So, It's Been A While...

Profuse apologies for the long absence. Owner and i are both good it is just much that was less than great has been going on which distracted my and Her attention and which left us both feeling out of sorts for a while. First off was the building work we were having done (new bathroom) which is always a disruption but this time seemed to be even more so. The works took over four times as long as we were told they would and led to quite a bit of stress. We are both really pleased with the end result (and it could be a good location for some photos :)) - but it was stressful.

Then my back went in the middle of all this and is still not much better three months on. Readers who have been following this blog from the start may recall that about 5 years ago my back went big time - discs L5&6 popped out of position and left me pretty much immobilised for two months unable to walk more than a few hundred yards. Thankfully, a regime of exercise and pilates got them back into position without the need for surgery. Since then my back has mostly been OK give or take the odd temporary relapse. But this never lasted more than a few days and I kept up the exercise regime to keep my core tight. Sadly, my back seems to be determined to stay a bit fucked up this time. Each morning when i get up my body is slightly slumped to one side and takes most of the day to straighten out and my hip can be very painful to when walking. Anyway, I remain hopeful that it will return to normal...eventually...meanwhile I have been having some tests done.

Oh, and then there was Brexit or rather the day that 52% of my fellow citizens decided to fuck over the other 48% and plunge the UK into economic and political chaos. Suddenly all of Owner and my dreams and hopes seemed extremely uncertain as She is a Spanish EU citizen and I am from that now joke of a country called the UK (though i suspect it will not remain united for long). Anyway, Brexit put me in a foul frame of mind, ruptured friendships and strained family relations. It did, however, lead to a first for us as a couple - it was the first time we have taken to the streets together in protest.

All, in i rather wish the last few months hadn't happened. But they did and now we're both good. We have also, however, still had some moments of fun and light relief. The picture below is of me at the Victoria & Albert doing my best impression of Botticelli's The Birth of Venus

And this is the outfit i wore as a 'dress down Friday' outfit when working from home yesterday - which meant this is the outfit the postal delivery person saw me in when i opened the door to receive a parcel and which our downstairs neighbour had a conversation with me wearing when she knocked on our door and asked if she could borrow an iron.

i have also started to try and make our flat prettier by adorning it with some flowers. We live on the first floor and so don't have a garden but now we have a pretty window box outside our bedroom window (replete with miniature gnomes as well! - see below)

Since then i have also negotiated with the downstairs neighbour to let me create a little container garden in the front of the house - which was just concreted over and pretty un-attractive. So now Owner also has a little flower garden tended by Her wife,

Talking of Owner, Her and i also enjoyed a trip to Helsinki in Finland after the building works as part of my belated birthday present to Her. We both love Finland and it was lovely to return, we happened to be their over the weekend of the Finns national day so everyone was out on the streets celebrating and it was lovely to share their special day with them. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Can't think why Owner wanted me to pose here!

My beautiful Owner

Then a couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a weekend trip to Belfast in Northern Ireland and had a quick explore along the coast of County Antrim, taking in the Giant's Causeway and some other sights - which was very enjoyable and pretty - as you can see from the pictures (and yes - despite my fear of heights we both crossed the rope bridge)

So apologies again for our recent absence from the blogsphere, i hope that normal service will re-commence from now on.