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SUP….Stand up paddle boarding….linked to everything that I have hopefully sorted out in my head since my seriously strange summer.

Drinking alcohol…or too much of it…that was me..heavy drinking in the summer “oh it’s ok, everybody does during the summer, we don’t have to be up early to get the kids to school, etc, etc, etc…excuses after excuses.

Waking up in a fog, bad reasoning, causing rows, interpreting information wrong, memory loss….

I never considered myself an alcoholic or even alcohol dependent..but my drinking could be heavy…half a bottle of vodka or Jamesons’ whiskey on a heavy night socialising, a quarter easily when not, just sitting watching the TV.

Red wine, good for you yes? Maybe but not nearly a bottle per night.

As re my seriously strange summer I had two bouts of gastroenteritis…bad appetite and   nausea followed.  Alcohol!! I realised it didn’t help. Also, needing to get up with the puppies early didn’t help the recovery either.

I no longer drink during the day (on a day off that is, never had when working).  Sparkling water is now my companion and maybe if I feel like it one or two (tops) glasses of red wine.  It is very hard to keep this discipline, but my goodness I feel so much better for it.

I’ve always trained, triathlon training and I have a paddleboard which helps work my core.  My BMI and weight is low and I eat healthily and do not smoke.  Alcohol was always there.  I realised that I was beginning to work my training around alcohol.  Heavy night meant I trained later in the day, always tired.  Missed quite a few good tides because I needed to rest or sleep off effects of alcohol.

Why is this blog called SUP.  Well this morning for the first time ever I caught an early tide.  I had my sister in law around last night and we watched Steel Magnolias and laughed and cried and laughed and cried.  I had two glasses of red wine on a Friday night and plenty of my Sparkling companion.  The goal for to enjoy my paddleboard early in the morning.

Now as I sit on my paddleboard at 8am on a relatively clear sea just watching the seagulls land and take off from the water, the dog walkers on the beach and look over towards those White Cliffs of Dover I feel a sense of achievement…it may be little, but little is good, those little steps are what lead to the final goal.

I took control of the alcohol and it felt good……………..

July 6th 2017…..Yay! it’s the last day of school for my 14 year old son, exhausted from his sport, academia and general school time stupor.  I had so many plans set up for us during the next 8 weeks; famous last words!

Of course he’s 14 now, no longer wanting my company, I’m just an embarrassment now, girls have exploded onto the scene; one in particular Rachel! I step back, kind of.   If I’m being honest I’m relieved of the pressure to constantly occupy him in the way that I have been so used to during the past 10 summer holidays.  I now have time to myself I thought, to catch up on me things, my triathlon training, those vintage films I had ordered during a frenzied spend at Amazon earlier in the spring, or book reading; again the ones that have piled up throughout the last few months that I have yet had the time or inclination to read…but wait

Wasn’t it John Lennon who said “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”.  No truer word spoken!! I’m now sitting writing this blog 7 and a half weeks on having achieved absolutely none of the above, despite my son spending most of the holiday (apart from one trip to the circus and cinema with his old mum) with his girlfriend (now ex….phew!) and friends hanging out at the local outlet centre, bowling alley and cinema.  Why you may ask did my plans fall through?…drum roll please…

Puppies & illness….

Two puppies in the form of one black labrador, Riley and one German Shepherd, Jackson and two heavy bouts at each end of August of Gastroenteritis.

As you can imagine, dealing with constant puppy wee and poo whilst holding down a serious stomach bug is not an easy task.

My day starts at 6 to 6.30 am each morning with Jackson whining as if he is about to be dismembered.  Such a nervous little puppy, probably due to the conditions he was in when we went to buy him..but maybe that’s another blog…his toilet training has been like building the fourth bridge, virtually impossible.  We’re getting there now, but it’s been a hard slog.  Coming down in the morning to trodden in poo and wee all over the floor.  Puppy pads were initially ripped to shreds and dragged into the water bowl, so they were considered unuseful from the get go.  He greets us as if we’ve been away for the last fortnight! jumping up and down and weaving in and out of your legs as you try to walk in a tired fog with him out into the back garden.  Here he proceeds to wee but only does it whilst walking around your legs and jumping up and down on you.  So by 6.40 am you are covered puppy scratches and wee and poo marks! lovely!  Breakfast time is like there is no tomorrow with Jackson.  He eats his breakfast and then waits for his bonio.  After breakfast he calms down ready for me to glove up and clean my utility room and his crate for the upteenth time that week.

Riley, the black labrador is such a pickle! naughty is not the word.  Unlike Jackson she is born with such amazing confidence.  It is her right to do as she wants when she wants, including chewing anything wooden so the fact that I collect mid-century furniture G-Plan is not very helpful!  She eats everything and anything in sight.  Pulling socks out of her bottom has been particularly great fun!  Stealing everyones’ food, including a nice family eating their pack lunch on the beach!  I can go on…but the flip side is that she has been very easy to toilet train.

As with all cases I got the “I’ll be there to help you mummy look after the puppies and walk them and clean them and feed them, etc….does this sound familiar”.  Partly my fault, you’re only 14 once (thank God!) and do I want my son bogged down with such responsiblity?  Besides, I’m mum, it’s my job, isn’t it?

I love our dogs, I only had one child, but two dogs, in the run of things I find that easier.

I wouldn’t have changed my summer for the world as it will all be worth it by October time (or so we keep telling ourselves).

Whilst I have been in my puppy and illness haze I have witnessed my friends on social media going from one exciting adventure to another during their summer holidays.  Exotic holidays to far flung countries, quality family time with their children on day trips or outings, visiting interesting places and cultures; whilst I have had to be thankful that I can go to Tescos and buy some flowers for myself because “I can’t possibly leave the puppies for more than 3 hours”.

It’s all good though…it’s the ordinary that has become the extrodinary…each day has been rather mundane, yet eventful in it’s own way.  I have definately learnt more patience (more through my illness than puppies), and I have saved more money….LAUGH OUT LOUD, HAVE I HECK…No I’ve actually spent more…..boredom and lack of options has made me reach more for my ipad where I have had the luxury of being stuck indoors or garden browsing and pressing the pay button more than I really needed to.  Oh and my triathlon training….I can only thank the illness for the fact that it has kept my weight level, but I’ve only managed about 10 runs and 5 bike rides and absolutely no swimming in the last 8 weeks.  Although I must say that the puppies and their day to day care, plus extra housework because of them has helped me hit over and above my steps for the day on Fitbit.

Back to school next week, first day of September today, the nights are drawing in and my favourite season is upon us.  I don’t think I want another summer like I have just had, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world…I’ll must make it like a memory…