Happy New Year!!

Hi. Well 2011 is nearly here.
2010 has been up and down - 1800 miles run in total.
I still, after 5 weeks, have the flu, sinusitis and gastritis.
I am getting better but very slowly!
The shortness of breath is because my heart is going too fast and strong.
I have reduced a psyche medication but it may be because I still have a viral infection.
I walked 2 miles in an hour yesterday.
Today i walked it in 30 mins but was exhausted afterwards.

I hope 2011 is an amazing year!!
Bye, Bethany.

Breathless!!

Hi. Well I am getting better but I get breathless after eating.
I may see a GP tomorrow about this.
I iced 4 cakes today and they are beautiful.
All the presents are wrapped.
I only need to buy some food.
I spent 45 minutes today shovelling snow.
My driveway is ice free and I should be able to drive tomorrow.
Hurray!!
Bye, Bethany.

3 weeks of Hell!

Hi. Well it is over.....the flu is gone.
I have not been right for 8 weeks but now things are getting better.
I am looking forwards to Xmas.
All the presents are wrapped.
The cakes will be iced tomorrow.
The turkey is bought.
Jingle bells finally........Bye.

Not well today...

Hi. Not been a good day today.
Been asleep for half of it.
Have I got chronic fatigue?
If so I will run to see.
Am much better in the evenings.
Am exhausted now and hard to type.
Am I making this up.....so much pain in my head and neck and soooooo...... tired!
hope tomorrow is better.
Bye. Bethany.

Flu, flu and more flu!!

Hi. Well it has been a long time since I last blogged.
I cannot write much but i have had flu for 17 days now!
I have also had sinusitis and now gastritis.
I have seen 4 GP's and been in an ambulance to Casualty.
I am getting better slowly.
I have run 8 miles in 7 weeks.
I hope I can get back running in January.
Let's hope.....
Bye, Bethany.

A physical wreck.

Hi. I have not blogged for ages because of illness.
The antipsychotic and antianxiety tablets are working well.
However the side effects are getting unbearable.
I have had alot of twitching in my fingers and arms.
this has subsided quite a bit on reduced morning medication.
However I have had 4 weeks of severe constipation and also severe sinusitis.
I have lost count of how many doctors I have seen and how many tablets I am on.
i take about 18 tablets and sachets a day.
Three are antibiotics which are not helping the sinusitis.
The pressure behind my eyes makes me extremely tired.
I am reduced to sitting on the couch all day.
As a result I have not run for ages and my left leg is knackered.
I feel miserable and am losing hope with seroquel.
I see a GP tomorrow and my psychiatrist on wednesday.
I have endured 4 weeks of Hell.
2 weeks of mental anguish and now that is fine i am a physical wreck.
I do not know how much more I can endure.
Here's hoping for a miracle cure.......bye, bethany.

A hectic but memorable holiday.

Hi. Well this time last week I was sitting in a bar in Malta.
The daytime temperature averaged 24 celsius.
A far cry to the hailstones, floods, thunder and lightening we had today.
The week in Malta was good. Ernie paid for most of it which was wonderful.
We made the most of sightseeing using the hop on, hop off tour buses.
We sat in a beach bar in the West in the sunshine on a golden beach drinking beer.
We ate a Maltese fish lunch in a cafe in a fishing harbour.
The luzzi fishing boats were brightly coloured with an eye of Osiris to protect them.
We saw Maltese glass blowing at close quaters - beautiful glass.
We visited the ancient walled city of Mdina and watched a vivid film of its history.
History is something Malta specialises in - Bronze Age, Romans, Knights of Malta, Ottoman Turks, pirates, Napoleon, Nelson and the British. Finally the Germans tried to get hold of the island. They bombed the island to ruins with the Maltese using 3 Gloucester planes; Faith, Hope and Charity, trying to defend it. The people starved as convoy ships were sunk. Eventually a convoy ship got through, supported by 2 tugs, and the people survived. Many British and Maltese Navy and RAF forces held the island. The British awarded the island with the George Cross, now in the war museum in the capital, Valetta, for their courage. In 1964 the island became independent after having re-built the place, and in 1974 it became a Republic. In 2004 they joined the EU and in 2007 they got the Euro.
Valleta is the capital - almost a fortress with walls and steep narrow roads. There are lots of museums and St John's Co-Cathedral is amazing inside. The Carmelite Church is very pretty too. The Malta Experience is an interesting film experience about the history of Malta.
We stayed in downtown Sliema in a 2 bed apartment with a balcony and kitchen. The hotel food was nice and the 2 attached restaurants - one Indian and on Chinese - were outstanding.
Maltese people are very friendly and speak English as their second language.
The Maltese buses are amazing - they are anything between 10 and 40 years old.
They are yellow and are numbered for their routes. They are cheap and we took one to a beach in the north for some sunbathing. However clouds arrived and I sat painting the view from a cafe on the beach.
I swam in the hotel pool on level 7. The indoor pool was cool but I had it to myself.
I plucked up the courage to swim in the outdoor pool on the roof. It was freezing but the views over the harbour 7 floors up were fantastic. Back in the indoor pool it felt like a warm bath.
Thanks Malta to a varied and interesting holiday.
Thanks Ernie for the holiday - slightly too hectic at times but it brought us closer.
An 8 mile run along the Promenade topped the week off.
Now we are home and cold. my birthday feels months away and the only presents in the house are souvenirs for my family.
My mental health is good - sleeping is not brilliant.
In Malta a local clock tower chimed every 15 minutes from 5am to 9pm. Yes, the Maltese get up at 5am!
I have had a busy day today - washing, tidying, shopping, ironing, cooking etc.
tomorrow I need to think about the Malta Holiday Scrapbook and the wedding invitation lists.
Photos of Malta in tomorrows blog.
I am exhausted now. Bye!