Day One Hundred and Sixty – Saturday 22^nd August

Honestly, I was so proactive today that I surprised myself! I was up early, showered and fed and walking out the door by 10:30am. I went to Sainsbury’s and did a recipe shop – super proud of myself because I didn’t impulse buy anything, nor did I buy any junk food. I also picked up my prescription – a necessity.

I washed all my laundry, hung it out to try and folded it away.

I read two books.

My activeness did catch up with me though. I went for a nap at 3:30pm…woke up at 7:30pm! I don’t put an alarm on for naps unless I have to because my body needs to catch up on sleep it misses out on at night.

Tonight, I made Salmon, Broccoli and Chia Seed Fish Cakes. However, because I forgot to read all the prep beforehand, I actually didn’t get to eat my dinner till 9pm! It was worth it though, they’re so yummy and will do me for 3 more dinners. I haven’t quite managed to grill them without having them fall apart yet, but I’m sure I will get it by the time I cook the last 2.

Again, I’m not putting my alarm on when I sleep tonight because I’m conducting an experiment. My parents will always tell me I’m lazy for sleeping in late on the weekend but as I have insomnia on and off and a chaotic anxiety mind, sleep is often elusive. The weekend is my only chance to rejuvenate myself. However, I usually get woken up by the dogs howling and scratching outside my door around 8:30am in the morning, so I never really get that lie in. It’ll be interesting to see what time I wake up tomorrow.

Day One Hundred and Sixty-One – Sunday 23^rd August

Ok, so. I woke up at 2:30pm today. Honestly, I feel so refreshed and rejuvenated. No headache in sight. I slept for 13hours! That’s something I only do if I’m sick or jetlagged. I’m so impressed. Obviously, it isn’t something that I can practice currently, but when I’m in my own place it can be something I practice.

Obviously, today wasn’t proactive but I actually didn’t mind being a little lazy. I watched Criminal Minds on my Xbox and played some puzzles on my laptop. I should really do one of the 1000piece puzzles I have in the house. I will probably start one later this week. Without the dogs around it is my one chance to do a puzzle on the floor instead of the table. Doing on the table makes my back sore and knotted. But with dogs, doing it on the floor runs the risk of the puzzle pieces being chewed!!

I do miss the dogs when they’re away. We had to get a dog backpack that my parents take with them, that can carry the older dog, Freddie. Apparently – and really, no surprises here – he’s been doing his usual slow walk and stopping to sniff everywhere except when they’re on the way back when he starts to run like he’s off to meet the Queen!

I keep looking at my pile of TBR books and wincing slightly. It is going down, but it’s going down so slowly. Then of course, there is the problem of me not being able to resist buying more books. Other than my reading goal – which is to read 130 books in 2020 – I think my secondary goal is to get my TBR books down to under 15 by the end of the year.

If I can be strict with what I eat, then I can be strict with reading and not buying more!

Day One Hundred and Sixty-Two – Monday 24^th August

Monday once more. It’s raining but it’s still muggy – ergh!

Whenever I’m alone in my parent’s house I feel like the silence is trying to suffocate me. I’m usually perfectly happy to be by myself, I’m an introvert to the core, but I feel like everyone has the same uncertainty of being isolated in a house, even if you’ve lived there most of your life. It makes me think of the beginning of a thriller or horror novel, except thankfully, my story doesn’t progress.

What the weather has been bringing with it these days is MOTHS. I cannot tell you how much I hate moths. They always fly around my head when I turn the lights off. I’m fine with spiders, but moths are my arch enemy. I even closed my bathroom window hoping it would ward them off, but no! They’re still here.

Unsurprisingly, I have a headache today, but it is perfectly manageable and I’m still able to focus on my work and be able to look at the screen without wanting to split my skull in two. I feel like this week might just be a mix of busy days versus quiet days. I feel like there might be a little work that’ll pile onto me, but I also feel that I’ll probably get it done relatively quickly.

Finally, we’re on the last week of August and payday is on Friday. I was super strict this month in not spending a lot of money because there have been essential things I’ve had to shell out for, so am looking forward to being more relaxed with my money in September. I always find paydays amusing because some months I do so great and think ‘I really have the adult thing down’ and then other months I’m like a kid in a sweets store except I’ve forgotten what I’ve bought.

It’s all swings and roundabouts really, but I do find it interesting how there is never a consistent normal when it comes to me and my money. I wonder where my thoughts and actions of the topic come from. I think if you’d told university me that I would one day be able to organise and track my finances, I would have laughed in your face. But that’s progress.

Day One Hundred and Sixty-Three – Tuesday 25^th August

It’s raining again! YAY! Seriously, usually when I’m on garden watch, it’s scorching hot and I have to water every day and the garden is like a jungle. However, this time, my prayers for rain were answered and this is now the 4^th day it’s rained. This means I only have to water the greenhouse and shed, so I’ve very happy. It’s not just that watering the garden takes a long time but carrying a watering can or even using the hose tends to knot my back up and cause me a tremendous amount of pain. However, I do take watering the garden seriously, because heaven forbid a plant dies on my watch. I’d never hear the end of it!

In the office this afternoon and there is A LOT OF POST to go out, in fact, I’m going to have to come back in on Thursday for most of the day – and not just the afternoon – to get everything done. So, my back was definitely very sore after four hours of sorting out documents into envelopes and folding up specific things.

I’m really enjoying the 800 diet now. It’s easier to stick to the diet without my Mum around – she’s lovely, don’t get me wrong and she wants to help – but somehow the diet seems more restrictive when she’s home. I have stuck to the diet so far this week, I didn’t buy any junk food, so everything in the house is healthy. The only deviation I make, is at breakfast. As I’ve mentioned before, doing this diet has increased my iron attacks. So, if I’ve had an attack the day before, I’ll have two slices of toast with 1 mashed avocado instead of 1 piece of toast. I’ve just found that works better and reduces the risk of an attack the next day. It also keeps my mood happier and energises me away from the tired aftermath of the attack.

I actually managed to finish reading a book today!! Shocking right! I think August is my worst read month of 2020.

Day One Hundred and Sixty-Four – Wednesday 26^th August

I found it really hard to focus on work today, my mind wouldn’t focus for long and I felt my attention and mood fading downwards quite a lot. I did spend quite a bit of the day trying to work out why I felt this way, but I didn’t come close to working out the reason why.

Today was the first day that I had to water the whole garden, but I used the hose, so it didn’t take as long as I thought. I got the scare of my life when I was locking up the shed and a cat came darting out of the shed and climbed up the wall. I shrieked loudly and girly and my heart accelerated. It was unpleasant.

My sister and her partner came over for dinner, I cooked a pasta dish with a lot of oven roasted vegetables, it was delicious. It was nice to have them over because the house has been quiet with my parents on holiday and I was starting to feel the effects of being socially isolated. Plus, I hardly ever get to spend time with my sister without my parents being there, so it was a time I treasured having.

People around me talking about COVID has died down again. No doubt it will spike back up again, but I am enjoying this period of talking to my friends and colleagues about different topics.

I got the fright of my life today but a spider. I’m usually completely unfussed by spiders but this particular one seemed to have singled me out. I was in the bathroom when I saw it scuttle across the open door and suck itself into the wall. That was the fine bit. When I turned to get some toilet paper, there it was, right next to it. Honestly, it looked like it was going to jump on me. It was about 10cm in length and I could actually see its little eyes and all the hairs on its legs.

I don’t know how long it stayed there because I didn’t want to go back in and risk it jumping at me – it looked like it wanted to jump – so hopefully it’ll be gone by morning.

Day One Hundred and Sixty-Five – Thursday 27^th August

I was in the office from 10am this morning because I had a lot of work to get through and I knew I wouldn’t get it all done in the required 4 hours I usually work in the office on a Thursday. I woke with a headache that has slowly gotten worse, but where I live is due to have rain and thunderstorms for 2 days, so it’s not really surprising that I have a bad headache. I have to stop at the post office on my way home from work, and I hope I don’t get drenched posting stuff through the post box!!

I also have the tantalising job of sending some life jackets off for service. I have to log the serial numbers for the company that repairs them, but the jackets are always covered in dirt, mud and other outside ickiness. I always have to use loads of soap to get all the grime off afterwards. But I thought, since my office was filling up with life jackets since lockdown began, that I should try to get some repaired now. It’s difficult because no one is in the office – usually – so I have to try and co-ordinate a collection on a date that someone will be in the office for. Honestly, it’s kind of stressful but I will get it done.

Outside of work, I also updated my blog – I realised I had three reviews that I hadn’t actually put up on the blog. Smh! I also updated the books I’d read on Goodreads, as my ‘reading challenge’ was behind in what I had actually read.

My sister is cooking for me tonight, so I’m excited for that. However, I am more excited for the upcoming 3-day weekend!! & for payday!

Day One Hundred and Sixty-Six – Friday 28^th August

I think my sleep app has been lying to me. I did not sleep well it took me ages to fall asleep and then I was up in the night with my sore knee and feeling slightly nauseous. Yet, my sleep app tells me that despite only getting five and a half hours sleep, I had 100% sleep. WTF? It’s done this a couple of times now and I honestly believe the app is just having me on or thinks that lack of sleep and bad headaches equal a good night?!?

The app is starting to work like Alexa. She’s a sneaky witch with her randomly playing music or talking when you didn’t ask her to do it. Although, I once spent half an hour asking her to stop playing music, and getting really angry that she wouldn’t before I realised that the music wasn’t coming from Alexa but from the radio…

After the downpour of yesterday, it is not currently raining yet and I can see patches of blue sky. However, the insistent grey clouds are still there, the air is still, it’s muggy and I have a headache. Yet, my ears are really cold…something must be afoot!

I’m looking forward to sleeping this weekend and reading. I have 3 books that I want to finish before August ends, so hopefully I find the willpower to do that! I have a very exciting trip to Sainsbury’s scheduled for tomorrow – I know, don’t get too excited! – and I’m just generally looking forward to being an introvert and cocooning myself in my hermit shell. Also, it’s a three-day weekend, which somehow makes it even better. However, I can’t believe that after the three-day weekend we’ll be in September.

September and the world is still upside down!