Its been a while

Its been a while since I checked my blog, and its also been a while since I rode my bike. After the breakdown, it turned out that it was the alternator at fault, not the battery, and having little money we had to find second hand spares as brand new was astronomical. I only just got it all sorted about a month ago, but now its cold and its dark and I've lost my bike mojo for the winter.

I'm quite gutted because I just composed this post about what's been going on with me lately and then my computer had a fit and I've lost the lot. Tra-la-la.

I've had quite a down on lately, about many things. Things going back to my childhood that have been haunting me, but mostly about my current situation, with work, with the world, with my aching bloody joints and about my lack of children. That's just an overview - I shan't bore anybody with the details.

I've been knitting a lot lately which has really helped my mind settle and refocus. I'd say I've started to brighten up the last few days, but the problems still remain. I guess I'll cope better though if I see the good rather than focus on the bad.

I've not been on the blog for ages for one reason and one reason only. I used to access it in my lunch hour, sat at my soul-less desk in my soul-less job. But the lovely people in the IT department put up a new firewall and now my blog is blocked from my work computer.

So, I'm here, on a cold Sunday night, at home with the open fire roaring behind me as I type. I should really be more organised though and have a think about what I want to say before I come here and just talk rubbish.

Anyway, if anybody is reading, I hope you all have a lovely week.

My first bike ride! - Saturday

... was a bit of a double-edged sword to be honest.

I had to get a new mirror last week as there was no right hand mirror on the bike (by the way, its a Kawasaki GPZ500), so we got this one from a breakers cheap, and before I'd even got off the driveway, it had broken! I literally just adjusted it and it came off in my hand. It had some damage when we bought it, but you couldn't see that until it came apart. Hey ho!

So I set off without a mirror, which wasn't too bad as dear Hubby is on his big, bad Aprilia so I felt safe following him.

We hit the back of a traffic queue, so this was my first opportunity at filtering. I was a bit scared, but Pat set off but I bottled following him. Once a few other bikes came past, I though I'd follow them through, and after about 5 minutes I saw him in the Somerfield car park, so I pulled in and we stopped for a little rest. My first time out on my bike, and I had been really quite nervous! Had a quick drink (it was INCREDIBLY hot on Saturday) and saddled up.

Pat had got on and started, I pressed my starter button, and.... click, click, click. Poo. That's the starter solanoid, meaning my battery's gone flat. Poo, poo, poo.

Some helpful chaps came and after 3 attempts to bump start it, they got it going. So being as my battery's dead we decided its best to just get home and set about working on it. So I'm back on the bike, clutch in, knock it into first gear and the engine cuts out. Bottom!! I'd left my side stand down and the cutout switch was activated. And it wouldn't start again.

Well Pat totally lost his head at this point and he was this close to getting a belt in the chops. I felt totally stupid, and there he was telling me what an idiot I am. Nobody needs that. I could have cried, I really could.

I had no breakdown details on me either so we went back home to get them (on the back of his Aprilia) and phoned the RAC. We were only 10-15 minutes away from home, so they said they'd get the recovery guy to phone when he's nearly there.

When we got back to the bike, he was already waiting for us (we'd come in the car this time). He'd confirmed the battery's not running on full charge, so its either that, the alternator or the regulator rectifier. Its just not charging properly, so its going to keep doing that until I sort it out. Got to get it done by Thursday as I need to ride to a bike meeting 20 or so miles away. I'm determined to make it there under my own steam and not on the back of the Aprilia!

We shall see.

On the bright side, I did at least get to ride it for a short while, and its got rid of my fear of it, as that was the first time I'd even moved the bike under power, so I'm now champing at the bit as I really, really enjoyed it!

And I got to do a bit of spannering on the bike to get the battery off and charging. Hopefully its just that, as its not holding a charge. A new battery is quicker, cheaper and easier than either a new alternator or a new regulator rectifier. Fingers crossed!

Better now!

Hi all,

I'm feeling loads better now. Anusol is a miracle cream! Thanks for all your good wishes, its appreciated :-)

I'm feeling really good today as my tomatoes are getting huge, although staying green for now, and I've got a medium sized courgette promising loveliness from the plant, and a few little baby cucumbers. We'll be eating home produce in a few short weeks!

And my motorbike passed its MOT on Monday and its being delivered tonight! Getting very excited - I'll be riding it at the weekend, so if you're anywhere near North Wales, hide in your homes and lock the doors, cos the roads won't be safe!!!

Love to everybody xxx

My health - WARNING - Disgusting Content!

Now I really don't like to complain, but I have a condition called Hypermobility Syndrome. Its quite rare, not serious enough to kill me but it is very painful and has some obscure side issues surrounding it.

Its mainly a connective tissue disorder, and I suffer terribly with my left knee, right hip, right shoulder and (more recently) right elbow and thumb. No idea why those joints in particular, but they are the bothersome ones.

One of the other side-effects got me yesterday, and that's the irritable bowel. Its been behaving itself for months now, maybe as long as a year, but I had a very sudden and violent attack yesterday and it really scared me. It was the first time I'd bled as a result (ew - shut it Fifi, you're turning everybody's stomach) and I was genuinely scared out of my wits about it. The doctor wasn't bothered though and prescribed Anusol (brilliant for the farmers) as apparently I had a fissure which he said will heal pretty quickly, but to go back if its not healed in a week. It seems better already.

Another thing it affects is the heart. I tend to get strong palpitations sometimes, and other times it seems to beat irregularly, and threadily, but then other times its normal and strong as an ox. That's because one main root cause of the condition is a problem with the parasympathetic nervous system, so control of unconscious body systems (like heart beat, digestion etc) can be affected, hence palpitations and irritable bowel.

I am seeing my doctor at the end of this month to try to get to see a Joint Hypermobility Syndrome specialist. The nearest one apparently is in Leeds, so its a fair way away from me, but nearer than London or Glasgow where the others are!

Having said that, I don't like to dwell on this illness, and have just started riding a motorbike in my determination to not let it get me down.

I'm only whingeing about it today because its been on my mind and telling you (whoever you are and wherever you are!) helps to get it off my chest and ease my mind somewhat.

But then that's the point of a blog, isn't it?!

Making progress

Thanks to my buddies from Down to Earth who commented on my last post - its nice to have visitors to my blog.

I have good news - I've agreed a price for my new motorbike, and in about 2 weeks I'll have my Kawasaki GPZ500! I found out also that it will do about 80 miles to the gallon, which is far more economical than any car I know of. Correct me if I'm wrong on that, please.

I've been feeling quite low on energy lately so I'm not getting much done towards my goals, but I figure you can only do what you can, and if your body's telling you to take it easy, you should take it easy. No point rushing around if its only going to make you ill. And you don't get to appreciate anything that way either.

Take care everybody - I'll try to write something a bit more interesting next time, but just feeling quite flat and not very talkative.

Blessings all x

The value of a community

Oh how lovely - I've got comments!!! :-)

For the first time in my life I'm feeling like I belong with a group of like-minded people. Its just a shame we're all so far apart from each other, but the good side to that is that we're spread out across the world so that we can prove that simple living is possible wherever you are, and to be an inspiration, hopefully, to those who value 'things' and 'blings' above the simplicity of home and loved ones.

The best blog in the known universe is Down to Earth, written by the ever-lovely Rhonda Jean. Go here http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ for an education you'll value your entire life. I've been reading this blog for something like 6 months now, after a huge money crisis hit early in January and I had no choice but to not spend any money at all. Being an addictive shopper, that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but fear kept me on the straight and narrow for the short-term. I then looked on www.moneysavingexpert.com for more help and found their online community were really helpful and supportive to a newbie moneysaver like myself. From there, I found a good blog, and from that blog I found Rhonda Jean. I've not been the same since, and I'll never look back.

That, in brief, is my journey to salvation. Not, you understand, in a religious way, as I am not at all religious. That's another story in itself, to be saved for another day.

Reaching 31

Okay, so I'm not really very old, I don't really feel very old. I guess I just don't feel like I'm in the right society, or at least I'd rather people didn't judge others so much.

I had a lovely quiet birthday yesterday, watched a lovely (not always lovely, sometimes extremely uncomfortable) film, you may have seen it, Pan's Labyrinth. If you've not seen it, I highly recommend it. Its a fairy tale of sorts, but I wouldn't let your little ones watch it. They'll not sleep for weeks!

Other than that I just stayed home, looked after my ill husband and did a bit of housework. Not your typical birthday, granted, but its what I chose to do for mine. I could tell in people's eyes that they thought I was a bit weird for not wanting to go down the pub to 'celebrate'. In my mind, I'd probably have more fun by just taking my £50-odd quid (or whatever the bar bill would be) and making paper aeroplanes out of the notes, and just chucking them off the aqueduct at Chirk.

I really don't get off on going out drinking to 'celebrate' an occasion any more. I don't begrudge the activity if that's what people want to do, but money's tight these days and I do just see it as a waste of money, plus you lose a day or so after because you feel so rotten. Okay, so when I was 21 I could do that every night and not really feel the effects the way I would these days. I have to say as well that I think drinking brings out the worst in people and accounts for a huge proportion of the workload of Accident & Emergency departments countrywide. I've experienced that first hand and its not at all a pretty sight. Why would anybody want to do that to themselves?

So I'm a killjoy old fuddy-duddy huh? Well not quite.

We've just come back from a 2-week tour of Europe (we did 6 countries, not including England) on a motorbike. That's the kind of thing I like to keep my money for.

Also, a couple of weeks before we went I finally passed by own bike test, so can now ride bigger bikes, although 500cc will be plenty enough for me while I'm still new to it!

Don't want to jinx it by saying too much, but it looks like I've got a bike sorted now, so I still have lots of summer months to make the most of my new skill, and it means me and hubby (when he's feeling better) can go riding round Mr Brunstrom's backyard each on our own bikes, so he doesn't have to watch his riding so much because I'm on the back - he can have a bit more fun. And so can I! Because I can assure anybody who's as yet unconvinced, that its much, much more fun, more comfortable and a generally better experience to ride your own bike rather than to sit on the back of somebody else's.

Next weekend we're all meeting up with the Aprilia boys in Peterborough for the annual ClubAprilia day. Hubby has an Aprilia Futura - the most magnificent bike in the known universe. Maybe I could work up to riding one of those one day? Who knows.

Ramble over :-)

10p tax rate

Okay, hands up if you're peeved at Gordon Brown for doubling your income tax? ME, ME, ME!!

It possibly wouldn't be so bad if the price of everything wasn't going up at a rate of knots, but it is and so it is.

I do think that this is actually a fairly good thing for the moral structure of this country. Well, no, not quite so much that, but almost. Only in the sense that its slowed down the rampant consumption by the majority of the population. I'm afraid for people who don't put the brakes on under these circumstances as these are the people who will end up homeless as a result of being overstretched beyond their limits.

People need to spend less, period. Anybody interested in spending less money to live day-to-day should check this site out: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/Budget-planning#bplanner this link will take you to a budget planner which is the best way of finding out whether you're living within your means or not. Then you need to browse the rest of that site to find your tips on saving money in all areas of your life. There are other things you can do, and I'll get to these things at some point, but seek out blogs that discuss frugal living and stick two fingers up to Gordon Brown, sat there panicking because the economy is slowing down. Well Gordy, if you bleed us all dry we have nothing left to give! Maybe you could leave last year's plush pile carpets down for another year, or buy your furniture from MFI instead. Maybe you should try living on £15,000 a year and see if you can support your whole family on that. Maybe then you'll have some idea how the rest of us struggle.

So much to say I say nothing

Obviously I have SO much I need to say that I end up saying nothing! A bit like my house - there is so much clutter around and so much cleaning to do that I end up doing nothing.

However, I've been looking around for inspiration and motivation to address that particular problem, and the key to it all, to sorting out the mess I've lazily allowed to develop, is baby steps. One step at a time.

Like, for example, wanting to reject consumerism and wanting to conserve. My life was so tied up in buying ready-made products and ready-made clothes, and ready-made food, that I forgot how exactly I would make these things for myself. This is being a consumer, and its a very expensive way to live. There are so many things that tie you to that way of living, you're scared to change.

That is, until I realised the importance of why I absolutely MUST change. Okay, a large part of that was hitting the buffers on my bank account and not being allowed any more overdraft. I'm already paying tons off of credit card bills, and the mortgage, so I really didn't want to take out yet another loan to see it through. Only one thing for it: I needed to STOP spending money. After all, I had absolutely none to spend!

My God it was hard though. Thinking back, I must have been spending a little bit every day. For one I always bought lunch at work - now I make it at home (well, at least my darling hubby does) and bring it in, and that £2-£5 per day not being spent has already made a big difference.

Also, I had a really bad habit for buying cosmetics and toiletries. If I was feeling low in myself (which happened an awful lot back then, much less now) I would justify in my head, even when I'd promised myself that I would only spend on what I needed, that I had to have a new shampoo or new mascara, or new whatever. It didn't seem to make any difference that I already had 10 in the drawer at home, because they were different TYPES of shampoo, mascara, whatever other thing. Now things are different. I realise that these are all marketed differently so that people will fall into that trap and buy what they don't need. The company selling the blessed stuff doesn't care if you actually use it or not, the point is that they want you to buy it.

I've not bought a prepared beauty treatment for around 5 months now, and I feel so much better for it. These things are made from a combination of petrochemicals, which are really bad for you, particularly Parabens (see http://www.live-naturally.co.uk/article/Parabens-and-their-effects for further info). I've been washing in natural, handmade soap with lavender, and using coconut oil as a moisturiser. Sunburn I treat with sodium bicarbonate and honey in a comfortably warm bath followed by home-made lemon cologne, and use a basic shampoo (not a lot of it either) followed by the coconut oil after to soften my hair. Its very basic, but works loads better than all the lotions and potions I used to waste huge amounts of money on. I'm still using my enormous stash of make-up and I have enough to last me ages yet, and won't be buying any more!

Wow, I really get rambling when I get started! Still, I've enjoyed sharing this with you. If anybody actually ever reads this, do say hello, it would be nice to hear from people and what they think of what I say. Not that that particularly matters, I'll still say it.

Thanks for listening.

Where do I go from here?

When you have so much to say about life and the way you see people living it around you its difficult to know where to start with it.

One thing's for sure, there's something very wrong about society today, about how we're bombarded with advertising and have so many expectations put upon us within society.

In many ways I'm changing my life to get away from all that, and hopefully one day I can leave the rat race and live a fulfilling life doing things more simply and removing complications from my sphere of existence.

Where it will take me is anybody's guess, but I'm still very much in the learning phase for now.

Laters all x

My first entry!

Well, its difficult to know what to write here - I only decided at lunchtime today to actually do this blog thing. I'm being a bit naughty cos I'm at work (sssshh!) and am really busy but just sneaking in a quick entry so my page doesn't look too empty!

I'll talk more when I next have a chance. That may be tonight, may be tomorrow, may not be till the weekend. But it will be soon, oh yes.