I've been poorly!

Hi,

I've not been posting for a while because my bad has been causing me a lot of pain for the last 2 weeks. Exactly 2 weeks ago we walked the dogs quite late in the afternoon and it had started to get dark. We quickened our pace and I struggled to keep up with Jake. It was really muddy and I was worried about slipping over. What I didn't notice until the next morning was the enormous strain that walk had put on my back. We went to do our food shopping in Leamington, and by the time we got back, I could hardly walk. My muscles go into spasm because I had a back injury nearly 5 years ago now (pulled the facet joints in my lower back out of place) and the muscles surrounding the bones can't forget it. They continue to protect the bones by going into spasm when I strain my back. This is really painful and disabling for me. I live on painkillers and my TENS machine helps too. Two weeks on, I still can't sit on a chair or my sofas (I spend a lot of time standing or walking around the house) and I can't reach the floor either. My mobility is improving every day, but I get annoyed because I don't feel ill and get bored. I have started pushing myself to do more (remembering the advice of my physiotherapist) but it took me 30 mins to unload and load my washing machine. I am also trying to look after my very sick daughter at the moment too.  I have been feeling really sorry for myself, but now I am trying to be more positive about things and hope to get back on track soon.

Here are a few photos of what's been happening since my last post:

Ashley's birthday cake with Flo watching with interest!

I attempted to make some microwave jam with the blackberries I picked last year.

I managed to make all these jars.

 I had an order delivered from Approved Food, I spent about £40 and got all of this:

We love this quick pudding in the week.

These batteries cost £1.50 which is a bargain even if the quality is not too good.

Sadly I am having trouble uploading my photos, so I will just tell about the rest...

~Hobnob snack packs~

Handy for packed lunches.

~Small cans of tomato juice~

I put these in any mince dish I make like spag bol.

~Cashew nuts~

Steve loves these.

~Parsley sauce~

I'm the only one who likes it, so I can never be bothered to make it from scratch for me.

~Bread sauce~

We love bread sauce!

~Special K snacks~

I got these on Charlotte's request.

~Barley sugars~

These were my little treat - although not good for my teeth.

~Pork scratchings~

Another treat for Steve.

~Cheesecake mix~

We love cheesecake and this is the cheat's way, but I can't resist a bargain.

~Mint sauce~

I stocked up on this, I eat it with any gravy dinner.

~Fruit pastiles~

These were for Alice.

Ginger cake bars~

These were for Alice, but they weren't very nice.

~Beef oxos~

I get through loads of these.

~Square crisps~

We like them.

~Massive bag of boiled fruit sweets~

This was a shock, the bag will last us several years!

~Paxo stuffing~

This is lazy stuffing - bake in the box, but it was cheap.

~Catering tins of chopped tomatoes~

I got these to do some batch cooking one day.

~White wine vinegar~

Again, a shock - a huge bottle.

~Massive bag of walkers crisps~

We get through too many crisps.

~Steak & Onion crisps~

~Tomato ketchup crisps~

~Biorepair toothpaste~

I thought I would try this out, again a massive tube.

~Chocolate muffin mix~

I don't normally bake like this, but cocoa is really expensive and I know Ashley will love these in his packed lunches.

~Monster munch~

~Cadbury's teacakes~

We love these!

Hopefully there will be more exciting things to write about soon.

Mandy x