I hang my head in shame!!

Lounge!

Our bedroom!

Dining Area!

Guest Bedroom!

Kitchen!

Balcony!

Well, I have been very lax in my blogging and I hang my head in shame! My only defence is the fact that over the last few months I have been extremely busy both at home, and in setting up our second home in Spain! Yes we have finally moved in to the apartment and it is looking wonderful as you can see from the pictures above! It might not be huge, but it is our own little piece of paradise, away from the stresses and strains of everyday life!
I have also had quite a bit going on at home, the decorator has been busy, and we have had the study and kitchen decorated, and the lounge is  being done soon!
We have also had a holiday in Orlando, Florida, visiting all the parks, including Universal and Harry Potter World - I was so excited about that!!!!! That unfortunately left me exhausted, but I had a wonderful time there and would not have missed if for the world! As you can see from the pics below, it was so realistic!

 My lovely boys Aaron and Luke at the entrance to Harry Potter World!

Hagrids house!

Shop in Harry Poter world!

Hogwarts Express!

After returning from Florida, we only had about 6 weeks and then we were off to Spain to set up our apartment! During that six weeks Richard and Luke moved the business from home to an industrial unit in Daventry, which is about 20 minutes away.  That was quite an event, because it was testament to the hard work they had both put in expanding the business, making it essential for them to get a bigger place. During this six weeks I also had several visits to the doctors, to sort out my pain and also my blood pressure.  The visit to Spain though busy was a bit more restful holiday than Florida! After the first week, when we had to thoroughly clean the apartment and set up all the furniture, etc.,we got to spend time finding shops and supermarkets, and buying the rest of the electrical equipment/furniture we needed!

I have been back in the UK for about 5 weeks, and I am once again off to Spain.  This time I am taking my lovely friend Sheila there for a weeks holiday! I am really looking forward to a nice girly week with her, with lots of rest and relaxation!! During the 5 weeks I have been home, I have been busy with the house, as the decorator has been in, but we are now having a break from that and he will be back in August to do the lounge!

So that has been my time since I last came on here, very busy, but there have also been developments with my arthritis and Fibromyalgia! I have been given exercises to do every day, which I do try to keep up with, but there have been times when I have just not been well enough to do them! I have also been told to try walking every day, and although I take the dog out, I do not go far because of my fear that my knee will give way and I will get stuck! So I now have the running machine in the study and I go on that every day, but only at a walking pace, to try and build up the legs and hips, which are really painful now! So life is quite busy, it is good and I am winning the fight! I am 54 this September, and my doctor told me when I was about 40 that I would be in a wheelchair by the time I was 50 if I didn't have an operation on my back, well I have beaten those odds and I intend to keep on doing that, beating the odds that is, because I will not let my condition rule my life!!!!

When I wake in the morning and every movement sends searing pain through my body, I just think of all those people who can't move, of those people who have lost their lives to diseases like cancer, and I count my blessings! Yes I am in pain every day, that pain moves from one part of my body to another, but I am alive, and I intend to live my life to the full, because there are those that never had that opportunity, so I am one of the lucky ones!!!!!