A New Year - here we go again!

Last year I was absolutely determined to get fit and lose the weight I had put on. My posts along with my enthusiasm disappeared in May and since then everything has just about gone to pot. Not only am I now creeping back to my heaviest recorded weight, but I have also lost any level of fitness that I may have had.  

Peri-menopause isn't helping the situation one little bit. Another recent blood test has shown that I am even more post menopausal than I was in May, which seems absurd because I have not yet been through the menopause. My doctor agreed this week to check out my estrogen levels, in conjunction with the normal hormone test they have done, so I'll see what comes up from the test some time next week. 

Some of my main current Peri-menopause/menopausal symptoms, in no particular order are: weight gain, depression, terrible anxiety, general aches and pains, fatigue, insomnia and night time hot flushes. Fortunately the migraines and headaches have calmed down and have got to the stage where they are more unusual than common place and I am very grateful for that.

I also have an autoimmune disease called Palmoplantar Pustulosis (PPP) and although I count myself lucky that its on the soles of my feet and not the palms of my hands (I can hide it), I find it really stressful  and at times extremely painful. Interestingly six years ago I followed the 8 week Blood sugar diet and whilst I did this to lose weight, my PPP cleared up for the first time in years. I am very confident that the change to my PPP was due to the lack of gluten and grains.

In contrast with the blood sugar diet (a low calorie, low carb, but high animal protein diet), for the last year I have been trying to follow the Starch Solution way of eating; a whole food plant based diet, that concentrates on consuming mainly starches. Although people get fantastic results, both reversing diseases and losing weight, it doesn't work for me. Not only I have put on a lot of weight, although I haven't stuck to anything 100% of the time, but my PPP is worse than ever, which is concerning.  

And so in conclusion - I know I want to be whole food and plant based, but the plan is to also go gluten and grain free, at least for a while to see what happens to my feet and if I can again put my PPP into remission. I have rejoined the gym and hope to get back to where I can enjoy going again and start to see some changes in my fitness levels and all round wellbeing. Fingers crossed that this year I will at least stick to something. 

A beautiful collagraph by Alfred - aged 7

My grandson came over just before Christmas and I asked him to do a drawing for me on a bit of tetra pack. He draw this beautiful Christmas tree, along with its lights and presents underneath. 

I went over it with a drypoint needle and printed it up on my Xcut Xpress and it printed up beautifully. 

My daughter was thrilled with her framed present from Alfred and I just now need to print some more copies for other members of the family who also fell in love with it.

A linocut Christmas present

My daughter asked me recently for a linocut print of flowers, specifically Chrysanthemums. I scoured the internet for inspiration and came across an amazing woodcut print by the artist Katsushika Hokusai . I loved the simplicity of the design and fiddled with it a bit to fit my 6x8" Japanese Lino block, changing it up just slightly.

Carving this block was a joy. The style of the original woodcarving and other work by this artist has really given me the motivation to look at my own flower photographs, of which there are many, to see if I can turn those into this style of print.

Woodcut by Katsushika Hokusai

Drawn on paper

Transferred to lino

Carving stage

Just the 3 copies printed

Printed it with Calico Safe Wash ink in Prussian blue and printed on the Xcut Xpress.

Finished Christmas cards

I finally got round to finishing this years Christmas cards and I'm really pleased with how they've turned out. 

I tried the Chine Colle but it didn't work on the card stock I was using, it buckled and warped but its another good learning curve. 

Stupidly I also didn't spend long enough working out which bit of the card to print on and ended up printing the first 10 cards on the back and not the front, but I've cut these up to use as gift tags.

Failed Chine Colle and printed on the reverse

Printed on the right side

I decided to hand paint the baubles in the end, as this particular print on the white card is a bit stark and boring without any additional colour.

Hand painted baubles

Printed on orange card and stuck onto 4" brown card stock

Finished cards

My favourite cards are the little orange 4" ones but I think just a plain print on the brown card would also look lovely. Next year maybe, I already have more than enough for my needs for this year.

 

A visit to Douai Abbey and a failed collagraph print

We were lucky enough to recently stay with a friend for the night in the cottages at Douai Abbey, near Reading Berkshire. A beautiful Abbey that was built in the 1930s and extended with incorporated modern stained glass windows in 1993.

I took inspiration from the windows to produce what I thought in my head would be a wonderful collagraph idea. For the plate I used was an Aldi oat milk carton and once I carved onto it I still had this vision in my head that would work.

I printed 3 copies on the Xcut Xpress and was happy with the results, until I tried to add colour.

This first attempt was watercolour, which really didn't work at all, just too bold and stark.

The next attempt was just pencil, which didn't work either, too wishy washy.

The last print I left uncoloured and have used it as reference in my sketch book that I have designated for collagraphs, so although the idea didn't work, I have still learned from it and actually I much prefer the simplicity of the untouched print.

Maybe I should have used different coloured inks at the printing stage but have yet to build up a collections of inks. I may well give I t another go another time though.

Christmas card test printing

I finished my carving and test printed the design onto newsprint and then card. I'm pretty happy but now need to decide what I want the final print to look like.

I don't know if I want to print onto white or coloured paper but think either way I'd like to have a go at Chine Colle over the bauble. 

Hopefully I'll decide before too long or they might just end end up being next years cards. 

The importance of blood pressure testing

My first result 

My husband took his blood pressure last week on one of those machines they have at sports clubs or gyms. To say the results were worrying is an understatement and it promoted a call to the doctors.

The first thing I did the next morning was buy a blood pressure home kit in order that we can keep an eye on his levels. He has been given a months worth of emergency tablets to bring the pressure down and will be followed up with a doctors call, along with having routine blood checks to give him a proper once over.

As women we get offered regular check ups, to include screenings for cervical and breast cancer, but men don't tend to get invited for regular check ups in the same way. This year alone I have had my cervical screening, got invited to do a home test for bowel cancer and have just received my mammogram results, thankfully all clear. Every few years at my surgery they also perform a general MOT, which includes checks for blood pressure, weight and diabetes etc. But my husband has not been to the doctors or had any contact with them in over 10 years.

High blood pressure is referred to as the 'silent killer' because so many people can have it with no symptoms, but it puts someone at a much greater risk of heart disease, a heart attack or stroke, amongst other things. My husband appears to be fit and healthy from the outside and is a prime example of what can happen with no regular testing or check ups.

Blood pressure guidelines vary, but the new general guidelines are as follows:

• Normal: Less than 120/80
• Elevated: Systolic between 120-129 and diastolic less than 80
• Stage 1: Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89
• Stage 2: Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90
• Hypertensive crisis: Systolic over 180 and/or diastolic over 120. A hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency.

My husband under all guidelines was well into a the hypertensive crisis stage, which meant that had he suffered from a headache or blurred vision it would have been an emergency, although we would not have been aware of this. My blood pressure at 130/69 is classed as high normal, although the diastolic at 69 is ideal.

The good thing to come out of this is that we now know where we stand and plan to not only to get it under control but to reverse it through diet and exercise, with the hope that he will be able to reduce and eventually come off any medication he now needs to take. 

It's been a wake up call that if we don't get fit and healthy we may not get to enjoy the retirement we have been planning for or be there to see our grandchildren grow up.

The immediate plan for both of us is to limit salt, drink more water, exercise and lose weight. Additionally  he will need to commit to eating a plant based diet at least 95% of the time and to give up the daily crisps and biscuits, which I also have been eating again since being in the house all day.