MrG has had to work away for the past couple of weeks. He has returned home at the weekends though and we seem to have developed a possibly slightly unhealthy obsession with watching A Place In The Sun (Scarlette is by far my favourite, in case you were wondering). It got me to thinking about what happens next and whether we would ever consider buying another property abroad to use as a holiday home once the children have all flown the nest – especially now that I have health concerns.

Aside from how sad it makes me feel to think of them all leaving home – not least because I would then a) have to do their chores myself, but also b) there would be only MrG and I left. We might actually have to spend some time together. Jesus. Maybe 10 years wasn’t long enough to really consider the implications of this whole marriage thing.. There is also the issue of what we would do with a 4bed house and only the 2 of us in it?

Don’t get me wrong, it would be good to keep a bedroom free for guests and MrG has already nabbed the fourth room for his home office. So, we would easily use the space. But by then we will hopefully have paid off the lions share of our mortgage and it would be nice to change it up a little. A quaint little Spanish villa that we could jet off to for the winter would be lovely!

Shifting my focus

Or perhaps we ought to be thinking less about what we will do and more about how Bess will manage. After all, university isn’t cheap and accommodation costs could be huge.

According to a recent article from Age Uk Mobility about how Uk homeowners have changed their home during lockdown, lots of people have made some really positive adaptations to their property lately. Maybe now is a good time to be looking for a little place to let to her and a maybe a couple of housemates?

At least that would be an investment of sorts and would kill 2 birds with 1 stone by giving her a helping hand at the same time.

Even though she is only 15, Bess is already researching the universities she would like to apply to. It would make total sense to buy somewhere to do up ourselves over the course of the next few years but I’m not totally convinced that we could manage that on top of both of us working full time too.

Love where you live

At the moment we love it here. We have lived in this house for 12 years and in that time we have added a kitchen/diner extension and a shower room downstairs which has created a space for me to be able to use to work from home as well as a bedroom upstairs and remodelling the old separate WC and tiny bathroom to create a decent sized family bathroom and an airing cupboard. You never realise how useful an airing cupboard is until you move into a house without one!

So we have done a fair bit of work and I am just not sure we could actually find a house which could offer the same space outdoors as we have at the moment. The garden is narrowish but it’s pretty long and the front of the house has parking for 6 cars – if they aren’t huge and you have a skill for Tetris.

We have been really lucky in terms of the street we are on. It’s very quiet and our neighbours are, with one exception, lovely!

Everywhere I have looked at online seems to be full of compromises which frankly I don’t really want to make again.

The pull of that glass of red on a beautiful balcony overlooking a Spanish sunset is rather strong though..

Last week Moose was invited to the birthday party of a good friend. Since it was in a soft play place which happened to be next to a garden centre and since he is of an age where I can drop and run… I arranged with my Mum to go for a coffee while M was busy with his friends.

Great plan? Right? Well, it would have been.

The cafe post covid has gone to crap. They used to sell lovely lunch options but nowadays not so much. All that was on offer were a few mediocre looking slices of cake which didn’t even come on proper plates. Sorry but if I am paying £3.50 for a cake I don’t want a polystyrene plate. I don’t know if it was polystyrene. Whatever, it looked flimsy.

So we got our teas and found our seats. I went off to the shop within the garden centre and grabbed a packet of biscuits for Mum and I to nibble while we drank our brew and had a chat.

20 minutes into this endeavour my phone rang. I say rang. It’s less of a ring and more of an alarming beeping. This way I have to answer my phone lest it terrifies those around me who might assume we are under some kind of attack. It works. Now I answer calls – for those who know me, you will be able to appreciate that this is a huge step for me.

I answer the phone and it was my GP. I had been to the docs the week before.

Just lately I had been really feeling like I ought to try to do something about my weight.

I am pretty heavy (understatement) but something had been niggling me and I made a visit to the nurse to get tested and make sure I was starting out on an even playing field. Basically I didn’t want to put the effort in for no return.

My bloods were taken the next day and I was told I would get a call in a few days. This was that call.

Now, what I was expecting was to be told I had low iron. Feeling tired all of the time is not new for me and I have had low iron levels a few times before.

Nope, the GP was quick to assure me that was all good. However, I was now diabetic. He said that a nurse would call me to make an appointment to come in and speak to me about my diagnosis.

I’m not stupid, I knew that type 2 was a real possibility with a high BMI like mine but I had had zero symptoms that would have jumped out as being related to diabetes.

• No peeing often

• I wasn’t overly thirsty all the time

• Blurry vision is pretty normal for me because of my Punctate Inner Choroidopathy

• No frequent infections

• Unexpected weight loss? I wish!

• Increased hunger? Well maybe but I am pretty fat so that is to be expected

• Fatigue – well, 3 kids and 7 stone extra in weight would make anyone tired, right?

• No numbness or tingling

The GP seemed to expect a bigger reaction but it is VERY difficult to take a call like that and say you are surprised when you have your phone in one hand and a biscuit (lemon drizzle in case you were wondering) in the other hand.

I licked the icing off my biscuit, mouthed the word DIABETES at my Mum who was looking on with a puzzled expression and thanked the Doctor for calling to let me know.

Nobody likes bad news

My most immediate thought was “Shit, I should have asked my levels were”. I hadn’t and I was cross with myself for not doing so. I am pleased that my Mum was with me though. Mum is diabetic too and it really helped to have her there to bounce questions off. Obviously the moment I finished the call with the GP I had plenty of questions.

About 10 minutes later the nurse phoned me and she was a bit more forthcoming than the GP had been. Unfortunately I won’t get to see her for another few weeks for my initial appointment but I have Mum to ask and I have also googled some great websites such as https://www.dietdoctor.com which was recommended on lots of forums.

Mum takes medication called Metformin for her diabetes and I have seen over the last few years how the side effects have taken their toll on her. Yes they keep her blood sugar in check but they have caused other discomforts. The GP and nurse have both said that they want to put me on Metformin too.

My plan

Obviously the moment I got home I started to read up on the condition. I went through other peoples blogs and personal accounts of their journey with type 2 Diabetes and I think I have a plan.

It’s not set in stone by any means but I have decided that I want to try to avoid Metformin if I can (and as long as my Nurse approves) by eating less/better.

I have cut my carb intake to 100g per day initially and am trying to avoid refined carbs wherever possible. If I can lose some weight before my appointment with the Diabetes Nurse I am hoping it will demonstrate my commitment to getting my levels into the safe zone without the medication for now.

It’s going to be a challenge though. My relationship with spaghetti was pretty solid – albeit obviously toxic to my health. The shame of admitting that I have caused this – and make no mistake I absolutely have – is very really and very raw right now. On the upside though the treatment does not involve having a needle jabbed into my eyeball so that’s a nice change..

I will check in after my appointment and update you.

Fingers crossed?

Times are hard for small businesses right now.

With the high streets closed for so long, it was an unfortunate lesson in adapt or die – it’s always important to be flexible in order to change and grow, and never more so than in times of crisis as many companies, big and small, had to adjust to the strange new normal that befell us.

There is finally light at the end of the tunnel but coming up with new ideas to boost your business can be difficult ­– you might feel as though you’ve already exhausted every option.

If you’re struggling for inspiration, here are just four tips to help you grow your business.

• Ask for Reviews

Asking customers to leave reviews is a great way for you to establish your credibility.

Did you know that 88% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations? That’s an important one to keep in mind!

Positive reviews are a strong tool to have in your arsenal, and your customers will often need a nudge to leave them – more so for positive reviews than negative!

People are much more likely to take to the internet to complain about you than they are to praise you, so giving every customer a gentle reminder to leave a review is an important habit to get into.

• Interact Online

If your business isn’t on social media, then you need to change that!

Social media is a great way to build relationships with your customers – commenting on posts you’re tagged in, responding to queries in real-time and using social media as a platform of interaction and customer service shows that you care, and make your business seem more approachable.

Make sure that you treat your social media pages as well as you do your website! Remember that they are an extension of your business and it’s very likely that, in the increasingly digital age, this is how new customers will find you.

• SEO

SEO is a powerful way to grow valuable traffic to your website.

But it can be intimating when you first begin your SEO journey, and there are plenty of potential pit falls that you’re going to want to avoid.

Luckily there’s plenty of help out there! Consider consulting with professionals like those at Maratopia Digital Marketing – these experts will be able to handle all you SEO, keyword research, and web design needs.

If digital marketing leaves you a little dizzy, then leave it up to the connoisseurs to boost your brand and advise you on best practice!

• Ask for Help

Now this doesn’t come easy to everyone, but there’s no shame in asking for help when you’re in need.

If you’re struggling ­– and you certainly won’t be the only one ­– then reach out to the support that’s out there.

The government’s website has lots of handy resources for business owners, in order to help you get back on your feet.

Are you a small business owner? Use the comments below to share any tips you have for seeing that much needed boost to your business!