Cate's Diary

We definitely have to watch for leeches in our wet season, which is winter. In summer here it's really dry & we need to watch out for snakes.
 
We´re lucky that pretty much all our snakes are harmless. I saw a little dice snake (Natrix tessellata) swimming in the duck pond at the park last week. I´m always happy to see any kind of reptile.
 
Oh dear to leeches and poisonous snakes!! We get quite a few harmless snakes where I am and I enjoy those ones.
My biggest concern walking in overgrown areas are ticks.
Is there any health concern if a leech attaches or is it just the ick factor?
I remember one area we went swimming as kids there were leeches, but no one seemed too worried about it.
 
Hi, Margaret, Liza & Em. Leeches & snakes I don't worry about too much. Snakes usually try to get away from you & I wouldn't have seen one last Summer if I hadn't gone looking. Leeches I just find disgusting. I had a bad reaction to a tiger leech once, but I tried getting it off me instead of just letting it drop off. Actually enough talk of leeches. My disgust of them is disproportionate to any harm they might do.
My hand is almost better, thanks Em :)
Weight-loss-
Just talking about 5:2 to a newbie has me considering giving it another crack. I think the hardest thing with it or any other calorie restriction is waking up actually hungry in Winter. I don't in Summer usually. have been trying to eat less in the evening like my GP and cardio recommended & have done well with that. I do wake up with a rumbling stomach though, but that's ok when I can eat a delicious breakfast.
BF this morning was 1 toasted ancient grains sourdough Rye with hummus & tomato & another with 1/4 avocado & some tuna. It was so yummy. I really enjoy eating breakfast in the morning. I like the ritual of then sitting in my chair, with my laptop doing the forum. I am going to ease Archie into accepting that my lap is not his solely.
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All of the above was still sitting here unsent!
Friday-
I have been feeling really anxious for a while as life is going back to "normal". G seems to think we're safe here as there are no known active cases. I think we should assume that it may be out there. He thinks the opposite. I hadn't realised how much this has worried me until the palpitations started.
We're going to visit a recently widowed friend today & to do some shopping. G wants to go out to lunch & that's how we had the conversation about covid. I don't feel safe. I think people are in too big a rush to go back to "normal".
 
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Hi Cate, I'm sorry you don't feel safe. I guess the fact of the matter is that the world isn't safe - ever. But there is a certain amount of risk we have to take in order to enjoy our lives. I think if cases are still super low in Taz, then you should go for it. There's some crazy images of packed beaches in the UK around the internet today - that to me is madness when they are nowhere near out of the crisis. But also, if you don't feel safe yet, give it another bit before going out for lunch.

I really hope you have a wonderful day and start to feel calmer. Your breakfast sounded absolutely lovely.
 
Cate said:
I don't feel safe. I think people are in too big a rush to go back to "normal".
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I feel for you Cate--I'm the same as you wanting to go very slow on movement back to opening things up. It must be harder though when you're linked with someone ready to move on things faster. Hopefully you two can work out something that feels good for both of you. I'm on my own so I'm happy to keep things pretty locked-down, but I do think I play things overly cautiously. I guess part of it is how much we value some of those things that went missing with lockdown. i'm pretty happy with the introvert life whereas my extrovert friends seem pretty anxious to get things moving back to a more normal state.

Good for you with eating less in the evenings--that's something I just can't seem to get used to.
 
Cate go at your own pace and don't be swayed by others . I think the best you can do is use your face mask and lots of hand hygiene .
I agree the virus is lurking . America seems to be in a total mess and agree with em about the uk. But we got to live our lives so we just need all to be responsible for ourselves.
Love Archie as your profile pic he is so so gorgeous
 
Thanks, Em, Liza & Petal. I think my anxiety was an accumulation of many things that had been slowly building up. I got very stressed yesterday. We visited our friend whose husband died recently & that was really emotional, but also lovely. G snapped at me for buying another dog toy, which made me really mad. His was an over-reaction as he knows we need a replacement for his favourite toy for when it gets wrecked. It's years old & he sleeps with it & plays with it every day. We called in to see our older son & had to have a talk to him about finances, which was necessary, but I have been dreading it. He looked totally stressed & then I felt worse. Later on, we messaged one another & he was fine & said it all should be ok. He had woken up with an awful headache. I am worried about our younger son as he seems to be getting manic again & I worry that he is not taking his meds. My role as part of his own health care plan is to let him know when I see the signs & I do, well & truly. I have been feeling sick seeing his middle of the night posts on FB, which he goes off totally when he is managing his mental health well. I have to have "the" conversation with him soon, but it's hard to do over the phone. I think I'll make it a video chat. Fitting it into his all of a sudden super busy schedule will be very difficult. G & I kept talking about them both as we were getting around town & I didn't enjoy the trip at all. We did get things done though, including a car wash.
We bought sushi & had it when we got home. I don't think either of us was in the mood for eating out anyway.
When we got home we had a pot of tea & read for quite a while. Archie had been outside so was ready for a snooze on my lap. At about 4 we both decided to go for a walk. It was getting cold, but it brightened us both up. Archie loves that time of day & it's fun to see him following the scents of wallabies etc. He's like a hound dog & it's quite entertaining.
He loved his new toy & instead of trying to destroy it, he brought it to the bed that sits on the floor between our 2 chairs & just cuddled up to it. I just looked down & it's where I left it last night. Cute! Click. He is absolutely adorable, Petal. I really love him.
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That's such a cute picture :beating: I'm glad to hear you've got one of your two talks out of the way already. Maybe you can switch one of your normal calls with R to video chat? No need to set it all up in advance and put extra pressure on yourself. Sounds like G was overwhelmed as well yesterday if he snapped at you :grouphug:
 
Oh Cate, really sorry to hear about the stress around your son. That must be tough to see him possibly entering a manic episode, possibly skipping meds :( I hope he responds well to your necessary conversation around that.

That is so cute and sweet, Archie cuddling up to his new toy :)

I hope your stress eases up soon :grouphug:
 
Thanks, LaMa. We were both overwhelmed & we have different ways of dealing or not dealing with stress. I talk mine out & G bottles it up & snaps. After getting over being mad with him I made a couple of pointed jokes later in the day. He knows it was unwarranted. I'll play it by ear with R on Tuesday. He has been messaging me this morning & has relayed some bad news about his workplace, which I won't go into here. I think things need to change with his job & his financial commitments & he is seriously thinking about a major change. I'll wait to hear more about what his plans are. He does not seem manic now. I'll still bring it up & ask if he is taking his meds & seeing his psych.
Thanks, Lisa. I really try not to worry about our sons & have done better with it for quite a while. It is just a crazy year & there is so much else to worry about that I think it has accumulated with most people & none of us is immune.
Archie really is the best medicine.
Thanks, LaMa & Liza for your kindness & caring. I'm feeling a bit teary this morning, but a little better after reading R's messages & seeing that he is being rational. I think there will be changes with both of our sons, especially with their finances, but for different reasons. They may both sell their houses. We had to do it once & our lives ended up the better for it in the end. It's a very big decision. Your health is more important than being attached to a house, especially if keeping it actually adds to your stress.
G & I had a lovely day yesterday & I went for a great big walk with Archie & had a lovely chat with some neighbours. It's sunny again today after a big frost.
 
:grouphug: I glad things feel a bit more positive. This is indeed a crazy year, don't think anyone would deny that at this point.
 
Glad to hear it sounds like your son is OK. Yes I think there will be a lot of movement for many people in terms of adjusting lifestyles to fit with the new situation of finances/jobs etc. I wonder if it's any better for people knowing that no one is alone in this. So many people having to walk away from businesses that couldn't make it, houses that can no longer be afforded...
It's going to be interesting to see what long-term effects, if any, come out of this. A lot of societal issues are surfacing and can't be ignored.

Cate said:
G & I had a lovely day yesterday & I went for a great big walk with Archie & had a lovely chat with some neighbours. It's sunny again today after a big fros
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That's great to hear!
 
Cate said:
He loved his new toy & instead of trying to destroy it, he brought it to the bed that sits on the floor between our 2 chairs & just cuddled up to it. I just looked down & it's where I left it last night. Cute! Click. He is absolutely adorable, Petal. I really love him.
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Oh bless him! Those toys are have a great shelf life as well (unless a dog is particularly determined to destroy it...)

I think it's only natural to feel stressed this year. As Liza said, there isn't a single person whose life hasn't been affected by what has been happening. It takes a lot to actually switch off from it. Glad you're feeling a bit better!
 
Thanks, LaMa, Liza & 101 :grouphug:
Yes, there will be many changes yet to come & it will take lots of adjustments. Both of our sons were considering selling their homes before this year, for totally different reasons. It is such a stressful year, but one where I hope people will really start to value what they have & what is most important. I'm not sure that it helps to know others are suffering too. Sometimes I feel the suffering of others adds to yours & it can be more overwhelming. I know I have to really concentrate on doing what I can to reduce my stress & to make myself feel better. I stopped constantly checking covid stats about a month ago. Walking Archie twice a day is best & cuddling up to him makes me feel really good. He's a real little snuggler.
Hopefully, our "new" phones will arrive today so I can get them set up tomorrow. It is meant to rain again on Wednesday, but I'll go out to women's golf this week, even if we end up going for coffee. There is a lunch booked for next week.
It's a beautiful, sunny day today though. G & I are going into town later & will take Archie for a walk around the river. All the posts to wee on! :D
 
Hey Cate, you are a busy lady, hard to catch up with. Happy to hear that things with your son are ok, that must be stressful. Archie and the river walk sound great. When I got home last night my dogs were wildly happy, dogs are great!
 
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