Let's get started
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P.S. Please excuse the couple of punctuation errors below. The post did not let me edit it for some reason.0
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Hi Bracken, I must have been away when MITM issued the Christmas challenge. Could you please explain more about it? Thank you. Unfortunately I have not seen either "trip film", but I absolutely love Italy. I have seen the film "under the Tuscan sun" so many times I am practically word perfect. I also bought the books which originated the idea of the film and loved those too. They are the true story of an American lady who bought an old house in Tuscany and renovated it. The film is loosely based on it but the books are recipe/autobiographical and quite good. We have some excitement here too in our complex. At the moment filming of a "Hollywood Blockbuster" (the info leaflet and posters words! lol)is going on in the grounds. So we are quite restricted where we can go and security is a nightmare, even worse than usual! Not too sure what it is about yet as Harry and I have avoided all those people and noise as he is excitable on a quiet day. If anyone is interested our complex is on the web, just google Reflections Singapore and lots of sites are available with some photos. I did not know this until my son showed me not too long ago!
Brilliant news PB you must be on cloud nine! The job is thoroughly deserved and I wish you every happiness there. x
I am off now for our morning walk, a bit later than usual so its quite a bit hotter. I had to smile at the image of Nellie peeping over her den. Our little pups are all grown up now! The first few times we left Harry out of his pen and free in the condo we listened outside the front door to try and know what he was up to! They truly do bring joy into our lives.
Wishing all a great day, love BM x x0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
Well what an enjoyable cup of tea that was catching up on all the highs and lows of the posts. So pleased to know everyone is now back on the straight and narrow. I too have drawn the line (yet again!) but I somehow feel differently about losing the pounds this time around.
There's a line in the 'Slimming World' magazine I read on my flight 'if your weight loss took a back seat over the summer months' that could have been written for me! The stresses and strains of leaving my daughter behind, in the build up I just returned to my old friend food for comfort and with the lack of exercise whilst I was home; the pedometer didn't come out of the suitcase, the pounds crept on (4) and combined with summer I'm now 8 pounds in total over my target weight and I can feel and see each and every pound. I'm not sure I even have any autumn clothes that will fit! My trusty little measurement book tells me I'm 3 inches bigger all over including around the widest parts of my thighs. Talk about sticking my head in the sand - I shall not be avoiding the scales again as like you BM jumping on daily helps me to be good! Travelling all day and using public toilets with full length mirrors I kept seeing this person I didn't recognise! As not only have I avoided the scales I've stayed away from the mirror. But I've had a long, good look in the mirror and I don't like what I see so I'm back logging in my food and I will be exercising once I've completed cleaning the house from top to bottom and putting the garden into order.
BM my Christmas challenge is over on the QOTW thread. Bracken I did laugh over your comment about the Brownies and having not lost weight! PB great news about the job so pleased for you. Well I too am happy to be 'home' and back with the Crackers and in the right frame of mood to knock the pounds off!
Be good Crackers!0 -
P.S. ooh just see my ticker!!
Have googled BM WOW! I'm guessing 'Mission Impossible' Tom Cruise was diving down buildings in Vienna in August. Or maybe it's the next James Bond movie which it is rumoured will be filming in my valley this winter!0 -
Evening Crackers!
Well my house is spic and span from top to bottom and once more in order. However with my regular trips to the UK and what feels like round the clock rain this summer, I'm so behind in the garden I don't think I'll ever catch up!
I managed to cut the front lawn and then I ventured amongst the roses above my rockery it was like a jungle, fortunately unless you're actually up there you can't (yet) see the weeds from below, the shrubs in the rockery hide them! Above the roses there are still berries to be picked, I did pick all the ripe apricots and I have stoned and frozen them. The plums are still like rocks but I've got lots from last year in the freeze so if they don't ripen that's one less job to do!
Along with burning a few calories in the gardening I have managed whilst my potatoes were cooking for my schlipfkrapfen shifts, to fit in a couple of sessions salsacising with Rosemary. The jelly belly just has to go. In 2.5 weeks time my friend is hosting at the local hotel 'An evening with Jane Austen' alongside her piano teacher and all the pupils are playing piano pieces. I have been roped into reading (in English) various quotes from the books. I intended to wear my smart cropped wool, trousers - 'fat chance' at present.... I squeezed into them but I can't walk or sit for fear of splitting them because of the extra inches I'm 'wearing' on my hips, thighs, waist and stomach.... I didn't even bother getting my slinky top out of the wardrobe to try on as I just knew it would be more clingy than slinky. So my first mini challenge has been set to be able to move again in my trousers in 2.5 weeks.
Be good Crackers!
P.S. Christmas hour on the food network started this weekend - ooh Christmas must be approaching!!0 -
Good morning Crackers!
Well I'm feeling very saintly after my 2.5b loss this morning!!! And my faith has been completely restored in 'healthy living'!! However I have been good since arriving back, in fact really, really good with no cheating once I tried on those trousers!! Plus I've been working my butt off in the garden burning calories trying to catch up - I'm winning the garden battle but slowly. It's now Autumn here and the rain has stopped!
I have also started my latest indoor project to keep me occupied; painting my late mother-in-law's kitchen and putting my own stamp on it. I spend a fair bit of time in it, preparing the potatoes for our schlipfrapfen and it's so miserable at present. The walls like the hallways before are grey in parts. The kitchen worktops and cupboards date back to the sixties and have a retro feel. They're a pretty pale blue/grey colour mixed with white which I like but I dislike immensely the dusky pink, boring unlined curtains which have been hanging for 20 years. They were the first to go and will be used as painting rags!! I have purchased the perfect curtains from Laura Ashley in one of their many sales. They are called 'sea spray' are made up of blobs of different shades of blue one being the exact match of the work surface tops. Another blob is the same shade of blue as the soft furnishing on the dining benches. Anyway this will keep me busy for a while as I'm doing it in stages around the garden.
The trousers I'm pleased to report I can once more get into and move about in, even sit! Another pound off before the 1st October would be the icing on the cake.
Bracken - I do like your Christmas aim, a good choice and actually hard to do I find on days when one struggles to be good!! But it will be interesting to see if it helps you stay on track. BM/PB what are you going to do?
Be good Crackers!0 -
well Hello Crackers! I'm sorry I've been offline - I must admit my first week has been very busy and I have arrived home too shattered to do much except fall asleep in front of the telly! I have tried to eat a good breakfast and a healthy lunch (lots of salad) but I have been hungry when I got home and have eaten biscuits and cake that Mum left behind. I must stop doing that. My clothes are starting to feel tight which is bad news!
I have really enjoyed my first week and my new team are very friendly, and more importantly in some ways, are good at their jobs. The GPs are as I expected, tired, stressed, argumentative, under constant pressure and very low morale but they have all been on their best behaviour (well all except one who had a tantrum in the GPs meeting - but he is off on holiday now so he will probably be a different person again when he returns!).
I've got some good challenges to get my teeth into and I have already managed to get my office into some sort of order - it had been used as a bit of a dumping ground for a while as their previous manager had been on and off for a while and left in May.
The best thing of all is that I actually got paid yesterday!!!! Not a full month obviously but two weeks worth which was a welcome bit of income and will make it easier to manage until mid October and will pay all my main bills. I'll still need to be careful this month but such a relief to have a little money come in as its been going out so fast.
So, all in all, a good week. Very tiring but I think I've made a good first impression.
Riding my pony tomorrow morning - can't wait!
Xmas challenge? I think it will have to be to eat healthily, keep organised and aim to lose a half stone by the beginning of December - entirely do-able!
Take care Crackers and I'll try and pop in a bit more this coming week!
PB xxx
PS thank you all for the constant support and faith - it was a great help0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
Today is a beautiful day in the mountains; blue skies, autumn colours, falling leaves and warm sunshine.
I've just had a little trip down memory lane - as you may recall Crackers I'm a woman with a capsule wardrobe (unless we're talking gardening/painting clothes!) when the husband suddenly sprung upon me that his Aunt was having a surprise gathering to celebrate her birthday at a days notice.... It occurred to me, as I've only the one appropriate outfit had I NOT started being good again 2 weeks ago and I was still wearing the 4.5 pounds I've just lost, I would have had absolutely nothing suitable to wear!!!! Years ago in my yo yo dieting days this would often happen and I'd have made any excuse not to attend!
So this flash back has me now fully recharged to battle on and shift the last 3.5 pounds which then allows me, my more usual couple of pounds leeway, to be sure to fit into my few outfits, as I'm not returning to the bad old days!
PB - Very happy to hear that the job is sounding promising and great news you've stepped on the scales to commence battle once more!
Be good Crackers!0 -
Hello. Great to see that you had a good week in your new job, PB. I hope your life can be a little more settled now. MITM, you are doing fabulously well with dealing with that recent weight gain and setting a real example of negotiating the maintenance challenges. I hope your recent DIY project is coming along well. I know what you mean about getting rid of the dusty pink curtains- the carpet my brother has just taken up in preparation for the new flooring was dusty pink. I must say, at one point I really liked that colour and had a lot in my house and wore it a lot. I've gotten rid of it in my house but would still wear a dusty pink sweater or t-shirt as it really is a good colour on me. As I mentioned in the QOTW blog earlier in the week, I had an unexpected appointment for both a colonoscopy and a endoscopy on Friday. Thursday I couldn't do much because of the preparation for the colonoscopy, Friday was the appointment, and Saturday I still felt a bit out of it after the sedation. So it turned out to be quite a process; I am thankful however that the physician told me he saw nothing alarming during the scans. We are in very changeable weather at the moment. It jumps from quite hot to cold from day to day with a regular amount of very heavy rain. This morning there was a violent rainstorm which totally drenched the outdoor riding ring so we had to ride indoors. But because of the high temperatures, the horses became sweaty quite quickly so it rather limited how long we could ride. The frequent rain is also affecting my fall flowers, more specifically the chrysanthemums; I always like to get several large ones in September to perk up the front flower bed but have learned over the years that they are easily ruined by heavy rain. I've quit planting them into the ground and now only set them out in containers. Recently, it seems I am constantly jockeying them in and out of the garage! As the sun is out again, I'm off to take advantage of the break from rain. Regards.0
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Bracken. You really have been through the mill! Thankfully your results look good, but definitely not the nicest of ways to spend time!
PB, you sound happy in your new employment, I am sure you will put your own stamp on it and make it work how you want it to soon!
MITM, How I envy you your capsule wardrobe. One of the reasons I would love to lose weight would be to start again with my clothes. A friend and I counted some of my clothes a while back and I am utterly ashamed to say I had over 70 dresses alone. (Mostly Hobbs). I now understand I don't buy them as a "happy" or "required" purchase, but to try and make myself feel better about my size. So My challenge to myself is not to buy any more size 18 in ANYTHING and to hopefully lose 7lbs by Christmas eve. My other challenge to myself is to try to drastically cut back on alcohol. I only have 1 bottle of wine on a Saturday evening, and rarely a couple of weak Jack Daniels and coke light on a Friday. I am certain it is affecting my loss though. So my Crackers challenge is the 7lb and hopefully the other two challenges will be accomplished too!
Wishing everyone a Happy Monday. It is 39c and I have already walked and completed a my 10,000 steps so a good start to me for the week. (Trying to be positive!). I bought a fitbit in the UK and Love it.
Love BM x x0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
I'm just having a quick SCOT (sneaky cup of tea - apparently - not alcoholic BM!) but I wanted to add - having only just read your last post on the other thread BRACKEN I somehow missed it, I hope you are now feeling more yourself once more and ready to do battle once again. BM - you could open your own clothes shop! Okay there won't be many buyers in Singapore but you'll have no problem shifting the whole of your delightful wardrobe back in the UK - when you've settled and got to goal once and for all - I believe the date is set for next summer? You can do it, we all can do it! I love the sound of your 'fitbit' I had to look it up as I'm so not with it!!!
Be good Crackers - I'm off now for a walk with my friend.0 -
Well hello Crackers!
Where has the time gone? I can't believe it is so many months since I was here. Once checking in slips out of your routine there never seems to be the time to fit it back in again. I've had a quick skim of posts and see it's congrats to PB on the job. We all knew the right thing would crop up at the right time. I really hope it works out well for you. Bracken, it sounds like you have had some health problems so wishing you well in sorting those out. MITM, you have the bit between your teeth again removing your summer pounds - well done. BM, you are on a fresh start and this time you are definitely going to get to target. I see there is some sort of challenge on another thread somewhere so I'll try and check that out later.
I've had a hectic summer. Lovely holiday in Italy when I only put on 1lb despite the gelato! Lots of visitors. My friend from Auatralia has been over so I picked her up from Heathrow and she spent a few days with us in Wales. I am just back from a week-end in London with her and "the girls". I haven't been on the scales for a couple of weeks, but I know when I weigh tomorrow I will be 4-5lbs up. I enjoyed gaining them though!
It was open house week-end in London when all sorts of government and other buildings are open to the public for free. I went around the Foreign Office which has some sumptuous rooms which rival the state rooms at Buckingham Palace. It was fantastic. I also went to the Banqueting House on Whitehall. I had no idea it was there but it was built in the time of James 1, essentially for Royal parties and theatrical entertainment. It has a Rubens painted ceiling which is astonishingly beautiful and was the last room Charles 1 was in before he was executed. The scaffolding for his execution was erected outside in Whitehall and he exited to it out of one of the enormous windows in the room. I'd walked past that building many times when I worked in the area without knowing what it was or the history surrounding it. It was an educational week-end as well as one of partying!
I am now home with a horrible cold so I feel grotty and I did have a big piece of M&S caramel shortbread and a mini pork pie to get over the upset of saying good bye, yet again, to my lovely friend who is going back to Australia in a couple of days. So as well as having a cold, I feel sick after the over sweet shortbread. Serves me right!
Anyway, time for me to get back to it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm thinking about doing the 30 day shred again - it's that time of year. I might start next week when I'm over this cold.
Nos da pawb, nice to catch up with you all again
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ps BM have you seen that MacMillan are doing a sober October challenge? I'm thinking about doing that too. I think there is a website with details xx0
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LMV!!! So absolutely fab to have you back! I am just on the way out with the dog, but loving the "sober October", Thank you. I just rang OH but he is in a meeting so I am hoping to rope him in on it too. Unfortunately for the same reasons I am not on any social networking sites I wont be joining this officially. However we will give a private donation and I will ask my family to do the same. This may be just what I needed, I was a Haematology nurse for 4 years so know what an important role the Mcmillan nurses play. So it is the extra incentive to do well I needed.
Be back soon and finish the email. BM x x0 -
Hi Fellow Crackers!
I have just finished writing a few emails, and spoken to OH. Bless him, he has offered to do the Sober October with me. He loves a couple of beers on a Saturday and like myself, the odd JD and coke, so I am quite pleased to have his company! We are actually going to start this weekend, because as he said.....with my mentality I would drink as much as possible prior to October just as I do with eating the weekend before starting my "Monday diets". Harsh but true! lol x
I have also emailed my children and will call my parents later today. I am going to arrange for them to take their donations to my parents on a weekly basis. That way the longer I last, the more money to the charity! My UK friends will never believe I can do it, so I am going to have them donate as early into the month as possible! OH and I have agreed to donate a percentage of the money saved on alcohol over the 5 weeks. (At $150 a bottle of wine we should be able to give a not massive, but a nice donation).
I am certain that knowing it is for such a good cause will make it easier for me. If I fail I won't just be letting myself down, so a very good incentive to keep at it. Thanks LMV for the info, I had never heard of it.
On a similar note my two sons will soon be growing moustaches for Movember which I believe is for prostate cancer. I love watching the UK rugby on television in November as so many of the players support the charity and grow some amazing 'taches! lol x
(My parents are like a Bank! we always give them our donations when we sponsor people, like me my children never use their real names online so my parents usually take the cash to their local bank and fill in the forms there. Quite a roundabout way to do it, but safer for us all x)
I am off for my walk soon, without the dog, as it is almost 40c here already. So I will have my parasol, sun cream, hat and long sleeved shirt on. I am certain the other residents think I am quite crazy!
Wishing everyone a good day, BM x x
Ps I am rambling on today, I know. Feeling very homesick, quite out of the blue so being on here with the crackers helps x x sorry for the long emails! x x0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
Just another quick pop in as I drink yet another cup of tea as I'm toiling hard in the garden, cracking on, it's boiling out there but not as hot as you BM!!
LMV - what a lovely treat to have you with us once more - I thought you'd got stuck in your pretty pale pink shed!! Well I'd be delighted to join you on the 30 day Shred again, as my Christmas goal (challenge) is be back at target with my Jillian measurements so that would be most helpful. Let me know when you're fit (well!) enough to begin.
BM don't apologise for posting, I love reading all the 'ramblings'!!! You can now keep us posted daily on your Sober challenge!!! Most fitting LMV absolutely perfect for BM, joking BM!!
Right it's time for walkies for me too but with my friend.
Be good Crackers!0 -
I have just popped in for a brief look before heading to the garden for yard work. It is set to be a lovely sunny warm day but at the moment rather chilly; hence good reason to be here. And already, it is a really lovely day with the return of LMV- so very good to find you here. I was thinking of you yesterday when I had my trip to Italy via Steve Cogan and Rob Brydan (LOL). The movie did show such achingly beautiful scenery that I'm sure your trip must have been truly amazing. As for the movie, it is very good though somewhat darker than the previous, "The Trip." If a person had not seen the first movie, I would really recommend seeing it before the second. Although the second is entirely independent of the first, in terms of how the characters are developed it really does link to the first and makes one's perspective f the characters different, I think. So much history around you in England as you say, LMV.
You seem to have done very well if you only put on a pound in Italy; that may be some sort of international record! (The food in the movie was all filmed at 5 real restaurants and looked very enticing) MITM will be thrilled to hear you are thinking of Shredding in October and I am thinking of getting my Jillian tape out as it gets cooler so good luck with beating that cold (so wretched a cold - I've just got over my first of the fall, early too) so here is to Jillian, dreaded, daunting, but effective. . BM, what a worthy way to do some alcohol cleansing and definitely lovely that your OH has signed on too- much easier with company. Your 10,000 steps in 39C; if you can do that, you can do anything.
I am feeling better this week than the previous few days with the cold and then the 'oscopys and the mammogram. The few days when I did not feel like exercising, I read a couple of books from the library that were interesting, of the self-help type. I mentioned before the one on Habits which goes along nicely with Beck, also the Diet Fix mentioned too I believe. The other one is The Happiness Project. It is one of those types of accounts of living in a certain way for a year. In this case the woman decides to consciously create more happiness in her life. At times I found her a little annoying but there is really a wealth of ideas that makes a person think a little more consciously about day to day living. The book starts with a month of decluttering and probably hooked me because that is what I've been doing lately. I was talking to my sister in Saskatchewan on the weekend and she is coming for a week to Ontario, arriving this weekend. I'm looking forward to that but it will be, as usual, rather hectic so I've tried to do some food preparation ahead. Yesterday I made a batch of carrot soup, cauliflower soup, and a big pot of chicken stock to freeze. I also made chicken soup for the next couple of days. For me fall is here when I'm eating more soup. Next up is butternut squash soup.
Must go now. Today I will go to the stable and walk Nellie as well as do some yard work so should get my Vitamin D!0 -
Hi all. Tonight will be my first alcohol free Friday. I only ever have 2 very weak Jd and coke. Mainly to keep OH company as he enjoys a small drink on a Friday night when his main working week is over. So I plan on having just 2 small coke lights in a whisky glass! Lol x x Wishing all a fab weekend.
BM x x
Ps would love your squash soup recipe Bracken x x0 -
Hello Crackers - well I've finished my second week at Oundle and am feeling very positive about it already. I have begun to get my teeth into some things and I'm having good conversations with the GPS. I have two more GPs to meet - one of whom will not be back for another week as he was on paternity leave (baby boy - all well) when his father died suddenly. Very sad so it will be a little longer before I get to meet all of them. I'm starting to remember the names of various members of the team too and got some good feedback from my 2IC yesterday afternoon which made me feel good.
Bad news is that with all of the travelling I'm struggling to get much exercise and, although I'm being pretty good in terms of the quality of food (mostly salad at lunch time an three pieces of fruit a day) I'm also picking in the evening with chocolate, biscuits and etc. So my plan to lose 9lbs has not got off to the best start. I will start again today as I'm off for a 6 mile walk in about an hour's time. Already had breakfast (cereal with skimmed milk). Riding tomorrow morning - looking forward to seeing Harley and will probably give Butler his afternoon freedom in the stable yard - I gather he is still not being ridden and can't go out to the field because the grass is still too rich.
Its been lovely reading all of your posts and hearing about your soup making Bracken sounds fabulous. I have a freezer full of stock bags made from the leftovers from various roasts. Its always good to draw the last bit of goodness from the food you eat and only throw away the bones or anything you can't use for any other purpose.
The cats are just about allowing me to live in the house - which I have to say is currently spotlessly clean - Mum has been very busy. Dad too has been tinkering - he has fitted cable trunking in the living room and bedroom to tidy up the electric and electronic cabling so it all looks very tidy. Unfortunately, the bad news is that they tend to leave a tin full of biscuits etc which means that I am tempted when I am sitting around in the evening. I've also drunk some wine this last few nights - but I think it is time to put a stop to all of this. I've been leant a book which has a chapter about sugar addiction and how to defeat it (which I haven't yet read) but I intend to try to conquer it the next little while. I think the biggest difficulty is that I get home feeling very hungry and as a result although I cook myself a relatively healthy evening meal I am still finding it difficult to prevent myself going on the hunt for sweet stuff.
Oh well - need to go and get ready for my walk so will come back later to see what everyone is up to!
Take care Crackers
PBx0 -
Morning Crackers!
I am hanging my head in deep shame - oh what a difference a week can make...
I'm blaming firstly the surprise party, followed closely the next day by the endless Aunts and Uncles then descending upon us to visit the graves before departing, so there was baking involved a huge apricot and almond cake (the fruit freshly picked from the garden) which leads me onto the garden, it's currently a place of temptation, the plums have ripened so as I'm gardening I'm forever popping in the odd plum, apricot, raspberry... and it all adds up - if you're counting. I didn't track (surprise, surprise) so mindlessly snacked on extra sandwiches and 2 yogurts instead of 1... And then the daughter had a severe bout of homesickness which I can do nothing about, I comforted myself by scoffing a few squares of the husband's chocolate and shovelling down a handful of biscuits - it didn't help... and after a sleepless night I was then so tired and worrying about the daughter I gave little thought or effort to my meals and the day ended with me eating a packet of family sized crisps and retiring to bed early. Woke up got on the scales yesterday to discover I'm 3 pounds heavier than this time last week...
Strangely no longer feeling saintly just plain cross but today I'm resigned! Have returned to Beck to seek some answers...
BM - Well done on staying the same, I saw the fireworks last week for the Grand Prix and I was thinking of you! PB - Great to hear the job is working out, I'm not going to attempt to give any advice concerning eating patterns when I need to sort my own out first but I'm sure getting out and exercising this weekend will be a good start. Bracken - your soups do sound good we make pumpkin schlipfkrapfen so grow lots which we cook and freeze over the winter months. Talking of the garden I'm heading back out now to plant up bulbs for Spring! I'm steering clear of the fruit garden...
Be good Crackers!0
