Outlook: Improving ...........

Well......here we are again.... I do hope that your week has been better than mine..... At least the sun is shining... :D

In all seriousness, today hasn't been too bad. Well, eventually it wasn't too bad.... Unfortunately A did not want to get out of bed, or go to school this morning...So I had to spend several hours attempting to, ahem, change his mind. A combination of nagging (I'm good at that, or so I'm told) and the threat that a friend would come round and take him in even if he was only wearing his pj's, did the trick. Which was nice. All I could think was that it was a good job that I'd decided to cancel my planned visit to Winchester. 

From then on, though, the day did get better. My friend J and I decided to cycle into town together as we both needed to visit the record office/archive at the library. I see that the weather in the Midlands wasn't great today, well here in Portsmouth it was hot and muggy.....so cycling was fun.... What was really good was seeing the legend that is JT when we were in the library.... History students at Portsmouth will know who I mean...JT is James Thomas, he is a wonderful man and an amazing lecturer....proper old school style teacher, one who really cares about his students, and who is a genuinely kind person with it. J spotted him, doing some research so we tiptoed over (sort of) and had a lovely chat....he's offered to help me decipher the 19th century handwriting which I've been struggling with....as I said, lovely lovely man. He taught me one of my favourite option units in the second year - Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, which was all about pirates....oh yes.... Who said history was boring? Lol .... JT is, as I said, a total legend, much loved and revered by students... When I graduated last year he was announcing the names of students as they stepped onto the stage and just before I was due to go on he looked across at me and winked...made me smile, relax and forget about falling over on stage...(I didn't fall over, for the record). 

J then insisted on buying me lunch - ham, egg and chips...not the most diet-orientated meal but delicious and just what I needed...I came home feeling much better, mentally if not physically, and have made the decision to take the next few days off in terms of Uni work. This week has been so very stressful and I'm feeling under the weather...I'm pretty sure that it's just the combination of stress and tiredness but as one of my friends commented on a Facebook post, I need to look after myself. My cousin is getting married on Saturday so I was already taking that day off....The thought of just being able to read for pleasure, watch Wimbledon and relax for a few days makes me smile. So I'm going to do it. J is coming over tomorrow with her son N, who is adorable and gives the best cuddles - he doesn't even mind that I thought he had a crocodile on his t-shirt when it was actually a dinosaur - yes I'm a silly grown up but he still likes me...which is nice.. He's looking forward to meeting the cats tomorrow...I'm looking forward to watching that meeting and hopefully getting some pictures....

A is home from his friends house now, and seems calm. I've had a chat with a couple of important people today and plans are in hand for further action and investigations to take place. Clearly help is needed, and things need to be ruled out (or in) regarding what is happening. I'm very fortunate that I've got the lovely Sarah on my side with regard to the next move, and I'm hoping that her recommendations will be acted upon. We will see. It's a very difficult situation, because we need to be sure that we're not jumping to conclusions based on our own need to have a solution/explanation for his behaviour. We will see.....in the mean time, a big thank you to everyone who has helped and supported us.....it's made all the difference...

I'm very much looking forward to Saturday - I do love a good wedding.... It's going to be weird though, because I remember my cousin M being born and now he's all grown up and getting married to the lovely K.... I get to see my parents at the wedding, and that's going to be awesome...am looking forward to cuddles with them - there's nothing like cuddles from your mum and dad to set the world to rights....

The diet and exercise are continuing well... I've had to be careful because I realised that the portion sizes were gradually getting bigger, so now I take extra care that I'm not being greedy. I've been told that the weight loss is noticeable...there's a dress which I want to wear for the wedding - tomorrow I'll find out whether or not I fit into it. I'm certainly feeling better, I've noticed that I'm walking faster and am not as out of breath as I used to be. I'm also finding it easier to cycle up hill and even though I've been very tired recently I've not been napping during the day...all of this is such a change and huge bonus. I've even managed to have the odd treat, a cookie for example, without a) feeling guilty or b) rushing out and eating a whole packet. Again, this is progress. I am trying to appreciate all the changes, because I want to keep going and the best way to do that is to note just what I'm gaining by doing this. The Race for Life is now just over 3 weeks away and I've gone from being concerned that I may not be able to do it (as I was a week or so ago) to being fairly confident that I'll be ok.... Obviously things could change but I'm hopeful. My knee is still painful but I'm finding that I can cope with it, and that I'm able to walk even though it does hurt.... 

Right, I need to go - the Italians are beating the Germans....and I've got a book to read and several cats to fuss.... Enjoy your evening :)