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I have no time to write at present but I've just read through the posts and I'm wondering how many cups of tea BM will be making!!!!!0
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Hi All
First of all - BIG CONGRATULATIONS LMV on your loss! Well Done. Its good to know you are doing so well. I sadly am still struggling with poor eating and as my ankle is still quite painful, I'm not getting the exercise either (definitely no riding at present). It is getting better but the bruising is coming out now.
Bracken - I haven't come across the film you mention but I can confirm that there are still one or two 'rag and bone' men who use horse drawn carts - although most use trucks now - and of course, a lot of them just steal stuff - but as metal is very valuable these days there is a market for them. Its rare though as obviously driving a cart on our roads in towns and cities now would be pretty scary.
I can't believe it is still so cold in Canada Bracken - its been such a long winter for you. I hope it does improve soon. the weather here is due to improve over the weekend - although to be honest its not been too bad and, bizarrely a few days of dry weather has dried out the ground very quickly. I'm starting to gather my vegetable seedlings etc ready for planting. potatoes, carrots, onions, sweetcorn, tomatoes and strawberries! yum.
My parents are coming for the weekend - it being mothering sunday and I have a very busy weekend planned. This evening will be my first solo performance. I'm feeling quite worried as I always seem to make a mess of it the first time we rehearse and then get it right the second - this time I need to get it right first time. The rehearsal on Monday evening was not good at all and I must admit I was very tired at the end of it. thankfully, my solo comes in the first half before we do the Hummel - as the latter has a couple of very high sustained top A's which are quite hard work and I always struggle to do the rehearsal of the solo after that. Tomorrow evening, Mum, Dad and I are going to a 'one man show' at the local church - its a local man who is often on the radio - he is apparently very funny. Sunday, we are meeting my brother and his family for lunch in Felixstowe - which is just down the road. If its a nice day, hopefully we can go for a nice long walk on the sea front.
Later this morning two of the partners are coming to see me again. I can't say I'm looking forward to it - but I am definitely much stronger and more ready for them this time. I'm also in the process of applying for another job that has come up. Its working for a trade organisation so quite different in some ways - but well within my capability and, I suspect, rather less stressful - although a lot more travelling. Bizarrely too, a job that closely matches my previous job (before the practice) has come up and I must admit I'm considering it too. I think in reality that it is unlikely that I will be able to continue at the surgery in the long term - they aren't going to change and they have no insight. I've done well to manage as long as I have and keep the show on the road.
Well I think that's all for now - take care all - and keep up the exercise and healthy eating!
PB xx0 -
Good morning Crackers!!
Well after 20 seemingly never ending days, I've finally completed my paint job and my day didn't start with a paintbrush in hand! Instead I too had a nice cup of tea and a good catch up on the blogs!
So in answer to your question Bracken what colour have I painted my hallways and many doors.... Well my late father-in-law built our house himself aged 25, as he was a builder and it's designed just like young children draw houses; square with a door in the middle and 4 windows one in each corner (so every corner room has 2 windows),only difference we also have a door out to the balcony above the front door. As you walk into the house there is immediately a staircase in front of you and again there's another same position (but an enclosed one) on the floor above leading to a guest bedroom in the roof. In total there are 3 staircases, the last leads to the ground floor/basement where again the lay out is 4 rooms which are gardening and workshops and one which houses 3 freezes for my schlipfkrapfen and there is a door which leads out to the terrace and garden. It looks a small house from my photo but it's built into the slope and from the front view you can see 2 balconies as the guest room also has one and 4 floors. All the hallways throughout are tiled which I chose; a light brown, beige and rust splattering pattern because of the weather; snow in the winter months for cleaning and for coolness in the hot summers. The ceilings are all wooden panelled, the staircases are wooden and all the rooms off have exposed wooden floor boards - and as I've moaned previously the doors (7 on each floor) have these deep wooden frames so there's a lot of wood everywhere....
Now I'm mentioning all of this so you can picture if all the doors are closed which in winter when it's cold they most certainly are the only natural sunlight in the hallways comes from the glass panels in the front and balcony doors, which if it's sunny is adequate and when the rooms are open it's wonderfully bright - however if it's cold and snowing and grey and the doors are shut... oh doom and gloom... The walls when I first arrived were white everywhere which over the years had turned grey in parts and the doors on my mother-in-laws floor all the deep frames were painted chocolate brown which has long since chipped and the doors were stencilled! Our floor all the doors and frames we had made by a carpenter and I use to just close my eyes when I was downstairs!
So to find a colour to fit all of this wood and my beautiful John Lewis rust and gold heavy door curtains on both floors and huge draft excluders made of the same material - it had to be CREAM!!!! Which sounds so boring but it says everything about the 'house' not 'ME' Bracken!! Otherwise the house would be navy and grey!!! And if I tell you it took me 3 months to find the exact right shade of cream, do you know how many there are and how many were not right for our house!! Forget the husband being the perfectionist I know what I do and don't like! The colour was eventually mixed to my liking and the doors downstairs I've painted a shade or 2 darker it's called chalk but it's a dirty cream. And after 20, 5 hour shifts painting continuously I'm happy as is the husband with the result. In fact he says he will tell his family he had the painters in I've done such a good job!! I'm now awaiting the finishing touches 7 gold coloured handles to match my door handles, my mother-in-laws ghastly miserable pictures are not going back up (they've been removed to his office!) I have some artwork of the daughter's which won prizes when she was 9 & 10 up in the laundry area and I'm having framed 6 prints in walnut veneer which I found on my trip and loved of Bath where my husband and I lived during our first year of marriage. I hasten to add he did view them first! So the end is in sight - the only decision left is what colour to paint the inside of the front door....
When the daughter arrives for Easter I'll get her to post a photo of my hard work and no doubt the cream walls will appear white!!! But it's a clean, warm shade of whatever and not a drop of milk chocolate paint in sight - now had it been dark chocolate....0 -
I thought I'd better post what I had written in case like BM I lost it! However I have a P.S. to my last post. I've still yet to see in this village a coloured painted wall! When my father painted my daughter's room when I was expecting her a pale blue (the paint came with him from England!) family and friends came to view it. I thought they wanted to admire my lovely nursery and border but no it was to see with their own eyes the coloured walls which were going to kill the baby!! Times have moved on but alas not in this village!! The daughter's room is now a bright yellow
Well Crackers things are moving within the circle which is great news!
Well done LMV on your whopper 4lb loss which is an excellent start. All most interesting your report on fat/sugar and exercise. I can't believe I'm about to write this but I'm losing my desire for shop bought ice-cream which I believe is down to all these new fancy flavours which are too rich for me! I will put this to the test properly when I have my first Italian ice-cream from the local ice-cream parlour very soon!! I'm a firm believer of the saying 'more in than out and you're stout' and so for the amount of calories I eat and I am a creature of habit, I know I have to exercise energetically to burn any further fat off. So for the past few weeks I've done very little but lift a paint brush which I can certainly see has toned my arm muscles and legs with all the getting up and down.
BM glad to hear you are back on your feet again and walking. May I ask what does your OH do in Singapore? I'm still 2 pounds from my target weight and you will hear me from there shrieking when I reach target again! But the last 1/2 pounds lost have made a massive difference which sounds crazy!
PB good to know you didn't sink during your sport relief effort! Good luck for tonight with the solo hope it's a success, I think you're very brave!!
Bracken firstly glad to hear that you are on the mend and have no fear your recent record is safe! I'm off to England again tomorrow and unless I'm with the daughter I've no access to a computer. Everything you wrote makes perfect sense to me and I know Becks works after all I'm walking proof!! I shall be wearing my skinny jeans to the airport with no fear of the pat down!!
I'm taking my trusty pedometer with me as I've no desire to gain any weight with my birthday, wedding anniversary and Easter just around the next corner. I'm not going for long as I'm bringing the daughter back to Austria for her school Easter holidays which start on Friday. With all the snow (we too had a fresh dollop last weekend) she is looking forward to going cross country skiing and no doubt will be dragging me out walking up a steep hill or two!
So be good Crackers in my absence!0 -
Hello Crackers.
LMV, I really enjoyed the verbal tour of your house. All that lovely wood really appeals to me. I also understand your choice of cream and know that there are many different colours that are called such. I have "cream' throughout the kitchen, dining and living room of my house, partly because the rooms all face north and don't get the best sunlight and partly because the areas all flow into each other and I didn't want to break them up, let alone get into the hassels of changing paint colours and figuring out what colour to put on linking archways and baseboards etc. The cream I have is, I think, very warm and at certain times when the sun hits the living room wall has a pale peachy cast to it. When I first moved in the house this area was painted a stark white, a real snow white. When I moved in I found the white very cold.I mention here that my house was owned formerly by a younger brother and his wife. She always had a lot of bright red accessories and it always felt really cheerful and completely suited her as she is a natural brunette who tans easily and these are colours she could wear too. I am definitely an autumn and always gravitate towards those more mellow colours and could not live with bright white and red. (I am also thinking about how much I love the colours of the dresses on Downton Abbey- all those pearly greys, russet reds, soft mossy greens, and oyster neutrals.) It is interesting the customs that grow up about houses and colours. You mention the prevalence of white interiors where you live. In most of Ontario houses are very neutral in exterior colouring- brick is muted red or beige yellow and siding is white or grey or some other neutral shade of taupe or brown. However, in the East Coast, perhaps because they often have such bleak weather and most houses are wood clad, bright colours- turquoises, bright blue, buttercup yellows, apple greens are common.
On a food related comment you made, LMV, I totally agree with you about the fancy flavoured ice-creams and I also am surprised to find that I don't really like then either. They seem to have more and more of them, often with the same names/branding as chocolate bars, and ridiculous amounts of sugar. I am far more likely now to have frozen yoghurt though that is not without its problems as although it is very low fat, it often is quite high in sugar too though nothing like some ice-creams. But of course, the whole sugar bar seems to have been lowered hasn't it with that recent report from the UN about sugar being so unhealthy and the recommended intake being only 25 or less grams per day.
PB, I hope your singing went well. I certainly envy you that talent. I 'm glad to see on the other thread that you are feeling improved.
Well Crackers, last night I made a last minute decision and went to a small theatre in London to see two touring actors from Coronation Street! ( yes, I am a fairly long term watcher). It turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable. The actors were the men who play Gary and Owen (I remember their first names are Mikey and Ian, but not their last names). The presentation basically involved them chatting, partly prompted by a host/interviewer. I presume they basically follow to same pattern of presentation but
they managed to seem remarkably spontaneous and genuine. Mikey/Gary was particularly impressive but both of them told many anecdotes very well. Interestingly, Owen/Ian spoke about how he has OCD which was not diagnosed until he was 35 and how it affects him and how he has learned to compensate and how now he is very public about it because of his past silent suffering. Mikey/Gary spoke quite a lot about how his plot line with post traumatic stress as an Afghan veteran has led to his involvement with raising money for PTS veterans- it has been a big issue here as there have been a large number of Canadian Afghan veterans who have committed suicide. After a break, they took questions for a hour. "Corrie" is popular here and the theatre was full. Some paid a premium to have after show tea and photos with the actors but I did not nor did I buy a frig magnet, mug, or other memorabilia. So I remain a loyal fan but not fanatic!
LMV, thinking of you as you have indicated that you have a lot of pressing family commitments at the moment. Hope you yourself are able to keep well. BM, good to see you through checking in with food dairy/exercise reporting. Regards all.0 -
Hello All,
Lovely to read your long posts MITM and Bracken. I too am of the cream brigade when it comes to internal decoration of the house. I too have a warm cream Bracken and then I accessorise the rooms with accent colours. The only rooms which aren't cream are the kitchen which is a very pale peach (a peachy cream really) and I have window blinds and tablecloth in a soft sage green, and our bedroom which is a very pale yellow. To be honest, they are probably variations on cream! I know how many different shades and tones there are MITM and have had loads of tester pots myself in the past. It really is important to get the right white or cream for each room.
MITM - I hope you are having a good time in the UK and that your daughter is more settled and less homesick now. It doesn't sound as if her academic work is suffering. You must be feeling so proud of her. Congratulations on the whoppers you have lost recently as well. You are obviously putting in sterling work. Well done.
It sounds like you had an interesting evening Bracken. I did watch Corrie for a period of about 10 years but probably haven't watched it in the last 12 years so I have lost track of the characters and don't know who you are referring to. My friend in Australia still watches it and I think they are about 6 weeks behind the UK. I know I read somewhere that you felt you needed antibiotics to get over an infection, did you get them and are you improving now?
I had a lovely week-end with my parents for Mothering Sunday. Unfortunately I was a bit naughty with the wine and that lead to an attack on the cheese board! It's always the same old culprits! Anyway, after the excesses (there was also a hot cross bun WITH butter and a walnut whip!) I only lost .5lb this week. But at least I nipped the over indulgence in the bud and did register a loss, all be it a very small one.
My parents went home on Monday, but tonight I am back with them in their home in Hertfordshire. My husband had a strange conversation with his father. Apparently someone is coming to see him at 9 tomorrow morning, but he can't remember who it is or why they are coming. My husband rang all the agencies he has been dealing with in relation to his father and none of them have an appointment with him tomorrow. We have therefore hotfooted it up here so that my husband can be with him at 9 tomorrow to see what's going on. He's especially concerned as his father gave out his partner's bank details to whoever it is. He simply doesn't understand identity theft and that you have to be careful about that sort of thing. Hopefully it will be something legitimate but we couldn't afford to ignore it. His Father has a social services assessment on Monday as well to look at their care needs so we will stay with my parents until Monday and go home after the assessment. It's unfortunate that just as I've got my eating habits under control I'm away for five days and not completely in charge of what I eat. I'll just have to do my best. I had lots of fruit and veg in for the week at home so yesterday when I knew we were coming I used them up by making and freezing five different soups, a vegetarian chill and a chachouka with the peppers. I also made aubergine parmigiana which I brought with me. I was shattered by the end of it but at least I have plenty of meals in the freezer.
I managed to get out in the garden this week and have tomatoes and cucumbers planted and broad bean, carrot and leek seeds grown. I've got all the canes up ready for the runner and French beans so the veg patch is taking shape. All the beds were dug over and manured in the Autumn so the soil is in lovely condition and ready for the seeds. The daffodils in the garden are an absolute picture so everywhere is looking a lot more cheerful.
PB - I was thinking about you the morning you had the partners from the practice coming round. I hope that wasn't too much of an ordeal for you. It sounds as if you are certain you need to change job, so good luck with the search. I'm sure an exciting opportunity will turn up at the right time for you.
BM - how are you doing? It doesn't sound as if you are in the best of health at the moment, so sending a very big cwtch to you and I hope things are improving. How are you getting on with the sewing machine? The second series of The Great British Sewing Bee is just reaching its conclusion here with the final next Tuesday. Some people are just so clever and imaginative. I haven't been to my sewing class since I got back from Australia but I plan to go back after Easter and have some lovely fabric to make a summer dress with. I am looking forward to getting started on it.
Right, enough rambling. I hope everyone is doing well
Lots of love
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Oh Dear LMV that sounds really worrying. I do hope its OK and that the bank are prepared in case somebody has taken bank details inappropriately. Hopefully, your husband has a POA that he can use to prevent anything too horrible. Its really worrying and I know as parents get more frail you want to prevent them from being taken advantage of, but they have to be willing to let you take the reins and lose some independence - very tricky time.
BM I hope you are feeling better now and that your health issues are under control. It must be so difficult to live with such conditions. It makes me very glad that I am generally, physically very healthy and well. (sprained ankles notwithstanding!)
I rode yesterday morning and ended up having a really lovely day - we went to Saxmundham in the afternoon (Maria - my friend with the pituitary tumour - who's currently having a brain fluid leak and I). We went to just two shops but it was such fun. I'm riding again this morning which is fabulous. I shall miss this when I go back to work - but hopefully, now the summer is coming, the long light evenings mean I will be able to ride after work. We shall see. A lot depends on how soon I am able to find an alternative job. Made 2 applications so far.
I am going back to work after Easter - and am popping in a bit before that just to get used to it. Unfortunately, the senior partner has had some terrible news - his 25 year old son, who is a qualified lawyer in London, has just had an operation for cancer of the tongue. This is quite a serious cancer and it will be another week before they will know if it has spread elsewhere - part of his tongue was removed which means he now has difficulty with swallowing and his speech will be affected. The partner (and his wife who also works as a GP with us) is completely devastated. Just goes to show that cancer does not care who you are - it attacks indiscriminately and without fear or favour. They are a close and loving family though so I'm hopeful that they will come through this.
I'm definitely on the way back to being myself - although I'm still struggling on the food front - a large quantity of full fat cheese was eaten last night. I bought it for my Dad when he was here and he didn't eat any of it and then I forgot to say take it home. As a result I have made no progress - but I plan to get some exercise in this week - above and beyond riding. I've been helping out with mucking out and doing up though so getting some strenuous activity!
My solo went pretty well - I know someone did record but I haven't heard the recording and I'm not sure I want to! Its a bit weird listening to yourself - as you don't sound like you think you do...... The conductor decided that he would like to try the piece with all 1st sops doing the solo line - but he wasn't happy with the result. We were, however, all shattered as it was the end of the rehearsal. I'll see whether he wants to try it again on Monday.
I still haven't heard anything about my show jumping judging exam - which is a bit frustrating as I'd like to get it out of the way if at all possible now I've got round to doing it! I will be writing to the association later today if I hear nothing to ask how much longer.
Its the Grand National tomorrow - I can never watch it - I hate it when the horses fall - although its nothing like as bad as it was when I was a child. Then the boat race in the afternoon - this is all further sign that spring is on the way. Its been very polluted here the last few days which is very unusual but hopefully it will be clearing today.
Well that's all from me for the moment - need to get ready to ride and just had a text asking for a favour this morning by another friend so need to find out what.
take care all!
PB0 -
Oh, The absolute joy of all these lovely long mails, cups of tea all around I think!:drinker:
The posts are just wonderful, obviously LMV I sincerely hope your Father in law has not been taken advantage of. It really is a sad world. Thank goodness he has you and your Hubby to be there for him. Such a difficult time for all concerned though. I will be thinking of you x x
I have been loving the" virtual reality" tours of your homes. I too am a massive fan of cream, MITM your home sounds so wonderful and such a lovely place to live. I would imagine it has been very difficult to put your own personality on your mother-in-laws (and husbands) home. I have had similar but not to the degree maybe you have had. When I met my OH is house was so old fashioned and unloved (He just used it as a base as he travels a lot). Unfortunately it had also been his marital home many years ago, so I had to use a lot of tact and diplomacy to make it more comfortable and homely for him. (It really needed doing, for his sake. He knows I will never live in it). You described the layout of your house so well, I hope you will love the results of your hard work for many years x
Bracken, Another home in a different country. You too have had the difficulty of decorating a home where the previous occupants are family, never easy! I live with those stark white walls you describe. After so many years of working in sterile environments I now feel like I am living in one! Unfortunately our apartment faces south and west (we are in a corner one), we would have loved a North facing one because the sun in here all day is stifling! You mentioned you are a fan of the Downton Abbey colours, I also remember you saying you are a fan of the show? We don't get it here but I am hoping to buy the box set when I return to the UK in July. If you do get a chance to check out Leslie Sansome could you please let me know what you think of it? I am hoping to try it when I am over this bout of grottiness!
LMV. Another cream convert! Isn't it weird that the four of us who have mentioned house colours have all chosen cream. I think it is such a soothing restful colour. LIke yourself I just change the accessories. I used to have pale greens cushions, rugs etc for the summer and then swop it all over to reds and darker greens to cosy up for winter! I so miss having my own home. I would love to be living in your beautiful part of the world. Many years ago I was told I would be living by the ocean. I so hope it is to be Wales and not to remain living by the ocean here!
PB, It is so lovely to hear you upbeat and enjoying yourself again! I wish you all the very best with you applications for the new posts.I would have loved to share that block of cheese with you, obviously washed down with a wonderful Chardonnay! My mouth is watering at the thought! Glad you enjoyed your singing. It all sounds very exhausting though! I HATE, HATE, HATE the Grand National and long for the day it will be banned. It is a farce to say those horses enjoy it. 2 of my cousins (one male, one female) are jockeys, and both have said they have been disgusted by some of the techniques those horses are put through to instil enough fear in them to jump when they cannot see the other side. So many needless deaths of those beautiful, trusting animals. I am not saying every horse is mistreated, but I cannot help finding the whole thing abhorrent. (Sorry, rant over!).
Well, our siren has just gone off which means another bad storm. So I will say bye as we are supposed to close down electricals.
OH is off on his travels in a day or two for just over a week so I hope I will be a whole lot better by then as Harry will only have me to walk him, and at the moment I am as shaky as Bambi on my pins so that will be a challenge! lol x x
Wishing you all a good and safe weekend. LMV, please let us know if all is well with your FIL. MITM, safe journey back and hope you and your daughter have a lovely time both in the UK and home. Bracken and PB, enjoy your weekends and hope you both get to ride, I envy you!.
Love BM x x0 -
Hello Crackers and to start I'll second your comment BM on the pleasure of these mails today, especially as it is rainy and dreary (but at least not snow).
I just skimmed through my last post and see I attributed the ice cream comments to you, LMV when in fact they were made by MITM who shares my liking of ice cream while for you it is cheese. And, well done on adding a .5 loss to your recent achievement despite again being away from home base for a lot of eating. I'm very sorry to hear of more difficulties for you and your husband with his father. You are quite right to be concerned and to hasten to that appointment. I hope it turns out well. We have a great deal on our media about elder abuse and the elderly being taken advantage of. Just this week a 94 year old woman was revealed to have had her life savings defrauded by a woman whom she had employed as a house keeper and who had recently moved her whole family into the house and forced the woman to live in a small back bedroom. Fortunately, a driver delivering her medications felt something was wrong when she was not at the door to receive them and the police were called. I saw her on the news and she seemed like such a lovely elderly person. She spoke very well of her ordeal and warned other seniors to exercise caution. What a world when someone like that can be forced to live in such fear and be controlled. LMV, I did get an antibiotic finally for my infection and I have felt so much better thanks. I am quite prone to respiratory infections and usually wait until I am quite miserable before getting treated. I generally do not like taking medications but if I could have a prescription on hand for that antibiotic I would jump at it in a heartbeat. How fortunate you are to be so far ahead with your gardening. What a lot you have done already. We are usually behind the UK anyway but this year will be even more so. It is very brown here and I have not seen even a shoot of plants yet. I am however going to see tomorrow if I can find any pots of pansies in a garden centre. Because they are quite frost resistant, they are usually the first outdoor plants I buy and having a big pot of pansies on the front steps says I am believing in spring.
PB, good to see you feeling so well and getting in some good riding too. I have finally got back on Briar this week and had short rides on Sun, Mon, Wed, and Thurs. On the first two days I just walked and trotted but by Wed. I started a short canter (all this in the indoor arena as too hard/icy/ wet/ muddy in the outdoor ring) so it has been a good week. We do not have steeple chases here though I am familiar with the Grand National but rather agree with you and BM about it. It all looks so exciting until there is a fall and these, of course, seem to happen quite frequently. I also think that equestrian events have become better over the years in terms of trying to make things safer for the horses, and riders too. I did enjoy that movie about the Grand National, however, that came out some time ago called Champion about Bill Champion (I believe that was his name) and his horse, Aldanate (spelling?). John Hurt played the main character and Aldanate himself was featured in the film. Did you see it? Some of my English relatives who are not at all 'horsey' nevertheless knew his story and/or had seen him when he made public appearances.
BM, I'll try to check out the Sansome video this weekend. I feel fortunate that I have been able to get a few outdoor walks in this week after the confinement of the winter. I am a Downton Abbey fan and have now watched all four seasons. I did not have it on my tv subscription channels so I have bought all four seasons. Recently my next door neighbour who had not watched it said she would like to. I lent her my dvds and the first night we watched three episodes together. I enjoyed it as much the second time around so I highly recommend it. My neighbour is hooked now too. In one episode of season two, there is a beautiful hunting scene- riders galloping through lush green fields and over natural jumps. Lady Mary (or her double in parts), a main character, is
shown riding side saddle, so elegant. I have seen a number of Brit movies with hunting scenes. I can't imagine that all the riding is done just by doubles. Not just the riding, but when you see someone working the hounds, I have often wondered if local hunting packs are used in these scenes and thought what a 'gig' that would be. To me, the ultimate bit part. Do you know about this, PB? BM, I hope you continue to improve and that you'll be able to enjoy some walks with Harry.
Must off now. regards to all Crackers wherever you find yourselves this weekend.0 -
Good morning Crackers!
Yes I'm back and today is my birthday and the first chance I've had to get on here since returning late Friday. I've had a lovely cup of tea and caught up on all the long posts what a birthday treat! I'm now going to ganache my chocolate cake ready for afternoon tea!! Will post properly in the next few days.0 -
Happy Birthday MITM!!!
Hope you are having a good day. Its raining here and a bit dull and dank but I have used the time wisely and given upstairs a decent going over. Need to work on the downstairs this afternoon - and think I'm going to buy some upholstery cleaner for the 3 piece.
Had a lovely ride on Sunday and have singing tonight - but I think something is giving me an allergic reaction as I'm doing a lot of sneezing.
Chocolate cake with ganache - yummy. Don't eat the left overs will you?
take care all
PB0 -
Hello Crackers
Just to let you know I have finally heard from the BSJA that I have passed my exam! I now have a few more hoops to jump through then I'm able to be fully qualified as a level 2 judge. That's good news.
I have also made another application today for a job which closes in a couple of days time so I hope that I will hear about that one very soon. that's three applications made. Will keep you informed!
Hope all is well with everyone else. has the snow finally gone Bracken? or are you still knee deep in the stuff? Its been a bit more changeable here and we had some bad problems with pollution and sand dust from the Sahara desert last week - but it is fresh and spring like now so my home has been given a bit of a spring clean!
I'm still comfort eating but getting more active and will concentrate more when I have the coming weekend out of the say (Hunt Ball - far too much on offer to eat and drink and guests who will expect quantities of food and wine to be eaten and drunk for the whole weekend). Need to plan some meals and buy enough food for 3 people - not easy (or cheap) when you are used to buying for one - but they are worth it. Good friends.
Final job will be to get some upholstery cleaner and give my sofa and chairs a clean overnight (i.e. just before I go to bed and after the cats)
riding tomorrow afternoon and Thurs/Fri morning (weather and motorbikes permitting).
speak soon
PB0 -
Whoo hoo! Congratulations PB. A result well worth the long wait for! I am certain the healthy eating will all fall into place when the time is right. Enjoy your time with your friends. x x:drinker:0
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Hello Crackers,
Congratulations PB, that's extremely good news. I've got my fingers crossed for the job applications too. If one of those opportunities is the right one for you then I'm sure you will feel much happier and settled.
MITM, I hope you really enjoyed your birthday celebrations and that delicious looking cake. I loved your wreath too. It's a lovely tradition and I saw some beautiful ones in Prague bedecked in ribbons and china eggs all in lovely bright Spring colours. They all looked so cheerful. I expect it's only a matter of time before it catches on in the UK. You see more and more Easter cards in the shops and special Easter foods so I'm sure decorations will start appearing at some point.
I got back from my parents yesterday. My husband had an emotionally draining time.dealing with Age Concern, the medical profession and Social Services in relation to his Father and his partner. I won't go into details but it is all very difficult at the moment and we are having to take some immediate actions to sort things out as his Father's health is deteriorating rapidly under the strain of the situation. I have therefore been occupied elsewhere so haven't had much time to post on here.
Food wise I did my best while I was away. I only had alcohol once last week and although I didn't have a lot of say in what I ate, I kept my portions moderate and didn't partake in any chocolate that was offered. I was delighted to step on the scales and discover that I have lost 3lbs this week. That's 7.5lbs in the last 3 weeks (even though MFP says it's 6.5 for some reason!) which means I have last all the Christmas and holiday weight that I put on. I'm still a stone from the lightest weight which I fleetingly achieved but I'm thrilled to have the bit between my teeth again and to be on a downward trajectory.
It's a beautiful Spring day here with blue skies and sunshine so we're off to our caravan at the beach to see how it dared through the awful winter weather. We would like to have it clean and fully operational so that we can stay there over the Easter week-end.
We got back from London yesterday in time to go to our cookery class. I made a lovely vegetable and cheesy potato pie which was delicious. My husband made an oriental pork rice noodley thing which is also delicious and we'll have that for dinner tonight. It's so nice to have dinner all sorted as I have my Welsh evening class on Wednesdays and sorting out food us always a bit of a rush. My husband really enjoys the cooking classes and it definitely helped him relax after a stressful few days.
It was the final of The Great British Sewing Bee last night. Unfortunately my least favourite contestant won, but she did make an amazing ball gown. Everything else she made throughout the competition was a but dull and often very simple in my opinion so I would have preferred one of the contestants with a bit more flair to have won. Did anyone else watch it?
How are things with you BM? I've been thinking of you and I hope you are improving.
Also, how are you Bracken. I know PB has already asked but is your long, long winter finally coming to an end?
Right, my husband is ready to go so I must be off. We're not sure what will await us at the caravan but I'm hoping no rain got in anywhere over the wet winter!
Be good Crackers
xx0 -
Lovely ride on Harley this afternoon - warm enough to go out without a coat! He's looking a little podgy though as the spring grass has come through and he is now on short rations. We don't want laminitis. then I helped Hilda with 'doing up' - checking water, skipping out etc - rugging up for the evening. Butler wasn't impressed as he didn't get a hay net at all as Maria was planning to ride him after work. I gave him lots of polos though. (He's a terrible thug!).
Also, no helicopters or motorbikes in the forest - although small children on bicycles made Harley look and try to do a side step - but I was ready for him. He was definitely ready for a ride out though.
Hunt Ball on Saturday night. I hope my gown still fits - I hire as its so expensive to buy and that means I can have a nice different one every time. I'm expecting a houseful for nibbles and bubbles before we go the ball then taxi to the venue and back so everyone can enjoy a nice evening without worrying about driving.
Just made a 'boiled fruit' cake as I have guests for the weekend and they are big eaters. Bought lots of salad and fruit though so hoping that I can be reasonably healthy. Its great to have some energy back though.
LMV I'm so sorry you've been having a difficult time with your husbands family. It is so distressing when your parents suddenly need your help and protection - they struggle because its their job to look after you and you struggle as its hard to see someone so strong suddenly become so vulnerable. I hope that you've managed to sort things out and that they are now protected properly.
Bailey thanks for the woo hoo!
PB0 -
Morning Crackers,
It's a beautiful day here in sunny Wales, the kind of day that lifts your heart! I can see ponies, lambs and sheep grazing on the marsh and despite everything else going on, all feels well with the world. I know this happy feeling also comes from the fact that I feel back in control of my eating after a number of "lost" months. The half stone I have dropped in the last few weeks makes such a difference - all my clothes fit me properly again and my slightly bigger clothes are unwearable as they are hanging off me. I hadn't really realized this until I went into M&S yesterday. I saw a summer skirt I quite liked which would be good for when I go to Italy in July. I picked up a 16 because in my head I'm really big again and then grabbed a 14 to see how far off it I was. I could get the 16 on without undoing it and the 14 is quite roomy. I'm really not that far off a 12 which is such a motivating thought. It will inspire me to stick with the healthy eating and to keep off the chocolate and hot cross buns over Easter. Strangely, when I looked in the mirror after my shopping trip I didn't look as fat as I had before I went. It just goes to show that what we see in the mirror is affected by how we feel in the head. When I started with the Crackers 2.25 years ago I was wearing size 20 clothes so I've come quite a long way with the support of you lovely ladies. I am hopeful that this year I will drop yet more weight and get down to a size 10 which I haven't been for 20 years now. Small changes definitely make a difference in the long term. 2 years ago a size 10 felt like a pipe dream but now it is a realistic possibility and that makes me feel good.
I had another reminder about the progress I've made from a friend the other day. We dropped in to see some friends in Surrey on the way back from London and she has lost quite a bit of weight over the last year and is currently doing a sponsored weight loss for charity. She's looking well and she told me that she had been inspired by how good I looked when she saw me last summer. She said "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I thought if you could do it, then I could do it!" I was absolutely thrilled to hear her say that and it's absolutely true.........if I can do it, anyone can!
Today I am awaiting a pair of French connection shorts which I have ordered for my Italy holiday in a size 12 ......... and I WILL be wearing them!
Be good Crackers, we can all do this if we put our minds to it!
xx0 -
A lovely email, LMV. It has definitely inspired me. I am in a slump at the moment so it was lovely to hear such positive thinking. OH has been away all week, so my eating has been not so good. Also think my abscess is starting again, which will probably mean surgery. This is obviously more of a risk now with the Haemophilia. So your post was like a ray of sunshine!
You should be so proud of yourself dropping all those dress sizes. I am an eighteen now but some of my sixteen's do still fit. So to be a 14 for the summer would be amazing. I am so positive you will also reach your size 10.
My long mail(s) that got lost when you were on hols were about a summer challenge. Only with not so much emphasis on the challenge! I am not in the least bit competitive (wish I was) and would surely buckle under pressure, but how about we try to come up with an individual or a team cracker goal for the summer?
Any thoughts and/or advice would be fab off all us Crackers. so how about it? What will be this years? I remember Operation pencil skirt, (MITM), and my desperate need to fit in my Hobbs dress for step-daughters very stressful wedding. A dress purposely made a size too small at sewing classes, (LMV). Also Brackens Nephew (I think?) whose wedding required fitting into a dress too. All of these things we have achieved, so together we are really quite strong!
Please be forth-coming with your thoughts. My parents arrive 5 weeks today and I would have loved to have made a good start by then.
Thank you Ladies, and a massive thank you to you LMV for making me want to get up and have another go at this dreadful excess weight I am carrying. x x
Love to all, BM x x
Ps MITM, checked out John Lewis and they have a couple of really lovely Easter wreathes, unfortunately they won't deliver one here but I am getting one sent to my parents so I can fetch it back in the summer ready for next year! (I had never seen one til I saw your beautiful wreathe)0 -
Evening Crackers,
BM, good idea and I am so pleased to hear that I offered you a little bit of inspiration! Well my size 12 shorts arrived and I can get them on and done up but they are rather tight across the tummy. However, the larger sizes are going back and I'm keeping the smaller ones. So I have my challenge.............it's the Summer Shorts Challenge! I now need to get enough weight off for them to fit comfortably across my tummy and I also need to do something to get my legs in good shape as these shorts are a little shorter than I would normally wear. There is a decent hem on them so I can lengthen them by over an inch but I will definitely need to do a bit of work on my thighs as well as losing weight.
Sorry to hear about your abscess and the thought of surgery looming on the horizon BM. That's obviously not a nice prospect at all, but don't let it stop you making another start on weight loss. In the five weeks before your parents arrive you could chip away half a stone quite comfortably if you put your mind to it. I've done it and I'm ashamed to say I've done it without any exercise and I really have no excuse for not exercising other than sheer laziness. I know exercise is hard for you for both climatic and health reasons, but you could still lose weight. And as my friend said, if I can do it then you definitely can too. I started by being extremely strict for 7 days. I told myself "This is only for 7 days and you can do it" every time I was tempted and it worked. I gave up alcohol and sugar and basically ate fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs and limited bread and cheese for a week. I dropped 4lbs in that week and it kick started me off again after months of no progress. What I did might not work for you, but some kind of strict regimen for a week to get you back on track might help. Also, start a project so you have something to occupy your time and distract you from food. Get those knitted cushion covers out from the back of the wardrobe and pledge to get one finished during that week! Or sew something, or sort out a photo album or any thing which will keep you absorbed. I've got my bossy boots on again haven't I? Lol
Looking forward to hearing what everyone else's challenges will be. Summer shorts, here I come!!
xx0 -
Hi Crackers - WELL DONE LMV - WOOHOO TO YOU!!!
What a star and what an inspiration. I'm in awe. We all seem to have been in the doldrums in recent months but I hope that we are all feeling better now. I know I'm feeling much more positive and have been a lot better in recent days although still not managing as much exercise as I had been. The ankle is definitely much better though - will do lots of dancing tonight so see how it holds up!
I guess my big challenge will be to get back that amazing moment when I put on the size 16 pencil skirt last year and was complimented in all directions. This may be helped by a new romantic interest that is starting up in my life - I'll tell you more soon - we haven't met yet but seem very compatible online. We are certainly enjoying email chatting. He's originally from Spain. I hope to meet him very soon. In any case, I reckon I need to lose most of a stone to make the pencil skirt look stunning again - so I want to try and do that by the end of June. (10 weeks...). I'll let you know how it goes.
Take care all - and good luck with the surgery BM - I hope it is not too traumatic for you.
PB0 -
Morning Crackers,
Great to hear you sounding so positive PB after all that you've been through and I hope you had a fantastic time dancing the night away in a fabulous frock at the ball. There's nothing like dancing to lift the spirits in my opinion. I LOVE to dance although these days I seem to do most of it in the kitchen lol. It's also very exciting to hear there might be a bit of romance in the air.........I'll look forward to hearing of any developments!
So, two of us have our challenges, me with my summer shorts and you with your pencil skirt. So come on, how about the rest of you?
I've had a reasonable but not brilliant week-end food wise. Went out for a meal on Saturday, no starter, no desert and no alcohol so not too bad. Went to football yesterday afternoon and succumbed to a twix with a cup of tea at half time because I felt so cold. We had dinner at some friends - again no desert, but I did have the best part of a bottle of wine when we got home and some Jaffa cakes. A bit of a naughty day, but not so bad that I feel down about it. We all have to let loose sometimes. Back to being healthy today!
I'm off to strip the beds in the spare bedrooms and get them made up ready for guests we have arriving next week. That should burn some calories!
Have a good week Crackers and get going on those challenges!
xx0
