I had a pretty good weekend. For the most part we just chilled out.
Friday I had taken delivery of some new Neptune furniture, which was super exciting (note I get excited very easily), my house is looking spectacular.
I’ve had a decorator in to repaint a few rooms too.
I’m processing living in a child free home. I’m not loving the quiet, but there are some up sides, like things staying tidy and no sticky finger prints everywhere…yes, even at their grand old ages they were still mucky pups, it’s lovely to have a muck free home that’s for sure. ;)
On the subject of living child free, it only occurred to me that this is the first time since we’ve known each other that we have lived alone as a couple!!
Twenty six years after first dating we are finally cohabitating at last!
When we first got engaged, married, and even after we had Sam we lived at Chris’s parents’ house.
We didn’t move into our own home until Sam was 5 months old.
It seems incredulous really! I mean what if we don’t like each other in our singular forms without other people around?!? Hahahahaha
It’s ok, push comes to shove we’ll get a lodger! ;)
The bathroom was dark grey, and is now Honed Slate, by Neptune.
The new furniture has made a real difference to the living and dining room.
I needed it to feel a little refreshed and revamped, it’s really helped settle me now the boys have both moved on to their new nests.
I’ve had Ink paint from Neptune Colchester put on the far kitchen wall and the far living room wall to tie the two ends of the house together.
Saturday morning Chris and I went to a local pub for breakfast. I had the pancakes and maple syrup, they were ok but not a patch on Chris’s ones (More on that to come).
I dressed super casual, no point in getting dressed up if you’re not going out till night time on a Saturday.
I prefer Friday nights out to Saturday nights out. I find I just waste my Saturday waiting to go otherwise.
Jumper from Hollister, leggings from Next, Shoes from Jimmy Choo, Dog from Hell… ;)
So Saturday was spent just pottering about and not doing much of anything.
Then Saturday night came, I was excited to wear some new trousers! (I told you I get excited easily).
I had seen them on a beautiful young lady I follow on Instagram, she has a stoma, so there’s really no excuse for me not to be thin, even if I can’t manage being young and beautiful! Hahahahaha. (Follow Stylish with a Stoma, she’s gorgeous).
Anyway I knew they weren’t going to look as good on me as they did on her, that said, I felt they looked pretty darn good when I saw my reflection in the mirror.
I did think for a 46 year old, overweight, grandma I looked fabulous!
Top from Ralph Lauren, Trousers from Quiz, Boots from Christian Dior.
Hottttttttt! Hahahahahaha, they are magic trousers I assure you, I felt a million dollars in them. I really thought I was super dolled up.
I was so happy with these new magic trousers….but sadly…
…I looked like a dowdy old fish wife compared to the bedazzling proper Essex girls.
I was too young and didn’t go out in the 80s hey day of the Essex girl, and I then I was too old to go out once Towie (The Only Way is Essex) came along.
But tonight I got to live and breath it.
Essex girls are works of art, a breed unto themselves. I salute you ladies!
If there is a world shortage of sequins I know where to find them. ;)
There’s me feeling all dolled up because I’d put a bit of eye shadow and lippy on! Hahahahaha
We had a fabulous night out with my cousin Emma and her husband Steve, at Alec’s in Brentwood.
The food was very good and of course I loved the ambiance and most of all the people watching. Although at times it was a little distracting watching people live streaming their night out, Em and I were enthralled. Hahahahaha.
Then Sunday there was a lot more of this…
Just sitting, chilling, no where to go, no where to be but here.
We did attempt to go in the hot tub, but the heavens opened, which was fine, it hardly matters if you’re hair is getting wet…but then it dawned on us that we had left our towels in the pouring rain, which was less pleasant I can assure you.
Jumper from Ralph Lauren, Jeans - Joni’s from Topshop, Shoes from Tod’s
We had a day of not doing much and then went to Ben and Kaitlyn’s in the late afternoon.
Chris and I had tried to book a table for a Sunday roast dinner but there was no room at the Inn…literally.
But all’s well that ends well because someone mentioned curry and then we all craved that, so we went to Lounge India in Braintree. I have to give credit where it’s due, it’s the best Indian food to be had in our area.
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This may seem a little odd to some people but I don’t know many people with stomas in real life.
I don’t belong to any support groups, so the only time I happen upon ostomites in the flesh is during my volunteer research meetings at Bowel and Cancer Research.
I met a few people a few weeks back at a product research meeting and something I learned on that day is really sticking with me.
Someone brought up the subject of sleep and I was fascinated by what transpired.
6 out of the 6 of us has sleep disturbance or full on insomnia.
I have insomnia. Have done since Sam was diagnosed with cancer just over 10 years ago.
To be honest, I don’t think mums, or dads for that matter ever sleep properly soundly again once they become a parent, one ear is always scanning for midnight mishaps and mayhem.
But when Sam was diagnosed something changed, then add to that the physical pain I was in and my eventual diagnosis of cancer, sleep was done for.
Add further to that my instant medical menopause caused by radiotherapy and removal of ovaries during my AP resection and the joy of a full bag of poo flopping against your body every time you move or my absolute favourite (insert sarcasm here) the end of the hard plastic bag closing seal digging in my skin every twist and turn I make.
Is it any surprise I don’t ever sleep that well...even with the aid of Phenegan & my beloved D Mix (I bought some using the code they made for my readers yesterday, so that was nice).
But I was surprised that other people with stomas don’t sleep well either. I just assumed, if I had given it any thought at all that I was just a freak and alone in that.
But no, it may well be that the non sleepers in the stoma community are many and plentiful.
Ok, I’m basing this on the 6 people in the room, but I’d say 6 out of 6 is a fair assessment to believe that not sleeping well and stoma owning go hand in hand.
For people with an ilesostomy a lot of that disturbance is caused by over filling or bursting/leaking bags. Understandably, one is not going to fall soundly into dreamland that well if there’s a chance you’ll wake up with a bag failure.
But my bag has never leaked overnight. My output is solid, well, firm at the very least.
So I was perplexed as to why my sleep is so disturbed if I’m not worried about night leaks.
Part of the answer came to me while I was sitting on the loo, yes, I still use a loo, just 50% less than I used to hahahahaha.
Anyway I noticed I had little red marks on my upper thigh. It’s where the bag’s hard plastic drainable part catches on my skin, sometimes it even draws blood.
I use empty-able bags, (ilesostomy bags) even though I have a colostomy and even though I don’t empty the contents I do need to have the ability to drain air out.
Depending on what I eat it can balloon up so big I think sometimes I could take off!
There’s not much I can do about my missing ovaries, I take HRT, so that’s that bit sorted, not that it works terribly well, so it is what it is.
But I have ordered some closed bag (colostomy bags) samples for night time use to see if I can cut down on the stabbing from the hard plastic.
Another revelation I’ve experienced this week has been eating an orange! Hahahahaha.
I appreciate this may be something very odd to get so overexcited about but I haven’t eaten one in nearly 10 years.
Fruit like oranges and grapefruit are tricky with a stoma, actually lots of food can be tricky with a stoma.
I’m incredibly lucky because the only things I can’t eat are oranges/grapefruit and sweet corn.
Some people struggle with lots of food. Just look at the unadvised list for ostomites;
Raw vegetables
Skins and peels of fruit (fruit flesh is OK)
Dairy products
Very high fiber food such as wheat bran cereals and bread
Beans, peas, and lentils
Corn and popcorn
Brown and wild rice
Nuts and seeds
Cakes, pies, cookies, and other sweets
High fat and fried food such as fried chicken, sausage, and other fatty meats
Out of all that, my watch list is only 2 things.
I do class myself as blessed and lucky but like most humans I was still a tad dissatisfied with my lot. Harumph!! Poor me there’re 2 things I can’t eat! Hahahahaha, you’ve seen me, right, this gal ain’t starving to death is she!! Hahahahaha
I walked into Marks and Spencer’s the other day to see peeled oranges in a pot. Not just skin peeled but pith and the little individual segment bags removed too.
I have had a good modern telling off for killing the planet with unnecessary plastic usage. But sod it 10 years without a delicious juicy orange is enough!!
Yes I could buy an orange and peel it, a de-pith and de-skin the segments but that’s not going to happen, or rather it hasn’t happened in the last 10 years, so I can’t see it changing now I know there’s ready prepared ones available.
I cannot put into words the joy I experienced eating that orange. I can tell you I went back the next day to buy another one...what!? I recycled the plastic pot. It’s all good. :)
I was thinking of buying creamed sweet corn, that’s not a normal veg in England, well not in any of the homes I’ve ever visited anyway.
I was hoping that it would be all the tastes of sweet corn without the killer colic.
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I mentioned pancakes earlier. I love pancakes. I love pancake day (is that just Britain?) and I love American style too.
I saw a feature on This Morning (day time telly at its finest) last week for pancake making. I saw this machine and knew I had to have it in my life…for Chris.
I can’t cook them to save my life but his are incredible!
If like me, you love a stack of pancakes, then the Domo pancake maker is just what you need.
Chris was a little confused as he felt a frying pan does the same thing, that boy has no flare and imagination. HahahahahaAlso the trousers I wore for my ‘glam’ night out are from Quiz Clothing.
I bought the size up for poo room, if you don’t have a stoma please don’t allow for poo room as that would be gross. ;)
