Hubby’s birthday party at the weekend was a great success, we all had a lovely time and he absolutely loved his cake made secretly for him by his cousin Michelle. The cake was amazing and the characters were so detailed. Can you believe this is only her 3rd cake? She’s so talented, thank you Michelle.
Sunday was absolutely beautiful here in the Midlands so we took advantage of the good weather and went for my usual trek over Sandwell Valley. My sister and my nephew came along too and boy was it hot! We were sweating loads by the time we finished two circuits, especially as my sister had bought along the pushchair which she asked me to push up the hills (as I was used to them!)
Unfortunately, Sunday evening wasn’t too great as I felt quite unwell with a bloated tummy and sharp stabbing pain high up in my stomach, I thought it was nerves about the thought of flying so went to sleep hoping i’d be better in the morning. Well 4am came sooner than I had hoped and I still felt really unwell but wasn’t going to let it ruin our trip to Ireland. I will blog about our trip to Ireland in the next post. Anyway to cut a boring story short, I went to see the GP yesterday as I still was feeling rather unwell and had a crippling pain to the top right of my stomach. GP reckons I could have gallstones or the remainder of a stomach bug which hasn’t been able to get out of my body (yuck!) so I now have more drugs to give me a break from the pain and to try and rid my gallbladder of any infection and today I have been to the hospital for blood tests. I’m also off for a scan at some point to see if I do have lovely little gallstones giving me grief.
As the good ole saying says “Every cloud has a silver lining” and that is so true as with all the pain i’m in I haven’t been able to eat much at all. I went to a different weigh in class last night as I still want to stay on track with WW (although i’m struggling to eat) and was delighted to see that I’d lost 6.5lb. I’ve now lost 30lb and reached my 2 stone loss mini-milestone. I’ve also reached my 10% weightloss mini-milestone too and got my 10% keyring so although I was in pain this week it’s certainly helped my weightloss.
So I’m taking each day as it comes food wise. Today i’ve managed a bowl of rice crispies and half a piece of toast and at lunchtime hubby bought in a cornish pasty which I managed to eat half of. I’m drinking loads of water and trying to eat what I can when I feel up to it. I still want to keep on track so I will be keeping an eye on what I eat so I don’t over do my points but all I want really is to feel better. Please keep your fingers crossed that it’s just an infection and I won’t need any surgery.
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Dublin 2011
Dublin has got to be one of the friendliest places I have ever been too. We had a great flight over to Dublin with Aer Lingus and was ever so chuffed that the airplane seatbelt fit with plenty of strap left over (that wouldn’t have happened 3 years ago!) After such a short flight we caught a bus to the hotel and had half an hours rest in the bar with a well deserved drink.
Although our room wasn’t available we were able to check in our luggage and pick up our freebies (2 tickets to the Guinness Storehouse, a token for a 3 course evening meal at the hotel and access to the Executive Lounge). We had decided to go and visit the Guinness Storehouse first so made our way into the City Centre. We got lost but some friendly Dubliners helped us find our way and a very helpful bus driver even took us on a free bus journey to find the correct bus stop for the Storehouse.
The Guinness Storehouse was brilliant. It’s amazing to see the story of the brews history unfold in full glory. As you walk up to the entrance you get a whiff of barley (which reminded me of wheatabix) which reminds you that this is where the stuff is actually made. The Storehouse was 7 floors high full of interesting information detailing not only the history but the advertising and marketing of the good stuff. I did ‘test’ the black stuff and on a good day I would have really liked it. Unfortunately my stomach was very delicate and I was unable to take full advantage! Hubby was in heaven as he absolutely loves Guinness. It’s his drink. I think he managed about 5 pints on Monday but didn’t want to overdue it so took it steady. We took in the views over the city from the Gravity Bar on the 7th floor and decided to call it a day. We headed back to the hotel and got ready for our 3 course meal. I was absolutely gutted as the menu looked amazing but I really wasn’t hungry but managed a few mouthfuls of an apple, walnut and chicken salad starter, a few mouthfuls of my main which was penne arrabiata and the honeycomb ice cream for dessert. The waiter was worried why I hadn’t eaten much and I just had to reassure him I was full.
On Tuesday we had open top bus tickets as a present for hubby from his parents and to our suprise there was a courtesy bus waiting outside our hotel for guests. We jumped onboard and got ready for the tour. The weather was cool but dry perfect for sightseeing. We went past all the major tourist sights and was able to take in the Irish air. We wanted to stop off at the Temple Bar area of the city as its renowed for its pubs and bars. Hubby was happy to see the original Temple Bar and stepped inside for a pint or two.
We then strolled onto a second pub called Oliver St. John Gogarty where there was traditional Irish music being played and hubby eyed up the menu. He had a massive Guinness and Steak pie with chips and salad for an amazing €6.50 which is just short of £6 in British pounds. What a bargain! We would have loved to have stayed longer to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the bar but I wasn’t feeling very well and we returned to the hotel.
We were rudely woken at 5am Wednesday morning by the hotels fire alarm. Apparently one of the guests had set it off accidently and woke the whole hotel up. Luckily it went off after about a minute so we didnt have to evacuate the hotel in our pjs. The rest of Wednesday was enjoyed taking in more views of Dublin and getting a few souvenirs. I bought a Dublin City hoody to add to my ever increasing collection of hoodies (I’m all for comfort!).
Our trip to Dublin was brilliant, I’m just gutted I couldn’t enjoy it properly. If we were to go again, I’d like to hire a car and take in the views of the city from the Wicklow Mountains and see the coast. Maybe next year, hubby isn’t likely to say no so I think i’m on to a winner there..
Filed under: Holidays, Photographs |