This month the Ship has been beset by crawlers (ladybirds outside) fliers (tiny little flies outside) and now slithering sea beasties. The beasties have somehow found their way into the downstairs loo, and so far, this month, I’ve had to slash and burn (and even flush) 4 sea beasties. One was in the toilet pan! Okay, in reality we’re talking slugs here, but how they’re getting in is beyond me. If we keep seeing them, someone from the agents will need to see if there’s a hole or gap in the outside wall. The one in the pan was particularly troubling and I’m now paranoid about checking the room and loo before using it. Nasty! The kitchen, laundry room, and loo all have no central heating though there is a wall mounted electric heater in the loo that I’m using now and again to deter the little blighters as the warmth should dry them out and kill them. Personally, I wouldn’t have chosen this house, however we were on a very tight deadline, and the Deckhand did good in the circumstances. One major influx of cash and I’m out of here lol.

We’ve had some nice sunshine of late, after a lot of rain, and even a frosty morning. Washing is taking all day to dry on the rigging, though it is drying so that’s good. Some days a quick finish in the tumble dryer is needed though on the plus side, it does make the clothes easier to iron.

This week I’ve had a lot of energy. I’ve made some changes in my diet, lost a little weight already, am walking the Ship’s Dog further, and seem to have boundless energy, until Friday when I had a not doing much day. So far, I’m not sleeping better, which would be the icing on the cake, so to speak. Maybe with time…

The meds I bought for the Ship’s Dog seem to be working well, and this week, he’s only yelped twice in pain, once when he was trying to pick a fight with me – daft dog! He’s been on them almost a month now, and the improvement is noticeable. He’s no longer hobbling like an old dog and seems in no pain except now and again. These were recommended by a local pet shop, had a good write up on the net, and I’ve bought a 3-month supply for him from Amazon at a greatly reduced cost.

I’m on a vitamin B supplement and after a month, I’ve seen a reduction in the onset of pins and needles and leg cramps. The muscle spasms have also reduced – these are so annoying! I had a full blood screening a while back to determine my vitamin levels, and they were good, however something must be amiss if a simple supplement is helping. Could be the placebo effect but I don’t care; if it helps, it’s worth paying a little money.

When I saw the nurse on Monday, she checked my notes, and confirmed they still hadn’t received them so I phoned my previous surgery to chase them. They advised that they’d been sent to a third party (WTF?) in England who hold them, and send them on, in early August. I went back to my surgery later in the week to advise what my previous surgery had told me. The receptionist stated they know this, and records are forwarded weekly. How long does it take I asked, bearing in mind they were sent in August? She checked, and said they now have my records. Yeah… That’s all I’m saying…

The Deckhand is studying hard and is determined to get good grades, so he can, eventually, work overseas. I hope he can one day fulfil his dreams, especially if he takes his dear old Mum with him (lol). In my youth, I too applied for overseas jobs however they didn’t pan out. Back then I would have loved to work in Canada, and we had friends of the family there too who were willing to sponsor myself and my husband; it didn’t work out and I sometimes wonder what ‘the path not taken’ could have turned out to be. All things considered, life’s not bad, however it’s good to dream…