Thursday 23rd to Thursday 30th July

I woke up as normal on Thursday morning, walked into the bathroom, there was a sudden and very painful ‘crack’ (but without the noise!) in my back. That’s the only way I can think to explain it. Ouch.

And that was that. As you will already know if you’ve ever had a bad back its extremely painful. I couldn’t walk about very easily, couldn’t sit down very easily, couldn’t lay down very easily, it wasn’t good ☹️

I rang the doctor the next day as I really needed some painkillers to help me. I am only allowed to take certain ones. I was given Tramadol – most of the following day was spent in bed! Seems like I can’t take these either, they kind of knocked me out! So I had to spend the rest of the weekend without any pain relief, I was a bit upset, my back was hurting A LOT 😖

On Monday I spoke to another doctor and got some different painkillers prescribed. These ones seemed to suit me better thank goodness.

Over the next few days I started to be able to walk easier, but still very painful.

I had a telephone appointment with the physio, apparently I’ve strained a facet joint. These usually enable your spine to flex during movement. As mine will now be inflamed it causes pain, soreness and stiffness.

So to help the recovery I have to try these things, I have to sit up straight, sit on a hard chair, try to not stay in the same position for too long, keep moving. And then it should eventually get better on its own, so I guess I just have to put up with it until then really 😏

Oh my goodness, the part for my car finally arrived, I’ve been waiting about 2 weeks for it to come into stock.

So I had a trip out to Cowley to pick it up. When I arrived the man there had no idea about it, it seems I had been told the wrong place! Luckily the correct place was on the same industrial estate so off I went – and I GOT THE PART!!!

I must just show you the lovely flower I have in my garden at the moment. I had it last year too but it seems to be doing so much better now 👍

It’s a Black Velvet petunia 🌸

Saturday 18th to Wednesday 22nd July

I had a little trip out at the weekend, to the park that I sometimes visit after my volunteering duties in Oxford. I have missed both during this silly old time 😒

This little squirrel was a bit too friendly for my liking! He kept coming right up to my feet while I was trying to take his photo.

After colouring Robyn’s hair last month, apparently it was now time for me to give her a little trim. Maybe I could get into hairdressing as a new job 💇‍♀️

As always, thinking of my mum on her birthday 🎂 She would have been 90 this year 😱

Here she is on the right with her brother and sister 😍

Some of my time of course was spent in the garden, one of my favourite things to do at the moment, it’s good for the head 🤯

But I don’t like this little thing which seems to be eating my peas, a pea weevil.

I’m being told to pick them off by hand but whenever I look I can’t find any others. So this one must have a very big appetite!

In some better news, I made this little tomato and red onion salad using the basil from my garden. 🤞as this is growing well at the moment.

And I made this from taking different bits from all of the succulents I have around my garden.

Isn’t this a lovely idea?

It would be good to get a nice garden seat like this to go in my garden. Trouble is I don’t very often just sit out there, I always seem to find another pot or something that needs sorting!

Have a look at some of London’s Lockdown-Inspired Street Art

👨‍🎨

Wednesday 1st to Friday 17th July

The 1st July already. Isn’t Mother Nature lovely!

So from the 6th July some restrictions started to ease a little for us ‘shielders’!

I’ve already been on a couple of little trips out with others, you have to consider your mental health in all of this too and weigh up the risks, but I have been careful.

And Robyn started back to work 💇‍♀️

All of this just to get your hair cut!

Robyn was a very busy girl during her lockdown.

Have a look at her video 👀

One photo of something that made me smile from each day of lockdown …

This is just one of her ‘painting by numbers’ pictures that she did.

Isn’t it great 👍

So just when I was going to be spending most of my time on my own and I might like to take myself out on a few little day trips, and maybe even just to somewhere as exciting as a charity shop to get rid of the bags from all the sorting out I’ve been doing, my car decides to break down 🚗😖

if you have contacted me through my blog or have left me a comment and have been waiting for a response, I do reply through email.

Maybe check your email Junk Folder just to check that the reply hasn’t gone through to there.

Thank you for reading my blog 🙂

Wednesday 24th to Tuesday 30th June

This month’s clinic appointment at the QE was cancelled due to Covid19. I’m not due to go until October now. That’s the longest I’ve been between my appointments there.

This meant that I had to go to the local health centre to get my bloods taken so that my tacrolimus level could be checked.

FIVE attempts it took to get my blood 💉 Ouch!

Then myself and Robyn actually went for a little rare trip out. We were planning to have a walk around the grounds of Blenheim Palace. We had picked one of the hottest days of the year, so it was just too hot to be out in the sun walking around for long. We had a nice picnic under the shade of the trees.

On our way to visit the Rose Garden there we came across the International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition.

There really were some amazing photographs on display, I think one of my favourites was this one, Edible Vases.

As you can see (you might need to zoom in on the picture!) the ‘vases’ included plants, vegetables, fruit and spices.

During the month of June I’ve created my own little photo exhibition!

Leah sent me a ‘Photo Challenge’ to take a photo of certain things each day. Of course I failed in taking the certain item on the correct day it was specified! so I just decided to make sure I took all the photos throughout the month of June instead, which I did 👍

I will be putting my ‘Photo Challenge’ on my Photos page some time soon so please remember to go and have a look 👀 and let me know what you think.

And look – LIVERPOOL are …

🤩

Tuesday 16th to Tuesday 23rd June

Happy Birthday QEHB 🎂

“16th June 2020 marks 10 years since the first patients moved into the UK’s newest and largest (at the time) single site hospital. The move involved transferring 800 patients in 52 hours, including 65 Critical Care patients, all while maintaining delivery of 24/7 services.

The first major department to open in the new hospital was the Emergency Department, which started receiving patients from the first minute of 16th June 2010.

The opening of the fruit and veg stall in November 2012 meant that staff, patients, visitors and the local community were able to buy fresh fruit, vegetables and salad right on the doorstep.”

It’s good to have a little visit to this stall when on a trip to clinic in the QE 🍓🍎

An amazing hospital 😍

And football’s finally back ⚽️ That makes me a bit happy 😃

Remember back in April we planted some peas? Well look …

A trip down memory lane!

Oh my goodness, I seem to remember too many of these 🙃

Monday 15th June

Happy lockdown birthday Robyn 🎂

We went to Minster Lovell ruins.

History of Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote

We had a birthday picnic near to the river, then decided to go on a little walk.

We walked into nearby Crawley village and then back to the ruins.

I think the ‘little walk’ turned out to be a bit longer than we all would have liked, nearly five miles. It was SO hot 🥵 Leah said she felt like we were walking through the desert! 🏜 It was pretty exhausting.

But we did get to see this random ‘flower’ on the way!!!

Now because every year Robyn always likes to have her birthday cakes made from fruit I miss out on getting to eat proper birthday cake! (one of my favourite things) ☹️

So I found these amazing cakes instead.

It does seem such a shame to cut them though after all the hard work that has gone into making them.

Tuesday 9th to Sunday 14th June

Some lonely times ☹️

But why am I complaining?

Thinking of all the pre-transplant patients who have been just helplessly waiting for their call, whilst also feeling so very unwell all throughout lockdown too. Such difficult times.

Thank goodness they’ve been able to start doing them again now.

An interesting article – Resuming liver transplantation

Stay strong all of you 💪 Hopefully your call will come soon 🤞

And in complete contrast, look at this luxury treehouse. How lucky were this couple to spend lockdown there.

My strawberry plants seem to be doing quite well again this year! 🍓👍

Monday 1st to Monday 8th June

From the 1st of June the government changed the advice for people in England who are shielding, they can now go outside once a day. Yay! But with the overall lockdown being loosened and with other people now being allowed to meet in groups of up to 6, lots more people are going to be out and about.

Think I might need to be getting myself some of these!

It’s Volunteers’ Week.

To celebrate this Oxford University Hospitals usually organise a very lovely Strawberry Cream Tea party to say thank you to their volunteers.

But this year, because of coronavirus of course, this couldn’t happen. So instead we were all extremely lucky to be getting a Strawberry Cream Tea delivery

It was so exciting. You do start to feel a bit forgotten when your just at home a lot. A little gesture like this can make such a big difference to your day.

It was a shame I was feeling unwell, but I still set it all out nicely. Then back in the fridge it went so that I could enjoy it over the next couple of days as I felt a little better.

I saw on my Facebook memories that I have been volunteering at the John Radcliffe Hospital for 4 years now 🙂

I certainly am very much missing my weekly visits to the liver ward ☹️

The table’s turned on Sunday when I dyed Robyn’s hair. Something different!

‘Heart at Home’ – a campaign to thank everyone for staying home and protecting the most vulnerable.

Have a look at all of these amazing ‘works of heART’

They are free to download. Why not choose your favourite and then share it on your own social media pages.

Hopefully this will encourage conversation around the topic of organ donation and get more people to share their decision with their loved ones during lockdown.

How I help coronavirus patients to walk again

Oh my goodness 😰

That brings back some memories …

Thursday 28th to Sunday 31st May

Watch A message from Earth

There have been more than 3 million cases of coronavirus across the world.

There are just over 30 countries and territories which have not yet reported a single case. (But remember just because a nation has not reported any infections does not necessarily mean there have been no cases. Some seem to like to keep it secret for some reason!)

Many are small, hard to reach islands in the Pacific that I have never heard of! And several of these are some of the least populated places in the world.

One of these places being Comoros.

How can there be such a nasty and horrible virus in a beautiful place like this.

Wish I was there …

Anyway, as the different lockdowns around the world begin to lift, it seems like life is very gradually starting to return to the ‘new normal’.

This article shows some interesting photos of then and now.

Striking photos show ghost towns and cities returning to new normal

And in my own attempt to try and get things back to some kind of normal, there was Friday night fish and chips, which I have been looking forward to having 😋