Back From My Breather

And – exhale.

I hope that you’ve all been well!

The time I’ve had off has been both busier and longer than expected, but I am so excited to be back.

Here’s a quick recap on what I’ve been up to:

Virtual book and movie club

I started a book and movie club with some friends and it’s been a lot of fun. Being able to reconnect has been great, especially with all of the lockdowns. Because we all have different tastes, I’ve read some books that are outside what I usually read, which is always a good thing.

I’m notoriously bad at watching movies, so this has also encouraged me to watch movies that I haven’t seen before. I enjoy movies, but I don’t really watch them. Because we watch a book and its corresponding movie, it’s been interesting to compare them and to look at what what each does and how they work – or don’t work.

Walked for Mind

I didn’t manage to walk the full 100 miles, but I did walk a lot more than I would have otherwise and it was fun. I was also able to raise some money for the mental health charity, Mind.

I am going to try to walk more now that it is over because I really enjoyed it. I’m overdue for new orthotics, which hindered me in my goal a bit. I’ve got an appointment for those though, so I’m excited to get up and walking more with them.

Picked up my mouth guard for TMJ

There was some confusion with the first mouth guard that I picked up, so I went back to my dentist shortly after I received it.

The conversation basically went:

Dentist: “uhhh you don’t have wisdom teeth😦”

Me: “Correct; I’ve had them removed.”

Dentist: 😳

They gave me the wrong mouth guard! Luckily, it was a brand new one so it wasn’t a used one. They took new impressions and I was able to pick up my correct mouth guard a week or so after that.

It has been helping, but my TMJ is still being a nuisance. I’ve still got time before I go visit my dentist for a follow-up appointment, so I’m hoping that it resolves itself fully by then.

Visa application

As a Canadian living in the UK, I do not have settled status, so I have to apply for new visas every once in a while. I recently applied for the next one and I’ve been approved for it.

I had to get my biometrics taken in Birmingham at 7am, but the person who took my biometrics was incredibly kind.

I find the applications pricey and stressful. I’ve never had any issues, but I’ll be grateful to be finished the whole process and have settled status.

It’s worth it to be able to stay in the UK with John, but not having to think about visa applications and only focus on normal things instead will be a relief.

Voted in my first ever UK election

Even though I am not a UK citizen I can vote in UK elections. This is because I’ve been in the UK for a while and because I am from a commonwealth country.

I love being able to participate in democracy. It was weird voting during COVID, but the process was quick and straightforward. All of the people at my polling station were friendly. It also helped me to feel more involved in the community.

Got vaccinated

Going in to 2020, I had decided that I was going to get out more and be more involved in the community. I had events that I was going to go to (mostly author events).

I had plans.

I wanted to visit more National Trusts.

And then COVID. I don’t think I really need to expand on that statement.

I’ve had both of my coronavirus vaccine injections now, so I’m going to be working on those plans to get out and do more, even if they’ve been a bit delayed.

I have to admit, I am still a bit anxious about crowds and inside spaces with people who I don’t know. It will definitely be something I have to work on. I’ve got lots of cute masks now, though, and I don’t plan on getting rid of those anytime soon.

There have been a lot of online events. I have watched some of them, but I am going to look out for more of them and then talk about them in future posts.

Posting

With my visa now sorted and fewer headaches because my mouth guard (and new glasses), I’m going to be jumping back into posting and I want to publish reviews more regularly – especially book reviews. I have been drafting posts while I’ve been “away” and I’m excited to get back into everything.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me for this long – especially after my longer-than-expected break. I am so grateful to all of you for reading, liking, and engaging with my posts. It means so much!