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On World Prematurity Day I just had to pay tribute to this day after working in Neonatal care for over 30 years. Even after retirement I still worked some part time hours in the field for a while. I finally hung up my stethoscope 12 months ago, I felt these precious babies and their families deserved someone with a sharper brain to care for them than me with my menopausal brain fog.
Throughout my time it has been a privilege to work with such fine specimens of humanity – the babies!
When I’ve told people what I do many people have commented “oh that must be hard” “that must be sad” but no. It’s quite the contrary –  it’s uplifting and inspiring.
These little beings that arrive at the most inconvenient times, many weeks early are as tough as teak. Parents and families are scared of their small size and shiny skin, many looking like little skinned rabbits in the early hours after birth. Those of us who care for them aren’t, we know they are strong, tough, durable and will fight to do what’s necessary to cling to life. Sadly some don’t get to stay here but have to join the heavenly band of angels, but thankfully the majority make it in the end.

World Prematurity Day has been allocated to raise awareness and pay tribute to this unique world. They have my utmost respect and I am in awe of them and their families.
Many of the babies I cared for in my early career are now parents themselves, some are fine big rugby players, clever, talented adults.

Parents as well cope with more than they think they can. Premature births often happen when a mother of family also have another traumatic event going on – these preterm babies don’t care! Mother can be days away from a house move, death of a close family member, another child already in hospital. The birth of a tiny, frail baby is another burden they fear they cannot cope with – but they do! They manage to deal with a whole host of things whilst still managing to visit daily, sometimes for a stay of over 100 days. They do remain sane and come out smiling.

The professionals who work in the field, support these fragile tiny bodies as if they were a family member, they listen to stressed parents, wipe away tears of sadness and laughter, encourage parents to have some ‘me’ time. These professionals also grieve with bereaved parents and celebrate with parents as tiny milestones are reached.

On World Prematurity Day I salute you all.

If you follow my blog you will know that I took early retirement from my nursing role after a 38 year career.

I have heard many people say “I don’t want to retire I wouldn’t know what to do with myself” Well occupying myself and keeping busy has not been a problem at all. In fact Mr Fitz says he doesn’t know how I found time to go to work! When asked about retirement I always say it’s the best job I ever had.

This post is supposed to outline a typical day, to be honest I’m not sure I have one, but after a long nursing career with strict shift times and routines I find I do continue to build structure into my day.

Mr Fitz gets up for work around 4.45 am and leaves around 5.30. In the summer I often stay awake after that or doze until around 6.30 but now it’s getting darker I find I tend to fall back asleep until around 7.30. Having said that I do stay up later than him.

I’ve developed a terrible habit of making a cup of tea and taking it back to bed a couple of days a week when Johns working. Whilst having my morning cuppa I may catch up with something I’ve recorded on Sky, at the moment it’s Great British Bake Off. Or I answer Emails, watch Youtube, relist Ebay sales that have ended overnight or print out postage labels for sales that have occurred overnight and update or write my To Do List plus enter some competitions, usually on Social media.

Following my brew I will then make my bed and package up any Ebay sales. I may then either go off to the gym. If I’m going to the gym I like to get it over with early! Then I can shower and move forward with the day.

I know some people like to set a timer for tasks or block out sections of the day for activities on their calendar I don’t do this formally but do mentally block out my day in my head.  I may also prepare dinner early, as you may be able to tell I am more productive in a morning so like to do as much as possible that’s important.

The next part of my morning is either filled with cleaning the house, Photographing and listing items for my Ebay shop, writing or preparing blog posts or sitting down and entering competitions on the various platforms that I use.

I may stop for a quick lunch around 12.30, nothing heavy as we eat dinner early due to John’s working hours.

Obviously there are days when the routine is different and I’m going out to meet friends or family and be a lady that lunches. And on Friday’s that’s the day I spend quality time with Mr Fitz.

And of course there are days when I have a job as a TV background artist when I am out all day working of course.

It’s rare that I go out in the evening unless I go to watch Manchester City play a night time game or I have an event to attend that is part of a competition prize.

Prior to retirement I promised myself that I would catch up and watch all the films I’d wanted to view but hadn’t, or TV Boxsets plus read many books I wanted to read too. I am still waiting for that to happen, I need to timetable more of these relaxing activities into my week. I have to admit though after 3 years I am beginning to do that and try and watch at least 1 film a month, not much but it’s a start.

Once Mr Fitz is home we tend to relax, eat dinner and watch TV soaps, drama’s or live sport.

Weeks fly by in retirement – I’m sure much faster than when I was working.

What do you do when you’re at home -totally relax or like me structure your day?

This post is part of the #Blogtober18 series hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos click the link below to see many other posts from other bloggers involved in this

If you have read my about me section you will know that I am a passionate football fan. I attend all of Manchester City’s home games and occasional away games at home and abroad.

I first attended local football matches around the age of 4 when my dad used to take me. I started to go and watch Manchester City after I left school at 16. That is a lot of years!

The English football season runs from mid August through to mid May. This takes us through the darkest months of winter, often venturing out in all weather conditions. I thought I’d talk about my suggestions for appropriate clothing to wear on chilly days.

The main rule is to layer up when it’s very cold and wear sturdy comfortable footwear.

Thermal underwear

On the coldest of days this is a must. Thankfully there are many styles on the market and it’s easily found in supermarkets, high street stores like Next and Primark. Last winter Primark sold fur lined black leggings. These are the warmest item I have ever found and outwardly there are no signs of the fur. Thermal underwear looks quite stylish these days.

Suitable Outerwear

On chilly and cold days a good coat or long jacket is necessary. My choice is a long warm padded coat with a hood. One that is showerproof but not waterproof. I state a long coat as sitting in a concrete stadium on a plastic seat for around 2 hours can get very cold. If yur coat is long it protects you from a cold seat, keeps your thighs warm and if it is a wet day and you have to walk from your car or public transport your bottom half can get very wet. A long coat provides some protection, there is nothing worse than sitting through a game with wet jeans/leggings. A hood provides protection from wind and rain, large umbrella’s are not allowed inside football grounds. I wear a thick padded and belted coat from Marks and Spencer Per Una range that I have had for a couple of years now.  Here is a similar one I would recommend

Clothing

As I said earlier layering is ideal. As well as thermal layers I tend to wear another couple on top, perhaps a warm fleece shirt and then a cardigan or sweater/sweatshirt. This helps trap air and keep warmth in. I wear a festive jumper bought in the team colours at matches over the Christmas period.

Footwear

Thick soled comfortable shoes or boots are ideal. The thick sole try to minimise cold creeping in from cold concrete flooring. I wear Ugg Bonham Chelsea boots, like these, with jeans or knee length leather boots over my leggings. Needless to say thick socks are essential. In snowy conditions wellies are perfect.

Hat and scarf

Needless to say many fans wear their teams colours as a scarf and/or a hat. This is what I do when it turns cold.

So if you area female who is contemplating attending a football match in winter, either with friends, partners or children I hope my suggestions were helpful.

You may know by now that this post is part of Blogtober18 hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos.

Many other bloggers are involved including:

Sarah Beth Blogs

Tea & Cake for the Soul

Kristine’s Blog 

 

If you’ve read one of my previous posts about what I love about Autumn, and my Blogtober 2018 post about 5 things I love about Autumn,  you’ll have seen that I love cosy evenings at home.

I love throws and candles to make my lounge cosy to snuggle on the sofa watching great TV or a fabulous football game. I also have a ‘thing’ about bedding and like to refresh my bedding every season. No that I am retired and living on an NHS pension I do a lot of my shopping at supermarkets. I feel they sell great quality items that are on trend and at great value prices, often mimicking high end brands.

Here are a few of my finds this season

Throws

I have one on each sofa that I use to throw over me, hence the name, whenever I feel a little chilly.I think they are invaluable and for families with little ones or even when your big people are poorly they are useful for making your ‘patients’ feel extra comfortable.

Here are my pick this season

 

Bedding

A change to seasonal bedding gives your bedrooms a super quick makeover, changing the look instantly. Last year I tried brushed cotton sheets for the first time when the temperature dropped outside. Even though I still have hot flushes and frequently throw my covers off they are still a lovely product and so soft to sleep on.

My picks:

 

Other seasonal touches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking I hope you found something you liked. This post is part of the Blogtober2018 promotion.

Some of the other bloggers participating are Sarah at Sarah Beth Blogs

and it is hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos

Click on the link to see more

 

This is going to become a monthly thing – looking back at the previous month reviewing what I got up too. My first post in this series was last month a combined look at July and August

At home

We started the month with a house guest – caring for Henry a Jug – Jack Russell/Pug cross. This is the second time he has holidayed with us. Its fabulous having a dog for company. Mr Fitz and I have always had a dog until we lost our last boy, Murphy, our beautiful border terrier. We chose not to replace him, I’m happy with that decision but it doesn’t mean I don’t really miss having a dog around, my heart wants a dog but my head tells me it’s not right for us at the moment with our many opportunities to travel. I have written about pet bereavement and losing Murphy, take a look if it is a subject of interest to you.

Where Did I Go:

I spent quality time with my brother and sister in law and we visited a local town, Poynton, for a look around, gentle walk and a coffee. We all enjoy exploring local areas now that we are all retired. It;s great to have the free leisure time to really see places.

As you will know again and again, Mr Fitz went on our first cruise holiday as the focus of Mr Fitz’s 60th birthday celebrations. I will elaborate much more on this in future posts. But the cruise with P and O on Oceana was absolutely fabulous and we cannot wait to do it again.

My niece left for Leeds University and I took her out for lunch and bought her some items to make her room homely and comfortable.

I enjoyed afternoon tea with my friends at The Holiday Inn in Manchester, a prize won by one of them and kindly shared.

I spent a lovely afternoon and evening celebrating my friend Janette’s birthday enjoying food and cocktails at The Slug and Lettuce Deansgate Manchester – you can read my review of this over on my sister blog.

Book

As usual I haven’t read nearly as much time as I would like. Not wanting to read anything too serious I returned to read book number 18 in a lovely series of 19 books by Rebecca Shaw. The one I’m reading now is Village Rumours. The series is about one delightful fictional village, Turnham Malpas, in England. The lives are all intertwined in great stories. There are 19 in the series so I am near to completing the lot. However, they do not have to be read in chronological order. After the first couple when you have got to know the main characters, I don’t think it matters too much. I certainly haven’t read them in order and have possibly missed 1 or 2 in the middle. A really pleasurable read.

 Film

I have started to rewatch Murder on the Orient Express but have not completed it. This film was one of those fims that actually got me to venture to the cinema when it was released. I dislike the cinema, I will discuss this one day. Now it’s being shown on Sky I want to see it again. Being a huge Agatha Christie fan I am very critical of actors playing her main characters. David Suchet plays Poirot exactly as I see him in my mind, but I do think Kenneth Branagh is a close second. I also wish to say that I think the cinematography is magnificent.

I did however manage to watch a whole film though on Sky, Mr Fitz chose All The Money in the World. The true story of the kidnapping of John Paul Gettys grandson in 1973. John Paul Getty was the worlds richest man at that time. I was 13 when it happened and I vaguely remembered the story unfolding, particularly the shocking package sent to the press by the kidnappers in an effort to ensure the ransom money was paid. A shocking true story presented well. All I can say is that his mother was one tough cookie! 

What I watched on TV

Autumn always brings great TV. I got caught up like many others with the BBC drama The Bodyguard. A fabulous gripping drama, from the writer of The Line of Duty, that had twists and turns and kept you on the edge of your seat right to the end. I haven’t come along a single person who guessed the final plot line.

I also love to watch reruns of old TV shows on Sky, either Dram channel or UK Play. At the moment I am enjoying reruns of London’s Burning about the staff at a fictional London Fire Station. Dated but still enjoyable. 

What I Bought

Bits and bobs for my cruise, mostly toiletries and travel items.

My best find was a local shop that sells new and pre loved Pandora charms and jewellery. I love my Pandora bracelet and I got a voucher for my birthday to purchased my first stacking ring. My bracelet is full and has been recently updated but the best thing about this shop is that they have a swap system. You an sell or swap unwanted charms. As mine had recently been updated I had a couple that I did not want anymore. I managed to swap 3 with a £2 admin fee for a pair of Pandora earrings valued at £40. I was really pleased to find this

Planning

My husbands 60th Birthday surprise night away and a makeover of our en suite bathroom. I haven’t got a confirmed date for this but we are starting to choose a style and colour scheme.

That is a brief snapshot of my months activity. Have you read any good books or have some good TV or films to recommend for me, I’d love to hear from you

I wrote last week about how I try to keep myself fit and care for my health in my 50’s. As part of this I self referred myself to my GP practice for a health check. I am aware that I am a middle aged, menopausal and overweight.

My father died at the age of 53 when I was only 15, of Coronary Heart Disease and the same thing happened to his brother, my uncle at a similar age. This obviously puts me at risk of Heart Disease.

With this in mind and my current health kick of regular gym sessions I decided to refer myself for a check up with a member of the Nursing Team at my GP practice.

In this consultation I was asked a series of questions from a computer screening programme about lifestyle, exercise, alcohol etc. My Blood Pressure reading was recorded and bloods obtained for baseline measurements checking my liver, kidneys, thyroid, Cholesterol and screening for Diabetes.

My Blood Pressure was borderline high and I have to have it rechecked in about a month.

I received my blood results a week later and all were acceptable apart from one result from my Liver Functions tests! Maybe a sign of too much high living in retirement. I am partial to G&T’s, wine and Prosecco. I have an appointment to have this blood repeated in a couple of weeks.

So in summary all is not bad, I worried about my cholesterol and of developing Type 2 Diabetes. It is a relief that these appear satisfactory. My Liver Function test results were mildly elevated in the past and a previous GP referred me for a Liver scan which thankfully was normal. I am obviously hoping for a similar outcome. I will. however, monitor my alcohol intake and curb my intake. Before retirement I drank little alcohol due to shift work and other factors. It is since retirement that my intake has increased. It is still a lot less than some of my friends and peers but I must have a sensitivity more than them perhaps.

Converselyh there are many people who do not self refer for health checks, they don’t think it necessary as long as they feel well, I however like to know about the hidden things I cannot see or feel that affect my physical well being

Watch this space and I will update when more results are available. What is your approach to your health – are you like me and take a proactive approach or do you prefer not to know and get health checks only when you feel unwell.

Let me know what you do or if you have experienced a similar situation – I’d love to see  your comments or you can contact me by email.

 

 

 

This is a new style of Post for me and I’ve been thinking about it too much without actually writing anything, I realise I’m a bit late to talk about what I did in July and August but as the saying goes better late than never! I hope to make this a regular monthly feature to encapsulate the joys of my new found freedom in retirement. Taking to time to enjoy life – seeing it from a new relaxed perspective.

Where Did I Go:

In July I was very fortunate to enjoy a day at Wimbledon. I was invited as a guest of my friend who had won a day out courtesy of Robinson’s and Subway with seats on Court 1 and hospitality in The Wimbledon Experience Included. We visited as a day trip travelling by train from Manchester. This was my second visit, I too won a day out a couple of years ago. For anyone who hasn’t been, I cannot recommend it highly enough. A fabulous event that is so well organised and the best that Britain has to offer. This is a topic for a full post on it’s own.

Also as it was my birthday in July Mr Fitz treated me to lunch with James Martin at his Manchester Restaurant. I lunched with my friend and it was a fabulous afternoon. Great venue, food, wine and of course the company of the one and only James himself!

In August I had a couple of lovely lunches out both with my husband and my comping friends – these are friends I have become close to through our hobby of entering competitions. We see each other quite regularly, not only discussing our competition entries, sharing hints and tips and also prizes.

My husband and I enjoy days out for lunch and drinks on what we now call Freedom Fridays, I’m retired and John is part time, winding down into retirement. Friday is his day off and on one of our Freedom Fridays we visited Abode Brasserie Manchester – read the review on my sister blog.

Finally I can’t let this time of the year pass without saying that I have spent some quality time with my much loved  younger family members, my brother and Sister in law and my nephew and nieces children, who were enjoying their school holidays. This is precious fun times.

Books

I used to be an avid reader but am ashamed to say that now I supposedly have more free time I seem to read less. I also have to confess to having a Kindle, I do not want to see the demise of the paper versions, however it is so much more convenient to carry, either on holidays or whilst travelling on public transport, which is something I do much more of now in retirement. But I only managed to read one book in July/August.

What Happened That Night by Sheila O’Flanagan – Not only is this a lovely storyline with a romantic theme but it gives a fabulous insight into the world of Jewellery design and Jewel merchants. As a fan of jewellery I was fascinated by the descriptions of the pieces designed and discussed in the novel. Oh to have had illustrations or photographs and my joy would have been complete. 

Film

I struggle to find contemporary films to watch. I am not a fan of Sci Fi, Dystopian movies, Vampire, Futuristic genre’s or anything similar. You will discover that I am a huge fan of Vintage Black and White movies and tend to chose to re-watch one of my old favourites if I cannot find anything current that takes my fancy. However I did watch 2 good films in July and August.

The Mountain Between Us starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba made in 2017. John found this whilst browsing Sky Movies, we have a full subscription, along with our Sports Package. It is an action drama about a Surgeon, a Journalist, oh and a dog that survive a plane crash in a severe snow storm. It is the story of their efforts to survive and reach safety. It was our sort of film, and even though some of the story is unbelievable it was a good watch.

Bridesmaids this was released in 2011 but as usual I was late to the party. I watched this whilst tackling a pile of ironing. I have to say I really enjoyed it and laughed out loud at some of the antics of this group of women.

 What I watched on TV

I started to watch How To Get Away with Murder after I downloaded a couple of episodes to my tablet from Google Playfor a flight earlier this year. In July I watched some more – A good watch even though there are a lot of flashbacks to one event that runs through all the episodes. I’m very disappointed though to find it’s not available on Sky. I do not have Netflix but have just started a subscription to Amazon Prime. I appreciate that it is about to air for Series 5, another case of me being late to the party. It is a Shonda Rhimes production and having watched every episode of Greys Anatomy, I can say I enjoy her shows. I have not quite completed the 1 st series but I am already ‘into’ the characters, particularly Alfred Enoch as Wes Ginbbins and the magnificent and mesmerising Annalise Keating played by current favourite actress Viola Davies. 

What I Purchased

I focused my purchases on items for our forthcoming cruise holiday. Being a clothesaholic, if there is such a word I have a wardrobe full of suitable clothes, that I have bought in the past ‘Just in Case’. This means that my purchases were mostly for Mr Fitz or packaging solutions. At this point I must give a huge shout out to all the fabulous youtubers out there who blog about cruising – 3 of my favourites are: Planet Cruise TV, EECC travels, I love their music! and Cruise Tips TV.

So back to purchases Mr Fitz loves shirts and T shirts as much as I love shoes and handbags so I purchased a fab check shirt that I saw in Debenhams – as I walked past it in the store I knew it would be great for him, he loves checks and it contains all his favourite colours.

I purchased lot of travel accessories including some new packing cubes, I love these and have one set already but as we are taking a suitcase each I thought I’d purchase another set. My present set is blue so naturally this set had to be pink!

Also as I received an Argos gift card as part of a competition prize I used it to purchase a new carry on wheeled suitcase in their July sale. I do not intend to use it for this holiday but for future trips. It is a fabulous rose gold colour. 

Planning

I’m in the middle of planning our first cruise holiday to Greece in September. We’re sailing on Oceana with P&O. I chose this cruise line after talking to friends and by my own research.  The cruise is my present to my husband for his upcoming 60th Birthday on October. We chose a 7 night Cruise in the Mediterranean for our first attempt at cruising rather than sailing for further and longer as we are not sure whether it is our ‘thing’. However we have chosen a Balcony cabin as a treat so that we can sit and watch the sunrise and sunset. I hope to bring you much more content around this holiday.

I am also planning some home improvements for later in the year- a refitted en suite bathroom and new wooden flooring in the downstairs rooms.

Thank you for stopping by to read let me know what you did over these 2 summer months? I’d love to hear from you, also any suggestions for good travel youtube channels.

Elaine