Category Archives: health & happiness

100 days of solitude

22 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, health & happiness, sevilla

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Yesterday marked the official final day of lockdown in Spain. I started counting Day 1 as March 14th, so that makes it 100 days, but I see some other “official” numbers vary by a day or two. Doesn’t matter. For me it’s been 100 days of lockdown, which have been mostly spent alone, until a few days ago when I dared to meet a friend for lunch. Other than that, there’s been no human contact other than at the supermarket. My last hug was on March 11th. The only times anyone has even touched me since then was when I went to have blood taken, and the other day when the oncologist poked and prodded my belly. This has been hard for a girl who loves her hugs!

What else has been hard in terms of lockdown itself? To be honest? Not that much really. Sure I’ve been a bit bored at times (not often), worried, lonely, anxious, but I’ve also been surprisingly patient and even content, making sure my days include things I enjoy (cooking, chatting online with friends, cuddling cats, writing this silly blog) and I’ve even set up a workout routine for those days I don’t get out for a walk. But as I’ve said here before, I’ve already had training for this when I spent a year and a half basically “locked down” by cancer, chemo and several major abdominal ops. And then I read this very good article by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett which reminded me that I’d also had even more previous training with my agoraphobia, which used to made it impossible to leave my home.

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new bumper and belly calls

08 Friday May 2020

Posted by in casa azahar, coronavirus, health & happiness, iphone

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So the bumper I originally bought for my (then new) iPhone X finally bit the dust. And you’d think that, since I seldom leave the house these days, I probably could do without a new one. But you’d be wrong.

I’ve been doing my (almost daily) rooftop walks with the cord thingy that came with the orginal bumper, so I can hang my iPhone around my neck to count my steps (I don’t have a fitbit watch) leaving my hands free to carry my ancient iPod. Apparently I don’t own any clothing with pockets. So not only did I have to replace the bumper, I had to find one that has those two tiny holes on one side to attach the key-ring looking bit, which then clicks onto the other bit on the cord… are you still awake?

So anyhow! I discovered another unexpected feature from carrying my iPhone around my neck, which I tuck inside my top to keep it out of the direct sun when I’m on the roof. I guess you’ve all heard of butt calls by now (more politely known as pocket dialing), when you have your phone in your back pocket and inadvertently call someone after a button or two gets pushed. Well this will never happen to me since, as already stated, I don’t have any clothing with pockets, and also never wear trousers, let alone jeans (the main butt call culprits). But it turns out I can make belly calls! It happened today while I was doing my rooftop walk. I got a call from a friend so of course I answered and we were chatting for a bit before I said “hey what’s up?” and she said “well, you called me” and I said “wut”. Turns out the phone screen was turned towards my belly and it made a call. Gotta be more careful!

it’s just a cold, right?

02 Thursday Apr 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, health & happiness, home, hope

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Exactly three weeks ago today I woke up to birdsong in the lovely guesthouse next to Bodegas Bentomiz. I also woke up with a killer sore throat that felt like I was swallowing shards of glass. Another cold? Or was it that virus we’d been hearing about? This was two days before the national lockdown so most of us still had little idea how serious the situation actually was. Anyhow, since then this “cold” has persisited, and has been having quite the journey, visiting various parts of my body. The sore throat morphed into a very sneezy sinus thing with blocked ears and tinnitus, back to the throat, then a cough (not a dry one!) with slight tightness in the chest, then whatever. I can’t remember all the pitstops it’s made. Anyhow… IT’S STILL WITH ME.

But this morning was the first time I worried because the Throat is back (really ouch!) this time with a very distinct heavy feeling lower down, just below the clavicle, and at this moment I’m not sure if the chest tightness I’m feeling is due to illness or anxiety. Still no fever though so fingers crossed.

Because I always have sinus issues going on it’s not that uncommon for a cold to take root like this and take forever to go away. Meanwhile I’m keeping my hands away from my face as much as possible (seriously, not easy!) and washing the hands way more with each passing day. I’ve also stopped going to the supermarket, with my only outings a quick five minute rubbish dump every 5 days or so. And yet this damn thing persists and keeps upping its game. I’m not kidding guys, if more than a day or so goes by without a post on this silly blog of mine, please get in touch, just in case.

Stay home. Stay safe.

lockdown workouts

20 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by in casa azahar, coronavirus, health & happiness, home

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So unless I want to turn into an even bigger of the biggest of blobs (really would hate to put back on those 5 kilos I lost in Dec-Jan!) it seems I need to GET ACTIVE. At home. In my living room. Not easy. To wit, I have come up with a plan to set my iPhone timer for 45 minutes when I am either sitting at my desk or slobbing in my comfy chair.

This means that every 45 minutes I will do a short ACTIVITY. I have read that this activity has to be sustainable, so five minutes or less is ideal. So far I have a short arm routine with those weights you see up there (got it off a Cindy Crawford workout video a million years ago – but it is surprisingly effective). I also have a leg workout, with the help of holding on to a chair (or two). And I am working on a yoga stretch thing.

Other activities could simply be dusting and sweeping a room or two, doing the dishes, maybe doing a couple of times up and down the hallway stairs, or a walk around my rooftop. The important thing is to not just be sitting around all day. Got any other ideas?

eep! broken tooth!

10 Tuesday Mar 2020

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The other day I was eating THIS AMAZING SANDWICH when it suddenly became “crunchier” than it should have been. Eep! Not to mentione Ick! Yep, a huge chunk of molar had broken off. Actually, I’d lost a smaller bit of the same molar a couple of weeks ago, off the other side, but as it was small I put off going to the dentist. Maybe a good thing if the other side was also ready to fall out? Or maybe it would have been prevented? Anyhoodle, it was off to the dentist today because the sharp shardy broken edge is ripping the side of my tongue to shreds.

My dentist – AKA the BEST dentist in Sevilla – always chides me for just coming in for emergency service, not for regular checkups. And he’s right. But it’s mostly because, well, dentists are expensive! And really, who wants to go to them anyhow? And frankly, while I’m waiting on results to see if I’m healthy, why spend money on teeth?

Anyhow, back home now with the left side of my face still frozen up to my eyeball. Tongue and lips also still feeling thick and numb. And it cost me 140 euros for two fillings (actually, this is a good price, just bad timing in terms of no work no money). Especially as the fillings were kind of major reconstructions… my guy always tries the cheaper route before saying “YOU NEED A 500€ CROWN”. So now we will see if these fillings stick. Apparently the teeth are pretty much destroyed but we live in hope.

So how’s your Tuesday going?