Brushing my teeth with the usual herbal toothpaste. Standing under the shower, squeezing just the right amount out of the Frangipani and Rice milk shower foam ,a Ritual scent I love.
Same old routine, so what is the difference? The location.
Location, location, location. Just like in real estate or in any business. That is one of the most important factors if you want to succeed.

Well, I have the most amazing view from my shower. The Atlantic Ocean at my feet , with the bay of Funchal to my right. Yes, we are in Madeira again.

Oh, what a glorious sunshine we are having. Worth to wake up early. Oh, what am I saying?! You don’t even need to wake up early, the sun rises here much later, it is almost 8 am. , yet not fully daylight yet.

Son watching tv in the living room, enjoying the first full day of his ski break. We were planning to go skiing to Jochberg again, but just didn’t feel like going from a cold place to an even colder one.

I needed sunshine. Needed Madeira.

A couple of days ago when M was moaning about his “horrible” school, did a quick calculation. We spent about 5 weeks back home, and here we are again.
This time his Dad came to us first and spent 3 days there. He had the chance to see the new apartment . To my surprise despite of its size, or more like lack of it, he loved it. Found it fun to be able to go to the centre by bus. We have a bus stop right in front of the building.
Now, normally that is not something people boast about, but since we have our peace and quiet up in the mountains, we don’t mind a bit of traffic.

Took M to school together, wondered around the centre, had leisurely breakfast in Anna , checked out the latest perfumes in Neroli.
Got a new one, pure pheromone, yet to try it out.

His Dad had the chance to see M in action at the tennis court. He was happy, I could see it in his eyes, he so needs his Dad’s approval.

He even introduced his friend to him, finally he had a Dad too, not just a virtual person he talks about sometimes.

Overall it was fun, with bowling in the afternoons, delicious roast beef salads and lemonades for dinner, father and son times on the comfy sofas, chatting about what kind of games to play on the PS4, how horrible his mum is for not letting him more time on his iPad, the usual stuff.

There was only one problem, with me. For 3 days I was in pain, I mean real pain, where every part of your body hurts, from head to toe. No, I did not run a marathon, didn’t even do my plank challenge.

I have no reasonable explanation, I’ve been religiously taking my joint medicine and the ASEA supplement.
My knee pain was back with vengeance , with shoulder, thigh, back pain. Coupled with severe migraines and pain under my ribs,.
Quick search on the net, ( don’t do it ) and I quickly diagnosed all sorts of ailments , blood cancer included.

Preferred the explanation of Chinese medicine . They believe that the spleen is the home of our emotional worries.

And Oh boy,did I worry ?!

Worried about us getting along in such a small place, constantly on high alert, hoping that M will not say anything inappropriate, since he has the tendency to do it. He has the brutal honesty of a 9 year old.

It is difficult for someone to fit into your daily routine without hiccups, but he passed with flying colors.

I felt drained. Dragged myself from A to B, barely having the energy to drive. Every breath hurt. Told M what to say when dialling the emergency. I felt that bad.
He asked me if I was gonna die. “ Hope not “ was my answer.
He was my usual funny boy, told me that if i were to die, he would cry a bit for a few days, but not much. “ If I were to cry all the time, I would flood the apartment, and you know Mum I don’t swim that well, I would drown. “

Absolutely adore my son. He is my life. He is my everything. Must get better. For better or worse,  we are together, must be there for him. Want to be there when he graduates, when he gets married, want to have grandchildren.

Wowed to look after myself! Again.

Had a couple of hours “me time” up in the mountain. Went up to see if everything was all right, the snow was falling, while down in the city the sun was shining.Wondered around my garden, mentally drawing pictures of our new flower beds already. Spring is upon us.

I fast forwarded time a bit…spring is already here. In Madeira.