Spare time and the happiness scale...

 My little brother was 40 this year and had a massive party to celebrate, it was organised by my clever sister-in-law who runs an events company.

 He had a band playing 'The Kings of Leon Smith' ROCK and one member Luke is the plumber who sorted HH HQ's horrendous plumbing back in 2009 when we opened!

It was a great night, a great weekend really as my aunt and her partner came to stay and as she is also a knitter, artist and fanatical Bowie fan we had a lot to catch up on.

I did get a little sad a times as it would have been great to dance, I did risk a jig holding onto my sister-in-law incase my knees suddenly gave way and I joined my nephew behind the sweet table where we had a secret bop...but for the most part it was very much a sit down affair for the Fella and I.

 We did notice that there are rather a lot of beer bottles in the picture above and there was also some cracking food, mini versions of fish and chips. horseradish and mushroom stuffed yorkshire puddings and all of us adored the mini cottage pies!

 As the paragraph above illustrates we love food, growing it, picking it, cooking it as well as eating it and as both of us have become increasingly unable to be as active as we both once were (I walked, cycled and ran everywhere - did yoga etc. and the Fella was a footballer...) the love of food has taken it's toll!

 It's always healthy stuff, mostly organic a lot home grown like the amazing garlic I grew this year! But whichever way you marinade your salmon the age old problem of energy in versus energy out will always be there.

 We have regular weigh-ins at the hospital check-ups we have at least every six months, mine are currently every three...and the effects various drugs we're taking are having on our bodies is monitored closely and reminders about weight are uttered.

My new consultant is pretty wonderful, nags me about blood tests and listens to me.

My last appointment with him was a good one, this time last year RA/PsA were having an intolerable effect on my life. Each day was an endurance test from waking to bedtime, the happiness scale (a device used to measure the effect arthritis is having on one's life was set to one up from the bottom for me. 

It was noted by my consultant that I was coping with being ill much better now, due in part to better pain relief available to me and the Humira working a bit. As I type this I am literally limping towards Saturday's jab which I hope will give some relief for 4 or 5 days or so - 4/14 better days are definitely an improvement from 0/365!

I measured my illness on my own personal 'happiness scale' I'm growing stuff again, picking, harvesting and actually managing to farm my allotment! I've changed the way I do things, I can't dig or lift anything, can't kneel down so I adopt a strange 'John Wayne' style stance and hope to goodness I don't fall face forward as I inspect my brasiccas for caterpillars...a morning on the allotment is the best therapy ever! Last year as in the previous two I would be worn out after ten minutes...

So, the pain is still there but I've got better at handling it and now have the tools with which to do so! Just the weight issue now, the Fella's hips have been really bad and mine have developed bone spurs from prolonged inflammation and when they *lock* it causes a pain which actually takes my breath away!

Just one problem and it's a BIG one...

 ...I hate diets, the word, the industry surrounding it and the idea that deprivation is the only way. The only scales I have at home are the ones I weigh my fruit haul in!

So after reading some sciencey stuff about the effects of following the 5:2 diet may have on inflammation in the body I persuaded the Fella that we could give it a try!

Two days of very low calorie intake and 5 days of eating 'normally' = fewer inflamed joints? Sounds like a great deal to me!

 So far it's been a month and we like it, he jokes that I failed to tell him that it's probably going to be a life-long way of eating...but despite having to reduce his breakfast by one slice of toast he seems to be enjoying it, if 'enjoy' is the right word!

A plate of vegetables never tasted so good and we're both sparkling water addicts now - no marked effects on the joints yet but we'll be keeping notes and a watchful eye on those blood test results!

Just a beautiful picture of some yarn I dyed with turmeric, happiness in fibre form!

I'm now *blogged out* having posted here and on www.halfpennyhome.blogspot.com with the latest workshop list...time for some allotment therapy and some chicken hugging, best medicine ever...:)

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