Midweek Catch-Up 12th November 2025
Hello again, how are you? I hope everyone reading this has had a good week. It has been another busy one here! My Christmas gift guides are all now live, so I will share those with you, as well as updates on books I have read and how Ben is doing now.
Health Catch-Up
I have less to update this week, but I still have quite a bit to share, so grab a cuppa!
Menopause
So now my hormone-blocking injections have had a few weeks to get into my system, I am finding that the menopause symptoms are starting to kick in a lot more. I have been so achy, and my body just feels different. I have also been experiencing issues I usually have when I am due for my period, such as strange dreams and nightmares. I always put this down to the changing hormones, so that would make perfect sense, wouldn’t it? So far, I haven’t experienced the lactose intolerance I did last time, but time will tell.
Bens health
Ben is still really struggling with his pain from the operation and off college. Unfortunately, last weekend I took him out for his lunch, but that seemed to set him back a little, as we had more issues afterwards with the wound. As such, he is now back to lying down mostly again, which he finds frustrating. It is his birthday on Sunday too, so it will definitely not be the birthday he hoped for.
Mental Health
My mental health is still struggling quite a lot, but with so much going on in life and with Ben, I am mostly keeping it bottled up, which is probably not good in the long run. I need to work out what to do in the longer term about it, I think, as my antidepressants are on the highest possible dose, so the next step may be to change medications, but I really don’t want to do that! I have had issues before with some antidepressants causing problems for me, and that worries me. Also, I am aware that the menopause I have been thrown headfirst into again has probably had an impact on my mental health, too.
Book Reviews
I have two books to share with you this week.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides was amazing and one of those books that you think you know what is happening until towards the end, when there is a massive plot twist. I would highly recommend it if you like Freida McFadden and other similar thrillers with twists!
I am currently listening to The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer. Have you read or listened to it? I am loving it so far and will definitely read his other books soon.
I haven’t read as much as normal this week. Partly because life has got in the way, and partly because I think I have just been physically and mentally shattered!
Family and Life
This weekend is Ben’s birthday; he is going to be 20, which seems all wrong because I am sure I am not old enough to have a 20-year-old! He sent me a wishlist a few weeks ago of what he would like, and the total of this wishlist was about £700, but it was to cover his birthday and Christmas! Well, there is no way he was going to have it all, and I have gone rogue and bought a few things not on the list that I thought he would like, so I will let you know what he thought next week!
As he isn’t able to go anywhere due to his ongoing medical issues, I am doing him a bottomless brunch at home with cocktails made for him on Saturday for a few hours. Obviously, I am not hiring anyone to do this, but I have a well-stocked home bar, so I will add a few items, such as orange juice, and I will make them myself. I just have to remember not to do too many for myself!
On The Blog
My latest posts on the blog that you might like and may have missed are:
My Christmas Gift Guides – Each has a different giveaway in it so why not have a read and pop to enter!
- Gifts for her
- Gifts for him
- Gifts for the family to share
- Children’s gifts
- Stocking fillers for kids and teens
- Secret Santa or stocking fillers for adults
- Gifts for the kitchen
A few other posts
