This Week I….. – Lipstick, Lettuce & Lycra

How is that despite containing at least 3 fewer days, February seems to manage to seem just as long as January was.

It’s cold, damp and grey and I’m longing for Spring. I am, however, slightly heartened by those little hints that Spring is on its way. The days are slightly longer, and this morning I even spotted some blossom on a tree at the park, so it’s not all grey gloom.

For the rest of this grotty damp I plan to a couple of beers and watch the Rugby in my . I know, all the glamour.

But first, This Week I….

Started the Year Again

I ended up writing January off in the end. It started with me being absorbed in passing my Personal Trainer and ended with me being a useless hormonal mess. So the Lunar New Year at the start of February seemed an excellent opportunity to write January off as a trial run and try again in February.

It also seemed an excellent opportunity to have LLL cook Chinese food. We bought novelty napkins and ate wonton soup and lemon chicken.

Happy New Year!

Bought Myself a New Eyemask

I’m fairly certain my life gets more exciting every week.

In one of this weeks most exciting moments my brand new custom sleep mask arrived.

I like to wear an eyemask to sleep in, it makes me feel like I’m in a tiny cosy room. A few years back I was sent a mask as part of a press kit for something. I can’t even remember what now.

It was the best eyemask EVER. It was silk with a flat elastic band that, most importantly, was adjustable, so it didn’t go all loose and flappy and fall off like other masks I’ve had. I’ve literally had about 5 years. It stayed strong where other eyemasks have lost their elastic and fallen by the wayside. While its still great, I was starting to worry about it falling apart and would periodically have a look for a replacement, but could never find one with that same adjustable strap.

Till, suddenly, there it was. My sleep mask.

So I treated myself to a personalised one.

Exciting huh?

Talked My Way Out of Another Angiogram

If you’ve been paying close attention to the High Blood Pressure saga then you might remember that back in August I talked my way out of an Angiogram.

This week I had my follow up .

I have weird anatomy, as I have 2 arteries going to each of my kidneys (apparently some people have 2 on one side, but 2 on both is unusual.). All of these arteries have evidence of Fibromuscular Dysplasia which causes narrowing that looks like a beading effect. This is visible on an MRI, as is the fact that one of my kidneys is smaller than the other. What is not visible is HOW MUCH my arteries are narrowed, whether reduced blood supply is causing my kidney to be small. and whether, basically, I’m at risk of kidney failure.

So, they want to do an Angiogram. I do not want people poking around in my arteries and making me have a month off exercise. So this time we compromised on me coming back in September after the Roller Derby season and maybe I’ll have it then.

Unless their MRI technology has advanced massively in the mean time and they can get a better look that way.

Fingers crossed.

Got me a Certficate

And just to cheer me up after that stressful hospital visit I came home to find my Personal Trainer diploma certificate waiting for me.

So I am now fully insured and a member of REPs. All I need now is somewhere to train people. But that’s next weeks job……

Learned About Vikings

On Friday was one of the highlights of my week as Norwich Castle Museum had invited me to the Press preview of their new exhibition Viking: Rediscover the Legend.

The exhibition is a collaboration between Norwich museum which has an unparalleled collection of metal detectorist finds, York museum which has an amazing collection of everyday Viking items and the British Museum which houses a lot of fancy Viking Gold and weaponry.

I got to chat the curators from each of the museums who were fascinating to talk and look around the exhibition.

One particular hoard was fascinating, it was found by detectorists, all of these coins and pieces all packed into the round cup on the left of the photo and can be dated quite precisely to the late 900s because of some of the coins in the cup that related to very short specific periods.