Hi, welcome to my new blog site. I hope you engage and enjoy.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
My First Blog Post
Plantar Fasciitis
If you have had this ailment you will know what it is – it is painful and difficult to manage.
Having had this foot complaint more than once I can recommend the following:
These ankle and heel supports are a great relief and well worth the money. The support the pair offers gives me confidence when walking out and about. The heal pad insert helps the feet not to drop flat which lessens the pain. They are very tight and I found after several hours wear, when out for the day, I needed to take them off.
As my feet improved I wore them less daily. They are washable and dry easily.
The size chart is a little difficult to understand but as a size 5 shoe, I went the for Medium (M2). Do measure your ankle before you buy them.
Also a great help – Comfy Feet & Toes gel insoles from HomeBargains. At £2.45 these are a must. Put them inside your favourite shoes, boots and/or trainers for all day comfort. Reduces pain and tension in your feet by support and cushioning. Available in male or female sizes which you cut to fit.
Podiatrist
A half-hour or hour appointment is also value for money. I received an examination, an ultra-sound foot massage, lots of information and printed off exercises to do at home.
Strengthening the muscles in feet and legs are key to healing. Look after your feet, we often take them for granted.
Equipment to aid recovery
from a hip replacement operation.
Our home has become full of items we never knew existed, not having elderly relatives to care for. In the bathroom there is a raised toilet seat, easily screwed on to the existing seat and easy to remove and refit as needed. The shower has a perching stool to relax whilst having a much needed refreshing wash after a hospital stay.
In the lounge a favourite arm chair has a booster custion to raise the seat. A foot stoool provides much needed leg/foot rest. The chair is surrounded with coffee tables so that everything can be to hand without the patient getting up or stretching.
Crutches lean up the wall next to the chair whilst under one of the small tables is the sock aid – a devise to help the patient be independant in putting on support stockings each day. It is not easy to use as the stockings are so very tight but once they are opened up and slid onto the white plastic sleeve, the foot can be inserted and a pull on the ropes lift the stockings or socks up and over the ankles. A very impressive piece of equipment.
The long handled shoe horn helps with getting slippers and shoes on, the hook end is used for pushing the stockings down the leg so the patient doesn’t have to bend from the waist when changing the DVT preventers.
The grabber does what its name implies. Any item dropped on the floor or out of reach can be retrieved without much effort. I threaded a ribbon through the handle so it can be carried around the neck whilst hands are taken up managing the crutches. A shoulder bag, waist bag or apron with pockets on would be another way of carrying glasses, phone, book etc from room to room.
The medication bag, sent home from the hospital, contains all the tablets needed for after care, needles and sharp box for preventing blood clots, spare support stockings and dresssings for the wound.
A blood pressure monitor has been well used and a weekly pill storage box also sits nearby.
A tip, to be tried, is a plastic bag on the car seat to aid the body to get in without twisting badly whilst lifting the legs in. Gosh, who knew? All items are well worth getting in if your local hospital doesn’t supply them. The perching stool came via Facebook – Free to Collector and in tip-top condition.
It might be fair to say that lots of people do not experience disability and all it entails, whether for a short period of time or at all. But there are also many who live with far greater daily health challenges. Wheelchairs, walking frames, strollers, special beds, mobility scooters etc are some to name but a few. And it’s not just the elderly.
Let’s give the manufacturers, carers and users, a round of applause for their inventions, patience of friends, relatives, neighbours, health professionals and for the deterimation of those with mobility aids to live life to the best of their abilities.
Eco bath & shower cleaner
Bath and Shower Cleaner
We all want shiny bathrooms, right? And we are choosing to be more self-conscious about the planet, waste plastic, chemical use etc. Well, to save you searching for the perfect product, take it from me Method is the way to go. http://methodproducts.co.uk
These cleaning products are one small way of helping the environment – the containers are made from recycled plastic bottles and the contents are non-toxic to the environment, bio-degradable and safe for humans and animals.
It claims to “smell like rainbows” – a nice sentiment but who knows what that’s like? I can only tell you the smell is lovely, fresh and flowery. The shower spray is Ylang Ylang and the bath cleaner is eucalyptus and mint.
It prevents soap scum – just spray it on the shower doors and tiles after a shower; no scrubbing or drying off required. After a bath spray it around the bath and watch the water level mark disappear. Other products like the ‘All purpose cleaner’; ‘Squirt and Mop floor cleaner’; and wood floor cleaner have lavender, peach blossom and wild rhubarb colours and smells. How delightful.
Refill bottles available too. All at reasonable prices, look out for them in your local supermarket, B & Q, Wilko and Sainsbury’s when out and about, or on-line at Amazon of course.
I love it and its made in Europe too. What’s not to like?
Wet feet or cosy toes?
During autumn, winter and early spring I normally wear an old pair of shoes to step out into the garden in. The soggy ground of winter, just to put things in the dustbin or to take a few steps into my cabin, usually mean I get wet socks from the old shoes which eventually have a hole in the sole or let in at the side seam. In autumn when the lawn is a bit longer and spongier moisture creeps in and I end up with cold feet! Spring and summer sees me pottering with flower pots, putting out the washing and tidying borders.
I decided these jobs call for good footwear! I can fully recommend these cosy, water-proof, fully lined slip-ons. They are available from garden centres in all sizes and more colours. Do shop around though as I found the price varied from £9.99 – £15.99 in different locations. Thankfully I got hubby a pair for Christmas at £9.99 and went back for a pair for myself from the same place after seeing them at the higher price in another shop.
Town and Country Cloggies are a great hit with me for any outdoor purpose – here’s the link: townandco.com and they have other gardening aids too.
Essentials and Gifts
More and more we are using the internet for our needs rather than trying to find goods in shops. Etsy store is used by many and time can be spent scrolling through this and other sites for that something a little different.
On Julie Marsh’s site (link below) you will find a variety of homemade items, personalised to your requirements – whether it is an essential or gift. Materials can be chosen from a wide range, personalisations can be added included in the cost and that extra special occasion can be framed to your specification. All items posted with love and care without delay.
Here are just a few of the items that can be found on https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CustomOstomyCovers?ref=seller-pltform-mcnav
Essentials for those who have had a colostomy, ileostomoy or urostomy operation and have an ostomy pouching system. These covers add confidence to the wearer. Sunbathing, swimming and all activities can be undertaken without embarrasment.
A fun approach, Christmas theme, Disney characters and so much more for adults and children alike. There are lots more designs to choose from.
Essentials for the times – Masks. Again lots of material designs for both adult and children. Coronavirus is with us even though progress is being made with vaccines and boosters. Flu, coughs and colds also spread germs. Air pollution is another reason to protect yourself when out in busy towns and streets, motor fumes can cause respiratory problems. Whilst the wearing of a mask is not mandatory (at the time of this blog) and it is personal choice as to whether a material mask is best for you, here are a few samples – there are more on the website (link above).
Gifts – for all occasions.
Personalised baubles, box pictures, t-shirts, cushion covers – use the above link to see more.
You will also find Julie has 5 star reviews for you to read. Don’t delay, have a look today.
Wipe your feet…
Winter is nearly with us again. Rainy days, leaves sticking to the soles of shoes, boots awaiting the snow, wellingtons for school…. all reasons to have a good mat by the entrance of your home to wipe away debris, dry off footwear before your carpet gets spoilt and good for unexpected visitors.
This mat is a delight. It cleans shoes with a few rubs on the black rough part, dries them on the stripey section and prepares them for carpeted areas at the end. Perfect.
What’s more it is made in the UK; machine washable, has a non-slip underneath surface and is eco friendly made.
I’m sure you have a Dunelm store near you but if not here’s the online store link – https://www.dunelm.co.uk
Karcher Window Vac
Having recently moved into a bungalow a visiting friend handed me a present – A Karcher Window Vac. What a wonderful gift and very useful to clean the windows of both the bungalow and conservatory.
It took me a while to take it out of the box, read the instructions and try it out. Oh boy, did I love it. Squirting a washing solution of water and a little dash of washing up liquid in leiu of the recommended cleaning fluid, I tentatively set to on the conservatory windows I could reach without the telescopic extension pole. The electrically charged vac was next and I ran the rubber part of this lightweight gadget down the window panes. It collected the water from the window, stored it in a unit by the handle and left my windows sparklingly clean and dry. Seeing how dirty the collected waste was made me realise that the windows were in much need of a clean!
I was hooked. I did all the 14 windows of the lower conservatory and then moved to the front of the bungalow to do 5 more windows, not forgetting the bathroom window at the side of the property. I love this new toy. The duster/buffer I used to dry off any residule moisture and was well pleased with my work.
Maybe I’ll try out the conversatory roof cleaning soon with the extension pole, but for now the rain is doing the job for me!
I recommend this item giving it 5*. It is available from Currys, B&Q, Screwfix, Argos, Amazon and no doubt other DIY shops.
Need your block paving cleaned?
http://www.firstclassblockpavingcleaners.co.uk/
If you live in Tamworth, Staffordshire or nearby I can highly recommend this company to you for block paving maintenance.
First visit was a weed killing spray; second visit cleaning wash; third visit replacing sand and another weed killer spray. Driveway transformed! It looks like new! Very impressed.
Professional service, reasonable cost, easy to arrange after an estimated cost by phone and measuring up visit. No hassle, pleasant and friendly workman.
Notebooks/Journals
This year of 2020 will go down in history. I have used journals to record my thoughts, feelings, news, fears, frustrations etc. I find its a way to keep my mental health in ship-shape – if its written on paper its out of my head, freeing me up to enjoy each day.
These soft to touch covered notebooks with a ribbon book marker attached and elasticated keep closed band are just the job to keep by my bedside for my morning scribbles.
Available from Amazon for just £3.50 they are bargains and beautiful. Recommended delight.
Notebook
Visiting Waterstone’s Bookshop between Lockdown 1 and 2 this year I came across this beauty. Its shimmering foil cover made me pick it up and love it instantly. It is full of empty lined pages to be filled with notes and has a magnetic clip closing flap to keep the edges clean.
I am using it for book reviews – notes about books I read and perhaps blog about on https://sueflintsfs.blogspot.co.uk. If you are a reader of women’s contemporary fiction, romance, autobiographies, mystery murders etc. you may be interested to read my recommendations there.
I recommend this notebook as a gift for book lovers, writers, scribblers and doodlers. Check it out on https://waterstones.com. Search via the heading ‘Stationery & Gifts’ then ‘Notebooks & Journals’.
Wise Owl Writes... 