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Hi Crackers!,
It has been an absolute joy and delight to log in here everyday and read the posts whilst my parents were here. My mother was quite ill, with my father having days of lethargy etc. I think the humidity made everything so much worse. It hit 47c here on a couple of days. So bless them, I think I was as relieved as they were for them to board the plane and be on their way home to the UK. I don't think they will ever return here. This time the heat was just too much for them.
So my daily check in with the crackers kept me from "cracking up". Unfortunately it did not stop me eating, hence the enormous weight gain, but I am right back on track now and "in the zone" lol x Reading the highs and lows of our daily lives is just like a real life soap opera in a good way! It also put's ones own problems in perspective too.
I have to start supper now, time seems to whizz around here so quickly, but then once it's 7pm and dark again (every night) I just want to "hunker down" for the evening so not much gets done. I try to get as much of the daily grind done as possible in the daylight hours. I would be absolutely no good in the places that have very little daylight through the winter!
Wishing everyone a happy Monday,
BM x x0 -
A quick pop-in during a rest from gardening. I was going to complain loudly about the heat (31C and very humid) but then see your 47C, BM, and am rather humbled. I can't imagine it as I'm being drained by what we have. I did manage to get Nellie out for a 1 1/2 mile walk this morning and then did 20 minutes on my bike so I have that at least for today. I would like to ride but besides the temps, there are terrifically high winds. Once again we are being affected by tornadoes in the US. I have a number of very tall trees and it is quite scary seeing them sway so much in the winds. Of course, some twigs and smaller branches come down and so there is more cleanup. MITM, that is a good quote from Beck. I have certainly been guilty of the all or nothing attitude to doing exercise. This is too bad because sometimes even a little exercise does help one feel better even if it is not going to burn hundreds of calories.
Looking forward to seeing what exercise you choose to do.0 -
Morning Crackers - hope all are well and enjoying life! Sorry to hear you haven't been able to ride Bracken. I had a ride yesterday afternoon but poor Harley was being plagued by flies (despite being drenched in fly repellent). I gave him a shower when we got home as he was hot and sweaty too. He really doesn't like the summer. I 'glowed like a waterfall' myself when I was mucking out Merlin's day stable. It was very warm - there was a cool breeze but it wasn't blowing into his box.
Well its now 2 days till my 'tour' of Holland. I'm looking forward to it. We had the first concert at Landguard Fort in Felixstowe - which was absolutely freezing - my voice wobbled with my shivering! Its an amazing place but the weather was so cold the 17 people who turned up to listen were wrapped up like the middle of winter! Last night Mum and I did a review of what I need to take with me and did my main packing. Gives me a day or two to think of what I might have forgotten!
Its funny isn't it how we each have different reactions to our weather! BM not being able to cope with countries where there is little sunlight especially during the winter. Bracken and I not liking warm humid weather! The windy weather in trees can be very scary can't it. In the winter this year we had some real blows and bits of the forest have swathes of trees that have been blown down.
So, today - first order of business is to make a chocolate cake for Hilda, then to go to Woodbridge to see if I can find a pair of flat sandals to wear. I bought some cheap shoes but they immediately started rubbing, then I bought a pair of black flat shoes and they pinched so much I gave them to Mum so I need to spend money on a decent pair of sandals.
Lots of job applications going in but not much happening at the moment - having said that I'm searching several times a day and applying as soon as something comes up so I'm having to wait for closing dates.
I'm getting the exercise but I must admit I'm struggling with eating and drinking with Mum and Dad staying - and it won't be easy in Holland either.
Oh well. take care all and speak to you soon.
PB xx0 -
Hope you have a wonderful time in Holland PB x x0
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Another quick pop-in but want to make sure to wish you the best in Holland, PB. You may be having trouble organizing eating at the moment, with parents visiting and going away, but our struggles here are not just about losing weight but gaining health. You are doing two things really well, exercise and even singing. I recently heard most of a radio documentary on singing and people's reluctance to do so. It was pointed out that singing is associated with a longer, healthier life so you have another item in your good health basket. In my area of Ontario, were lucky to get off with just the high winds yesterday and never did get any thunderstorms (we could use the rain though). About 2 1/2 hours north of here a tornado touched down and destroyed 80- 100 homes but fortunately there were no injuries to people. Today is slightly cooler and I've managed to walk Nellie almost 2 miles (had to come in for Coronation Street which is now on in the morning because of FIFA Soccer) but hope to finish it off later.0
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Rather busy the past couple of days but wanted to drop in. The weather has been good, with little humidity. Thurs was the best, almost cool, but suited me. Nellie and I walked 2 1/2 miles and I did a 20 minute and a 15 minute bike ride. Yesterday I rode and Nellie went wild with running with the stable dog. I was also pleased upon weighing myself to find my weight back to the point were I am 4 pounds from my former best weight here. Both days were also heavy gardening days in preparation for Saturday. Today was not a good exercise day but very busy as the installer for rebuilding my retaining wall at the front of the house came. It is made of wood and, to save expenses, I stained and varnished the wood myself but regrettably had miscalculated how much was needed so today I had to go out and buy additional wood and materials and do the staining. I also drove a truck load of old materials and plant material for disposal ( part of the bed had two large eunonymous bushes that had run amuk, become intertwined and to make matters worse, were also mixed with a very invasive campanula plant- all this I had to dig out so I hope that counted as exercise!) I'm really pleased with how the work is turning out. Today the larger area on the right side of the house was completed; next week the plan is to do the other side on Mon. and Wed. as it was really too much for today. I have also in the past two days done most of the so-called touch up painting on my garage. In fact, this has involved the large garage doors, two windows, and partly finishing a smaller door. MITM, I draw on your exploits in painting when I find myself flagging! Tomorrow I plan to ride in the morning and then have a baby shower for a niece to attend in the afternoon. I need to work in the varnishing of the wood I stained today too before Monday afternoon. I'll be glad to have this project done- now all I have to do is figure out what to do with all the plants I dug up that were overgrown and need dividing. Monday and Tuesday are projected to be humid so I may be grumbling. Hope everyone is having a good weekend.0
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Hello everyone. What a treat to sit here after another day of hard gardening- every muscles in my body seems to be aching at the moment. As I mentioned in the previous post, the installer finished the larger section of the retaining wall but I am doing the actual renovating of the bed itself. I can't believe how many plants and even a shrub I have dug up. I'm not sure what I'll do with them all as there are too many to put back. An odd thing happened when I was working today; a man from a couple of streets over stopped his car and came and looked at what I was doing. He said it looked good and chatted a bit about his garden. He told me where he lives and I said I might look at his garden when I am on my bike. From what he said, he sounds very methodical in how he gardens. I however am not a disciplined gardener. I can't seem to be as ruthless as is probably necessary to have an immaculate garden. I often have too many varieties of plants as I tend to buy a plant on the basis of its appeal rather than how it will fit into an overall scheme or plan. I offered him a couple of clumps of dwarf iris which he seemed pleased to take so that cut back a little on my surplus. Anyway, all that shifting of dirt, raking of roots, and levelling with the rake has got to have been some exercise. I did also take Nellie for two miles of walking and did a 20 minute bike ride. I'm pleased to have done so much since it was hot and humid today. Thunderstorms were forecast for late afternoon but there was only a sprinkle of rain. It is now becoming quite dry. Yesterday morning I had a good ride on my horse and, for the first time in some time, did three small jumps- nothing really to crow about but it gave me hope that I could get doing a little more again.0
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Wow Bracken, you certainly do a lot in your days! I enjoyed but felt exhausted reading all that! Must have felt so good for a fellow gardener to admire your garden. I am more in your camp re planting though. At my last house the children and I were "planting" new bulbs, just like yourself I am not regimented, so just threw them over my shoulder and we planted them where they landed! Looked lovely too when they came up. No idea of names but really pretty! lol x
We are having new patios, shed, turf etc being done at the moment in our Welsh house, thankfully my son is there to oversee it all, so hopefully when we arrive home in a few weeks it will all be ready. I don't have the heart to have flower beds or ponds yet as not living there makes me feel detached from the day to day of it. I love hearing all both your and MITM gardening tales as it is something I long for. I cannot wait to have my own home and a garden that I can live in, decorate and tend to daily! I admire you enormously for having the dedication to manage your garden on your own.
Also, brilliant to be jumping again! An enormous boost to your confidence and you sound as if you really enjoy it too. I must admit to enjoying hacking to jumping, but always enjoyed watching those who do jump. Who knows, one day I may get a stable and field at the bottom of my garden and new home........Oh well, a girl can dream lol x x
Hope you and Nellie enjoy your walks today, Harry and I are just out for our second before the heat of the day becomes too much. We had an overnight storm so the humidity is horrendous at the moment. Hopefully it will get better later on.
Wishing all the other Crackers a good and safe day,
BM x x0 -
Good Evening Crackers!
I sat sipping my tea, reading the posts this morning with hanging, wavy, curls (that's as straight as my hair ever gets!) and all this talk of humidity I could almost feel my hair tightening!!
We had a storm last night and it wasn't even that hot during the day. I believe at the moment it's hotter in England as my daughter pranced off to the beach in a little pair of shorts at the weekend. I'm so happy for her that she now has the confidence and the figure for such an outfit. I was lecturing yet again this time quoting from the blogs! The daughter was debating whether to indulge and have an ice-cream at the beach or not. Her willpower is amazing, for me if I see an ice-cream van there's no decision to be made except which type, and my daughter loves ice-cream as much as her Mother!
But her goal is to look her very best when she returns to her pencil thin (but unfit) teenage friends here and spends the summer in a bikini beside the pool, which she intends to cycle to. But my advice (from the blog) as she has no further weight to lose and she isn't dieting, just eats very healthily and rarely makes a poor choice and exercises lots, although even her English friends don't like 'exercise' whilst last night, she attended a boot-camp class with its very own 'Jillian' in charge shouting at them and absolutely loved it - that she should now follow this quote;-
'Live the healthiest life you can ENJOY' Dr Yoni Freehoff
The rest of this lady's blog is so sensible she has lost 130lbs and she writes;-
'You don't have to stick to your calorie goal EVERYDAY for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Fit, thin, healthy people indulge on a holiday... then they go back to normal eating. Fit, thin, healthy people do not feel guilty for having a slice of home-made cake on their birthday, or going to a special restaurant to celebrate a special occasion.'
This is so true, I go off to England and gain a few pounds but I enjoy myself, I come back go back to my way of eating and the pounds fall off again gradually and painlessly! It works!
Huge drum roll Bracken - for your hard work in the garden (my garden BM is rural but under control!) and your huge achievement of knocking off those pounds again - fantastic! You must be in first place for the summer challenge cup! Now please when your sister comes to visit apply the above quote and enjoy yourself but don't go completely off track and undo all your hard work!
Well it's time for another cup of tea for me. Be good Crackers!0 -
Good evening. Great posts since I last checked in. MITM, lots of wise words to reflect upon. You must have inspired your daughter re weight, diet, and exercise and how fortunate she is to have managed her weight and developed a positive attitude to exercise at her young age. I think I read the blog you quoted; it's very good. I am familiar with Yoni Freehoff who is a Canadian doctor who specializes in weight issues and is, I think, associated with the University of Ottawa. I've heard him interviewed as he has a book out and he also does a blog (Weighty Matters) that is worth checking into. Thanks for the kudos, MITM, but I think others have been really making headway in the summer challenge- New82 and Saffy are on a roll and LMV when she last reported was also progressing by leaps. I am trying to forge ahead though and I'm quite pleased with adding the biking (today 25 minutes, though not able to do it every day). I had a good ride on my horse also today and yes, more gardening. I also stopped at a nearby farm and bought the first local strawberries of the season- fabulous. The farm has U-pick and tomorrow or Saturday I hope to pick some for the freezer. I like to pick my own; not only is it less expensive but you can pick selectively and avoid the over-ripe or blemished. I'll also pick a couple of quarts for the barn owner as she certainly does a lot of little extras for us at the stable. BM, you must be itching for the time when you can enjoy your Welsh home again. It sounds as if you are having quite a lot of work done so you'll have a lot to look forward to. My new retaining wall is now finished and it is a very nice improvement. I've started re-planting some plants but now I am rethinking some of what is in the bed and want to remove two more quite large shrubs- no wonder I can't get finished! Quite tired and it is now well past ten. A hot and humid day predicted for tomorrow and for the next several days though probably not as intense as yours, BM. So I'll think of you walking your HArry twice when I am flagging and whinging about the heat. Must off now. Regards.0
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Evening Crackers .... if there's anyone out there?!
I'm struggling at the moment, be it work (tired), the weather (fresh snow on the very top of the mountains last night!) or just life in general... but I can't find the motivation to exercise! However my friend is back from her holiday so I did trot around the village with her and I did paint 3 window panes with undercoat, so hopefully tomorrow I will find the energy to paint them properly. I'm lacking all my get up and go and I can't blame humidity! I ate too many biscuits yesterday whilst bored, husband was working (blame him!) and it rained all day (blame the weather!) however has anyone else read 'you eat the cookie?' in the blogs. Well I did today and that helped put the biscuits into perspective, whilst I may have missed the chance to cancel out the damage over lunch yesterday, I can do it over the week and hopefully STS again, because unlike in the bad old days, I didn't eat the packet as I so easily would have once done!
Be good Crackers!0 -
MITM, you described exactly how I am feeling......usually being this close to our Annual Holiday (AKA Endurance Test/relationship test) I am running around like a mad thing. I am usually walking or swimming for hours on end, This time I just feel blurgh. I have been excellent with my calories and food choices, but last night made myself a sausage sandwich (quorn) at about 10pm. I could not tell you when I last ate one of those, never mind ate that late. I have not been hungry as I use my calories quite wisely, I think I was just fed up.
I am sure I am just stressing at the thought of it all. What is getting to me as well (Oops, I'm on a roll), is that I have had lovely new clothes delivered from the UK but now I will have to choose what still fits rather than what I would like to take. I know I still have 3 weeks which should easily see me drop 7lbs but I just don't see it happening.
Oh well enough of the whinging, I'm glad you have started with a walk again, your painting will for sure help, with all the bending and stretching involved. The most I have done is jumped out of the bath and raced out to the lounge when a lizard popped up from behind one of my plants. (OH's face was a treat lol). Needless to say we are now minus bathroom plants.
Wishing everyone a happy 1st of July (white rabbits).
BM x x
Ps, thank you for listening to my moans x x x0 -
Hello all. I'm here, MITM, though this is just a pop-in mainly because it is so hot in my (not air conditioned)study that this is not the time for a longer screed. Temps here in the 30's plus humid. BM, don't feel too badly about your clothes. The fact that you have so consistently and for a long period of time done very well with calories/food choices to me says that you are making real behavioural changes in your eating ( the sausage sandwich is to be expected on occasion) pattern. I think of what Yoni Freehoff says (MITM, you have quoted him before) and that is 'you can't outrun your fork.' He believes it is more important to learn to regulate your eating rather than think you can lose weight by madly exercising off overeating. He wants people to think of exercise for health primarily. I struggle at times more with regulating eating than exercising consistently though I do feel exercise for me helps moderate appetite. I can understand your stress with the international travel you do- I'm sure it is an endurance test. I'm sure you'll find something in your closet that will work for you. Although I am not a 'clotheshorse', I certainly think I feel better if I feel good about what I am wearing and/or feel an outfit is as flattering as possible. For me, I usually default to black and/ or a monochromatic colour scheme. Today I have been wearing a small black and white gingham check shirt with my black capris and thought that it looks rather more flattering than some of my more colourful tees. July first here is an important day, Canada Day so enjoyed the wishes for the day but am confused about the "white rabbits." MITM, sorry you have a case of blahs (that snow on the mountain alone would do it for me) but I'm sure you'll soon rally; your walk around the village must count for something. Must go for the rest of my Canada Day but shall return soon with updated news. Take care all. regards.0
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Evening Crackers!
I can see the snow on the very top of the mountains clearly from my window as I'm typing, since I've removed the windows for painting - it will be shutters only for us tonight! Brrrrr!
Oh BM I remember that feeling of stress all too well when it comes to packing for England but I also know BM, you have a vast wardrobe to choose from in whatever size currently fits and I guess you always dress exquisitely! There lies the difference between us, I only ever had clothes far too small, hanging in my wardrobe and the one outfit I lived in whilst waiting to be a whole lot smaller - nothing in between making my life miserable! And when it came to leaving my mountain retreat to head for England in this one unsuitable outfit - oh stress, stress, STRESS!
In fact I suspect having read a bit more about Yoni Freehoff's book after your excellent quote Bracken, 'Diet Fix' I may well have suffered from 'post-traumatic dieting disorder' in the past (the all or nothing approach with a gruelling exercise programme thrown in, on a low calorie diet which you can't keep up, then you give up and put on all you've lost and more....) One of the reviewers of the book said and I quote 'be at a weight where you can be happy, that you can happily maintain'. That is me now, with a basic wardrobe of mix and match clothes which fit the few pounds over target me and only a couple of items for when I'm really at my target weight!!! Because I've learnt I do need to eat and celebrate birthdays, Easter and Christmas etc...
I do try 90% of the time to avoid eating what I class rubbish and exercise every day even if it's only 'housework' to maintain my weight but another quote I came across 'If it seems like we have to take extraordinary measures to attain and maintain a normal weight, it's because we live in extra ordinary times.' That is true as temptation is everywhere and Bracken is right BM you are making progress in the right direction so just keep going! I too go to the UK this month for 10 days but I would like to stick to my eating plan until I leave so we're in the same boat and we can lose weight! So to help keep me focused and shift my remaining pounds I'm going to make myself salsacise daily for the next 2 weeks.
I'm meeting my Joan Collins friend tomorrow so I shall have to abandon my painting outfit for the day. Bracken your outfit sounded most chic!
Be good Crackers!0 -
Great post, MITM. But Yikes, you and BM off to Britain at the same time. I'll be suffering withdrawal symptoms whilst you are away! You are so right about how we live in extraordinary times even in terms of food. It wasn't so long ago that the term foodie came into general use. And it seems that those who create food dishes have to keep upping the ante to be new and fresh so ice creams become ever more elaborate with add ins and calories. Today in the paper there was an article about the latest ice cream sandwiches, ice cream between the most elaborate casings, cream puff type things or macaroon cookie shells etc. Here one often reads of the comparisons of serving sizes of various foods and drinks from back in the fifties or sixties and today. The problem is that the larger sizes become normalized and we think that it was a serving should be. On a different note, I'll say that there is an epidemic of sudden change in my family. Three members have independently and suddenly decided to move. A sister in Saskatchewan and her husband put their lovely log home up for sale (it sold very quickly) and will move from their rural acreage two hours north of Saskatoon and move probably to Saskatoon to be near an airport as they travel a lot since they winter in Arizona and their daughter has set up an eye clinic in British Columbia and they go there frequently, plus their son is in university in Saskatoon. I loved their rural home. A brother who has always been a bit of a wanderer likewise put up his Ontario home, has sold it quickly, and when his wife retires at the end of August is headed to British Columbia. One of my other sisters surprised us by telling us she has bought a house in a small town on Lake Erie with her partner and has moved from St. Thomas, not a great distance but a real surprise. Apparently they had bought the house last fall but had to have major renovations done. In fact, I saw it on the weekend and it is very charming. All this I suppose only reinforces the adage, that nothing is certain in life but change. Most off for now. Back soon.0
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Good Morning MITM and Bracken (and Nellie!).
Clicked on MFP and saw 2 lovely long posts so just had to have another cup of tea to sit and enjoy whilst reading them. It may sound "weird", but often the only contact I have with "real" people, albeit on the internet is when I read your posts. (Our little circle feels so real to me). I can go for days here and not speak to a soul. In fact sometimes if I call Harry and hear my own voice, it startles me! I will be on my own for a while at the end of the week till next week as OH is off to Hong Kong, so these posts really will be a lifeline for me then. It is so difficult with the 8 hours time difference to speak to my children on a regular basis as they work and two of them travel with their jobs. So please NEVER underestimate how important each little or long mail is x x (pity part over now! lol x x).
MITM, your dieting history sounds a lot like mine, before "The Wedding" I remember hitting 26-30000 steps each day. Plus the swimming for hours on end. Combined with a ridiculously low calorie diet. Needless to say, I put it all back on and more. So for now I am going to get through this "holiday" and then on September 1st which is a Monday begin my slowly, slowly approach to losing 40lb. I will have almost a year until the next annual vacation so it is doable. However, as you so rightly say, you have to live as well, so there will be no faddy eating. I will enjoy a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend, and I will only do exercise I am happy with! I am currently watching a few different Yoga and Pilates DVD's I recently purchased. I may combine them with walking and swimming. I don't really think all that jumping around with Jillian is for me, but never say never!
You are also right MITM, my wardrobe is quite ridiculous. I have clothes ranging from a UK 14 to a 20. So I have already started mentally working out a sort of capsule wardrobe. I also spend literally hours agonising oer what to wear when travelling. Although I have come to realise it is my way of coping by diverting attention from the fact that if I am stressing over what to wear, I am not stressing about spending 15hours at 36000feet in a plastic tube!
Will start part two in case I lose this ridiculously long post!0 -
Part 2!!!!!
Forgot to say MITM, enjoy the salsacise!
Bracken, before I forgot this............White Rabbits is said on the first day of the month as a way of ensuring good fortune for the rest of that month! It is a British superstition which no one really know how it originated but it can be traced as far back as 1909 in children's books. It is supposed to be the first words spoken and/or thought to "ensure" it works positively. (I go so far as to write it on my calendar to remind me, I need all the help I can get with offering of good luck! lol x)
Bracken, you are so correct in how much improved my eating habits are. I admit I lag behind in the exercise stakes, but it's a start. I give a lot of the credit to MFP. Tesco diets may well have given the boost I needed to start this journey, but MFP has taught me it's a lifestyle not a diet. I absolutely love the quote, "you can't outrun a fork". I am going to keep that in mind. Obviously, I know I would have given up long ago, or at least tried a dozen or more faddy/desperate diets if it hadn't been for the help and support of the Cracker's. I don't know that I altogether believe in coincidence, I just feel we were meant to be.
Back to the wardrobes! Your shirt and capri's sounded so chic and fab to me. Knowing your love of colour I just bet you would have turned that into a wonderful evening outfit with a pop of colour, ie a red or orange clutch, a quick slick of matching lipstick, maybe a bangle or two and voila, you would be looking elegant, classy and ready for whatever the night brings! Also with being 4lbs (or is it less now?) off your best summer weight you must be so much more confident and just know you are looking good in your clothes. How strange that your siblings are moving en masse but independently! After all the hard work, expense and love you have put into your and Nellie's home I would think it would be the last thing on your mind. So lets hope you don't catch the moving bug! x x
I have a pile of ironing now, and have to check OH has the shirts he will need for his trip ready. He is worse than me in that he has over 20 work shirts, but I can guarantee he will want to take the two or three needing ironing/washing. I do laundry daily, but with the humidity we have to change several times a day so it is a never ending chore.
Hope LMV is safely back from her trip. I just hope her Father in law has settled well, and that it's not the reason we have not heard from her. LMV if you are reading this, we are thinking of you and I know we all miss you x x
PB, Have you finished your singing and Dutch trip yet? Would love to hear how it all went x x
Wishing everyone a safe and happy day, BM x x0 -
Hello all. BM, I can only second your comment about how "real" and dear you crackers all are, and l have days when at the end I realize that I have not spoken to anyone other than Nellie. Living by myself and having so many of my family and also friends still working, in the week a day may pass without engaging with anyone. This is more likely in the winter when housebound. Now, if I am gardening I almost always will have one of two neighbours ' pass the time of day' with me. There are also a great number of people from the general neighbourhood who walk by with dogs and I often greet them with a "that's a handsome dog" or such and like me, most dog lovers love to chat about their dogs. I have finally finished the replanting and dividing of plants from my renovated flower bed; it turned out to be a much greater job than I expected and I could still do more but am trying to remind myself I don't have to do more but should only do it if there are not other things I want to do. A garden is after all always a work in progress and I've also been somewhat more fussy this year because of my friend from England coming later in July. One of the pleasures of a garden is how it can surprise you. I have the loveliest large pink lilies; I don't think they have ever bloomed as prolifically before. Also my evening primroses, a rather ordinary plant by many accounts, were very lush and such a cheery brilliant yellow. Because I have so much shade in my garden, all little spots of colour are greatly appreciated. Another nature note; the nest where the robin raised the three young ones has been taken over by a pair of sparrows. I never knew that sparrows would go into a nest that another bird had built. I have not yet seen a single monarch butterfly and far fewer bees in my flowering shrubs. There is a lot of press here about the ill effects of a pesticide on bees and calls to ban it as in Europe but regrettably Canada often lags behind in these matters. This morning Nellie and I went to the stable and the barn owner surprised my friend and I when she came over to see if we would like to do some supervised jumping. Unfortunately, my GERD was quite bad today and I could only do a couple of jumps but it has whetted my appetite again. It is now ten minutes since I wrote the previous sentence. What happened in the meantime? I happened to glance out the window of this den on the upper story and saw Nellie jumping out from among a large hosta. Then I saw on the ground a small creature. I not sure what it was but thought by the movement a toad. Too slow and jumpy for a mouse. I'm very fond of toads but they are seldom in my garden here so to have one is a bit of an honour. I yelled at Nellie to leave it which she did, at least while I was yelling out the window. Then I ran down to the garden and took Nellie out. I looked but could not find anything. Worse case scenario she gulped whatever it was down as I ran down the stairs (it is reminiscient of the rabbit incident when she was just a pup and gulped down that baby rabbit alive. I know it can be a dog's nature but beyond my concern for the creature I'm not very keen for her to be eating wildlife which can carry a variety of germs!) I checked her mouth for any telltale sign but could discern nothing. I think I'll choose to believe whatever it was escaped! BM, your plans re diet and exercise sound very reasonable and positive. I'll think of you when I dress up my capris for going out when my English friend is here. I really understand what you say about focusing on the clothes you'll take to allay thinking about the trip itself. Oh why can there not be a return to regular ship passage ( not expensive cruises) just ships that would make regular workaday runs across the oceans! Regards to all.0
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Evening Crackers!
.... funny thing my 26 week diet log which I started back in March 2013 - still has 2 weeks left uncompleted! However that's convenient as I'm going to stick to my diet plan and log until I depart for England.... I AM!!!
Ooh just seen my ticker....0 -
Well Hello Crackers!!! I'm sorry I've been out of touch for so long. Judging by the many lovely posts we've all been facing our demons in recent weeks so well done those of you who have been continuing to communicate. So, I have lots to update you on so I'll try and do that in one post - but if it gets too long may be more! In the meantime, I was reading your post Bracken about your sister in Saskatchewan - I had cousins living in Perdue for many years who have now moved into Saskatoon! Also good to hear you have been riding (and jumping) well done.
MITM - You have been so positive for so long - well done. Give yourself a little break - you are so close to your ideal and that's probably the point which will always be the most difficult to deal with - its so easy to take your foot off the pedal at that point and yet it is so tantalisingly close. You will be fine and will enjoy your holidays (I hope!).
BM - its nice that you see us as 'real'. I know exactly what you mean. At present, being unemployed I am struggling at times to connect with friends. Its so embarrassing to be in this position but more difficult is the 'advice' that people give - I'm actually being quite positive but when people start giving me 'advice' about how to find a job I start getting very worried that I'm never going to find a job. Its good to know the Crackers are supporting me.
So - a catch up on my doings. Well food and drink wise its been very enjoyable but not very well behaved. Lots of lovely food and wine but the results are plain to be seen - on my hips and in the reduced choice of wardrobe - and especially when riding Harley! Still a great deal of pleasure has been had. Holland was fabulous and I really enjoyed it. The weather was very good - not too hot but dry and bright. The first concert was not so well attended but we nailed it and the second concert was much better in a beautiful, ancient church in Edam. I'm eating the Edam that I bought over the last couple of days - absolutely delicious and SO different from what you buy in the supermarket! The audience was much better and we were delighted to receive a standing ovation from both audiences. The evening meal on Sunday evening was at a Restaurant on the beach not far from our hotel. We sang a piece called Sunset and Evening Star as the sun went down (to the bemusement of the rest of the diners) and Barbara (who is being treated for breast cancer for the 2nd time) and I turned right instead of left and went for a paddle before getting back on the coach. I shared a room with Nancy who was a sweetheart and we were a bit rebellious and stayed in the hotel on the first day so we could enjoy the pool and go for a walk. It was so nice as Nancy is originally from America but her family are now in Australia. While we were in Holland her father remarried - sadly, 10 days later he has died (he was very ill). She had a lovely conversation with him the day after the wedding and I think she felt quite comforted by that given the following news.
I spent my birthday weekend (last weekend) in Fleet in Hampshire with friends. we had a lovely (if boozy) weekend with a lot of good food (as in mostly healthy - but Rod makes bread and is a Paul Hollywood fan. Stilton and grape flatbreads/homemade pitta bread). I had a lovely set of digital scales to help me to measure my food though so I've been taking advantage of that now. We also did a fair amount of walking which was really nice.
Whilst I was in Holland, Dad ended up in hospital again but he went to Ipswich Hospital as they were staying at mine whilst I was away - they looked after him so well he has been better than he had been for some time. So well after 5 days and yet several stays at Addenbrookes have done nothing to help him. Very frustrating really. Ipswich Hospital is always being slated whilst Addenbrookes is seen as a beacon. Personally, I think Addenbrookes is very good if you can be cured - but not so good if you have a chronic disease. Well done Ipswich Hospital!
I have been doing a lot of riding which has been reasonably pleasant - although there are now lots of flies around so not so pleasant. Harley hates the flies and spends his whole time trying to get rid of them which makes for an uncomfortable ride for me. Having said that my jodphurs are getting rather tight so another reason why I need to get back on track.
Well I expect there are lots of other things I should tell you about but I think the above is enough now.
take care Crackers and for those going on holiday in the near future - have a great time!
PB xxx0
