We(ii) are not always amused #Wii #amwriting @bunchcourtney00 @mishaherwin @ktscribbles @chataboutbooks1

I have been conscious of spending far too much time at the computer of late – and I hate gyms – so I dug out the Wii Fit this morning. Yes, I know, it is soooooooo old fashioned, but then I am an old fashioned girl.

Ten minutes yoga and twenty minutes step and I am knackered, and my knees hurt! It tells me that I really am not fit – though as I have ME and Fibromyalgia I really so know that already!

My problem is that I am a competitive person – even against myself.  I gave up swimming because I could not prevent myself from trying to do a few more lengths every time I went and ground my limited energies to a standstill. Peter berates me when I got to the allotment and do too much, but I only have two settings – Full On and Stop. This is something many ME/Fibro people have in common, and a source of huge frustration when we crash and burn after such a short span.

To competitive souls those scores really matter. Only 97 for Warrior Pose? Not enough! I’ve had more before now. Okay my Tree pose still wobbles around the 70 mark – those dodgy knees let me down there – but still its a score that is there for me to better. But its how I spur myself into doing any exercise at all. Walking round the block gets really tedious after the fifth day in a row – even if you do change direction.

As a plus the computer time is finally getting some words down – after a bit of a literary dry spell I have begun to raise the word count on Bunch Courtney Investigation #3!

***

Winter Downs AMAZON (PAPER AND KINDLE)  US  / UK/  /  AU 
INDIE BOUND 
BOOK DEPOSITORY
WORDERY

Digital sources:
Apple /  Barnes and Noble Nook  . Biblioteca  /Kobo / Kindle, Overdrive,  Playster, Scribd, Tolino, 24 Symbol

In Her Defence  Amazon US / UK/ AU / Indie Bound / Book Depository/ Wordery /  Waterstones  /  Foyles
Barnes & Noble  / Baker and Taylor – Apple/  Kindle US / UK / AU/ Barnes &Noble Nook /Kobo  /  Scribd / Tolino / 24 Symbol

 

 

 

 

 

Courtyard Garden : Indoor Scrubbers #courtyardgarden #houseplants #aircleaners #gardening #plants

Fresh air is not something we get enough of in modern life, especially as most of us seem to be increasingly stuck inside with our great British weather and modern double glazing and central heating add to the fug. When you add various troublesome household chemicals, air freshener sprays and plugins, then a lack of clean air in the home can be a serious health issue.  Chemicals include:

• Benzene – Glues, paints, furniture wax and detergents
• Formaldehyde – Engine emissions, disinfectants, fixatives, preservatives in consumer products (carpets etc)
• Trichloroethylene – In homes undergoing renovation
• Xylene and Toluene – In a variety of household sprays
• Ammonia – Aerosols and sprays used in the home.

Of course opening windows will always be the answer but that brings a trade off between having windows open to allow fresh air in, and freezing between September and April, or having them closed and suffering the problems of stale air choc full of allergens.

So how do I combat this?

My friend Misha recently drew my attention to living air filters and how the humble house plant can make all the difference – cleaner-plants work hard at sweeping our air of these toxins and releasing humidity back into the atmosphere. Misha then presented me with a pot of Chlorophytum (Spider Plant).  I duly repotted the clump into three separate containers; one for the kitchen, one for the dining room and one for the sitting room (though may relocate one to the bathroom).

Nil Desperandum!

I went to a party on Sunday and had a great time. Having ME and Fibromyalgia does mean that such things always take their toll but I love going out to meet friends. Nothing like a party to feel alive!
This illness has been hanging around me like a spectre for the best part of ten years, and a few years ago it had got to a point where it was hard (if not impossible) to leave the house without the aid of sticks.

I had a long chat after the event on Sunday with an old friend who remembers me struggling all those years ago.  He asked how I had managed to bring about a cure, and the truth is I haven’t. I did have a long chat some time ago with another mutual friend –  someone else suffering similar problems – who made me see that nil desperandum is not just a saying. There is nothing to be despaired of. That if you allow a condition to define you then you are no longer you.