Diabetes, life and all that - personal diary

[pavlosn]

The beautiful unspoiled countryside of Kormakitis






Tulips everywhere





When God wants to play with color






Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[pavlosn]

Meet the undisputed star of my father-in -law's farm.



An as-yet-unnamed one-month-old baby boy Cyprus donkey.



There was a time, even a few decades ago, when donkeys were extremely common in our villages as they were extensively used as means of transportation, to carry loads and to plough the fields.

Nowadays you really have to visit one of the donkey sanctuaries to see one.

So to actually see a baby donkey is a very rare sight indeed.

Morning level at 119mg/dl - still too high!


Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[DiamondAsh]

Meet the undisputed star of my father-in -law's farm.

View attachment 3916

An as-yet-unnamed one-month-old baby boy Cyprus donkey.

View attachment 3917

There was a time, even a few decades ago, when donkeys were extremely common in our villages as they were extensively used as means of transportation, to carry loads and to plough the fields.

Nowadays you really have to visit one of the donkey sanctuaries to see one.

So to actually see a baby donkey is a very rare sight indeed.

Morning level at 119mg/dl - still too high!


Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

Super! I've never seen a baby donkey... he's lovely

 

[pavlosn]

Super! I've never seen a baby donkey... he's lovely

A first for me as well!


Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[pavlosn]

I can not make my mind up what is worse for glycemic control: hosting a dinner party or being a guest at one.


We were invited for lunch at a friends house today. He spent six hours preparing the most incredible spread of sushi so I did not have a heart not to have some despite the masses of white rice





Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[Jamrox]

I know what you mean. It's difficult . At least if you prepare the food you know whats in it.
Maybe leave the rice at the side and eat the fish ?

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[lizdeluz]

What a nice friend though to prepare all that fantastic food! It looks wonderful, really appetising. I think it's easier to be host than guest as a diabetic because that way you get to make sure there's at least something you can eat. However, it's such a treat to be waited on from time to time!!!

 

[pavlosn]

Morning fasting level of 120mg/dl dropped to 108mg/dl following 6km morning walk before breakfast of tea and one slice each of brown whole grain toast, cheese and ham


Beach near the village of Kormakitis


Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[pavlosn]

Just finished my 6km morning walk and took five minutes to see what is going on in the garden.



Tulbaghia violacea, the society garlic, like a lot of South African natives, does very well in my garden, forming huge clumps and sending masses of violet flowers from early spring to late autumn. The leaves have a garlicky smell when brushed which Is supposed to keep snakes away as well.




You probably are familiar with a succulent plant called Aloe Vera from its frequent use in cosmetics and alternative medication. I do not know if these cosmetic and or medicinal properties hold true but it is an attractive plant especially when in bloom. The yellow flowers are not mature yet but they soon will be.

Ginger decided that the plants were getting far too much attention and decided to move in on the action.






Morning fasting level of 108mg/dl dropped to 106mg/dl after walk and before breakfast of eggs and bacon.



Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[Jamrox]

Pavlosn Aloe vera is great for sunburn and nappy rash. I love it.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[pavlosn]

Morning blood sugar 99mg/dl (5,5mg/dl) Great to be under the psychological 100mg/dl boundary.







Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[pavlosn]

An early morning game of tennis to start off my forty-ninth birthday today.

I have never been much for celebrating birthdays.

Or New Year's Eves.

They both always leave me feeling slightly down. Everyone expects you to be joyful, everyone else seems to be so happy, yet most of the times all I can think about is "one more year gone".

So it was with a certain feeling of apprehension that I approached today's birthday!

After all forty nine is no twenty one!

But you know what? I feel surprisingly good about it.



Even looking forward to it even; although nothing more special than a quiet celebration with the family is planned- going out for a meal, blowing out the candles and sharing some birthday cake.

Forty nine years are a lot of years but at least they have been on the whole forty nine good years, full of love and treasured memories thanks to my wife, my son, my parents and my friends.

As for regrets I can honestly say, at the risk of sounding conceited, that they really have been too few to mention.

I may no longer be in the first flush of youth but hopefully I have lots of years ahead of me to look forward to still, diabetic or not!

My son is now eleven, still in elementary schoolI and thinks that girls are these strange useless creatures that don't get football.

I want to be around when he gets his heart handed to him on a plate by a girl for the first time,! I want to be around when he hopefully meets the right one, when he settles down, when he has children of his own.

And I want to be around healthy and strong. I want to be around to see all this with my own eyes and on my own two feet.

So Diabetes be damned! You are not going to rob me of my dreams! Not if there is anything I can do about it!




Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[Alanp35]

Happy birthday - hope you have a great day.



Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[daisy1]

Very happy birthday today.

 

[Beshlie]

Happy Birthday Pavlos, have a lovely day. I'm sure you will be around to see your dreams if you carry on taking good care of yourself as you do now .

 

[michelle88]

Happy birthday Pavlos! I feel the same way you do about birthdays.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Jamrox]

Happy Birthday Pavlosn. I'm 49 in August , my mam died when she was 50 , I like you am getting fit so that I can be there for my family , even though they are 20 &22

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[pavlosn]

As I write this, I am waiting for my son to finish competing in the 15th Mathematics Olympiad, which is a rather grand sounding national mathematics competition for school kids organized annually by the Cyprus Mathematics Society.



Here he is waiting to be let into the competition hall at the grounds of the Cyprus University.

Unusually for him. I think he is showing signs of stress. Usually, unlike his dad, he is very good at managing or at least hiding his stress.

The competition is in age groups and gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the best performing participants. I suppose it is all a bit of fun with nothing other than school yard kudos at stake and is good practice for more serious exams to come in the future.

Anyway, the kids are all here because they volunteered to participate and seem to be enjoying themselves well enough.

Blood sugar was at 104mg/dl (5,7mmol/ll this morning- not bad after a birthday Chinese meal dinner last evening!

Will be going to the village for lunch later on as wife has invited a business associate to show her round the place. It will be a chance for me to take a few more photographs of the countryside there


Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough

 

[Jamrox]

Hope he does well.Pavlos , you must be very proud of him.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[pavlosn]

Opposite our house in the village was the ruin of the old nursery school - you can see it in the bottom left of this photo from about three years ago.



This has now been renovated and converted into a cultural museum offering a fascinating look at what life was like for our grandfathers only a few decades ago


Farming tools for working the fields


Clay pots for storing olive oil


Utensils uses in bread making



Traditional costumes


Copper pots and pans,on the right part of an ice cooler


This beautiful bed originally belonged to my wife's grandmother before being donated to the museum.



My son finding out about how cloth was woven.

The village is in a remote isolated part of the island and life there had remained unchanged for centuries- electricity did not arrive there until the 1950s.

Amazing how much and how rapidly things have changed - these days there is even a wi-fi network covering the whole village!


Pavlos
Type 2 - Diagnosed 2009; Latest HbA1c 5,8%; Diabetes Medication: metformin 2x850mg; Other medication: Aspirin 75mg, Valsartan 80mg, Rosuvostatin 20mg, Ezetimibe 10mg; Exercise: One hour walk daily, tennis weekly, swimming when warm enough