14 September 2007 September 14, 2007

Well, it’s been a long time.  I’ve been busy with work (it feels nice to be able to write that).  I’ve been working 34 hours a week, but commuting time to and from work makes it much longer, and makes me feel much more tired.

I’ve been eating well.  The breadmaker is wonderful, and apart from homemade bread my diet is very close to being entirely organic.  I’ve also lost a wee bit of weight.

The rather generous wage I get from the council has meant that I’ve felt more able to spend money on quality toiletries and make up.   Of note have been Dr Hauschka’s Moisturising Day Cream (lovely and light) and Living Nature’s Dawn Light (a good match for my pale skin).

I was prompted to post today after receiving a comment from  Lloyd from Nappies Direct about their Naty products.  He has kindly pointed out that they have a new website dedicated to Naty products:  Naturalised.  I’ve bought, but yet to try some Naty sanpro.  They look and feel a bit more substantial (in a reassuring way, rather than a bulky way), than the Natracare sanpro, so hopefully they’ll do a better job (couldn’t really be worse!).

Yesterday,  for the first time I missed a dose of my Cellcept.  I’m not sure how serious a problem missing a dose is.  I felt a bit faint today, but that could have happened anyway.

21 July 2007 July 21, 2007

The job is going well. I’m not making too many mistakes, and I’m gradually learning and remembering things. Every day something new crops up that I don’t know how to handle, but everyone is nice and patient with me. I have officially finished my two weeks of training now, and next week I am opening up one of the branches.  I think the situation is that I’m based at one branch, but will be sent to others as I am needed.

I got to choose the new dvds for the branch I’m based at.  It was good fun spending the Council’s money on films.  I think it must have been the selection for the month, but I’m not certain.

I’m exhausted all of the time, and my feet hurt a lot. Of course with the new job came new germs and my immune system is so compromised that I now have a cold which is making everything that little bit harder.

I’m eating quite well: lots of organic stuff, homemade bread (the breadmaker from Amazon still hasn’t arrived though), fruit and so on. I must be getting a fair amount of exercise. I’m on my feet all day from when I arrive at about 8.30am until I leave at 5pm (on an early shift), with just an hour at lunch to take the weight off. I’ve been lucky that so far I’ve had lifts in and out most days, but I’ve had to take the bus a few times which means a 20 minute walk each way.

There are perks to working in a library. I’m not entirely sure I’m supposed to, but I waived the fees on some dvds I rented for this weekend, thus saving myself a few quid. I’ve got Babel, Good Night and Good Luck a CSI: NY boxset - should keep me entertained for a wee while. The other perk of the job is free books. I get my pick of the withdrawn stock. Most of the books don’t appeal, but I did pick up Raw Spirit by Iain Banks. It’s his non-fiction, whisky trail book, and I’ve heard it’s good.

I’m learning what I like about library work, and it’s giving me a good insight into the sorts of things I want out of a library job.  I’ve learned that I quite like customer service, this surprises me as I’ve never been a very social person, and I’m quite shy.  On the other hand, I’ve learned that I really don’t know how to talk to children and that I know nothing about children’s books.  I don’t think I could be a school librarian for example.  I know now that I love information enquiries.  Things where I have to actually use my searching skills.  I don’t get to do much of this at the moment though.  The work is mostly issuing and discharging books/CDs/dvds, signing up new members, renewing leisure cards and straightening stock.

—

I watched Capote during the week.  I have very little to say about it.  It was good, but didn’t do much for me - maybe I was just too tired to appreciate it.  I think Philip Seymour Hoffman is a great actor, and he’s clearly a pretty good impersonator of Truman Capote - yes, he really did speak like that - just take a look at (or a ‘listen to’) him in Murder by Death!

—

New companion set arrived and is very comfy, but I’ve not had much chance to use it because of the dreadful weather. We also got our new suite. It looks odd in the living room, but I suppose that’s just because I’m not accustomed to it yet. I’m not convinced that it’s as comfortable as our old suite, but that’s probably just because it hasn’t been broken in yet.

—

Dolly is being allowed out now she is all vaccinated. She has gone from being a sweet little thing to a torturer of voles. Every morning she brings one in and plays with it until it dies or I take it away from her. It’s not an attractive trait.

—

Last week on my day off, Mum and I went to the Finzean Farm Shop. It is a great little place. We had a lovely lunch made from local produce and the tastiest organic bread, then filled a basket with even more food, including some Craigmyle cheese. They had all the different varieties, but I opted for the Morven. It was pretty expensive for a bit of cheese, but it’s tasty. We also drove past the Craigmyle Creamery, and it turns out Mum and Dad almost bought the house opposite and (we think) the land it is on.

6 July 2007 July 6, 2007

The day before yesterday was Mum and Dad’s wedding anniversary. Dad buggered off to Paris leaving Mum to be maudlin. Mum seemed to like the nest I gave her and Dad and welled up at the alternative gift. I didn’t see Dad before he left, but I spoke to him on the phone. Mum also had her retirement ‘do’ last night. She was dreading it, but I think she enjoyed it once she was their. She had been thinking that she wouldn’t get much despite having worked at the school for over 13 years. She was wrong. They gave her lots of little goodies and a cheque for a substantial amount for her to pass on to the DEC for the Darfur and Chad Crisis appeal (she’d told them that she didn’t want ’stuff’ but would rather donate to charity).

—

Because of the coincidence of retirement and anniversary the house is full to the rafters with cut flowers. I do love having flowers in the house, but I know that environmentally they’re generally a big no-no, mainly because of the CO2 emissions involved in getting the flowers from the producer to consumer fast. Ethically they’re generally not so good either unless you buy Fair Trade. The best advice seems to be either opt for a pot plant or buy local, seasonal flowers (easier said than done). There’s an initiative called Fair Flowers Fair Plants that is working to encourage the growth and sales of flowers and plants that are produced in an environmentally sensitive manner. Their website has a search facility so you can look for participating retailers in your area, but really there aren’t that many which is a real shame. No retailers north of Edinburgh that I could see.

—

More pemphie blisters. This time on my right shin and right wrist (I wonder what it is about the right side of my body?) They are tiny, but demoralising … and sore. Consequently, I am still stuck at 15mg of pred.  I feel really horrible right now.  The tiredness has now been (re-)joined by nausea and my world ’shimmy-ing’ (it’s a balance problem).  I spent last night holding on to my bed as I fell asleep because it felt like it was tipping and twisting underneath me.

—

I got my university results through for this year, not that I’ve actually done anything in the past year. I have officially failed my first attempt at the masters stage of my course because I didn’t submit (and pass obviously) my dissertation for May. My second (and final) attempt is due in October. I knew it was coming, but it’s not nice to get something saying you’ve failed.

—

I read Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin a couple of days ago. I am such a huge fan of the Tales of the City series of books. I fell in love with all the characters as soon as I started reading the first book many, many years ago. It has been such a long wait for this latest (and last?) book, but it was worth the wait. I meant to re-read the previous books in anticipation of reading this last one, but didn’t get round to it, so I was a little hazy about where I had left the characters. The title probably gives away the fact that Mouse is still alive. The story is told from his point of view, so it’s mostly about him, but Maupin gives the reader updates on what has happened to all the Barbary Lane favourites - Mrs Madrigal, Brian, Mona and, of course, Mary Ann. Even more minor characters from previous books are referred to. I don’t think I’m giving too much away by saying that some of it is heartbreaking stuff and I spent most of the last few chapters in floods of tears.

—

Today, I took Mum out for a retirement lunch on her first day of freedom.  We went to Inverurie and while there we went and searched for (and found) The ‘Green’ Grocer.  I’d heard some good reports about the shop from fellow NEEPs.  It’s just a wee shop (opposite Farm Foods), but it is packed with local, organic, environmentally friendly foods, household goods and toiletries.  A little treasure trove.  We bought Crannach bread, local honey and some other stuff.

—

I’ve had a little button thing on my blog for a wee while now showing my support for Alan Johnston the BBC journalist who was kidnapped in Gaza. As most people will now know, there is finally some excellent news: he has been freed.

2 July 2007 July 2, 2007

Over the past few days, everywhere I turn I am faced with examples of really dreadful customer service. From rude shop staff, to customer service staff who refuse to pick up the phone or answer an email. It’s so tiring.

On Friday, I chased up Dobbies and the missing bench. I ordered a companion set for the garden a month ago, with an estimated delivery time of 48 hours … then heard nothing. The website changed to show that the set had an estimated delivery time of 7 days, but still nothing. After a week, Dad sent an email to them asking where the bench was, but had no reply. So, after a month of no contact from Dobbies I used their live online chat facility to find out where the heck the bench was. One chat and one phone call later: it should be with us a week on Wednesday. I have to say, I would be even more annoyed had the weather been nice and had I consequently been missing out on sitting in the sun on my new companion set. So, the heavy rainfall that we’ve had has at least saved me from that.

All of which reminds me, torrential rain and tubs of plants do not mix well. Practically every day I have had to look at our poor pots and see the plants swimming in water. I’ve been pouring the water out of some of the smaller ones, but really the weather is ruining them.

—

Ugh, I ordered The Poems of Thomas Hardy (the Claire Tomalin book) for Mum’s birthday because she’d read - and I think enjoyed - Tomalin’s biography of Hardy. Then at the weekend I discovered a copy of The Collected Poems of Thomas Hardy by her bed. I can’t cancel my order because it’s already been posted. Is it superfluous to have two collections of Hardy poems?

—

I have signed and posted the contract for my new job.

I’m slightly worried about my (physical) ability to do the job. I spent part of Saturday cleaning my bedroom and moving a few pieces of furniture around. Then on yesterday I slept until 3pm and was still tired for the rest of the day. This does not bode well for 12 weeks of 9 to 5 days spent on my feet.

—

I have pemphie blisters. I am not happy about this. I got some in the usual places on my right forearm and knee. I also have a few ‘erosions’ on my back, neck, torso and left shin (this too seems to be a favourite place for the pemphie to manifest). Needless to say I haven’t reduced my prednisolone (yet).

—

I feel like I’ve had a productive day today. I have actually done stuff. A lot of it is small stuff, that most people would just do automatically and not think of as a big deal, but for me it’s a bigger deal, just because of the energy and … drive, I guess, that I have to have to do anything these days. It’s a horrible thing to admit, but the combination of prednisolone, Cellcept and pemphigus has left me pretty low and with no energy, so even getting out of bed each day is something of an achievement!

Anyway, today I have attempted to vacuum the upstairs landing and my bedroom - I say ‘attempted’ because despite my best efforts the dog hair on my floor is just not shifting. Le Dog is moulting and there is black fluff everywhere. It is quite disgusting. Dolly isn’t normally bothered by the hoovering, but she got quite distressed today and started panting. I hate when cats pant purely because it suggests there’s something wrong with them.

Ooh, I have also made bread! It looks and smells lovely.

Last week I persuaded Mum that she wanted a breadmaker (yes, I know it’s another kitchen gadget, and I know that breadmaking can be done by hand), so we ordered a cheap Morphy Richards breakmaker. It hasn’t arrived yet, but to get me in the mood for fresh baked bread on demand I made a crusty wholemeal loaf. Ach, I won’t pretend I made it from scratch, I used a packet, but it still counts as making bread doesn’t it?

—

Over the weekend I watched two films: Hot Fuzz and The Illusionist. I’m sorry to say I wasn’t terribly impressed with either. Both were okay, perfectly alright, watchable films, but both were a let down. I’d been led to believe that Hot Fuzz was even better than Shaun of the Dead and that The Illusionist was almost as good as The Prestige. Wrong!

Hot Fuzz was nothing like as good as Shaun of the Dead. There just weren’t as many laughs and the story wasn’t as tight and, quite frankly, there were some boring bits. At least with Shaun of the Dead the genre (zombie horror) is well defined in people’s minds, and so it was easy to play off that, but with Hot Fuzz I’m not entirely sure what the genre was. It was more like a couple of specific films were being referenced - I’m thinking Straw Dogs (which even referred to in the film) and maybe The Wicker Man. It’s not really enough of a genre though. I think maybe it came closer to a (slightly) comedic version of an episode of Midsomer Murders. It just fell a bit flat for me. Especially after the joy of Shaun of the Dead - I almost wet myself laughing every time I see them beat the old man zombie up while Don’t Stop Me Now is playing.

The Illusionist too had something to live up to, namely obvious comparison to The Prestige. A story of star-crossed lovers and magic, it should have been right up my street, but practically from the moment it started I was disappointed. Where magic of The Prestige was (mostly) real, believable magic, The Illusionist relied on CGI, which just reminded me that I was watching a film and that nothing was real. I love Edward Norton, I think he is a fantastic actor, but I really couldn’t see the appeal of him in this film. His character really didn’t have much charisma. The film lacked substance, there wasn’t a huge amount going on, and there wasn’t much energy and excitement. The ending was okay, and I do like a twist, but enough wasn’t made of it. I really was disappointed, but like I say it was perfectly watchable. I think it would be a wise idea to watch The Illusionist before seeing The Prestige though.

24 June 2007 June 24, 2007

 Another photie of Dolly.  She so cute.

 Pemphie

I have my appointment at the hospital tomorrow.  I hate going there, but I know it’s necessary.  I haven’t had too much pemphie-related ‘activity’ in the past few weeks, so I’m going to play down what I have had in the hope that my consultant will reduce my meds.  I’m also going to mention the tremor I seem to be developing.  It’s not constant, but it seems to be happening more and more.  It started with my hands, but now I can feel it right through my body - it’s a very strange sensation.

 

Food 

Loving Doves Farm Crispy Rice Bars.

 

Shopping

I got my stuff from the Ethical Superstore.  The nest thingy was better than I expected.  It looks really good.  And I got free date and walnut bars.  I do love a freebie!

 

Film 

Watched The Prestige last night.  Bloody brilliant.  I loved all the twists and turns in the plot (although I saw some of them coming).  The acting was spot on - I don’t even have anything bad to say about Scarlett Johansson (and I’m really not a fan of hers).  I’m looking forward to seeing The Illusionist now - I want to do a compare and contrast thing!

22 June 2007 June 22, 2007

Environment: 

I finally caught the Government CO2 calculator in a good mood. My (individual) result: 1.75 tonnes. It’s so low because I don’t own a car, I don’t fly - I rely almost entirely on public transport and my own two feet.  The main suggestion for me seemed to be to switch to green electricity. Our electricity supplier isn’t down to me, but I’ve had a look at Scottish Hydro Electric’s green option - power2 and it seems like an easy sell. It apparently shouldn’t cost more than their regular tariff. Mum is all for being greener, but ultimately it would be Dad who would have to make the phone call. I’ve emailed him a not-so-gentle hint.

—

(Sacred) Art: 

I’m not a Buddhist.  I tend to tell people I am an atheist, but really I am more accurately an agnostic.  Anyway, that is all beside the point: I am not a Buddhist, but I have been looking at mandalas.  I have started to meditate to relax and one thing led to another and I found myself looking at websites about mandalas.  From what I can tell they are made and used to aid meditation by focussing the mind.  I like the artistic aspect to them.  I don’t think I’ll try meditating with one, but I think I might take inspiration from them - and the principles which guide their creation - for a little art project.  As a child I had one of those Spirograph toys, and I was curious to see if they were still being made.  Well, they are, but they’re not the same.  I see that there is also a Mandala Designer toy available (for all budding Buddhist children?).  There is even a computer programme called Mandala Painter.  I had a go with the programme trial and it’s quite fun (see piccie for my first, rather feeble attempt!).  I’d bet that with some practice it would be possible to produce some beautiful and interesting images.  I think that I’m going to focus my efforts on producing something with pens/pencils/paints and paper though.

 —

 Shopping:

I got my Natural Grocery order today.  I love getting parcels and this was one BIG parcel!  I’d ordered organic cordial, tea, noodles and liquorice, and they all arrived in perfect condition.  Ooh, all so yummy!  The slight delay in the delivery was more than made up for by the products and the free postage.  I’ll definitely be shopping there again.

I got more of the Cinnamon Yogi Tea, but I also got some Choco Yogi Tea which is even more scrummy, especially when you stick a bit of milk in it.  I really like the packaging too.   Each box has a yoga position on it with instructions and each tea bag has a wise little saying on it.

I opted for a garden-themed alternative pressie for Mum and Dad’s anniversary, and I also ordered at bird nest via the Ethical Superstore (I even got to ‘offset my carbon’ on the delivery).  Yes, it was a bit random, but it looked sweet and was very, very cheap!

—

Kitten cat update:

We’ve been keeping Dolly in since we got her.  The cat flap is on ‘in only’, so that Boo can get in (but she has to wail to be let out).  Anyway, I took Dolly outside today.  I just held her while we sat on the bench by the back door.  She was hyper-alert and the slightest noise or movement made her puff up her tail.  I brought her back into the house after a few minutes, but later on there was a strange noise coming from the utility room (where the cat flap is located).  Curiosity got the better of me and I had to have a look.  Dolly was whacking the cat flap with her paws, seemingly desperate to get out.  Part of me thinks that she should be let out to explore (or even find her way back to her original owners?!?), but the other part of me thinks that really she hasn’t been here long enough and doesn’t know her (new) name.  Also, I’m still not convinced that she’s not a kitten, so maybe she should be kept in until she’s older.  It’s hard to know what to do.  The vet seemed to think that after this amount of time it was unlikely that her original owners wanted her back, after all they have (apparently) done nothing to find her.  I think the cautious part of me will probably win this one at least for a couple more weeks.

21 June 2007 June 21, 2007

Oh, dear.  A return visit the Government’s CO2 calculator and it’s down:

Thank you for coming to see the Act on CO2 calculator. The calculator is proving extremely popular at the moment, so please come back shortly to calculate your carbon footprint and find out how to help tackle climate change.

 —

When I was at the GP’s surgery on Monday I spotted an notice up about a (relatively) local yoga group. The woman who runs it has a website - Inner Melodies - and blog. Some of the other (non-yoga) classes she runs look interesting, but maybe a bit ‘out there’ for me. I’m not sure I’d be comfortable getting in touch with my spiritual and/or feminine sides in front of strangers. I wish I could be the sort of person who went to tribal drumming workshops and yoga classes, but I think I’m destined to always be a closet-case when it comes to these sorts of things.

—

My NaturalGrocery order still hasn’t arrived. It was supposed to be delivered by courier yesterday but didn’t arrive. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise - couriers aren’t reliable when it comes to delivering out here.  Delivery today would have been okay, but it hasn’t happened and I’m a bit disappointed.  We’re already seeing the effects of cinnamon-tea-withdrawal!  There’s no way I’m staying in all day tomorrow, so it’ll be a pain if they try to deliver while I’m out.

—

Long story cut short(-ish): When I moved out of my old flat back in February, I didn’t get my security deposit back automatically and the management agency are being a bit petty about things. Despite the fact that nothing gas-powered worked in the flat and I was never connected to the gas they are demanding I produce a receipt for the final bill … hmm, there was no bill! This has been dragging on for months. They were just dreadful and sorted nothing that was broken or went wrong in the six months I was there. My big problem was that the flat wasn’t water-proof and they refused to do anything about it. It really wasn’t a fit place for someone with my compromised immune-system to be living. I’m sorely tempted to name and shame them, but will resist … for the moment at least. (Although if anyone is renting in Edinburgh from a small, independent agency, based in the New Town then feel free to ask which company I’m talking about!)

—

Checking out upcoming local events provided a modicum of amusement:  An exciting evening out can be had in Aboyne on July 25th when there is a lecture on midges!

—

A story from the BBC News website about a disappearing lake in Chile worries the hell out of me, especially while An Inconvenient Truth is so fresh in my mind!

 

20 June 2007 June 20, 2007

David Miliband (would his socialist father be proud of him?) launched the Government’s CO2 calculator today. I tried it out, but got part way through then it froze - not a good start! I then tried the HTML version, it was painfully slow … and then it crashed and I gave up. Maybe it’s just launch day teething problems and heavy use.

—

I’ve been trying out some samples of Supersalve Skincare Balm. Ingredients, as listed on the website:

 

‘Calendula (Calendula Officinalis), St John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum), Lavender (Lavandula Officinalis), Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia), Clove (Eugenia Caryophyllata), Camphor (Cinnamomum Camphora), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Smithii), Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Shea Butter (Butryospermum Parkii), Evening Primrose Oil (Oenothera Biennis), Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum Vulgare), Olive Fruit Extract (Olea Europaea), Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus Armeniaca), Grapeseed Oil (Vitis Vinifera), Honey (Mel).’

The website is simple, but quite good, it has a fair bit of information on the ingredients and the debate around ‘natural’ products, although some of the most interesting stuff is hidden away.

Before I looked at the ingredients I would have said that it smelled of honey, but with honey so far down the list I think it must be the power of suggestion making me thing that.

I’ve tried it on my elbows (dry!) and my face. It’s a light cream; I thought it would be too light for my elbows, but it seems to be softening them up, pretty quickly too. It felt lovely going on my face and was absorbed well - no greasy feeling at all.

It’s not particularly cheap, but it’s not horrendously expensive either at £14.95 for 175ml tube.

—

This week, in a change from the norm, I did the (online) grocery shopping at Asda. They seem to have quite a good, big range of organic food, but not in all sections. There’s a fair amount of organic fruit and veg, but I was hard-pushed to find a packet of organic biscuits.

—

Came across the Recycled Products Guide on my travels through t’Internet today. It’s a search engine /directory for finding recycled products. Looks like it might be quite handy.

—

I got my official letter from the library with my start date etc. I’m still scared.

—

The hospital came through for me and I have an appointment for Monday afternoon with a consultant, although it’s not clear whether I’ll be seeing my consultant or not.

16 June 2007 June 16, 2007

 

I’m quite excited to have ‘discovered’ NaturalGrocery, an online, organic food store which offers free delivery on orders over 30 pounds.  I’m a bit addicted to Rocks Organic cordial, but it seems so difficult to get hold of the flavours I like - namely, lime and ginger - so it’s good to find somewhere that will deliver it without charging a fortune for delivery.  I placed my first order tonight, so I’ll see how things go with them.  I’ve also stocked up on Yogi tea and liquorice treats.

Tonight’s is a very brief entry because I have to go find where I’ve hidden Dad’s pressies for tomorrow (I got him The Spongebob SquarePants Movie and QI: The book of general ignorance) and then wrap them.

6 June 2007 June 6, 2007

 

Excuse for having a random picture of cherries: I have been gorging myself on cherries. I think I might be going overboard on the cherries and pineapple at the moment, but I am making the most of summer.  I have such a sweet tooth.

I’m a member of a support group for people with pemphigus and someone on the group was asking about just how rare a disease it is. It’s something I’ve wondered too, with regard to pemphigus foliaceus. I know that PF is rarer than pemphigus vulgaris, and there is consequently far more information out there about PV than PF. Anyway, I got down to a little bit of research and found that there are approximately 0.5 - 1 new cases of PF per million people each year in Western Europe. Now Scotland has a population of 5,116,900 (GRO Scotland 2006 estimate), so there should be 2.5 - 5 new cases of PF each year in Scotland. In 2006 I was one of those people, and the same month and in the same city there was another new case of PF (a man about the same age as me).

With regards to all the new toiletries I’ve been trying: I am an absolute convert to homemade skin toner. I’ve been using witch hazel and rose hydrolats and they’re marvellous. So much nicer and seemingly far gentler than toners I have previously used (Simple, Clinique, Avene …).

I’m going to be slightly less evangelical about Burt’s Bees products. I tried the Garden Tomato Toner, but it would take a lot to impress me now when it comes to toner. It was okay, but to be honest I wouldn’t bother - make your own instead! I love the smell of Burt’s Bees products, and I like that the company is so open and honest about its ingredients and it’s desire to use natural ones. Having said that a lot of the products seem fairly interchangeable … what is the different between the lip balms / glosses and the cuticle creme? They look and feel identical and smearing my lips with cuticle creme and my cuticles with lip gloss seems to work as well as doing it the ‘correct’ way round. Actually, the raspberry and cherry lip glosses smell okay in their pots, but they tasted of nothing when on - it was impossible for me to tell them apart. The Milk and Honey Body Lotion sounded nice, but it’s a pretty light weight lotion and doesn’t smell particularly ‘milk and honey’-ish, in fact it is the one item by Burt’s Bees that I’ve tried where the scent was a let down. The Citrus Spice Exfoliating Shower Soap smells very much of orange and cinnamon, but it’s quite a masculine smell. As an exfoliating soap it did its job and well - it was just scratchy enough. Overall, the range - or at least what I’ve tried of it - has left me distinctly underwhelmed.

I found my turquoise earrings.  Mum had them - I give her most of my earrings on ‘long-term loan’, so her jewellery box is the first place I tend to look for things.  I love the colour and they go well with my favourite pashmina, but my main reason for my sudden desire for turquoise jewellery is for its believed healing properties in crystal therapy (see The Skeptic’s Dictionary to see what a load of nonsense it probably is).

Last night, with my headache still lingering and while I was adding stuff to the online grocery shopping, I spotted 4head.  It’s a little stick thing a bit like a stubby chapstick that you rub on your temples to help get rid of headaches.  It’s something that has been around for decades in varying forms and under different names - Mum says she can remember it from when she was a child.  So, I added some to the trolley at about £6 … then I went and looked at its ingredients: 100% levomenthol.  As far as I can see, levomenthol is a form of menthol, which comes from … drum roll … peppermint oil!  I immediately took the 4head out of the virtual trolley and ordered some carrier oils via  eBay instead - much cheaper and I’ll have the satisfaction of having made my own headache relief.  I’m really beginning to believe that peppermint oil is a bit of a must-have essential oil.

I got my Disclosure Scotland enhanced disclosure certificate.  It’s official: I have no criminal record or cautions, nor does the government hold any ‘relevant information’ on me (in other less coy words: I’m not a sex-offender).  Of course, I knew all this already, but it’s good that it’s official and that I now know ‘They’ haven’t messed up and confused me with someone less well-behaved.  It also means that the city council have no reason not to officially offer me the library assistant job that I interviewed for back in April.  The council had written to me to tell me that I was their ‘preferred candidate’ (although I presume I wasn’t the only one to get that letter), but that I had to get clearance from Disclosure Scotland before any job offer could be made.  I just hope it’s not all too late and that someone else hasn’t beaten me to it.