Have you ever struggled with that day to night cross over?
Well you’re not alone…but corona has made it easy.
Day time = day pyjamas.
night time = night pyjamas.
Couldn’t be simpler…
Day pyjamas are classified by fanciness, these are my fancy ones from The White Company, Chris bought me for Christmas.
They’re comfy and cosy, I get them ironed so they look nice (or rather I used to) and way too nice for bed.
Ideal for life indoors.
Bed pyjamas are a more casual affair. T shirt bought from a stall on a day trip to Boston, whilst on a holiday to NYC.
(Little tip, never believe the sales rep when he says that Boston in a day by coach is a great idea.
Boston is stunning and deserves a trip all of its own. Whistle stop doesn’t even begin to cover that day!)
I don’t need to iron bed pjs, literally who is going to see them? (Well, apart from you right now, but you know what I mean).
I have lockdown life all wrapped up. And if you take away the anxiety attack I’m having every time I need to go out to a shop, I’m having a generally genuinely nice time.
What’s not to love?
Slobby clothes - check!
No bra - check!
No make up - check!
No hair washing & drying - check check!!
Turns out I do actually dress for other people’s benefit! Who knew?! Take seeing other people out of the equation and I’m almost feral! Hahahahaha
Joking aside, I am actually struggling with going to the supermarket. The stress it causes me is astronomical. Something so innocuous as going to buy bread and milk and I am in tears with fear. I did not see that on my radar for 2020.
My experiences at the supermarket have been fine. Really really alien but fine none the less. The queuing to get in, the social distancing. It’s all so weird. We are spoilt and cosseted in our spoilt, western lives. We forget that life is tough for millions of people across the globe. It’s only when it’s in our face that it becomes so shocking, so real. As if struggles are ok for other people, just not us.
Never again will I look at my privileged life in the same way again.
My trip to India changed me for the better and I believe this experience will too.
When I get home from the supermarket I disinfect all packets and boxes (not fresh unwrapped produce), I wash my shopping bags in a 60 degree wash, I re-shower and wash my hair and wash my shopping clothes.
Is all that palaver really necessary? I doubt it, but if it’s what allows me to calm myself enough to go once a week to get supplies then why not?
We’ve all got to find our own way to get through the day, it’s tough out there. My sons have both been furloughed, Chris is now on a reduced wage. Life just got real.
But I’m determined to get through it with a smile on my face.
The handy thing is there is nothing to miss out on because everyone is in the same boat and everything is cancelled, which does make it somewhat more bearable.
The whole point of lockdown is to save lives. Simply sitting at home is a life saver, it’s literally the least we can do.
We have been making our evening meals (as if we actually need an evening meal with what we’re consuming during the day) a little bit special. Setting the table for a romantic dinner for two.
So it’s not a restaurant but that doesn’t matter. We’re together and safe and that’s all that really counts.
We’ve been having Gousto deliveries since January. It’s a meal service that delivers to your door. In the box are all the ingredients you need. Plus the recipe cards.
The meals have been consistently good and restaurant quality, which means I don’t really miss restaurant trips that much. I say that, but let’s face it once we get out of this I’m going to be hitting Chutney Mary hard!! Hahahahaha
Laying the table so it looks pretty makes me feel happier.
I’m all about finding happiness for free right now. Needs must and all that.
I’m in pursuit of low cost or free entertainment at the moment. I’m not into arts and crafts so that’s out.
But gardening is in. I can’t believe I’m saying it, or feeling it even but I have been enjoying the gardening bit of garden owning rather than the sitting in it bit.
I haven’t been able to get hold of many seeds, I’m trying to reduce the amount of things I buy online, it soon adds up but you don’t notice at the time.
But I’ve been getting some seed packs free with my shopping in M&S food.
I was collecting them for Zak but as I won’t see him again for a long time I thought I might as well grow them, saves wasting them.
In the kit you get a disc that you add water to and it grows and becomes compost, a little strip of seeds on paper and a fibre pot to start them off in.
Nothing has happened so far and my patience is waning, (didn’t take long did it) but I live in hope.
I ordered a book to keep me entertained too. Ok so that was spending money but it should keep me occupied for a while.
I feel like I’ve got nothing to watch as we binged on Netflix’s Tiger King in one day! (Have you seen it? It leaves you asking more questions than it answers. It’s the maddest thing I think I’ve ever seen. Horrifying fact; there are more lions and tigers as pets in America than there are in the wilds of Africa and Asia. :o
I’m not sure if it’s just because I live a quaintly quiet life in England or if it’s also utter madness to Americans too? Answers on a postcard to my address please! Hahahahaha).
I saw a book on Amazon before Christmas and had hoped Santa might bring it.
I thought now was the perfect time to buy it and read it. I love sparkly shiny things and they don’t come much more shiny than the lives of The Cartiers.
Not sure where my love of sparkly things comes from…maybe I was a magpie in a former life…either that or a gold digger! Hahahahaha
It’s a good read so far. Perfect for sitting in a quiet sunny place in the garden too. Relaxation and vitamin D, vital right now for a happy mind.
On the theme of vitamin D, I donned my shorts again and cut my bald grass again just for something to do. It’s very very relaxing, but not so good for the extremely overly mown, ravaged grass! Hahahahaha
If the sun is shining I will be mowing. :)
I have been having some issues with output during lockdown…I’d say they are fairly closely linked to the issues I’m having with gargantuan input! Hahahahaha
I’m serious, I’ve been comfort eating my way through this apocalypse…
I have been eating far more than normal, which was a lot anyway, so now I have a situation where I need two bags a day some days. Also I’m having a few issues with the bag over inflating with wind.
I’m very grateful that in the beginning of my stoma journey, having trialled all sorts of bags I decided on empty-able bags.
They’re the kind that are usually used by people with ileostomies rather than colostomies.
Although I can’t empty the contents, I can open the end up and empty air out when it balloons up.
Ileostomies have a different thickness output to colostomies. I can’t empty the bag of contents, my output is from further along the bowel and is usually thicker and more solid in nature, but my ability to empty the air out gives me peace of mind that I won’t end up having a giant whoopee cushion stuck to my abdomen.
I am struggling a little bit because the more bag changes I do the sorer my skin becomes. Plus I’m a tad worried I will run out of bags.
I rang my stoma supplies company on Monday to see if I could order some more, hoping my prescription gets signed off.
“Eat less you loon!”…100% yes that would help!! But I can’t fight my feelings at the moment and my feelings want feeding.
….especially cakes!!
The weather is glorious here, although it’s tempting to go out and enjoy it the need to stay home is critical.
Chris and I are home alone, gardening away (well I am, Chris has a back problem, has done for many years and unfortunately as he was walking up the stairs on Tuesday he slipped a disc again…and then he came down with what looks like Shingles (he felt rough all week but put the skin pain and headache and generally feeling rotten down to the disc, until the rash appeared)).
Bless his heart, he’s such a trooper, he came out, repaired a rotten fence as best he could to stop the dog getting out and then had to go back to bed, he felt so exhausted and rough. He is my hero.
I pottered about the garden and managed to do some things that I’ve been meaning to for ages.
My hernia has always prevented me from doing very much at all, but since early November when I discovered D Mix I have had very little trouble in that department, so I’ve been out in the garden whenever possible, enjoying it when I can.
I saw one of Ben’s friends Ally and her family on their one exercise a day, they cycled past our house, so we shouted to one another at great distance.
It felt very odd to not invite them in for drinks and snacks, but that’s what we have to do to get through this, we have to alter our behaviour to stem the infection rate.
Sunday the weather was even better than the day before, perfect for topping up my tan. I was meant to be in Spain last week and again next week.
I gardened, I pottered, I hot tubbed…all perfectly do-able with a colostomy.
To all the newbies out there. Do not fret, life will be great again, once we get out of lockdown. I have yet to find something that I cannot do because of my stoma (stoma/colostomy it’s the same thing).
There are plenty of things I can’t do because I lack the ability but my stoma has never stopped me or held me back. If anything I’d say it has only opened doors (not literally, it’s not that clever!).
I appreciate greatly that I have a lovely home, garden and we’re surrounded by countryside. Not everyone is in that position.
My son, Ben and his girlfriend Kaitlyn live in a beautiful flat, but it faces away from direct sun, at no point in the day do they have sunlight filtering through, so going out once a day for exercise and sunshine is vital to them and many others in their position. Let’s face it there are people far worse off than them even, living in bed sits, can you imagine how difficult it would be to be living in one room at a time like this? No, nor me. So that’s why it’s so important to adhere to the UK government guidelines which is to stay home.
We can go for one exercise/sunshine break a day, but we can’t congregate with friends or take a picnic, this is not the time for luxury time outside, it’s a time for necessary, vitamin D boosting time outside.
If people keep breaking the rules the people in difficult living situations will be even worse off than they are now if further sanctions are brought in. It will be awful and unbearable for them.
For those who are medical staff and key workers I wish you well. You are heroes. Xxx
To the rest of us, Stay home, stay safe in your bubble, love your bubble.xx
I’m hoping for a safe journey for you through this madness.
Vitamin D and relaxing my pandemic weary brain.
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If you wanted to try D Mix I have a voucher code you could use for 15% off, use;
GLADRAGS15
at
wholebeinghealthfoods.com
(I don’t get anything from your purchase)
Just a slight warning though, one friend has said it’s made her very windy. But myself, Chris and 3 other friends find it helps greatly.
I literally can’t manage without it, it has changed my life. I’ve had very little bowel pain since I started taking it. I used to have horrible bowels and now I have happy bowels. :)
xx
