Life of Lu

When I wrote my last blog, just over a month ago, I did not expect the be writing my next one while effectively hiding in my home, in fear of a killer virus. Fast forward a few weeks and here we are. At home, afraid to go out in case someone coughs on me. This situation is probably the most bonkers situation the majority of us will find ourselves in, in our lifetimes. Covid-19 has turned everything that we value topsy-turvy. Some people are scared. Some people have shown previously inconceivable levels of stupid. The world has been made to slow down to a crawl and none of us know what to do with that level of time. Personally, I am learning German, Excel, and blogging more. What are you doing? Today, I am going to write about some things I am thankful for. I will aim to do a thankful Thursday for the foreseeable (a word I am hearing and using a lot at the minute!) 1. I am thankful for my health. So far, so good, both Stuart and I have been safe. I read somewhere that it is so i

I have started this blog post four times now. I think that is a new record for my procrastination. I didn't do a New Year blog, and my previous versions of this were a look back on 2019. I'll be very honest, I don't want to look back on 2019. I want to put it in a box, and seal it away forever. There were some fabulous moments. Of course there were! I got engaged to the most wonderful man I have ever known. I witnessed the weddings of some of my best friends. Babies were born. There was an abundance of soft play, cuddles and karaoke. For me, 2019 will mostly remind me of being ill. It was a huge part of the year. The worry consumed me for the majority of the latter half. I now know more about hypertension, blood pressure, kidney function and kidney failure than I ever thought necessary. It sucks being ill. It sucks knowing that you have an illness that will never go away. It doesn't feel fair. If I am very honest with myself I went into a little bit of a pit

I woke up this morning with a dullness in my heart that I normally don't have in the morning. On my mornings allocated to sleep in I resemble a sloth blissfully unaware of life in a cocoon, but on a normal morning I wake up with a bit of a bounce. I start my day with a bit of shower time karaoke. I dance around the bedroom as I get dressed for the day. I have a great time. ( Jeez, as I write this I suddenly appreciate Stuart's morning patience a little bit more! Ha!)  Anyway, the point being, despite a very early bed time last night I woke up a wee bit deflated. Then I remembered  that my old nemesis November has returned. I did a quick calculation. Marguerite would be 32 next week. 32! Being 32 was one of my favourite times. Another quick calculation, Marguerite will be gone 15 years this month. 15 years. 2 more years and she will be gone as long as she was with us. Every November is a little bit easier than the last. Of course it is. Time is a wonderful healer. But e

Not many people are aware of it, but I had a bit of a health scare last week. I went for a regular 15 minute check up with my GP and spent the following 5 days in hospital going through every test imaginable to man. I am still in the middle of tests but the prognosis is so far positive and I have been allowed home for rest which is fabulous, but good god did I get a fright. And if I am honest I'm not sure Stuart is quite right after it all either! I have been joking how I would love a good old MOT (NCT for the Irish amongst us), for a while now. They say mocking is catching, and I have fairly gone through the MOT process this last week. Oh boy has it been a fast week! In that time I have had more blood taken than was shed in the Game of Thrones. My hand is so bruised it looks like I have my first tan! I have seen my pancreas, liver, kidneys and an ovary (very cool scan if I say so myself!), I have had my pee collected in little buckets/bottles for 24hrs, and I have pretty much

It has been a long, long time since I have written a blog post. I don't know why, it has taken me so long, nor shall I apologise for it. I could give you a thousand excuses and reasons, but I guess the main reason is that I didn't feel like I had an awful lot to say! That is not true, I always have a lot to say. The topics that have been on my mind however are quite emotive (mostly Brexit related, and let's be honest we have read and heard more than enough about that shite), and it is very difficult to write something when you yourself don't even understand how you feel about it. For me it is mostly disappointment, and nobody wants to read a whole blog piece about me feeling disappointed. So tonight, I am writing a much more positive one. I am writing some thankfuls. I have spent the last few months reading and writing. I have spent some time with my family back in Ireland, and spent some wonderful time with Stuart, his family and my friends here in Aberdeen. I w

On this day, 14 years ago, the world lost a little bit of its magic, when at 11pm, my little sister took her final breath and life changed as we all knew it. She was only 17 years old. 17 years and 19 days to be exact. As I sat here today reading all the lovely messages written about her, my heart soared with pride in the fact that in her short time with us, she managed to have such a big impact on so many people. Marguerite Mary O'Dwyer, an ambassador for mischief, mockery and for having a marvellous time. I miss her so much. It is funny how every year there is something different that I focus on for the anniversary. I never choose my train of thought, I think the year since the last anniversary chooses it for me. Last night, I got fairly plastered on wine and when my other half went to his bed, I sat and sang along to every sad song I could think of. I had a wee chat with Mags before I went to bed and woke up this morning well rested and ready to seize the day.  I got qui