I spoke too soon in my last post!
No sooner was I humming merrily about how I was back
in the saddle, I fell off the horse and spent this weekend dealing
with the food poisoning for another 48 hours.
This required sticking with the BRAT diet and losing another
1.5 lbs from near starvation. I never knew how enjoyable
a bowl of freshly steamed plain white rice could be, or a slice of
toast with no butter, marmalade. . . . .or anything else!
I also slept more than usual - going to bed early was easier
than staying up hungry!
So, not quite back 'in the pink' of health but getting there slowly.
Old Town, Alexandria waterfront when the sun came out.
Somehow, although nauseated, I managed to walk through IKEA at
Potomac Mills, Virginia during a quick stop on the way home to Raleigh.
Arriving back to a garden gone mad in just four days.
The 'weekend from hell' made me even more grateful for my
home and garden.
***********
Quick notes, stuff and such: I have so much to do this week.
- My "Chippy" chipmunk appeared this morning, first time since last Fall
- Hydrangeas are in blue bloom, must water daily as it's so hot
- Daylilies budding early
- Mosquitoes have arrived and are biting, grrrrr!
- Boston ivy running rampant in back yard
- Peonies over, sad but they were lovely for a while
- Meeting friend for a Bon Voyage tea today - she's off to Paris next week
- My baby brother in France is 70 today, "Happy Birthday John"
- Choosing clothes to pack for England - always a hard job
- Planning to travel light - but never do!
- However, no hair dryer, straightener or camera (using iPhone) being packed this time - that helps
- Short wash and go haircuts are the best for travel
- Should I take a sunhat - of course, and I have a packable one
- Losing over 7 lbs feels really good but doing it this way wasn't fun
- Just discovered COVID test required to come back to US costs £100 each!
- Need a root canal soon, dentist discovered a problem when cleaning, darn it!
- This morning I made plain oatmeal and had a teeny tiny cup of coffee, first in a week, fingers crossed!
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Dear Mary,
ReplyDeleteThere is always lots to do before a trip, and I hope you regain your strength. Take good care of yourself. Your garden will be so beautiful with the blue hydrangeas. Overcast skies and cool temperatures here, and the peonies are just beginning to form buds. Enjoy your Bon Voyage tea!
Poor you. So many people have suffered this recently, either food poisoning or a bug. I so hope you regain your strength for the trip.
ReplyDeleteHope you are soon back in the saddle again Mary - feeling nauseated for so long must have been really debilitating.
ReplyDeleteOur flowers have been picture perfect this year, must have been the mild winter, but I hate it when the ones I love and long to see pass on by so quickly.
Dearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the relapse of your nasty food poisoning.
Potomac Mills has been a favorite of mine for decades, though we have not been there in quite a while. When our friends in Wilmington Delaware were still alive, we always made a stop there.
Glad that we are mosquito free, thanks to the tiny bats that live behind the attic gable vent, just clinging against the screen.
Just identified another resident that nests in our front porch; an Eastern Phoebe bird; they as well catch flies, insects.
Oh, it makes one so mad looking at the cost we must pay for entering the US and knowing that our southern border is wide open; no checks nothing!
I paid the equivalent of £ 126 so yours looks like a bargain... Haha, just being sarcastic.
Packing light is a must for me as I have to bring back so much from Mom & Dad's estate. No furniture of course but still things that way and take up space. So lucky for being allowed two suitcases in Premium Select.
Hoping you fluff back to feeling well soon!
Did sleep the clock round last night, felt good after we performed with our choir + orchestra yesterday during a patriotic service.
Pieter so enjoyed it and we had a full Church.
Hugs,
Mariette
Mariette how have you paid for the test in advance? When do you leave? Are you doing the test online before you return? We hope to get ours done at a clinic near Heathrow airport the day before we fly - perhaps I should make an online appt. Of course we're still hoping the US Govt. will put an end to this requirement before we leave - it's totally ridiculous, just like everything else they do!
DeleteShould have kept our attic bats removed years ago - didn't know then that they could make my summer days/evening less miserable!!!!
Mary, I found the city nearest to where I go and made the appointment via Internet with them; that was their only option! It is ALL so ridiculous and the stress related to that is killing! Those bats are a blessing indeed , never get mosquito bites!
DeleteI hope you continue to improve, slowly but surely - gardens wait for no one.
ReplyDeleteMary, so sorry that you have continued to struggle. I can tell you this: I love my ginger chews. They really help with nausea.
ReplyDeleteYou must be so excited for your trip home and you will just have to have cake to honor your brother's birthday. By then, you will be up for it.
Sorry to hear you're still sick. Might not be food poisoning if it's lasted this long; sounds more like a virus. Getting ready to go to England? So exciting! My peonies are just now budding - hoping to have blooms by this weekend. We have chipmunks all over the place, much to my husband's chagrin. They've been out of hibernation for about a month now and dig holes/their tunnels all over the yard and worse yet, under our patio and front deck. A friend of ours had their patio completely ruined from chipmunks digging tunnels under it!
ReplyDeleteOh no, poor you!
ReplyDeleteDear Mary, I hope the food poisoning will soon leave you completely alone, so that you have the energy you need to get everything done that you think needs doing. Could someone come and assist at least with the gardening stuff? Is there for instance a teenager or young person in your neighbourhood who would gladly take over the daily watering for a small sum?
I am sorry to hear that your food poisoning is lingering! I know you are really looking forward to your trip.
ReplyDeleteI discovered you through your Jacobean Tree of Life post, and I'm grateful that you're still sharing your journey through life here in 2022!
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible talent. Gives me a smidgen of hope that I'll be able to tackle such a project!
Hoping by now you are finally feeling better.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I wondered how much it would cost for a COVID test to return to the US.
And root canals are no fun whatsoever!!! I had to have a re-do of an old one recently. I hurt the pocket book and me. Ugh!
Take care, dear friend!