Well, THAT wasn't a very Good Day

This is the lovely Hybrid Foxglove Digiplexis that I bought last week.  I might have bought a friend for it today.  Both planted up and part of the movable feast.

Well, yesterday was NOT the best day either for my health OR my wealth!  Where I have had to be on a higher (and more prolonged) dose of steroids for a further week (then slowly decreasing for a further week), sleep has been at a premium.  Some nights I was getting just 3 or so hours, then 2 or so, then I went an entire 24 hours without a blardy WINK.  The steroids give you the energy to get through it, but my eyes have been turning into the proverbial you-know-what holes in the snow!  Plus the steroids have my face getting fatter - NOT a good look.  Thursday into Friday was where I didn't sleep at all - slept 10 - midnight on the Thursday and was then awake until midnight on the Friday into Saturday.  I watched a lot of middle of the night tv (some good programmes) and read my book, and then laid in bed, looking at the wall . . .  However, by Saturday, my asthma was showing signs of coming under control again.  Good News.

Another treat.  I have decided when I have worked hard and not slept well, I deserve something special.  This lovely Rosa mundi (R.versicolour) came home with me from the Garden Centre on Friday.  We had done the little Wee Flea at Hay and I made a Wee Profit, and this rose was one I used to have, but it was when we first moved here and I didn't know how poor the soil was and it sort of starved to death.  This one won't.

I bought several of these documents from another trader at the Carmarthen Fleamarket yesterday.  I found a couple of other nice things which are destined for the 2 day Antiques Fair at the Botanic Gardens next month. They were a small positive in what was an absolutely dire day, both for selling, and for my asthma.  Our stall is inside the big agricultural building on the showground.  There are outside stalls too, but it rained and so lots of folk left early.

By lunchtime, my asthma was getting worse and worse and it felt like a hand was throttling my lungs.  I think the building was full of trapped pollen, plus there had been a YFC show there the previous day and so there would have been dust from hay and straw (which I am also allergic to) in the air.  

No-one was buying much at all inside (yet again - this has been getting worse and worse over the past two years) and we barely took enough money to cover what it cost us to stand.  By 2 p.m. I decided that enough was enough, and I was going to end up in A&E if we stayed any longer, so we packed up and left (with help from our dear friend Pam, who helped pack and carry.  (I was beyond carrying and had to just sit in the car).  K worked so hard too, as he carried all the heavy things.  I felt guilty just sitting.

When we got home, the car stayed packed until this morning.  I was glad I had half a risotto in the fridge which I could just put in the "popty ping" (microwave) as otherwise it would have been beans on toast!  

I took a further 3 steroids (having been dropping down and got to 5), my Vitamin D, my STRONG old fashioned anti-histamine (Actifed) which is the ONLY thing which helps at such times, Magnesium, Diet Coke (for Caffeine which also seems to open my airways), washed my hair, changed all my clothes (pollen ones into wash), and took off my makeup and washed my face to get rid of any pollen on my skin.  I sat down quietly - I could do no more.  I did manage to make it to 11 1/2 hours before taking my inhaler (should be 12 hours but if I'm good I can go longer).  I managed to sleep about 7 hours and have been feeling better today. I am stepping down off the steroids again now.  I have to see if I can manage without and if not, then it's back to the Dr's.  

Another treat - it's a quarterly baking magazine I usually get and it cheered me up when I was feeling so miserable.

Back at home, the cats were just enjoying life and happy to have us around to feed them.  Alfie with his mum Miffy.

Pollen levels are back to very high again, which is a pain as I had hoped they had peaked.  Ah well, all I can do is keep inside as much as possible.  Thank you for listening to my moaning!