I Am Not An Anxiety Traffic Cone

I social media for me when I want and how I want , gosh in the year 2000 Google was just a mere what ever it was.Selfies didn’t exist and no one had the pressure of answering or sending emails.

I’m off with Anxiety you see the big A the one people still skirt around like you’re an “Anxiety Traffic Cone .Anxiety / Depression is a bit like roadworks you don’t know where it will be fixed . I’m winning on this but I know that my Anxiety roadworks will need constant maintenance.My Doctor just huuuuhuh and mmmmm at me so I think some way to go with that side of things!

I had a breakdown on the back of various factors 4 years ago and I’ve learnt from it and repaired myself.I think there are many important lesson s I’ve learnt in the art of self care.

1. It’s ok to not be ok and it’s ok to talk about it you’re not an Anxiety Traffic cone.

3. Don’t worry about being misunderstood everyone is ... and I was misunderstood 4 years ago leading to some right nasty stuff on the net. Friends will be there for you but it takes time to build the right ones.

4. Don’t worry what people think it’s ok to be you ~  don’t worry what 

5. Try and find yourself in a book again that’s one way to truly find yourself again

6. I punctuate my day with being rather than doing like just being with my cup of tea and not being a slave to people’s expectations.

7 Not needing flash things I’m perfectly happy with a cup tea family and cake oh and the cat and countryside. 

8 Faultless there’s no such thing ! Allow yourself failure and don’t beat yourself up when things go wrong.

9 Plan what you want as planning helps you structure and can help with how you feel, it could be tea and cake with a friend.

Things not to say to someone with Anxiety and depression and I’ve genuinely had this said to me “ if you were taking the tablets you’d be half way to getting better now.

Also people think you want to be left alone when you’ve got anxiety or depression and though sometimes this is true , please do approach people. Keep trying and trying they’ll let you know - just trying is enough for some. Don’t give up on us !

And neither is it a shame what has happened to us “ isn’t it a shame about xyz”

So I’m not an anxiety Traffic Cone !!

Crafting Happiness And Habit

Anxiety doesn’t stop at a line and go ooooh I’ll not cross that it needs to but it doesn’t. Am I winning the war with anxiety I think so but I know really know what true friendship is now.

Friendship goes in and out of our lives for whatever reason, you can’t force a friendship it’s like a good cup of tea you see friendship.Once you’ve found your strength you stick with it and yes sometimes the friendship is over milked but mainly a balance is struck.

I’ve been off with anxiety since March and one thing after another has snowballed but that’s life ! unfortunately and what has crippled me is just as things were ironing out then boom it all blew up in my face.

From having to call 999 for my mother due to a bipolar episode to my husband suddenly having to go into hospital with diabetes. And I imploded and crumbled and to the friends who have seen me through this I thank you.I am no fool in thinking that everyone is going to feel a compassion or empathy for me  .It’s not what I really want but a little nod every so often or maybe an interaction then that’s ok.

I can take joy in the fact that people are having a good time and I can feel sadness when they’re not.I try to be there for people and not spread myself thin.

I have to take social cues I’m not good at knowing when to start and finish a conversation.People who really know me understand this and don’t run away from me during a conversation.I can’t be left hanging it’s got to be clear cut or I don’t know where I stand.

And this includes writing part of this blog post again ! as it was swallowed probably by a T - Rex or something!

I believe in genarosity of self and that’s not just thinking about yourself to ensure your own well being but being genorous in your actions to others.

I’m going to practise being more genouros from taking someone’s else’s shopping trolley back when I take my own to depositing loose change in charity tins.

Happiness and habit you have to allow yourself to be habit and find something that makes you do.Think of it as a hobby as happiness is not always intrinsically possibile .Hapiness for me is various activities or actions or sounds the list goes on and is really a stand alone blog post.One thing for me is photography that makes me happy and is influential to not only me but other people who appreciate it.

I this morning have started a new happiness habit crafting prompted by my husband “ you’ve not opened your crafting magazine “

So this morning I thought about unloading the dishwasher and decided that was not going to make me happy and instead went to do a spot of crafting.

How I Am Winning The Battle on my Garden

My Garden isn't a Chelsea Flower show garden but then again what is nowadays and I don't have famous celebrities traipsing round my garden giving their views on it.The garden has been somewhat a bit of a lifeline for my husband and he has created two rockeries nothing amazing that in that you might think.But it was when he was doing the first rockery that he really thought he had a problem with his health he had been drinking loads of water , going to the toilet and other such signs associated with Diabetes.He battled through and it was on the Monday that he went to the doctors and Tuesday resulted in a stay in hospital and when he came out of hospital he recuperated by spending time in the garden.Gardens are marvellous for reoccupation and i love being in the garden it has been a hard slog to create a garden on a budget but you can do it and it helps if you have friends who perhaps have too many strawberry plants in their garden and they’re called Pam ! and they also give you a wild Garlic plant and give you a lift back from the hospital ( all for which I’m greatful for )

Mr T if he had his way would whip up the lawn and put down fake grass but no that is to something I want and so I am happy to do battle with the lawn and try and get it to look green , I know people get really fanatical over their lawns as it is this pride and joy.I have seen people cutting their lawns with nail scissors that is how extreme it gets.Why do I need the lawn well Love the green and seeing the birds hopping happily across my lawns fetching the worms out of it.

But when you’ve an an autoimmune disease which Diabetes type 1 you want gardening to be a pleasure and not a chore.And that’s where the latest range of cordless Ryobi tools come in so far we have the lawnmower, grass strimmer and pole pruner.And Mr T is out there like a man possessed mowing, strumming and pruning.

In order of the rockeries we have gone from this to this ...

All this from a random eBay purchase when I brought an old stone sink off  someone and ended up with a shed load of stone.I am random and I am a devil on EBay !

Just Blog For Yourself

Blog yourself don't listen always to the supposed blogging law that is spouted out at times.

That’s why I’m happy to blog as I do when I feel and say what I want and when I want it.Refreshing is it not to be yourself and to be lost in how you feel and how you want to blog.

I’m not a blogging anarchist that’s like a rock star throwing the television out the hotel room.And anyway you can’t as the window have those safety locks out.

Blogger ~ influencer who cares what the title is ~ blogger laureate for all I care.My blogging gives me a platform for how I feel and how I write is how I write.

And I’ve blogged twice in a day and if I want to blog more I will ! It can be as many words as I like or gasp no words.

As I love my photography it really is a passion of mine and I like nothing better than tootling out to take pictures.

I don't place myself above anyone else neither no I perceive myself to be the fountain of all blogging knowledge I know what I like to blog and I do it. Blog what you love and you'll find your fellow tribe or those hop share your passions in what you do and what you say and even will debate against you in a balanced manner.

Be yourself in all and everything that you do !

Why Travelodge Has Lost Me As A Customer

I think my travelodge staying days are well and truly over and hello Premier inn. We stopped at Ferry Bridge Pontefract (Ferrybridge) in May over the Bank holiday weekend for 2 nights.It is at a service station nothing flash just cheap and accessible for York where our son is at university.But the fun started when we got back and my husband got a parking ticket.And we couldn't understand it at all as we knew we hadn't broken any rules or regulations. 

You see when you stay at this sort of place you enter your car reg onto a computer within the Travelodge so you don't get a fine, SO you don't get a fine from the parking company ( as the parking is privately owned)

But something went wrong and my husband got a fine so much wrangling to get it sorted as your first response is to pay it so it goes away. But we didn't as I am tough as old boots when it comes to matters when I know we are in the right.

We thought it was all sorted and maybe we would have stopped there again despite this hassle we got an aolpogy and sorry from Travelodge it wasn't us it is CP plus parking blah blah.But if it a known problem then it should get sorted asap even if it means the Travelodge staff ring Cp plus with the reg !

But today my husband rand and we have another ( excuse my language ) another bloody fine to sort out.

I am trying to get a full refund of the stay now from Travel lodge and get this other fine squished.

I think have more chance of finding a pole dancing Dodo then get a refund from Travelodge

I know after wrangling the second fine will get squared again but it isn't on especially after Mr T  is out of hospital.I fell like I ma fighting in the trenches to get my money back for a stay that in the end turned out to be rubbish because of the parking fines.Customer service shouldn't be hard and it should be complicated you know we like companies that goes you know what "we are sorry we will try and endeavour that this doesn't happen again "

It as not as if I am demanding a silver service tea service from a butler every 5 minutes it is just a basic hotel stay and basic shouldn't mean you are entangled with other issues.Of course Travelodge has the right to reply but I am not getting anything other than stock evasive replies till now, I will update this blog post as and when I get anywhere.I feel as if I am not only fighting for me but for everyone in ensuring that customer service is exactly that a customer service !

Update the second fine has been squashed but Travelodge will not move on granting me a refund for the room.

I feel like I am fighting in the trenches to try and get my money back for a stay that turned out to be rubbish.Customer sevrice should be hard and it shouldn't be complicated and it is not as it we are demanding a butler tea service every 5 minutes while stopping with a budget hotel.I am not going to get all gun ho on my page as i have done that on my own personal one.But it's the little things that count and how a company deals with not only you but other people speaks volumes!