Bike ride

It's my day off today, I went for a bike ride late morning after much shall I go? shan't I go? Can't be botheredness. So I went and cycled 10miles, pretty good considering I have done barely any exercise over the last month or so. I feel much happier after my bike ride. I intend to try and go on that sort of length bike rides maybe once or twice a week until the weather gets worse and the nights draw in later on in the year. I had time to think on my bike ride and pretty much everyone I saw on the ride said good morning or we exchanged smiles/nods. It's not sunny today it's cloudy but warm. Yesterday after my course in the morning it was gloriously sunny, the sort of weather where you feel all is well in the world. So I got some more wear out of my new shorts!

I have some housework to do this afternoon, mopping the floor and tidying and such like. I will go and do that in a moment. Tonight I am staying in as per usual and will probably read some more of my book and watch a bit of tv. I only have a short shift at work tomorrow before my longer shifts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's so nice to have days off, I'm really appreciating them after having had hardly any days off the last couple of weeks.

Tired (and a bit grumpy)

I didn't sleep well last night, I was too hot and so tossed and turned for quite a while. I didn't feel too tired until after I got back from work.

I finished early as we didn't have many children in this afternoon, so someone got to go home and today it was me. I had asked if it could be me so I could keep an eye on the dog. After getting home I read the paper and then tried to watch something I had recorded on sky plus a while ago. After 10minutes I could feel my eyelids drooping until I could wait no more and needed a sleep, so I turned it off and had a 15 minute nap and felt loads better for it. I was a bit headachy afterwards so had a drink and a piece of toast.

We took the dog for his check up at the vets and his leg was looking loads better, he will have his stitches out next Monday and in the mean time has to still wear his 'lampshade' as I call it. It must be a bit uncomfortable but in the long run it's for the best.

I have just checked my email and had a rejection letter for a job I applied for that I really, really wanted. Even though I had assumed I hadn't got it as the date given on the job advert for the interviews was last week I feel disappointed as it sounded a great job and a bit down about the whole job hunt thing, there are so few suitable jobs around.

I shall keep on looking though, I know something will come up eventually.

Early night for me tonight, I have a training thing on in the morning and then the rest of the day off, so I'm hoping for nice weather tomorrow afternoon so I can sit in the garden reading. My current book is Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. I'm quite enjoying it. I also really fancy cooking something, I'm totally in the mood for cooking at the mo. :-)

Sunshine, Shopping, Shortbread and Cake

My kinda day! I made cake and shortbread (both of the chocolate variety)yesterday morning before work. The cake for my friend as it was her birthday this week and the shortbread just to have as a treat.

It was a lovely day today, sunny and warm but not scorchingly makes you feel ill too hot :-) The sort of weather that makes you feel all mellow and chilled. When my friend came over we mooched into town and after saying can we just pop in New Look I ended up with 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of leggings and a lush lush lush dress! Apparently women feel guilty themselves after shopping and don't need nagging to feel that way, but not me, I was very pleased with myself indeed. Perhaps because I have barely any clothes that haven't got a hole in or aren't ill fitting and because I haven't bought any clothes in absolutely ages. The last clothes I bought were to wear to my graduation so were kinda essential. I'm so looking forward to wearing my new clothes :-) I love wearing something new for the first time.

After town we came back to mine and tucked into the cake, then once my friend had gone home I chilled in the back garden reading the paper. It was bliss, I keep forgetting that I've got tomorrow off work, I'm so used to only having one day off at once and working weekends. I'm hoping for nice weather again tomorrow so I can chill in the garden. I am making a roast for lunch for myself, my brother, his gf and my sis. Other than that it's gonna be a lazy Sunday.

In other news the dog's op went well, he seems more bothered by the lampshade he has to wear so he doesnt chew the stitches than he is by his wound. I thought he would be whimpering all the time and barely walking but boy was I wrong! My dad took him for a short walk today on his lead as that's all he's allowed and he apparently wanted to keep going!

Here's hoping for nice weather tomorrow and enough nice weather for the rest of the summer for me to get some wear out of all the summery clothes I bought today.

A short entry

I worked the late tonight, which is why I am on the computer at 20 to 1 in the morning.

I have the whole weekend off this weekend which is good because I won't have had a day off at all for 2 weeks and this will be the first whole weekend I've had off in a couple of months.

I'm working the late again tomorrow, before work I need to pop into town to get a few bits and I'm going to bake a cake.

My dog is having an operation in the morning, so I will get up to give him a cuddle before my dad takes him to the vets, then possibly snooze for a bit longer before I get up and on with my day.

Saturday I am seeing my friend and we are supposed to be going somewhere for a picnic. Then Sunday a chilled out day at home and I'm gonna make a roast dinner for the family, yum yum yum.

It started raining at 12.30 lunchtime today and it has yet to stop. The car park at work was almost completely submerged when I left this evening, if it carries on wellies will be needed tomorrow! I have to say I now have a massive urge to go jumping in puddles like a little kid!

Giving blood

I had an appointment to give blood today, it would have been my fourth ever donation. The first time I ever gave blood was in May 2008. Since then I have become a regular donor, although twice I have had to delay slightly due to falling ill both for my 2nd and 3rd donations! So anyway today I went and I was feeling tip top despite having got up at 5.30am for work. Went through the health questionnaire had to speak to the nurse as I have a new mousse thing for my psoriasis on my scalp. Yes all fine. Ok finger prick, drop of blood floats straight to the top. The guy suggests that if I had just put moisturiser on that can affect the result, so takes another pipetteful, it does the same. So he says we'll need to take a blood sample and test it in our machine. He advised that next time I shouldn't moisturise my hands prior, I told him I had washed my hands with soap then moisturised. Apparently liquid soap and moisturiser are both things that can affect results of the fingerprick test.

So I'm there cursing myself that I'll have to have 2 needles instead of one today. I felt sure it would have been the moisturiser. But no he returns after taking the blood test with a leaflet and informs me my haemoglobin was 124 (i'm not sure what the units are) and that the cut off is 125! So I am the tiniest bit low. This is fine I understand that a cut off is a cut off. I was expecting him to say wait a couple of weeks maybe even a month and then come back but it turns out I have to wait 3 months! I was rather shocked by that. I'm disappointed in myself for not eating enough iron. At least now I can make an effort to increase my intake. I think I havent had much iron lately and have probably been using my stores. The leaflet suggests aiming for 3 iron rich foods a day.

I was disappointed because I'm supposed to be a nutritionist and know what to eat etc! And I feel like a weakling! I like giving blood, it's a great feeling to think that you could have saved someones life. I feel like someone will be missing out on my blood, especially as I am O negative which is always in demand. A lesson has been learned and I'll keep more of an eye on what I'm eating now. I'll try to increase my intake overall of iron and also have extra, extra in the period just before I'm allowed back to try again!

As always the blood service staff were very friendly, helpful and just generally great. They really make you feel welcome and want to return again next time.

Not much else to report, early night for me tonight I reckon.

lovely lunch

I went into town this morning to pick up a letter which had been too big to fit through our letterbox, it was the photos of me shaking the guys hand (I can't work out who he was other than important!) at my graduation. The posed photos of me with the pretend scroll haven't arrived yet.

I then popped into Sainsburys to get some bits for lunch. I decided to have a cooked lunch as I start work at 5pm tonight and trying to eat dinner before then is a bit too early so I will take a sandwich with me. I have to say I bought the healthiest shopping ever. Well maybe not ever. I decided to have roasted veg for lunch with sweet potato, but for some reason there were no sweet potatoes to be seen so I went for butternut squash instead. I had butternut squash, onion, red pepper, mushrooms, garlic, chilli and cinnamon with a touch of olive oil all roasted together. Then just before the end I chucked some cooked frozen prawns in. It was bloody delicious! Wasn't sure whether it would be nice or whether the cinnamon would have been a mistake. Then I had strawberries with a little bit of melted dark chocolate. Yum, yum, yum.

I'm having a bit of a boring weekend really this weekend, got work tomorrow as well. I want to go for a bike ride before work tomorrow if the weather's ok. I'm not doing much before work today, being very lazy I think. I have next weekend off so am planning some fun things :-) I'm working on Monday and have to start extra early due to the antiviral collection point being in one of the rooms and them needing to get in to set up before they open. Which is the same reason why I have work tonight as they are open later than our usual closing time on a Saturday. I can't complain it means I earn some extra money and whilst I'm not a morning person there is something satisfying in being up really early and getting on with things. I'm off to give blood after work and then will probably do nothing for the rest of the day. Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri I am working the late. Saturday I am planning to see my friend Gemma who is 21 this week. If we have time before that I am hoping to go and look at some cars to get an idea of the price for the type of car I want.

Right now I have to go and do some tidying up.

A creepy drive home

I visited my friend in Henley last night, I left to come home at about 10.45. Part of the journey is on country roads going through a dark forest. So before I left knowing I might get frightened I locked my car doors to give me reassurance should I have to slow down or stop. Most of the journey was spent driving on full beams as there were hardly any cars around, so I only needed to dip them every now and again. The rain was driving down and looking in my mirrors behind me all I could see was pitch black. I thought I wasn't frightened, I thought I was ok. I had my cd player on and I reassured myself that I was driving at 50mph and I was safe. Until suddenly a man's voice booms out and I jump out of my skin, my heart pounding. "In 300 yards turn left"

I had to laugh once my heart beat had returned to normal!