Looking back

Well we are at that time where we look back over the past twelve months, at times with rosé tinted glasses.
The past year has had both good and bad times. Health wise it has been up and down. There have been days when I have literally been unable to get out of bed due to immense amounts of pain, these days have gone hand in hand with insomnia brought on by the pain. I have recently started to follow a fellow gout sufferer from the states who has managed through years of sheer determination to overcome this debilitating illness. I am learning from him that stress levels brought on by lack of sleep increase the chances of an attack so it's a vicious circle at times.
Each day is now a learning curve and as from tomorrow the healthy eating starts.
Now I know that most people say this every year but after spending a lot of time reading into this I feel it really will make a difference to my daily life, more fresh foods and a lot less processed food and I will then be able to enjoy the foods which I had mistakingly been told would set of attacks.

In the past twelve months I have made new friends and also lost a couple of close friends and in particular one who was far too young to say goodbye to.
Back in the summer (yes that made up season that the uk does not have) we had a fantastic holiday in Spain. It's amazing what a bit of warm weather and sun on your back can do to your spirits, a full fortnight pain free until the morning of the day I had to drive the 1200 miles home, there was a few expletives in the car on that trip I can tell you, not helped by the Paris ring road which seems to have a rush hour at two thirty in the morning.

Turning 40 made me realise a few things, I need to start to look after my self properly for a start and cut down on the crap I eat.
Also we don't go out any more or do anything, is this because we have kids or simply because we can't be bothered? Who knows but I promise you this, it is going to change.

So looking forward to 2013 have I made any resolutions or plans? Not so much resolutions but I plan to:

Travel more this year with at least two family holidays one of which will be abroad
Go to more concerts, music is always better live.
Would like to go to the Le Mans 24hr
A lot more quality time with the girls
More weekends away
Get fitter as much as my limited capabilities will let me.

So I raise a glass to you and wish you all a happy and healthy new year.

Pete.

The Gift

As you may know I turned forty a couple of days ago, and one of the gifts I got from Anne (my other half) was a few days in a spa somewhere in the Cheshire countryside.
Never having been on one of these before I slowly warmed to the idea as it will be a couple of nights of no kids and being pampered, GREAT!!!!
As I've said I've never been on one of these spa breaks before so today whilst Anne was at work and the kids are arguing on the Wii I spent a few minutes on t'internet and looked them up.
The more I read the more I liked, these places are usually attached to a fine dining experience (the one we are going on has such a restaurant) and have various things to do during the day to help you chill out and relax all your worries away.
Sauna's, swimming pools, body massages and the like, then I started thinking well I can't have a sauna because of the heart condition, I swim like a brick i.e. straight down, so this is gonna be one hell of a massage.

I then got to paragraph on colonic irrigation, now don't get me wrong I've heard of these but never fully understood what went on. I knew it was a cleansing process via your butt, but I wasn't expecting what I read. I'm sure I went pale at the thought of it. I stopped reading with visions of a bloke stood on a chair with a bucket of soapy water being poured down a funnel connected to a pipe to which the other end is inserted in my ass, when the full bucket has been pored down he then shouts "FIRE IN THE HOLE" and pulls out the hose from my ass and stands back.

I think I'll stick to the salad, whale music and massage!!!

Coming of Age

Well it's happened. Yesterday I hit the milestone of becoming 40.
To be honest there was no bolt of lightening and no sign on my forehead saying "Middle aged".  I had quite a pleasant day some great cards and gifts, including a card from my ten year old daughter Molly who seems to have an assumption that I fart a lot!!
I downed a couple of beers and a bottle of bubbly all the time thinking I will be crippled tomorrow by gout as I have consumed quite a bit of wine and beer over the festive period.
Woke this morning with no pain, surprised? No. I was gobsmacked. Then it happened..........
I jumped in the shower still wearing my glasses, standing there dripping wet i thought "this is middle age, its here!!"