Oh crikey – it’s the end of November and I’m now starting to think I need to get on top of the present buying once and for all.

To make matters worse, I’ve been ill for the last week; I don’t think it’s Covid, but you never know! I’m not taking any risks and I’m staying in as much as I can.

On top of all this, VIP is at home recovering from an operation and BOTH kids got sent home for two weeks to isolate as they’ve been in contact with Covid-positive pupils. Oh and I’ve been having brain scans, bone scans and more headaches. The joy. Let’s hope December starts off on a more positive note!

#BCDiaries

I haven’t spoken much about where I’m at with my adjuvant treatment after my breast cancer diagnosis, but by the end of this year I will be one year in remission. It’s crazy to think of how far I’ve come and the worries that have come with being diagnosed – and the constant reminder that it might reoccur.

Hindsight is always great of course, but I think if I had my time again, I would have insisted that I had both my boobs off. The anxiety that comes with checking myself isn’t worth it – I’ve had a couple of scares – an inverted nipple, dimples that weren’t there before and a dubious lump – all within the last 12 months of me finishing treatment. Will it be the same every year? I dread to think.

I asked my oncologist if she would put me on 3-month jabs instead of monthly Zolodex. She said that it wasn’t possibly due to licensing – I’m not even sure what that means. It’s a shame because every two weeks for the next ten years this now means that I have to liaise with my doctor’s surgery – and if you knew the amount of times they had screwed up over things (including sending me home after I turned up for y flu jab, government letter in hand suggesting I am high risk and need one, not being able to schedule an appointment more than two weeks in advance AND running out of Zoladex medication on my appointment day and sending me home without treatment), you wouldn’t want to deal with them every 2 weeks for 10 years either.

On the other hand, I’m mindful of being grateful. Grateful that I’m even getting the medicine that is possibly prolonging my life. And so grateful is what I’ll continue to be. There have been other complications – I’m like an old woman in the morning who can’t walk and my joint pain especially in my hands leaves me feeling 100 years old if I’ve been sat or lying down for too long.

On top of this my headaches and migraines have resurfaced big time. Luckily, my wonderful oncologist (and she is lovely) is taking no risks and has booked me in for a brain and bone scan. I’m lucky in this respect that that are covering all angles. I’ll keep you posted on this.

Blog life & business

This month I’ve been enjoying making videos which I’ve been posting on my YouTube channel. Along with my fortnightly Tropic videos (you can check them out in this playlist), I also made a video on my hotel in Edinburgh (a room tour) which you can watch here.

I had the pleasure of testing a Kami wire-free outdoor camera recently. As you know, I love my tech and this was a great opportunity to keep an eye on the wildlife in the garden! Plus it means that the back of the house is now covered by CCTV. Have a read of what I thought here!

I also managed to put together a post together on saving for Christmas (like a boss!). Throughout the year I try to be mindful about not spending crazy amounts of money. When I’m out shopping I’ll try to plan ahead for people’s birthday presents – and sometimes Christmas by picking up items that I know they’ll love. This helps spread the cost of Christmas and gave me the idea on writing a post on more ways to save.

At present I’m in talks with a Summerhouse company on a sponsored post; I haven’t done one of these in ages and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into a new project. I only accept sponsored posts where I have free scope on what to write about. Integrity and having my own voice on my blog are really important to me. Having said this, with VIP currently nursing his wounds at home after a hernia op, I might suggest he guest writes a post – I know he’d do me proud. Watch this space!

In terms of business, I’ve been working on a couple of videography projects which I’ve really enjoyed, I’ve had my best-selling month with Tropic and the magazine also had its best month since we launched a year and a half ago.  It’s amazing that all three of my businesses are performing brilliantly at the moment – I think it’s a rare month so I’ll cherish it while it lasts!

My latest purchases

Talking of saving money at Christmas, I’m delighted to say that I’m in quick with the Christmas shopping this year! Every year ASDA do a fab range of personalised gift ideas – and every year my mother-in-law looks forward to her calendar of the grandkids that she hangs proudly in her kitchen. They do everything from cushions, photo books and face masks (brilliant!), to jigsaws, mugs and even tea towels – and at some really reasonable prices too. Magnets start at just £1!

Have a browse of the range – and using it is so easy to do – you don’t even need to leave your sofa – now that’s what I call easy Christmas shopping! Here’s what I bought…. a new mouse mat for my mum and a calendar for my mother-in-law!

Another thing that I’m super pleased with is the lovely advent calendar that VIP bought for me on his last food shopping trip before his op. It’s a Ferraro Rocher advent calendar. No one has ever bought me an advent calendar before the start of December before.

My mum once bought me a nail polish advent calendar around Christmas which was lovely, and we always buy the kids chocolate advent calendars, but we never treat ourselves, so it was a lovely surprise to receive this one from Lidl – how nice does it look?!

What I’m grateful for

My oncologist and the whole team looking out for me and covering all bases when it comes to my aftercare. I’m also so grateful that I’ve got work on – and to have those multiple sources of income has really helped in the run-up to the festive season.

My goals from last month included

1. Start my Christmas shopping in earnest! Well, given the fact I’ve been a little unwell, I haven’t started the shopping in earnest, but I have started it.
2. Look into getting a landing page for my videography business – see below.
3. Look into getting a little site for Tropic – yes, I have looked into getting a site for both my videography business and Tropic and I’m going to be speaking with my IT support (aka WESH UK) next week to do some brainstorming. I was so impressed with this company (who I met at on online networking meeting) – so much so, that I decided to move all my blog hosting and domain names over to them. It’s so nice to just deal with the same person whenever there’s a problem. And they are SUPER QUICK at responding and offer free ‘discovery sessions’ for new websites. If you’re interested in jumping ship on your current host provider, I can’t recommend them highly enough. Check them out here.

My goals for December include

1. Don’t leave it until the last minute to finish the Xmas shopping!
2. Stay on top of my work schedule (the calendars and priority list are working well)
3. Start my new exercise plan in earnest!

I'd love to hear how your November went – and what you're looking forward to in December!

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