Friederike

I have now been using it for a bit over a year and can’t imagine being without it, it is so brilliant. It definitely has improved my life greatly and I’m kicking myself for not getting one years ago. I gather it’s not for everyone and it took me about three months to get used to it, but now it actually feels much cleaner than using tampons. Another benefit is that I have learned to listen to my body much more and have got much better at predicting when my period starts and it feels more natural having it too than before.

The only three disadvantages I’ve found are (and again, don’t read on if you get squeamish about this kind of thing):
1. On the first day, which can be a bit less free-flowing and more lumpy, the little holes in the sides sometimes block up, which can lead to leaking as the seal is apparently not that good then.
2. If it’s full it will leak immediately and a lot more then when using tampons, so a good thing to be aware of that too.
3. A bit difficult to change and clean away from good sanitary facilities, but I’m quite prepared to make the effort of a little planning to get around that.

So all in all still an unqualified success.

My parents have been banging on about this for years, not about the big stuff, like the house, car, any money they might have, but about all the stuff, valuable or not, they have collected or inherited over the years and which might be of sentimental value to my brothers and me. There are carpets, music boxes, china, christmas decorations and so and on. They are petrified we would fall out over stuff like that and, having seen this happen with other people, I see their point.
Last christmas they finally started compiling a list and asked our opinion, it was beyond weird but also felt good to be able to talk about it and explore what everyone thought.

For myself, I don’t have much, but we might buy a house soon and then it will be very necessary and it would be good to appoint a guardian for any possible children before having them, because in the excitement you might forget. We were thinking about one of my brothers and just thinking of that makes me choke up.
Then there are little things I have inherited from relatives which I would like to be passed on in my family and maybe I’d like to write a few letters for people, maybe saying stuff you normally don’t.
Ok, this is hard, but it really makes you evaluate what is important and how you think of people. I will get round to it bit by bit.

I am not a great shopper. Conditions have to be good for me to enjoy it, i.e. I like to be by myself, have several hours to fret over decisions as long as I like and I don’t like crowded shops either.
I am quite picky and it is not unusual to come home again with nothing. I also don’t buy duplicates: I have two fantastic little black dresses and I certainly don’t need more, but if I find a great pair of shoes to freshen them up, that’s just great.
I hate having to go and get something for an occasion or being told I should go because the sale is on. I think all those people out shopping on Boxing Day need their head examined, haven’t you just over-indulged enough in the run up to Christmas?
The up-shot is that I buy little I regret getting later and because I don’t spend a little all the time, I can justify getting something more expensive occasionally, when I find the perfect pair of shoes/dress/top, etc. I also tend to wear everything for a long time and find new combinations.
I like to identify gaps in my wardrobe, e.g. along the lines of “if I had a pair of tan heels I could wear that skirt with those tights also in the winter” and so on and when I see something beautiful, I think about how it will fit in with everything else.

So, I actually went out in the sales weekend before last and I bought those tan heeled shoes, which will be perfect to upgrade much of my stuff to work-smartness and a beautiful navy knit wrap top. Unfortunately neither were on sale!! Well, I got a pair of chandelier earrings too, which were reduced by 70%, what a bargain.