A bit late with March’s post, mainly because I have been away. I have been trying to make the most of my time and getting out and about. I had my NHS health check. Now according to the nurse I should be on my third check – Ha Ha! Well, my last GP practice never invited me for a health check so this was an enlightening experience.
According to the nurse, the previous health checks should have been carried out so they had a baseline to track my health. Well, with no history they had to start by taking my current assessment and then wait another 5 years and see how my health has changed. Luckily, my health seems to be ok and my stats match my current age. If I can increase my fitness I could possibly drop down to below my current age when it comes to heart health. I am not sure that will happen but at least I have relatively OK health values. My BMI seems OK, my cholesterol is OK too. The only issue is my blood pressure, which as usual was high and so I had to do my pressure at home and submit. I suffer with white coat syndrome and means the doctors/nurses can never get a good reading as my anxiety kicks off and my blood pressure goes through the roof. Their suggestion is to up my exercise and eat a healthy diet and try to keep active.
Yet another person I knew has passed away, I seems that I know someone each month so far. It has got me focused on getting out and enjoying my freedom while I can.
I sorted my bicycle out and have now started cycling again. I am hoping this will improve my health and fitness over the summer.
My tomato seeds have also germinated and I now have a good, strong looking crop of tomato plants which hopefully will continue to flourish and I can get some home grown tomatoes this year. I have some basil growing on my window sill too, so I am hoping to get some good healthy meals and reduce my shopping bill this year. I have spent a bit of time this month sorting the garden out and I have quite a few flowers already blooming. It is uplifting to see when I look out of my kitchen window in the mornings. It feels like Spring is here and Summer is on its way.
Income
No premium bond win this month, sigh. I had a few dividends and a large savings account interest payment. This all adds to my passive income total and I will need to track this to see how this affects any pension drawdown as I want to remain within my personal allowance if possible. I have earnt a bit of cash via surveys and other online work but it is not enough to actually live on. It just adds a bit of pocket money to buy drinks or food when I am out and about.
Expenses
Expenses have been large this month as I had to MOT and service my car. It is my main form of transport and use this to visit friends and to travel to holiday destinations that cannot be reached by train. I have made sure that all my tax allowances (pension and CGT) have been used up. I will now start collecting together my paperwork so that my tax form can be completed and submitted.
Month End Summary
At last the Spring season is here and maybe we will get some good, warm, dry weather. I could do with getting out more and getting fitter. My health check this month has made me focus on this and now I have the time and the ability to get out there and make a difference to my mind and body. I am hoping to get out more on my motorbike and enjoy socialising and some freedom. It seems that this last winter has been a hard grind and I really need some positive vibes to bring me out of the winter doldrums. Happiness is required and I really should not waste my time procrastinating, I need to get out there and DO IT!
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