We've lived in East Sussex for coming on six years now and visited the Seven Sisters cliffs so many times. It is a stunning area and wonderful to walk, but with the massive dips (or seven sisters) it can be a demanding hike and takes a bit of energy and kind weather. Recently we wanted to head out as a family to enjoy a good walk, but not a really demanding one, so we decided to trial the flatter walk from the visitor centre down to the Cuckmere Haven, where the River Cuckmere meets the English channel.
I'm so glad we discovered this area, it was a little further for us to drive than Beachy Head or Birling Gap where we normally go, but it was well worth it. The country park is maintained by East Sussex country council and there are two car parks, one on each side of the road. We found plenty of parking on a mild January day but I'd imagine it would be heaving busy in the summer. It costs £3 for up to 2 hours and £4 for the day. The machine takes coins, credit cards and you can use the Ringo app too.
I was really pleased to see that there are toilets (including an accessible one), a visitors centre (open for limited periods during the year) and a gorgeous cafe serving fabulous coffees, homemade cakes and a super selection of salads.
The easy access trail that we took is 4km down to the beach and back and it is great for pushchairs, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and all sorts of kids fun, like bikes, skates and scooters. My girls preferred to be runining all over the place, up the hills, down to the river side, looking in streams and jumping puddles. It is certainly a fun place to explore.
Hey friends. I hope you're well today. I'm feeling a bit peaky, I think I've been hitting the exercise a big hard for someone who is quite new at it! lol
I've generally had another good week and have many reasons to be grateful and cheerful. I'm going to do one of my posts where I name something good in every day.
Thursday - Not at all good for my weight loss but we had a lovely pastoral night with waffle and prayers.
Friday - I took my girls swimming in the evening and we had a fun time together.
Every driver dreads the time that they happen to be over the speed limit and the yellow camera catches them speeding. It happened to me a few years ago, I was driving in a new area and one side of the roundabout was 60 and the other went straight down to 30, I missed the signs and was doing 38mph and ended up with a nasty letter in the post advising me of my offence.
Of course if you get caught speeding it isn't the end of the world, but penalty points can soon add up and here in the UK once you have 12 points you'll be instantly disqualified. Luckily for me it was my first offence and as such I chose to pay the fine and attend a speed awareness course (which you also have to pay for the privilege to attend) rather than take points on my licence.
To help you avoid getting points on your license, here are a few easy to follow tips - 1. Be a Responsible Car Owner
When you agree to lend your car to someone else, always make sure there is the necessary insurance in place for them to drive legally. Then if you receive a notice of intention to prosecute in the post for a time you know you were not driving, don't just ignore it, that could cost you 6 penalty points and up to £600 for failing to respond.
Also don't forget to update your driving licence and vehicle registration document when you move house. These are easy ones to forget, but if you do and you are caught speeding, the notice will go to your old home and as you will not provide the necessary details, the case will be heard in your absence and you'll end up with a hefty fine and 6-8 penalty points on your licence, all without your knowledge!
After a few jumpy readings and a history of
pre-eclampsia in pregnancy my GP requested for me to wear a blood pressure
monitor for 24 hours to give a true and consistent reading of what my current
blood pressure is and whether there is any cause for concern. She wondered if I
had been having a case of white-coat hypertension, where you get unusually high
readings in the doctor’s office because you’re anxious. I have to say I didn’t
think this was the case as I’d felt quite calm at the doctors and I am not
normally anxious about having my BP taken, but I was happy to comply.
Fitting the Monitor with the Nurse
Two appointments needed to be made with the
nurse, one day after the next to have the monitor fitted and then taken off. I found
it all very straightforward and there’s nothing to be feared wearing one of
these monitors. The only surprise for me was that it was much bigger than I
expected, it’s a full arm cuff with a long tube leading down to an electronic
monitor, housed in a case with a shoulder strap or a clip to go on your belt.
The nurse explained that it was all automated
and I didn’t need to do anything. Each half hour during the day the cuff would
inflate and take a reading, then when I went to bed, I needed to press one button
to tell it to change the readings to hourly, so I could get some sleep. I must
say I was a bit worried on the sleep front as the GP had joked not to expect
any, but I did quite well with only a couple of awakenings. So, I suspect it’s
different for everyone.
I’m feeling excited about what 2019 holds for
me. I feel like it might finally be the year when I make the eating and
exercise changes that I need to be healthy and fit for purpose. That might
sound a bit odd, as obviously at the moment, I’m fit for many purposes and I
don’t for one minute dismiss my abilities. But as a Christian I try to tune
into God’s will for me and I’ve felt for a number of years now, he’s been
telling me to get ready and be fit for purpose. I am both excited and a little
scared to find out what that purpose is.
I joint slimming world on New Years Day and I’ve
had my first weigh in on Tuesday night, the result was 5.5lbs off and that's pretty good. This is probably around the
thirtieth diet I’ve tried in my life and to date, I’ve not stuck with any or
lost substantial amounts of weight but that’s neither here nor there, as this
is now and that is all I need to focus on.
In the last few years, many aspects of my health
have been diminishing and that is why I can no longer put aside the urgent need
to lose some weight and improve my fitness. It’s not easy but I do feel ready
and I’ve been pleased with many of the small changes I’ve made.
In the last few weeks I’ve been going to the gym
and swimming regularly.
I’ve paired back my commitments to allow myself
time to exercise and focus on eating, without getting distracted or stressed
I’ve cleared out all the Christmas goodies and
given them away to others who will enjoy them far more than me.
I’ve been wearing my Fitbit and clocking some
some great days steps. 21,729 is the best day yet this year.
I’ve been eating fruit daily (this is a massive
change for me) and remembering to take it out, so I don’t snack on chocolate
etc
I'm not feeling deprived and I’m still enjoying
eating, we went to Pizza Hut as a family at the weekend and I enjoyed a little
pizza and loads of salad (with none of the unhealthy stuff on the salad cart).
I took the car in to be fixed on Monday and had
to hang around, normally this would mean a McDonald's breakfast, which I adore
but I had beans on wholemeal toast at home and then a pear and banana instead.
This saved me a massive 33 syns!
My changes are already starting to influence my
family in a positive manner, which I’m thrilled about.
I’m being mindful to be active. This weekend we
are using a voucher for 40% off a meal at Toby but before we do we’re heading
up onto the Seven Sisters cliffs for a good walk.
It feels like I’ve made a good start. Now to
keep it up!
I’m linking this post up with Becky at Lakes Single Mum for Reasons to be Cheerful as this new positive mindset and approach
is making me very cheerful indeed!
Becoming an egg donor can be rewarding in
many ways and to many people, but the decision is a deeply personal one - one
that must intrinsically come from you.
It’s also important to recognise that such a rewarding decision, which can
potentially have a lasting impact on others, doesn’t come without its’
sacrifices or concerns. There are many factors to consider when making the
decision to become a donor, but rest assured, there’s no right or wrong reason to donate
eggs.
As an egg donor, you’ll have the
opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself. You may find the
ability to gift those struggling with infertility the opportunity to become parents
far outweighs the physical and emotional task ahead. Remembering your
motivation to donate your eggs can help see you through the entire egg donation
process and give you permanent peace of mind you made the best decision for yourself.
Meeting the Requirements
To become an egg donor, you must not only
be willing to commit physically and emotionally to it, but you also must be
willing to commit your time. As a potential egg donor, you’ll be subject to a
thorough screening process which involves medical tests, evaluations, and
questionnaires. Your screening results will be used to determine if you meet the
standard egg donor requirements listed below.
You must…
·be between 21 to 33 years old.
·currently be tobacco and
drug-free.
·not have any sexually
transmitted diseases such as HIV, chlamydia, or hepatitis.
·be in good overall mental,
emotional, and physical health.
·be prepared to have genetic
screening.
·have a psychological
evaluation.
·be available approximately 3 to
4 months to complete the donation process cycle.
·be capable of
self-administering injections with medication to stimulate your ovaries.
Happy New Year cheerful friends. I had totally forgotten it was Thursday until Becky gave me a prompt and even then this is a day late, but I have had the most lovely time over Advent, Christmas and New Year, so it is only right that I post and record some of those wonderful moments.
I started reading my daily bible again and have been enjoying regular quiet time in the prayer centre.
I'm really loving reading at the moment and I'm getting through at least one book a week. I've enjoyed many yummy coffees and cakes in December and now I've started Slimming World, so they have to go on hold for a while!
As a busy mother of three I am always looking for an excuse to escape for the evening with my husband. There is nothing we like doing more than laughing, and going to see a comedy show is a great way to do this. In 2018 we went to see loads of comedians at our local theatres and we hope to do the same for 2019.
It's not always easy to see the big stars though as the prices can get pretty steep, and last year we missed a couple as it would have been £80 for the two of us and for a local night out in East Sussex, we thought that was a bit steep. For this reason I was super pleased to learn that Gag House Comedy are bringing a show to the White Rock Theatre in Hastings on Friday 8th February 2019, with the show starting at 8pm.
The cost of the tickets for this show is £20.50 - £22.50 including the booking fee, so I think that's really reasonable and especially when you consider it's a show being compared by Mark Dolan, with Lee Nelson headlining, accompanied by Jen Brister and Stephen Bailey.
If you're anything me, those names might not mean that much to you, but I suggest you do my trick and google them because photos and YouTube clips resonate much better than names. As soon as I start to see the likes of Lee Nelson and Jen Brister doing sets on Live at the Apollo, I know they are going to be brilliant acts and I'm getting excited for a great night already.
Lee Nelson
From council estate to comedy and entertainment king, Lee Nelson had over two million people watching his BBC 3 hit Well Good Show.
With five sell-out tours to date and a host of appearances on Live at the Apollo (BBC1), Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People (BBC3), Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder (ITV1), Sunday Night at The Palladium (ITV) and The John Bishop Show (BBC1), Lee Nelson is one of the biggest stand-up stars in the country.
Have a look at Lee in action, to give you a little taster of his style -
Mark Dolan
The night will be expertly compered by Mark Dolan who recently emerged unscathed from a stint on Channel 4’s The Jump. A highly skilled comedian, broadcaster and writer, Mark is best known as host of Channel 4’s iconic comedy series Balls of Steel.
Stephen Bailey
Stephen's winning comedy and charming personality have propelled him to starring in a number of varied TV projects. Stephen is the host of Channel 5’s newest reality show Celebs On The Farm and can be seen weekly as the resident agony uncle on ITV1’s Zoe Ball On Saturday & Sunday.
Jen Brister
Completing the line-up is critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, writer and actor Jen Brister. She has written and performed five solo shows at comedy festivals around the world and has toured extensively — with comedians Kerry Godliman, Francesca Martinez and Roisin Conaty, among others — and is currently supporting Frankie Boyle in London.
It sounds good, right? You can book direct with the White Rock Theatre online or by calling 01424 462288.
Don't forget that the show is of an adult nature and will suit those who are 18+ years and not offended easily.
Go on, why don't you follow in my footsteps and spend some of that Christmas money on a great night out for you and your other half. You'll never regret laughing and making memories, it's money far better spent than on new clothes!
Disclosure: We've received two complimentary tickets for this show, in return for my helping to spread the word.
