Health and Wellbeing

Gift Guide for the mature females in your life this Christmas

December 3, 2018

Gift Guide for the mature women in your life

This gift guide is to help you choose a gift for the mature women in your life. This could be your mum, nanna, auntie, neighbour or friend.

As an over 50’s female I know what I like to receive and hopefully can provide you with some gift ideas that will be enjoyed.

There are many gift guide around at this time of year but I hope I can provide some different specific inspiration for the over 40’s/50’s female.

some of these gifts have affiliate links which mean I may be paid a small fee or a free product when a purchase is made. This does not affect the price you pay and I only recommend products I would use myself.

Under £20

I am a huge fan of Aldi and I love make up. Earlier this year Aldi sold some fabulous eye shadow palettes, that are similar to the fabulous and must have Urban Decay palettes. I was lucky enough to be bought an original last Christmas by my husband and I loved it. However once I saw Aldi’s version I invested in a couple of theirs. I can honestly say I think they give as good a colour coverage and high end look. Aldi are releasing some more this week in stores and online. At £5.99 I think they are an absolute steal and would be a fabulous present to your make up wearing female.

Aldi Lacura eye palette

This next gift may not look very festive and seem out of place in Winter, but as a menopausal woman plagued with hot sweats it is becoming my best friend. The Chillmax gel cooling pillow is so versatile. It can be inserted inside a pillow case, or beneath your bottom sheet to help keep you cool at night and reduce and maybe even prevent hot flushes. It can also be used behind your back when sat watching TV or travelling. At £11.99 it is great value.

Chillmax cooling mat

Most people these days use ear phones either when travelling or at the gym or watching TV in bed on tablets or ipads. I love mine and do have several sets in my gym bag, at home in my handbag. As a female it’s nice to have a little bit of bling wherever you go – I think it’s good for the soul. These Rose Gold ones from Amazon look sensational and I would love to receive them in my stocking. At £20 I love them.

Rose gold earphones with bling

As a mature woman my hair texture has changed as I age. I touch on this more in a later product suggestion. I love hair products to keep my hair looking good. This plumping whip by Toni and Guy is one of my favourite products. It smells and feels luxurious and does provide great fullness for fine hair. At under £10 it would make a nice gift or stocking filler.

Toni and Guy volume plumping whip

Most modern mature women are still active and like to go to fitness classes or be comfortable when out and about, maybe just be on the go caring for younger family members. Yoga pants are must have in my opinion and I certainly can never have enough pairs. These are super comfy and look smart.

Yoga pants are so versatile

My final suggestion in this price bracket is for the lady who likes to holiday and travel. I love Packing cubes and think they are invaluable. Makes packing for trips easier and also helps once you have arrived. The cubes can just be transferred straight into the storage provided at your destination.

I have these particular ones and find them great, the toilet bag even includes a small pouch that can be used for jewellery or travel cosmetics.

Packing cubes for the lady that likes to holiday

Gifts under £50

In my gift guide I want to add some higher priced suggestions. It’s not just men that experience hair problems as they age. We women can experience thinning of our hair, losing body and texture and hair styling can be a challenge. I am continually searching for new products to help my hair stay looking good. I have a few products that I would recommend as a treat. My first recommendation is in the under £20 section.

Living Proof Style Lab texture Volumizing cream is expensive but applied to your hair after styling close to the roots adds great volume which is still present the next day.

This styling cream can be used on dry hair to create instant volume, touchable texture and flexible hold – hair is never stiff or frozen and is revivable for up to 48 hours.

Living proof amp provides body to fine hair

I have always moisturised my skin but only this year appreciated the benefit of serums for improving the look of my skin. This is often not a product anyone would purchase for their selves, particularly busy working women or mature women who have not always used serums in their skin regimen. My first set was bought for me and now I appreciate the need for multi layering products as we mature. This gift set of Boots Protect and Perfect would make a fabulous gift to start that special lady on the road to great skin.

Serums for glowing mature skin

Gifts over £50

My final couple of suggestions are for gifts for people who you really care about and wish to buy something special for.

As we age there is nothing like comfortable shoes and feet, particularly if like me you’ve worked as a nurse or in other professions, such as hairdressing, that have required hours spent on your feet whilst at work.

These Fitflops are fabulously comfort and come in many designs many with that touch of glamour and bling like these. As they can be expensive they are a luxury that border on an essential and make a fabulous present, especially for the lady who likes her holidays.

Fitflops for comfort and style

My final suggestion is a Sensationail gel nail kit. I have written before about how much I enjoy having nice nails and my local nail salons are full of mature ladies being pampered. This can be an expensive look to maintain but this gel nail kit is like giving a whole years full of beautiful nails. I have used this and found it easy to use and the results look professional and last.

Home gel nail kits save time and money

I hope I have provided you with some inspiration in this gift guide. I’d love to hear what you think, whether any of these suggestions have helped you. I aim to be back later in the week for the gift guide for the more mature men in your life.

Please comment or contact me by email

Also if you need more inspiration why not pop over to Karen’s blog The Geordie Grandma, as she also has some great gift ideas for women over 50.

Joint pain in the menopause Review GOPO® Supplements

November 21, 2018

Having been a Neonatal nurse for over 38 years, involving hours standing at Incubators or preterm deliveries, plus walking miles around Postnatal wards my joints have taken a pounding. Added to this my extra pounds gained during the menopause , I experience joint pain daily, especially my knees.

I suffered a fall earlier this year which increased the pain in my knee joints. I had investigations including an MRI to exclude a fracture of the Patella, (knee cap), and any teaer to the meniscus, (Cartlidge). There was no overt fracture but a bone bruise and happily no tear. The MRI also revealed that I had patellofemoral arthritis. I have written about my trials with pain in an earlier post. Although there was no fracture I was still left with residual pain particularly around the side of my knee. Added to my pre-existing struggles when walking up and down stairs and rising from a crouched position I was struggling.

I have been prescribed anti inflammatory medication but I don’t like to take it regularly because of the potential adverse effects on my stomach, which requires a second medication to afford protection. I don’t want to get in the viscious circle of taking many medications for one problem. I like to think I can take steps myself by life style changes, diet and exercise to help control my pain and symptoms.

I was given the opportunity to trial a supplement GOPO®, made from natural galactolipid GOPO® which is derived from rose-hip (Rosa canina) and has been shown in randomized, placebo controlled clinical trials to significantly reduce arthritis joint pain.

I was intrigued to try this as even though I have worked in medicine for so many years I always feel that for chronic problems self help should be tried first before embarking on a long term regime of medication.

I was interested in the background information provided about the product from Consultant Rheumatologist Dr. Rod Hughes. You may be interested, particularly if you are suffering from joint pain in the menopause. so I will share the main features of this with you.

Switch to a clinically backed natural supplement: 45% of those surveyed took paracetamol for their joint pain which is largely ineffective and has a number of side-effects when taken long term. Instead you could try an option such as the galactolipid GOPO® which is derived from rose-hip (Rosa canina) and has been shown in randomized, placebo controlled clinical trials to significantly reduce arthritis joint pain and reduce consumption of paracetamol by 40%. In vitro studies have demonstrated GOPO® has anti-inflammatory properties which have a protective effect on cartilage, potentially even helping cartilage and joint tissues to rebuild and regenerate

Keep active: Physical activity helps synovial fluid circulate in the joint, increases blood flow – which in turn increases oxygen and nutrient flow to the joint – and strengthens muscles supporting the joint. It is important not to overdo exercise or cause injury, but even gentle activities such as walking and swimming are beneficial.

Treat injuries – Traumatic injury (ligament or meniscal tears) to the knee or hip increases your risk for developing OA in these joints. Effective rehabilitation is very important – always consult a professional if you suspect an injury and follow their advice.

Eat Well: Being overweight places additional strain on the joints – every pound of excess weight places an additional 4 pounds of extra strain on the knees. However, it’s not just this mechanical loading and wear and tear of joints that is of concern. More recently research has suggested inflammatory processes involved with fat tissues may also affect joints.

According to nutritionist Angelique Panagos; ‘’People often don’t associate joint issues with lifestyle choices and a poor diet but both these play a major role. There are a number of structures in the joint – including bone, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and collagen, which need a good source of nutrients to keep healthy and in good condition. Key nutrients for joint health include vitamin D, Vitamin C and calcium. I advise my clients to up their levels of foods such as broccoli, spinach, tart cherries, garlic, peppers, almonds, kale, and tomatoes in particular for these nutrients. In addition, avoiding foods that can increase inflammation, such as high sugar foods, and getting enough exercise are an integral part of joint health too.’’

High levels of the galactolipid GOPO® are found only in GOPO® Joint Health.

I try to follow 3 of the points anyway, you may have read about my struggles with my menopausal weight gain.

So the final element was to try a supplement and this seemed to be one I would feel comfortable trialing. To this end I accepted a free 3 month supply to trial. I am disclosing this to be transparent about why I am trialling this particular supplement for joint pain.

It comes with some promotional material including this Youtube Video with celebrity endorsement.

I have to say that another reason why I don’t take medication or regular supplements is that I am rubbish at remembering to take them regularly. I start off enthusiastically and then forget after a week or so. To this end I have placed the bottle of supplements near to my tea and coffee canisters to prompt me. The recommended started dose for this GOPO® supplement is 3 tablets twice a day for the first 3 to 5 weeks. The first challenge is remembering to keep taking them, and they are large capsules to swallow.

I am towards the end of my first month of taking these GOPO® and although I have forgotten the odd day and odd second dose I already feel that my knee pain is so much improved. I used to suffer a constant burning pain which required me to take Paracetamol and anti inflammatory medication when it was really bad. This burning pain is not an issue since I started taking them. I also have a chronic back problem, there has been no change in this pain.

I will update you again next month to see how things are.

If you are interested in this supplement GOPO® Joint Health is available from Boots, supermarkets and independent chemists nationwide £18.99 for 120 capsules and £28.49 for 200 capsules. www.GoPo.co.uk

Please share this post if you think it could help you or someone you know, maybe one of your older female friends or family members have the same joint pain struggles and this could help them.

A busy October having fun in retirement

November 18, 2018

I had a very busy October and I know I’m it’s already mid November and I’m late in posting, but hey better late than never. Time is flying so fast. This third age of my life is truly the best especially spending quality time with family and friends. When I was working full time as a nurse I was either too busy or too tired to really enjoy my social life.

Where Did I Go in October

The month of October was dominated by Mr Fitz’s 60th birthday, both preparation and celebrations. I had planned a surprise night away for him on the actual night of his Birthday. We are both foodies and Mr Fitz can watch hours of cooking programmes and demonstrations from Celebrity chefs, as well as dining out. With that in mind I had booked a night away at Northcote Manor a Michelin starred hotel and restaurant not too far away. He hates surprises so closer to the date I did actually tell him where we were going. We had a lovely stay and fabulous food, very expensive but a one off experience befitting the milestone in life. I will write a full review of this experience in a separate post.

A selection of the food on offer at Northcote Manor

Michelin Star Food

We both enjoyed a weekend away in Blackpool with friends at the beginning of October, staying in their static caravan. A great time filled with lots of laughter and a trip to the Blackpool illuminations was enjoyed by us all. I reflected on the Illuminations as part of my Blogtober18 series, if you haven’t read it already you can take a look here.

Blackpool Illuminations

With the christening of Johns great niece Delilah Belle we got to spend some quality family time with Johns close and extended family. It was as few days before his birthday so they presented him with gifts and sang Happy Birthday to him. After years of missing out on many family celebrations due to the unsocial hours and shifts that are required as a nurse, in retirement I fully appreciate how precious days like this are.

Mr Fitz Receiving gifts for his 60th birthday

Family time

After football and blogging my other passion is for entering competitions. I have like minded friends and we all share our winning prizes and experiences amongst ourselves and our friends and families. My lovely friend Juliet won a trip to meet Jamie Oliver in London. It was a promotion in collaboration with Hotpoint and Jamie Oliver to reduce foo wastage and to be creative with leftovers. There were 5 winners who had been judged to submit the best ideas for the use of leftovers. The winners and guests were invited to a pop up event in East London. A truly enjoyable day and an opportunity to see Jamie demonstrating his cooking skills at close contact.

Enjoying a celebrity chef experience with Jamie Oliver

Watching Jamie Oliver live

Another of my friends won a meal at Rain Bar in Manchester for 4. This is a gastro pub where the food was really tasty with great service and attention. It also gave myself and my friends the opportunity to get together and plan an upcoming trip to London in December

Lunch at Rain Bar Manchester

What Did I Read in October

I’m ashamed to say I am still on the same book from the Village series that I was reading last month – I’ve barely picked my kindle up and I need to read more to help me unwind at the end of the day.

What I watched on TV in October

I completed watching the series on Sky Witness The Truth About the Harry Quebert Story, I mentioned this last month. It was quite a slow moving who dunnit but I enjoyed it, lots of twist and turns.

I’ve been catching up on an older TV series, A Place To Call Home and watching in snatches. I find this a really relaxing storyline and series. It’s set in Australia an tells the story of a family throughout the years.

Naturally there has been wall to wall football being watched here!

I didn’t get to watch any specific films apart from dipping into the many Christmas movies being continuously shown on Sky. By the time Christmas arrives I will have possibly seen snippets of them all. These are great movies to have on in the background while I work, particularly photographing and listing stock for my Ebay shop.

Home Improvements

If you have read earlier posts about our house purchase partially funded from my retirement funds, you may know that I so love this dream house and this is the most enjoyable part of my retirement. I love spending as much time as possible inside working from home. When we moved in it had been repainted throughout and re carpeted in neutral tones. Over the three years we have lived here we have gradually made changes and put our personal stamp on it. We had wooden flooring in our previous home and loved the look and clean feel of it. But as the carpet was newly fitted when we moved in changing it immediately seemed inappropriate. This month though we thought 3 years was a respectable length of time to change it and we had wooden flooring fitted through the lounge and dining room. Due to my menopausal brain fog I have become really indecisive and struggle to choose decor etc. Thankfully Mr Fitz is able to make good choices and where once I made the main decisions I am happy for him to take the lead. He chose a dark colour which I possibly wouldn’t have chosen myself, possibly because I make ‘safe’ choices and he is happy to be out there sometimes. I am happy with his choice and love the new look.

November goals

To continue at the gym and attend yoga classes hoping this results in weight loss.

I am going to aim to eat a low carb diet 90% of the time to reverse the state of insulin resistance that I appear to be in, caused by my lovely constant companion that is the menopause. I am watching a series of videos from a nutritionist in America Dr Becky Gillaspy, as I have a Masters Degree in Health Studies, I know that what she talks about makes sense.

Procrastination

Oh and yes my accounts have still not been submitted – I need to pull my finger out!

Finally I am planning to redecorate my 2nd bedroom, including a full declutter. I will post about this when the project is complete.

How is your November progressing? How you’re all moving forward, my favourite saying at the moment is from Emma Drew of Emma Drew info who is helping me with my blogging journey, and that is we should strive at all times for progress not perfection! So true. I am prone to getting lost in the minutiae of details to be perfect that I end up making no progress at all.

Let me know if you have any similar experiences to any of my recent ones? I love to hear from you and receive inspiration

Comment or email me

Also I would love you to subscribe and share if you wish to hear more about my retirement life and having fun after 50.

Thanks for reading, it’s always appreciated

Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale – Product Review

November 5, 2018

To enable this product review I was kindly given the Ozeri digital bathroom scales by Jeanine at Blessed Bee Group.

Scales original packaging

I was very happy to review them as my current scales were becoming unreliable and needed replacing. If you have read some of my previous posts you can see that weight gain in the menopause is one of my struggles so these will be a useful tool in my weight loss journey.

The features that the Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale have are:

New Weight Change detection Technology displays your net change in weight in GREEN for weight loss and in RED for weight gain.
StepOn Activation captures the precise weight measurements upon contact (no tapping required).
Uses 4 high precision G sensors to weigh up to 200 kilograms or 440 pounds in 0.1 kg or 0.2 lbs increments.
Award-winning design features an oversized weighing platform with impact-resistant tempered glass.
Automatically turns off to conserve battery life, and runs on 2 AAA batteries with battery indicator (batteries included).

They retail for £24.99 on Amazon. The Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale arrived promptlyfor me to review and the first thing I noticed was the weight – they seemed much heavier and larger than the bathroom scales I already owned.

Once unboxed I instantly liked the sleek black and chrome appearance. There was an easy to follow instruction leaflet and batteries are included.

Sleek black and chrome appearance

Clear instruction leaflet

The footplate area is large making them easy to stand on. The digital display is exceptionally clear. The great added facility is that they remember and store your weight. Next time you step on and are weighed again you then get a second display that informs you whether you have gained or lost. If you have gained the amount flashes up in red and if you have lost the figures are green. It took me a couple of attempts to see this display to complete my review, I erroneously remained stood on the foot plate. The gain/loss display only appears once you have stepped off again.

Easy to read digital display

Green display indicating weight loss

Red display indicating weight gain

I really liked these Ozeri scales but in as part of my review in my opinion they have one disadvantage in that they only store one persons weight. Therefore the weight gain/loss function does not work when there are 2 people sharing the use. To reset this the batteries can be removed and reinserted but it is a bit of a faff and it still does not solve this issue.

These cost of these Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale was reimbursed in payment for this review. This did not influence my opinion.

Disclaimer – If you purchase these via my link I may receive a small fee.

An Autumn Walk in the Lake District – Coniston to Tarn Hows

November 1, 2018

I know I repeatedly say that Autumn is my favourite time of the year but it really is. That’s the time of year Mr Fitz and I visit the Lake District most frequently. The place is marvellous at the best of times but with the fabulous colours the landscape and views become even more spectacular.

Autumn Lake Coniston

I’m going to share and recommend a walk we took from Coniston to Tarn Hows. We were staying at The Waterhead Hotel in Coniston and the route of the walk starts close to the Hotel.

Route Coniston to Tarn Hows

Whilst mentioning the hotel I will briefly say that it is in a nice setting. It is a very old building with large rooms and high ceilings. It is set on the edge of the lake, we stayed for 2 nights and enjoyed our stay. There is a short walk, which is dark and not well lit at night. We managed though by using the torches on our phone!

The Waterhead Hotel Coniston

Back to the walk itself, on the day it was a bit grey and drizzly. We were well wrapped up against the elements and with a hat on we were able to stay warm and dry.

Dressed for the grey drizzle

The walk begins along the road then steadily climbs through a forest. My OH is far fitter than me and could power ahead but stayed not too far in front and waited for me. The walk was quite a bit harder for me reminding me how much my fitness level had dropped over recent years and that I was carrying too much weight. He thought I may give up but that is not in my nature – I’m very stubborn

Walking Uphill in the Forest

The colours of the leaves and trees an the walk were spectacular – a word I cannot use enough to describe how clever mother nature is.

Love the colours

Once we reached Tarn Hows, we found ourselves in an area of peace and tranquility with great views over the Tarn. It was a popular place and can be reached by car, but even though there were plenty of people around it was still peaceful.

The view at Tarn Hows – beautiful even on a misty day

The return walk was obviously a lot easier as it was downhill. Like all good walks at the end it is lovely to reward yourself with a nice beer and pub grub. There are some lovely traditional pubs in the Village. We ate at The Yewdale Inn.

Let me know what your favourite walk is, we’re always looking for new routes.

If you wish to see more content from my lovely blogging friends involved in #Blogtober18 hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos please click on the logo to see more.

#Blogtober 18 -1st 10 songs on my shuffle playlist

October 30, 2018

In my about me page and in the post aboit 10 random facts I provide an insight into who I am.

By sharing the 1st 10 songs that appear on my shuffle playlist this may provide further insight. I have very eclectic music tastes and this may be reflected. I do have a few playlists, one for travel, a gym playlist and a bloggers playlist. However they do all have very similar tunes but with variations. The travel one is the longest and contains calming classical music too as I am scared of flying, the gym one is full of upbeat, uplifting music to motivate me. In fact most of my music is uplifting reflecting my love of disco music of the 70’s and 80’s when I loved to go out clubbing and dancing.

So here goes!

Bamboleo Gipsy Kings
Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel Tavares
Blue Moon The Marcels
We’re Not Really Here Steve Penk and The Man City Fans
Lose Yourself Eminem
Love to Hate You Erasure
Cigarettes and Alcohol Oasis
Don’t Stop Believing Journey
Radar Love Golden Earring
Funky Town Lips Inc

What’s on yours?

To read more from other bloggers involved in the #Blogtober18 initiative please click the logo below

Update of my self referral health MOT

October 19, 2018

This post is part of the #Blogtober18 promotion and is also part of my #wellbeingwednesday series

In an earlier post which you may want to read I discussed that I had referred myself to my GP practice for a health MOT. I am 58 and in the middle of the menopause and know I am carrying more weight than I should. I like to be proactive about my health and regularly attend for maintenance bloods and a Blood Pressure check.

In my results there was a slight elevation in one of my liver enzymes which could be a sign of inflammation. Naturally this worried me as I am known for enjoying a nice G&T, a cocktail or a glass of wine. Whilst working full time as a nurse I was very disciplined and drank very little but since I’ve retired I have more opportunity to socialise and I was concerned that I was doing this a little too much!

Anyway I had to have my liver bloods repeated after a couple of weeks and I am happy to say that they were within normal limits. In fact all my routine bloods were within normal limits and my blood pressure was an acceptable level.

I am pleased to know this, but it does not mean that I will be reckless in the amount I eat and drink. I still intend on remaining active and making better food choices, whilst still enjoying a tipple each week, keeping within the recommended levels.

This option is available to all. GP’s surgery’s are not just for when you are unwell they are there to help you keep well. I highly recommend you get a regular health check too

Please click the link to see some of the other wonderful blogs and posts involved in #Blogtober18

I love You Tube 10 of my favourite channels

October 17, 2018

Before I retired I rarely watched You Tube, apart from watching something Manchester City related or a ‘how to’ video after googling for an answer to a particular problem.

Now I’m a little obsessed and for a while preferred to watch You tube Video’s over TV whilst at home during the day. I still treat myself to a brew in bed with YouTube one morning during the week. Often Monday as a treat for not having to go out to work anymore. Spoiled I know!

I watch so many and as well as regular You Tube channels that I am subscribed to I can get lost watching new channels that are recommended to me.

I’ve decided to share 10 and it was hard to narrow it down to only 10. So here goes!

Sparklyblonde1 – This is Faith from Michigan in USA and one of the 1st I followed regularly. I love her home, especially her office and make up room! I have 2 rooms that I can rename the same but they certainly don’t look like her. My office is full of Ebay clutter, but I’m working on the other! Faith is obsessed with Fall and Christmas this means she often posts infrequently during other times of the years. I don’t mind though as I recognise that now. Plus she has the cutest dogs!

HotandFlashy – Angie is an over 50’s Vlogger from USA and yes her channel is about age appropriate beauty products, the menopause, fashion and food. She has a lovely figure so some of her clothing looks are not suitable for my short dumpy frame – but hey I can dream. I used to love her Foundation Friday posts.

HowJenDoesIt – Jen is another US Vlogger who talks about Organisation. If you will have seen some of my earlier posts, particularly my post about moving house, you will know that since taking early retirement I have become a little obsessed with organisation. I was too knackered when working. I love it now, I do feel that an organised house does lead to calmness and a more productive life.

Clutterbug – This lovely, bubbly Vlogger is Cassandra from Canada. She is a stay at home mom who vlogs about decluttering and home organisation plus cleaning tips. She is adorable, such a sunny personality and manner about her. Rapidly becoming one of my favourites out there.

Caroline (Mrs M) – Caroline Matthews is an English Vlogger who has just turned 50. She is an Ebay reseller and a lifestyle vlogger. She appears to ahve quite an affluent lifestyle but does love a bargain and seems to like so many similar things to me. As an Ebay reseller myself I also pick up hints and tips from her.

Carla Jenkins – Carla is an absolutely hilarious and crazy Ebay reseller. I enjoy watching what she picks up to resell. She has recently been doing a live chat on a Sunday lunchtime. Never fails to make me laugh.

Nic and Andrea Hills – This lovely couple are very successful Ebay resellers and are a mine of information for other sellers starting out. I have learned and still do learn so much from them.

It’s Em – Emma is a UK based lifestyle vlogger. She posts a weekend vlog plus other regular vlogs about lifestyle and plus size fashion. I was introduced to her by Caroline Mrs, who mentioned that she liked her. She is a lovely girl and includes her husband Chris in the Vlogs too. A really enjoyable Vlogger who discusses many things and includes Travel too.

Emma Drew – Emma is another English vlogger who is a brand ambassador for Poundland. She also talks about money making and money saving plus how to build a blog. Now I’m retired I am much more money savvy. I am currently undertaking coaching sessions from Emma to help me build and grow my blog. An excellent teacher.

EECC Travel – whilst planning my recent cruise trip I was looking for cruise related video’s. A lot of the UK ones were pure information and ship tours. This lovely American couple vlog about their many cruises and there are a lot of fun clips in their vlogs as well as great hints and tips. They really promote the fun and relaxation as well as entertainment that can be had on a cruise line. Plus they have THE BEST theme tune in my opinion.

Well those are my current top 10. I hope you find at least one of these to follow too. Do you l you love You Tube? If so please recommend others that I can follow too. Also I have started my own channel but it’s been stop start as my editing and filming skill are not quite there yet maybe someone can point me in the direction of a good youtube course or editing course.

This post is part of the Blogtober18 initiative hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos please click the logo below to learn more and see other bloggers involved.

#babylossawarenessweek A Professional’s View

October 16, 2018

As #babylossawarenessweek comes to an end there are many bloggers experiences out there. So touching and tragic.

You may have read in my about me that I am a retired Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, having worked in various roles in neonatal care for over 30 years.

When telling people what I did for a living I usually got one of 2 responses either 1) Oh that must be lovely all those babies to cuddle or 2) Oh you must see a lot of sadness.

In answer to that yes it was a fabulous job and I was privileged to have seen so many births and cared for so many fabulous tough human beings in the early stages of their lives and yes there was some sadness, but more happy moments than sad moments.

However, even in sad moments and times of loss I have some lasting memories that will never leave me.

I’m sure that outwardly as neonatal Nurses, Midwives and Doctors it looks like dealing with these situations is all part of the job and we appear to be cool, calm and collected and detached from the situation. I can assure you that is never the case. To many of my own family members I think I appear quite cold as nothing seems to affect me and I can talk calmly about peoples difficult health situations. This is not the case, but I do however have a side of my persona that can appear very detached. This side has to come into play to be professional and functional. The reality is that I am a real softie who cries at the sight of a limping sparrow let alone someones life tragedy! I have delivered many babies myself and been present at many more, too many to count in over 30 years, however let me watch a birth or a programme about Neonatal Units on TV in the privacy of my own lounge I never fail to cry and end up a sobbing wreck. I’m so full of admiration for these families and babies.

In every neonatal nurse or midwives career there are certain babies and families that touch the very core of you and stay with you forever.

I would like to discuss two examples of this and share my feelings with you.

I delivered my first stillborn baby as a student midwife in 1985. The evening before my final exams. To this day I can remember the families surname, which delivery room it was in and who my supervising midwife was amongst other details. I was so touched by the dignity of these parents at this lowest moment in their life. They already had children but this did not make their loss any less. They owned a business and I still see their company advertised to this day and I never fail to think of them. I am just very sorry that in 1985 we dealt with this situation so differently than today and keepsakes were not offered, no footprints, locks of hair etc, unlike today. All they received was a grainy instant Polaroid photo. However I’m sure it’s still a very treasured item. I remember coping professionally but cried all the way home from my shift that evening.

The second loss I would like to share is of a little boy I cared for as a Neonatal Sister in 1998, 20 years ago. This little boy was born at full term by Caesarian section. However he failed to adapt to independent life, needing maximum help with all his vital functions. He was ventilated and required full life support from soon after his birth. he was a big chubby, beautiful boy. There appeared to be absolutely no reason why he was so poorly. After tests it appeared to be a heart and circulatory problem. A retrieval team attended from a local specialist children’s hospital to transfer him to their unit for ongoing intensive care. I remember caring for the baby, I will keep his name anonymous for confidentiality reasons, as well as his parents. They were young parents and naturally devastated and dazed at the situation. After being transferred to he local children’s specialist unit his condition did not improve and he was airlifted to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Sadly despite huge efforts he had a rare form of a condition called Persistant Pulmonary Hypertension, it is mostly treatable but his rare form meant that it could not be treated on this occasion. It was the first time I had seen a baby not survive this condition. He sadly only lived for 2 days. After caring for him and his parents I could not get him out of my mind they all touched me so much. I cried buckets.

I attended his funeral, most neonatal Nurses and midwives attend the funerals of babies in their care if the shift pattern allows. Colleagues will usually swap shifts to facilitate this.

I have never forgotten him and I am still in contact with his mum today. Due to the circumstances of his condition and transfer I am the only person they know that met their son. I feel very privileged to be that person.

I will end with saying that even though we have to do our job efficiently using our technical knowledge and skills inside we are just like everyone else and experience a roller coaster of emotions in the situation too. We do have hearts and do care deeply. Every baby loss will have touched a healthcare professional and will be remembered somewhere by one.

Thank you for reading this. There are many other post on this subject as part of the Blogtober18 initiative hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos

Please click the link below to see more

Anxiety in the menopause #worldmentalhealthday

October 10, 2018

This post is day 10 in my participation in #Blogtober2018. As it is World Mental Health Day I thought how I would discuss how my anxiety levels have soared during the menopause.

When I was in my teens I suffered extreme anxiety but I did not know what it was or what it was caused by, in the 1970’s no one talked about mental health openly. But my teenage experiences are another post for another day. Since my late teens I have been very happy go lucky and positive. Always been a cup half full person and still am. However, since I have been in the full throws of the menopause I seem to be suffering from anxiety again in certain settings. Like many women my age I thought I was seriously ‘losing the plot!’ until I researched and acknowledged that it is a recognised symptom of the menopause.

Don’t get me wrong I’m still an upbeat positive person and I can mainly control my anxiety.

My triggers are usually when I am in what I perceive to be dangerous situations. My biggest cause of anxiety is when a passenger in a car on a motorway. This is almost crippling and I do not know where it has come from or what has caused it. Mr Fitz and I have always driven to events and places for days out, short breaks and holidays. Lately though I am filled with dread at the prospect of a road trip, even if it’s just across the other side of the city to visit family.

I have always had a fear of flying and have to take Valium prescribed by my GP when flying, this is such an irrational fear, again another post for another day. I can manage this fear with medication., but having said that I do not want to have to resort to this method for simply driving or being a passenger in a car.

If you’ve read my earlier piece about the menopause you will see that I use Kalms herbal tablets. These are widely recognised to be beneficial. I don’t know if it’s a placebo effect but I do find they help.

There are other situations where I feel anxious, I often see danger everywhere, but I manage to control it.

I am shocked by these new symptoms but it helps that some of my friends and peers going through the menopause too have also developed anxiety. Talking about your problems to friends or family is often the best medicine -I truly believe in the old saying “A Problem Shared Is A Problem Halved”

Thank you for reading, please take the time to look at some of the other bloggers involved in this #Blogtober2018 initiative.

Host Mandi Big Family Organised Chaos

Sarah – Sarah Beth Blogs

Hazel – Tea & Cake for the Soul

Kristine’s Blog

This post is also part of a Well Being Wednesday link = My Well Being Wednesday Post #4