This Week I…..

Well, things are certainly moving on a pace aren’t they?

Today I have been out for my daily exercise, a 10k run. It snowed, but now the sun is shining through my window, thanks world. For the rest of the day I plan to be kind to myself, because this has really not been a week that I would like to repeat. I’m going to have a long hot bath, paint my nails and watch some trashy TV.

But first, this week I……

Got a Mothers Day Card

Apparently my Pugs are so clever they can shop for cards and write. How adorable is that?

Was ahead of the news

Last Sunday when I wrote my catch up I was gearing up to run 3 Personal Training sessions in the park on Monday morning. I’d been feeling a little uncomfortable and wondering whether I should stop even outdoor sessions, and on Sunday night I contacted all my clients and told them I was canceling and would be in touch with some new apocalypse friendly solutions.

On Monday night, obviously, we were all told we had to stay inside apart from our government approved once-daily exercise, and thus I was ahead of the news again.

I know many Personal Trainers have moved to online training, but I’m finding that tricky to set up. I had considered going to the park, but that’s out now. My house is pretty small, but it’s not necessarily the small that’s the problem, it’s the amount of stuff that’s in it means I can’t find anywhere I can actually get all of me in shot with a camera set up. My dining room is a possibility, but if I jump or bounce all the glasses in my cocktail cabinet fall over. We have a “spare room” but with 2 of us working from home that’s already been requisitioned as workshop/office.

Let’s just say it’s a work in progress.

Had some terrible news

This is so deeply personal that I don’t even want to share it, but I feel a rundown of my week would be a lie without it as it was such a momentous part of it.

At the start of the week I had the awful news that a very old and dear friend of ours had died. She did not die of Coronavirus, she took her own life and it was very sudden and very shocking. She was one of the best people I’ve ever met, far better than me and had offered me support and love through some of the worst times of my life.

It knocked me completely for six and I can’t stand that I can’t be there for her husband and children, though I know they have support.

Please don’t forget to reach out to people in these awful times, offer your support and accept support when it is offered. None of us have to go through this alone.

The day after I also heard that a friend of mine from when I was a teenager had also died suddenly of an aneurysm. We weren’t really close, not even particularly when I was a teenager, but it was another shock in an already awful week.

Developed hypochondria

Along with the rest of the country. It’s amazing how many things that are on the Coronavirus symptoms list are also symptoms of panic attacks, chronic anxiety, hayfever, asthma and drinking too much wine.

The telling point is how my shortness of breath mysteriously disappears when I don’t go on Facebook for a few hours and then returns when I sit down and open it up again.

Plus, I do have a thermometer, so at least I can obsessively take my temperature several times a day. It’s normal.

Went to the cinema

No we didn’t, of course we didn’t, but we did set up a projector and watch Zombieland and Zombieland, Double Tap in a DIFFERENT ROOM OF OUR HOUSE.

I took one awful photo, but lets share it anyway.

Reconnected

Honestly, my social life this week has been busier than normal, it’s just that I’ve done it all from my sofa wearing leggings and no makeup.

On Thursday night I took part in a virtual pub quiz with some old friends that I went to school with. We don’t get to see each other often, so it was lovely. I learned to use Zoom and we got 33/50. I’m not sure where that puts us in the 180,000 people that watched the Pub Quiz live stream, but we thought we did pretty well!

Yes, you read that right, 180,000. The guy was expecting a handful of people who used to play in his local pub and then the whole world tuned in.

You should play next week, it’s fun.

Then on Friday night, slightly hungover, we used Facebook messenger to play Blockbuster with some slightly more local friends. The wonders of technology.

Received a Surprise gift

An envelope arrived through my door. It contained no note, just a cute pair of cocktail earrings.

I did not know who sent them, but it warmed my heart. I later found out that it was one of my PT clients, with everything else happening this week I’d forgotten she had asked for my address.

She is lovely.

Ate inappropriate things

I am in many health and fitness groups on Facebook. There is nothing more guaranteed to make you feel bad than reading all their posts about how their appetite has just DISAPPEARED now they can’t do as much exercise, all while you are busy polishing off a whole jar of marmite peanut butter with a spoon and helping your husband with the bucket of flying saucers he ordered from Amazon.

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Of course, there was some appropriate eating too. Seeing as there isn’t much else to take photos of these days here are some of this weeks dinners, mushroom, spinach and goats cheese pasta, chickpea curry and cheesy risotto with slow-roasted tomatoes.

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Had a terrifying trip to the Doctors

On Friday I had a long-standing appointment to have my Depo Provera injection. Normally this is a relaxed occasion, a quick chat with the nurse and home. On Friday it was an utterly terrifying and very stressful experience.

The Doctors surgery now requires you to press an intercom when you arrive and wait outside to be escorted in. While I was using it a man tried to approach me to jump on it after me and I had to tell him to get back. This made me feel like a right dickhead to be honest, and I was really upset. The porch area was quite small, and as a few other people turned up it was getting increasingly hard to maintain a distance, especially as the queue for the next-door pharmacy stretched across the entrance.

I was escorted inside and given my injection. I was told that there was a possibility that in 10 weeks when my next one was due I wouldn’t be able to have it as they might be stopping contact appointments that aren’t urgent. She said I could be moved on to the progesterone-only pill, and we also discussed the possibility of me giving the injection myself. Frankly I can’t be planning for next week right now, let alone 10 weeks time.

Then I was escorted out of the backdoor of the surgery. I went straight home, put all my clothes in the wash, washed my hands and had a bit of a cry.

Dyed my hair

My 6 weekly haircut was booked for Thursday, so obviously that didn’t happen, so instead I attacked the undercut with an old pair of clippers (I tried to order a new pair, but apparently the rest of the country beat me to it) then did my roots because that always makes me feel better.

Next I might need to tackle my fringe. I have done this before, but not for a long time. This blog post is 11 years old. Lets see if I can follow my own instructions.

And that was another week in my life in this increasingly weird world.

Tell me, how was your week? Are you coping ok with our new situation?