Hello again my loves, how are you all doing? It has been a while since I've posted, obviously. All my good intentions failed, as I've been struggling with my mental and physical health again/still. But these photos span the time from the 10th of November to the 5th of December 2025, so theoretically I'm still catching up with myself.
During that time I mostly only left the house to go to appointments or run errands, so I don't have a lot of interesting photos to share. I did make it down to the shore for a walk one wild and windy afternoon though, so I do have a collection of photos and videos from that day. Being greeted by a bright rainbow next to Glashedy was a real treat!
On the 15th November I was selling at the Clonmany Christmas Craft Fair at the Clonmany Community Centre again. I have gotten a lot of good feedback from my newer "Peace of Pollan" brand pieces, and it feels good to be using things that I found on the beach, and to be doing my part to help keep our beautiful Inishowen cleaner.
I had some tests done earlier in the month, and was back at the Doctor to discuss the results by the end of November. And, I was officially diagnosed with Lupus here in Ireland. It was already suspected, from over a decade ago, when I was still in America, but due to further tests being "inconclusive", the official diagnosis at the time was UCTD, an "Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease". Now, the tests are conclusive, which was both validating and disturbing. It's good to have conclusive proof of something that was suspected for so long, but to know that I should have had this diagnosis a long time ago, and perhaps some help for my issues, is disheartening. So many people dismiss my health issues, since I "look fine"... and it's just another struggle to have to deal with, for anyone with an invisible illness.
Knowing that as I age, my health issues will only get worse, is not a good feeling. I had an aunt who died from complications from Lupus, and she was only in her 50s, which is a sobering thought. Between the Lupus, Fibromyalgia, PCOS, Arthritis, and Lymphocytic Colitis, I am in pain all day, every day. The fatigue that I experience is overwhelming, and impossible to explain to anyone who has no experience of these things. On top of all of this, I am now perimenopausal, and the hormone fluctuations make everything worse. So, my physical health has been poor, and my mental health has been no better. Trying to come to terms with all these diagnoses, knowing that my life will never be the same, is difficult. I mourn for everything I was once able to do, and the active life I used to lead.
All in all, 2025 was an extremely difficult year for me. If I didn't live where I do, and have these views, I don't think I would have survived. I may be able to go out and do things far less often, but at least I can sit and enjoy the views from my windows.
Oh, and yes, I put my Christmas Tree up in mid November. After the year I had, I felt I needed some sparkle in my life!
Well hello again my loves, and happy Friday. I hope you've had a good week so far? These photos are from the last two weeks in October, and past the first week in November 2025. Between the days getting shorter, and my continued ill health, I didn't get out much during that time. However, I think you all enjoy my local vistas almost as much as I do, so I'm sharing some pics taken on different days, in different lights. I will never, ever get bored of these views. How can I, when they are ever-changing??
The days that I did leave the house, I went a little further afield than usual, as there were three separate occasions to go to Derry! First was my cousin's baby's first birthday party, hosted by my aunt and uncle. That was lovely, and I got to catch up with a few of my cousins and their spouses, and celebrate baby Riley.
The end of October was of course Halloween, and I stayed with my lovely friend Avril for a couple of days. If you're like me, and love any excuse to get into a costume, you might be as surprised as I was to learn that Avril had never worn a costume or done Derry Halloween before, despite living there for years. Well, I am a good bad influence, and she agreed to dress up to go out with me, but I was to be in charge of her costume! I was going to go easy on her and just bought a few very simple witchy accessories, but she went all out and got the green makeup, wig, and everything else! As you can see, she looked AMAZING, and was getting compliments everywhere we went. So, now we need to do even better this year, haha!
The week after that was a sad occasion, as one of my mum's cousins passed away, so I went to Derry for the funeral, and to be there for the family. In Ireland, they do not tend to embalm people, and funerals are usually held within 2-3 days after the death. I do think that this can provide closure, and help the grieving process, but if you live far away, it can be very difficult to get to the funeral in time. I definitely missed several because I was overseas and could not get a flight back so quick, so this is another reason I am glad I live where I do, and can be there for family on such sad occasions.
Well hello again my loves, how are you all doing? And how are we in March already? I know they say time flies when you're having fun, but it can also fly when you're not. I don't want to go into too much detail, since I've been told I'm a big downer, but my days are just a blur of pain lately. Both physical and emotional.
So, that's enough about that. Here are some pretty sky photos from September and October last year to enjoy instead. Yay, distractions. I got back from my trip to London on the 22nd September, and spent the rest of that week recovering and catching up with things. I did have some cousins to visit one evening, and I got to cook for them, which was lovely.
The week after that I was on a strict diet in advance of Colonoscopy and Endoscopy procedures, which is never fun. And the prep the day before is even less fun. If you've ever gone through one of those procedures, you know. To make matters worse, my appointment was for the morning of Saturday 4th October, and on Friday 3rd October, Storm Amy rolled in. Having endured a few big named storms since I've lived here on the Wild Atlantic Way, I knew what to expect. Usually, I would stock up on snacks and wine, and read a good book by candlelight when the power went out. This time of course, I was fasting in advance of my procedures, and the only thing I could drink was the nasty Prep liquid. And instead of reading a good book by candlelight, I had to deal with the "evacuation process" of the prep, by candlelight. This is not something I recommend, if you can at all avoid it! Still, I made it through the night, and a lovely friend gave me a lift to and from Letterkenny Hospital the next morning.
I had been on the waiting list for these procedures since November 2024, so of course, this was a long time to wait, and everything seemed "normal" by the time I was seen. If you have ever dealt with chronic illnesses and unexplained, worrying symptoms, you'll know that that's not necessarily good news. It just means they haven't figured out what is wrong with you yet. So, on to more tests, more waiting, and more mounting symptoms. I will say though, that the prep was far less painful than when I have had these procedures done in America, and I was served tea and a slice of scone afterwards, which was so lovely!!
Not long after I got home, the power came back on, which was nice, and I spent most of the day sleeping off the anaesthetic. I seem to be one of those people who needs extra, as I always wake up mid procedure, so they have to give me more, and it makes me verrrry lethargic for the rest of the day. The day after, I went down to the Shore to check on the family's houses and check for damage from the storm. Thankfully there wasn't any, but I am glad that I live so close and can check on things and reassure people.
The week after that I had some visitors, and it was nice to see people and get out of the house for a bit. One friend stayed for a week, and we were able to go out for some drives, run some errands, and go for some meals and drinks, which I appreciated. As you know, I don't get out of the house much these days, so it made a nice change.
