feet and they fall off as I walk! Great purchase, 5 stars! Hahahahaha).
It’s nice to just wear something that feels special. These trousers didn’t cost special money. But they feel fabulous on. I have a lot of Primark clothes. And if I feel good in them they can make you feel a million dollars without costing it.
We had a really quiet weekend, Chris did a bit more sewing, yes, Chris did, you read that correctly. It’s not that he’s particularly interested or into sewing. It’s just he has this very clever brain that can read the instructions for ANYTHING and then just do it. I think he’s very clever, and seeing as we’ve been together 27 years now, I’m probably going to keep him on.
They say opposites attract, I can’t even follow a recipe, literally I can’t. Never have I completed one of my Gousto meals correctly yet. It’s close enough, but never exact.
We popped out for a drive and a wander about. We were on the outskirts of our village when we came across a field with about 20 beautiful deer in it (the nice deer, not those ugly little Muntjac ones)…there was more wild life in that field than we saw in the whole week in Scotland.
Could have saved ourselves the 7 hour drive and just gone to visit the field up the road. Hahahahaha.
We decided to cut back on trips out and mixing with others, we were saving ourselves for Tuesday. Tuesday was our last hurrah before we go into self isolation for Christmas Day, when we are seeing my mum and dad.
Tuesday we went to London to collect my Christmas presents and dinner. And it was wonderful!
Chris bought me a beautiful bracelet from Boodles, they were hard to get hold of and have now sold out, because the price point was very good.
ALL money from the sale of the bracelet is donated to The NSPCC, not just the profit, so basically it’s a charity wrist band of sorts. :)
I’m so pleased with it, and more than anything I love that the purchase raised funds for such an incredible cause. I was very spoilt all day…I mean, come on, I’m totally worth it! Hahahahaha.
He’s a keeper for sure. :)
Again, having a reason to get dolled up has been few and far between this year, so I made the most of it.
Dress from The White Company (bought in the sale in September but only its first ever trip out), Boots from Ralph Lauren (bought last year and again never had a trip out till now).
I even decided to go the whole hog and wear my beautiful Burberry cape. I got it for Christmas last year and have hardly had cause to wear it. Make hay while the sunshines. Literally in this case as I’m hardly going to wear a cashmere coat in the rain. ;)
We had an amazing day out. London was busy in parts, but we drove up so we didn’t have to worry about public transport. And we just ducked down side streets when we felt it was too busy on the main ones.
We had a really lovely light lunch in Charlie’s restaurant in Brown’s Hotel. I’ve always fancied going to Brown’s but have never gotten round to it before. It’s really very nice, would recommend, and will go back.
We then hit a few shops, avoiding the ones with queues. Which worked out very well for me as Chris bought me a beautiful pair of shoes that I’ve had my eye of for aggggges. I really had a very good day out.
All finished off with dinner in Quaglino’s. We chose this restaurant as we love it, and haven’t been to it in ages.
We usually would go to Chutney Mary for dinner but we were booked in for 27th December.
Well, I love Quaglino’s I really do, I’ve got some very fond memories there.
But it now turns out restaurants can’t open during the 5 days off from restrictions the UK has over Christmas, which means we won’t be going to Chutney Mary at all now.
Absolutely gutted. I feel so sorry for all the restaurants, they only had a days notice of being closed.
It’s very very sad for the restauranteurs. They will now be closed Christmas Day too, which means people that had booked haven’t got a Christmas dinner and the restaurants don’t have any customers.
We had a fantastic meal, we went early and left early as we wanted to be out before the crowds.
We still enjoyed the atmosphere, the virgin cocktails and the best prawn cocktail around. I had a fantastic risotto, Chris went with a steak the size of half a cow, and we managed to get finished before too many people were seated.
We are now home with 10 to go till the big day, Chris and I are isolating, my mum and dad are doing the same so we hope to be very little risk to each other.
My health and safety, risk assessment plan for Christmas Day is to have the windows all wide open and the heating full on. :)
Individual anti bac at each place setting. Separate toilets for them to use, so no cross contamination there. And cutting the visit far shorter than in previous years, to just lunch, gift giving and a quiz.
My mum and dad are fully aware of the risk this plan still poses, and happy to come anyway. We’re going to do our best to protect each other, whilst still seeing each other.
Of course I am fully aware that it still might not be enough. It’s really very tricky to balance everything.
We’ll just all have to do what we are happy to do this year.
The government is very helpful with it’s “your 3 families can meet up for 5 days, but you really shouldn’t, it’s a bad bad idea”. Helpful, thanks for that. Insert eye roll here.
My final instalment of fun this week was my very exciting ostomy pilates class from the amazing Sarah Russell.
Check out The Ostomy Studio online or on Facebook for more details and to book an online class.
The class was fantastic!! It’s via Zoom so it’s very interactive. There’re various skill levels to choose from, I started with beginners, because although I’ve done some classes before it was a while back. Besides, I want to partake, but I don’t want to over do it.
I felt so invigorated afterwards I even cleaned the fridge out, something I have been meaning to do but have put off for weeks.
Sarah’s class this morning has given me such an incredible lift.
I’m now ready for anything, and I’m looking forward to my next class on 7th January. Maybe I’ll see you there? xx
Just a quick story before I leave you for another year.
While we were walking round London the other day one of those men that stand outside restaurants, that try and entice you in, called out to us as we were walking by, and what he said is still making me crack up 3 days later…
We were walking along, minding our own business and he shouts to us “hey hey, Bruce Willis, bald head, very sexy sexy yesssssszzz” hahahahaha
And ladies and gentlemen I found it hilarious. Chris has very high self esteem at the best of times saw no irony and said “yep, I’ll take that” hahahahaha (with one of those Jack Nicolson grins, you know the one).
I couldn’t love my man more if I tried. He is the best of me. :)
So from my husband and I I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a very merry Christmas and a very happy, healthy, safe new year.
Much love, stay safe
Suzanne xx
