Life, Love and Menopause

Thursday, 15 May 2025

Dance: A Dream Came True

 



When I was 9/10, I found New Kids On The Block and absolutely loved their music. I would play the VHS (yes I am that old haha) of their concert over and over.  It was during one of these many viewing moments that I decided to try and learn some of the choreography.  I would perform it for family any time they came to visit.  That was the day my love of dance was born.


My parents enrolled me in dance classes, disco and majorettes.  I loved every second of my classes and soaked it all up.  There was just something so amazing about learning new choreography and just letting go and having fun.  I picked the routines up quickly and not only did I know the dance for my level, I knew the dances for the levels above me too.  Dancing came naturally to me but that doesn't mean I didn't work hard.  My high school journey started and I stopped dance class to focus on my education but my love for dance certainly remained.

Fast forward to college and after years of dancing in my room and learning the latest Spice Girls or Steps dance with friends, a new and very exciting opportunity and there was no chance I was letting that slip through my fingers. A family friend put together a small group to perform a show for charity,  It was meant to be a one off but as we all had so much fun, we went on to perform again at a night club, again for charity.  I was having the best time.  The we had the chance of one last show and this was going to be the biggest performance and I was most certainly going to be involved.

At the time I was still in my first year at college, so I would attend college Monday to Friday 0am to 4pm.  On a Wednesday evening, we would have 3 hours of rehearsals and the same on a Saturday at the venue.  At first it was hard as I would be tired from college but I loved every single second of those rehearsals.  To make sure I was fully dance fit, I went to a dance class with my former dance teacher on a Friday night for 90 minutes.  So every week I was dancing for 7 and a half hours. I went from a size 16 to a size 12 quickly. A Sunday would be spent with family.  A Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night would be for doing course work and seeing family and friends.  How I managed to do all that I will never know. There is no way I could do that now!!

It wasn't long before the day of the show arrived.  We had one last full run through of the show that afternoon and then it was showtime.  I was a nervous wreck but so excited.  The large dance floor was in the centre of the room and on three sides of the "stage" was the seating area.  We had a crowd of two hundred people.  There were no empty seats and it was amazing to see such a great turn out for a great cause.  We raised money for the Rottenrow Maternity hospital, the hospital where me and my sister were born.  They saved our lives.

For the show we were split into groups.  My group performed B*Witched, Steps and Spice Girls numbers and the whole group performed to the Thank ABBA for the music medley and the females all performed to Madonna Like a Prayer.  We were nuns - good girls gone bad.  The whole evening was magical.  The nerves and all our hard work paid off.  The show was a massive success,

I will never forget that feeling of the lights hitting me, the music starting and the feeling of being free of any worries.  When I dance I am a completely different person.  I become confident and the happiness I feel when I dance is evident to those watching.  I remember when we were performing Tragedy and I had a second to take in the audience, the smiles on their faces, seeing them dance and sing along was just incredible.   It was one of the best nights ever and a dream came true that night - performing on that stage and making people happy. I will never forget it. 


Friday, 11 April 2025

From Limiting Beliefs to New Realities: The Power of Reframing






Kevin became an accredited Solution Focused Hypnotherapist in 2021 after training with the prestigious Clifton Practice. Since then, he has been helping adults across the globe manage issues rooted in anxiety – issues as diverse as hair pulling, stress induced eczema outbursts and binge eating/drinking. But Hypnotherapy is not only for the things we don’t want in our lives, Kevin is ideally placed to support your strategic personal development with his customisable Hypnotherapy for Wellbeing / Personal Development programs. Kevin can be found here: Perma hypnotherapy Edinburgh. Ready to be your best self? . Ready to be your best self? and welcomes your enquiries.

Thursday, 20 March 2025

TikTok and YouTube Faves

 






When I first came across TikTok during the pandemic, how has that been 5 years, I wasn't really sure if I liked it. I mainly watched animal videos as they were just the cutest and I certainly never posted anything myself. It was only in the last 2 year that I became more involved with TikTok and I am really glad I did because I found some amazing accounts from awesome people I could relate to. YouTube has always been my go to for videos on everything that I like and I still love that platform as its connected me with a great community too. Here are some of my fave peeps on the apps.

Wednesday, 12 March 2025

Petition Update - Remove need for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) blood tests before prescribing Hormone Replacement Therapy

 





In April 2023 I opened a petitoin at the Scottish Parliament asking for them to remove the need for the FSH blood test in women aged 40-45 and diagnose menopause on symptoms. I also asked them to make menopause training mandatory. Unfortunately, the petition was closed on December 11th 2024. I feel it was not handled as well as it could have been,

Friday, 21 February 2025

Return To Education

 




Back in school, I did pass my exams but I look back and wish the results were better than that I had more of an effort. A teacher told me that I would amount to nothing and all I would be good for is taking care of my future children or be a nanny. Personally I think thought that was awful as being a mother or working in childcare is hard! At that time (1998) I wanted to work in travel and I went on to gain three travel qualifications (NC, HNC and HND).  After working in travel for a few years, I realised it was not for me. I then went on to work in customer service, mainly within finance. It was in 2008 that I made the choice to return to education.

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Taking Back Control

 




The last few years have been really hard on my physically and mentally. Menopause has hit me like a ton of bricks. Palpitations/increased heart rate landed me in hospital convinced I was having a heart attack but all tests were normal. Hot flushes, joint and muscle pains and a list of symptoms as long as my arm started to emerge at a frightening rate. The doctors haven't listened and said I was too young. So with all those symptoms and being dismissed it has had a massive impact on my mood. Anxiety is the worst psychological symptom. It is off the scale. Sadly, this is the norm for many women going through menopause. After almost 3 years of symptoms, its time to take back control.

Sunday, 22 September 2024

Recipe: Scottish Raspberry Tarts

 




With autumn just around the corner (yay!) it is time to bring out the recipe book and make some of our favourite treats to enjoy on those darker evenings. Cake and a cuppa, all cosy on the sofa, watching your favourite movie or show. Bliss. So here is my recipe for homemade Scottish raspberry tarts