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Hello Crackers - when I received the email from MITM this morning I hadn't realised how long it is since I've been on MFP - so firstly an apology for being absent for so long. I can only say that I have no excuse other than things have been happening rather fast and I really don't know where to begin!
The house is settling down nicely the only thing I really need to do is get a cat flap fitted and that is being measured tomorrow.
I have today started a new job. I've been working as a PA at University Campus Suffolk for the last couple of months. In the meantime I'd applied for a permanent job there. I was interviewed but there was a bit of a mismatch in relation to one part of the role so we agreed it wasn't for me. I carried on being a PA as another PA went off sick. Then another PA decided to hand in her notice and I ended up working for the Executive Dean who had interviewed me for the permanent role. The next thing I knew they were offering the job to me again - minus the boring bits I didn't want to do and would I like to work 4 days a week? Well, as you can imagine I bit their hands off as by now I'm fully engaged in the team. So my new role is a senior administrative role: Business & Contract Support Manager (Health) which basically means I am the liaison between the University and the commissioners and the hospital trusts etc. I have been inundated today with congratulations from my new colleagues who seem very pleased to have me so I'm feeling absolutely wonderful.
I still find that Fridays' are quite busy but i'm hoping that in time I will be able to relax a bit more n a Friday.
All the changes I have made over the past year are beginning to come to fruition now and I must start to focus again on my health and fitness. Sadly, I've put pretty much all the weight back on which is disappointing but not surprising really.
Parents are coming tomorrow for the long weekend and I have no major plans (although we have just arranged for my brother and family to come on Sunday (its my Sister in Law's birthday) so we'll go to the pub across the road for lunch. The village is fantastic - it has a lovely pub and the village church is utterly beautiful. We had a beacon on the green for VE day commemorations which was lovely (although it rained) and then went to the pub for a nightcap.
So on to you Crackers - how are you all? MITM I wish your daughter the very best of luck in her exams - she must be a very strong young lady with being away from home so much for school. Bracken you really have had a horrible time in recent months and I admire your dedication to trying to keep fit and be healthy as I'm definitely a food addict. Glad Harry is OK too - how on earth did he manage to get a fish hook in his head? I thought it was cats who were supposed to have nine lives!
Well knowing that MFP will probably kill this post if I'm not careful, I will close now - take care and thanks MITM for calling me back into the fold - I miss you too and need to get myself back into good habits.
Lots of love to all
PB xx0 -
PB, Welcome back, you were definitely missed, and what fabulous news with your new career!! Some things are just meant to be x You are definitely on the up, if you take just one tiny measly minute to look back and see how unhappy you were in your previous posts, you will know this is for sure exactly where you deserve to be now. I am so happy for you x x
MITM, Bracken, hope your aches and pains (window panes MITM lol, pardon the pun!) are all better now. I am certainly not complaining about mine again. Even though the scales have only moved a tad I had a lovely day yesterday trying on all last summer clothes that have not fit since. in fact I had never even worn some I had bought and had to remove the tags. So today I will be washing and ironing, sorting out the wardrobes and being very thankful for my lot..... It was a pleasure to sit down with a cup of tea and catch up on both your lives.I feel blessed with my very good Cyber friends!
Happy Friday all,
BM x x
PS Bracken, I have just bought a set of six Portmeirion Botanic Gardens tea cups and saucers. I was so fortunate to find ones with a bird on each instead of just flowers. I thought of you when I saw them and am sure you would love them! A cup of tea and crackers posts are even more enjoyable now! x x0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
I've just had my lunch break, having cleaned the house from top to bottom ready for my guests - yet another clever brother-in-law coming, who is going to install the boiler and get the solar heating running again (with the snow on the mountain tops ha ha! but who cares hot water!) and I thought cup of tea time now and a catch up with the Crackers!
What brilliant news all round - PB I am delighted for you the job sounds absolutely perfect for you! So pleased for you. The village also sounds lovely where is it that you are now living? And BM - what a wonderful treat for you, walking into your wardrobe and discovering clothes not yet worn that now fit! How did you come across Jessica Smith and how is it going? Exercise is very strange, I know from doing the dreaded Shred or just salsacising for 14 minutes a day - my shape will change even if the scales only move slightly. My daughter as she hasn't had time to do her gym classes since the new year, she has been doing the Shred and her abs are now absolutely amazing she has a 4 pack although she has lost no more weight, which she doesn't need to. I keep telling her, as her year round goal is to look good in her bikini (or boarder shorts) at our local out door pool (which opened today - snow on the mountains!!!) it doesn't matter what the scales say you don't wear a notice around your neck, your figure will do the talking!
PB - the daughter is at the half way stage in her exams. English literature she thinks went well and today is poetry so I was glad to have my endless cleaning to do, to keep me occupied as I'm a bundle of nerves! My daughter does have a very strong character, my husband and I often joke she must have been swapped at birth as neither of us is academic but her Great Grandfather was the first headmaster of the village school here and her Grandmother (Mutti) was an intelligent lady but in the days when you were not even allowed to read the bible and she could only sew - but beautifully! However at the beginning of autumn term my daughter started her revision and since Christmas she has been getting up at 6am to revise before school! She is use to getting up early as school here use to start at 7.30am. So I do hope she does well in the subjects she wants to take at A-level she certainly deserves to.
Well young nephews due to arrive so that means I've got to bake a cake!
Be good Crackers!
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Afternoon Crackers!
I've just had my lunch break, having cleaned the house from top to bottom ready for my guests - yet another clever brother-in-law coming, who is going to install the boiler and get the solar heating running again (with the snow on the mountain tops ha ha! but who cares hot water!) and I thought cup of tea time now and a catch up with the Crackers!
What brilliant news all round - PB I am delighted for you the job sounds absolutely perfect for you! So pleased for you. The village also sounds lovely where is it that you are now living? And BM - what a wonderful treat for you, walking into your wardrobe and discovering clothes not yet worn that now fit! How did you come across Jessica Smith and how is it going? Exercise is very strange, I know from doing the dreaded Shred or just salsacising for 14 minutes a day - my shape will change even if the scales only move slightly. My daughter as she hasn't had time to do her gym classes since the new year, she has been doing the Shred and her abs are now absolutely amazing she has a 4 pack although she has lost no more weight, which she doesn't need to. I keep telling her, as her year round goal is to look good in her bikini (or boarder shorts) at our local out door pool (which opened today - snow on the mountains!!!) it doesn't matter what the scales say you don't wear a notice around your neck, your figure will do the talking!
PB - the daughter is at the half way stage in her exams. English literature she thinks went well and today is poetry so I was glad to have my endless cleaning to do, to keep me occupied as I'm a bundle of nerves! My daughter does have a very strong character, my husband and I often joke she must have been swapped at birth as neither of us is academic but her Great Grandfather was the first headmaster of the village school here and her Grandmother (Mutti) was an intelligent lady but in the days when you were not even allowed to read the bible and she could only sew - but beautifully! However at the beginning of autumn term my daughter started her revision and since Christmas she has been getting up at 6am to revise before school! She is use to getting up early as school here use to start at 7.30am. So I do hope she does well in the subjects she wants to take at A-level she certainly deserves to.
Well young nephews due to arrive so that means I've got to bake a cake!
Be good Crackers!
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I don't know how I managed to do that blame MFP!0
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Sounds like you are being very productive MITM! I've had a busy day too sorting out all of the final boxes and putting things in the loft. There is now space in the garage for the car too! Its been sunny all afternoon but still rather chilly. There was, apparently, a tremor in Kent yesterday (very early in the morning) which was meant to be felt round here, but I have to say I never felt a thing - I was obviously fast asleep throughout the whole thing.
I'm in a village called Friston, which has a beautiful church and a pub but is otherwise very quiet. In June there is a classic car rally on the green and for VE Day we had a beacon on the green too. Its all very quintessentially English - but there are quite a few holiday cottages. Mum and I just went for a walk round - the spring flowers are absolutely beautiful in the hedgerows and there are lots of lovely cottage gardens.
Brother and family are coming for lunch (we shall go to the pub) tomorrow - its my sister in law's birthday.
As my mother put it though there is no point going to Aldeburgh as it will be full of Chelsea tractors. We shall amuse ourselves somehow!
Take care all
PB X0 -
well a lovely weekend Crackers - followed by a rather strange day at work! I've been told to sit in an office with one of the Heads of Dept. She was out last week all week and nobody had seen fit to tell her that she was sharing an office with me so I was a bit surprised by her reaction which included a 30 min conversation with HR. Not sure why she was so upset - seemed a bit of an over-reaction to me. Next I switched on my PC to discover that IT had removed my old profile and given me a new one - complete with a new email address. It took me half the morning to re-establish most of the connections and apparently the email can't be sorted out until next week (I don't believe this) because the person who deals with it is on leave....
Have a new friend who has joined a gym down the other end of the Waterfront so I think I'll be joining too - we'll then be able to go together a couple of times a week. Main thing is going to be my currently frozen shoulder. Physio says I won't do any harm by exercising it and pushing it a bit.
Its a tough one as this gym doesn't have a swimming pool but on the other hand we can push each other as we are similar age and size.
Lets hope tomorrow is a better day!
Take care Crackers
PB xx0 -
Good evening Crackers!
Well another busy, busy week - it's gone so quickly.
After snow on the mountains, it's been the complete opposite this past week - super sunny weather and hot running water provided by the once again up and running solar heating panels and spanking new boiler blissful! It's been that hot the water has been scorching! Well having had guests last weekend and so much rich food and big meals which my brother-in-law enjoys and my husband the 'chef' rightly, felt obliged to provide for all his hard work installing the boiler, plus my cakes (yes plural) I felt quite strange and not at all alright!! So once they left with all the remaining left over goodies, I got straight back to my way of simple eating and was surprised and very relieved to see the scales STS.
This week we've had to work hard to make up for the time missed 'entertaining' and after all the rain, the previous week, I had to cut the grass which was one almighty work out. That evening in bed I couldn't find a comfortable position all night long, as I literally ached from head to toe! However with this glorious sunshine my window box flowers are now all up and the garden is in full bloom and just makes me feel happy looking at it! All is once more under control....
I met up yesterday with the ex pats and my 'Joan Collins' friend who keeps me on my toes, I manicured my nails specially as after all the gardening work they looked a right sight, and I put on a full face of make-up and I made the effort to 'dress up'. Like you BM I had a wonderful moment, my smart, fitted, cropped bistro trousers (last worn for the sister-in-law's graduation) slipped on so much easier - won't be a perfect fit until I'm at target and then today I put on my capri jeans for my shopping trip, which I haven't been able to wear since last summer. So even though I'm ending this month the same weight as I started it, I'm feeling happy as I know I too have lost inches from working out in the garden/painting.
However I've just over 2 weeks until I go to the UK and I would like to hit 136 - to give myself a cushion!! Talking of which my sample fabrics have arrived and match perfectly so I'm ordering material for more cushions and new lamp shades. It's all go here.... PB - hope you enjoyed your Friday off and your new colleague has chilled! BM - hope you've been throwing yourself around the room and Bracken - where are you?!!
Well be good Crackers.0 -
Afternoon Crackers!
Just a very quick pop in - I've been catching up and reading the blogs and I've learnt something about myself from 'What I learned on Vacation'; I too am 'rich food intolerant' (that was the term I needed in my last post!) and it dawned on me slowly I also 'have stopped judging myself and celebrate life in the moment' but hadn't realised until I read that blog. You learn something new every day!
Be good Crackers!0 -
well done MITM - great insight!
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Hello Crackers. I had a good read through posts last night and now hope to write some more today as the weather is keeping me indoors - and with a long-sleeved sweatshirt on. After most of May with virtually no rain and worrisome dry conditions, we have had rain over the last three days. It rained most of last night and until late this morning and only now is tapering off. Most of my plants are quite happy with this, particularly the hostas- I can almost see them growing before my eyes. I have been jockeying several hanging baskets of begonias in and out of the garage; I have learned through experience that they do not like to be directly rained on much although they are a plant that needs to be moist. Last year my begonias were rained on a couple of times and by mid-June they started rotting away despite being in well-drained pots. I can also see from my window a single lemon coloured iris which is looking quite bedraggled. I do not have a lot of iris because of lack of direct sunlight but cherish those I manage to coax into bloom as besides their beauty, they remind me of an old friend who gave them to me from her garden and who died of breast cancer. There are a couple more of the lemon iris in bud which I hope will bloom after these rains. One of the first hostas I ever bought I bought with this friend on a trip to a nursery that only sold hostas. At the time it seemed very expensive but over the years I have divided it a number of times- the six large hostas that make a bed alongside my garage all came from this plant.
MITM, I hope you are doing well with that Olympian-sized paint job. I will think of it next week when I begin to stain and verathane the mini-ties (12, each 8 feet long) that are for the beds at one side of my rear patio. Last year I did a similar job for the front of house beds but that was an even bigger job. My brother has said he will install them for me as these beds are not as demanding as the ones at the front. MITM, thanks for referring to helpful blogs again; I shall check that out. Congrats to you and BM with your dieting results and glad to hear that you are having the satisfaction of feeling comfortable in your clothes. MITM, I hope your daughter's exams go well for her. It is certainly commendable that she has learned to revise steadily and not just cram at the last minute. Developing good work habits is so important. I have taught too many really bright students but who have never developed good habits and it does catch up with them. PB, I too am so pleased to hear that you have found a position which you are enthusiastic about and which will allow you to use your skills and talents. Your new home and village sound lovely. I did do a quick check on Wiki to get an idea of your geological location. It looks very historic too.
One thing that baffled me was your expression "Chelsea tractors"- not sure what that means. I'm going to sign off for the moment, also in fear of a MFP malfunction!0 -
Good Morning ladies. Hope its a good one for you. Apologies for my absence, I have been a little unwell. My bloods have been playing up which resulted in my fainting twice whilst out on Monday afternoon. Thankfully OH was with me and able to get me home safely and quickly, so I haven't exercised which quite surprisingly I have missed (only a little......but still. lol x)
Lovely to read the posts with my morning cup of tea,
MITM, a magic, precious moment indeed when something fits! I always think at that particular time, "nothing tastes as good as this feels". An old saying but true. Very impressed with your material purchases. I am going to learn to sew next year for definite. Last year I learned how to knit more than one stitch, and this year I am quite proud of learning to crochet. I have used youtube and bought lots of books so it has been good. I also joined Ravelry which is a free crochet/knitting community. Nothing at all like Facebook/twitter etc which I personally won't use. So it was interesting to hear you speak of handmaking your own house hold furnishings. It would be lovely to hear some details of what you are making.
Bracken, how lovely to read your descriptions and plans of your garden. I had to google Hosta's, such beautiful leaves but so many different varieties how on earth do you know where to start!
Also googled Iris and then realised I see them a lot here and am familiar with them back home, just never knew the correct name (I am ashamed of my gardening ignorance and will definitely remedy this when I eventually have more than a balcony). It is a beautiful plant, the colours are gorgeous. In fact I ordered a tunic from White stuff (UK) yesterday and it is called "Iris". the colour being described as Persian purple!
I had to smile at your "Chelsea tractors", I have always known them as that but thinking about it made me realise how confusing it is. They are the huge SUV's (4X4"s in the UK) that the wealthy city ladies drive the 100 or more yards in to take their children to school! Sort of a status symbol. the irony being these massive off road vehicles will never even see a country road let alone be driven for their real purpose. (Chelsea being a common place for this alleged one upmanship and the vehicles being as big as tractors!). Hope this has explained it. x
PB, hope your teething troubles at work soon get sorted. Also hope your office mate realises she is being an idiot and apologises for her behaviour! I am sure you will soon be well settled in. I have been busy on Google this am! I checked out Friston and is so pretty. It reminded of the James Herriot landscape, he was an absolute hero of mine growing up, I badly wanted to be a vet for a long time! There is not much about Friston on WIKI which is a shame, (It does show a beautiful old country Church though), it all looks a lovely place to live I hope you will be very happy there x
I am off to walk Harry now, bless him we are confined to the gardens in the grounds until my bloods settle, sensible I know but I miss my ocean walks. The sound of the sea is just so relaxing and its vastness always makes me realise that in the grand scheme of things my problems are not so big or bad after all!
Take care all,
BM x x0 -
Hello Crackers. A perfect way to let my stomach settle after lunch before heading back to yardwork- reading your post BM. Very sorry to hear of your fainting episodes. I hope you are feeling better. How fortunate you were with your husband at the time. yes, there are many varieties of hostas, over 3000 I believe. I haven't actually counted how many varieties I have but should do so- probably more than I think. Thanks for enlightening me on the Chelsea tractors- we certainly have some here and probably even more in Toronto. Hummers seem to be a vehicle of choice. Have these people no sense of irony? I too have been a James Herriot fan. My mother and I went to Thirsk where he had his office which was said to be still open at the time but the day we went it was closed. Nevertheless it was a lovely train trip and we enjoyed Herriot country. I still have several of his books, including a large one with photos of Herriot country. Also, I checked the internet and was able to see pictures of the Portmeiron china you bought. I am also very fond of botanical patterns and also birds on china which seem to be much less common. I also have seem birds on wallpaper which I liked. On the subject of birds, this morning after I walked Nellie and did a short bike ride, I decided to have my breakfast on my back garden patio. I spend so much time working there I am trying to remind myself to relax there too! I was quite thrilled to have a mother robin and two of her young sitting on a fence just a few yards from me. It was particularly nice as a couple of weeks ago I found two dead fledgling robins in the garden. It always makes me feel so sad. Birds have such a hard time of it. The two dead ones were well developed and looked as if they had been almost ready to leave the nest. I can't know for sure, but it is likely they were attacked by another bird, the blue jay, a very pretty bird but one which will attack the nest of other birds, eat eggs and even young birds. There are jays around here. Well, I have used up my break time and must back to some jobs. Regards.0
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Hi All - thanks for the explanation of 'Chelsea tractors' BM - you are absolutely right these are the ridiculous 4X4/SUV's which unfortunately go a little further than the school run at weekends when they come down to their 'holiday home' in Suffolk - they drive much too fast along country lanes killing animals including deer and basically being very aggressive. they also tend to take up two parking spaces because they can't park it properly (despite all the tech they have). It is also said they spray on dirt to make it look good. Ah well I need to stop ranting about them!
Friston Church is, indeed, very pretty. It has a lovely painted ceiling which sadly is in need of repair at the moment, and a choir/organ loft that is very pretty. Services so far have been very enjoyable although I was intending to go to the benefice service on Sunday which was at the nearby village of Aldringham. Unfortunately, I couldn't actually find the church! it is, apparently, hidden behind a wood. I love Suffolk!!!!
I'm off to a cottage near Thirsk in October - for a holiday and am very much looking forward to exploring Herriot country - I'm a big fan too and especially loved the original series. I assume Bracken that the robins you are referring to are the Canadian ones? not our small british ones. I'm watching our springwatch programme at the moment which is coming from Minsmere - which is only about 5 miles from here (if that). Its quite fascinating.
Unfortunately, the woman I'm sharing an office with is still struggling so its a bit tense at times - but I can't do anything about it. Otherwise its going really well.
Its a beautiful evening here although its clear so I'm expecting it to get a bit chilly tonight. My frozen shoulder is not too bad at the moment after a couple of very bad days weatherwise with major wind storms. They are threatening thunderstorms on Friday.
Well that's all for now - take care Crackers!
PB x0 -
Evening Crackers (what a lovely cup of tea!)
Twice now I have read the posts and put my hands up to cover my open mouth in horror! Firstly if I gave the impression I was painting all 56 of my window frames - I must make clear, whilst I do intend to work my way around the house, it will be very slowly and a couple of frames at the most every few months, so it will take me years to complete! Secondly I did word my last post very badly (I checked) yes, I am ordering fabric; for my good friend to cover my existing cushions for me (!) and the lamp shades are from Laura Ashley, from the custom made shade range. Painting is the absolute limit to my DIY skills....
I've been watching whilst having my lunch 'All Creatures Great and Small' every day this past month! How weird is that? I too love the scenery and the simpler, tranquil times. Most definitely no Chelsea tractors in those days! Sorry to hear PB your office colleague hasn't yet chilled and BM I hope you have recovered after your fainting spells and your bloods have been sorted? Bracken I love the idea of you relaxing on your back garden patio because I too have taken to sitting out on my terrace at the end of the afternoon after my weeding sessions, as otherwise I never get to relax or appreciate my garden.
This week has been stressful and not a good dieting week. The exams in the subjects my daughter is 'expected' to do well in, 2 haven't gone quite as she planned or hoped and her disappointment is huge. Massive! I can feel and see her pain but I can't do anything from here to comfort her not even find the right words. So I don't feel like I'm being a very supportive understanding mother at the moment although I seem to have no problem eating! In fact I could get an A* in over-eating!
Be good Crackers!
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Afternoon Crackers!
Well I have excelled myself - as according to the scales this morning I have managed to gain 4.5lbs! I have decided against checking this weight in until I have re-stepped on the scales on Monday when I have to weigh in with my 'challenge' group. However I am making it public to the Crackers so I don't stick my head completely in the sand!
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Hello Crackers. It's so nice to know there is a lot we have in common here (although it would be boring if we were exactly the same) as a fondness for James Herriot (even a knowledge of same) is now rather uncommon, at least here. I too have watched DVD's of the series from the library and enjoyed them. With that in mind, I will mention a very interesting interview I heard yesterday on CBC. Whoops, I have forgotten the name so am going to check the internet and will return.0
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Back. The interview was with James Rebank about his book, The Shepherd's Life. Has anyone heard of it? It is well publicized here. I found his interview really engaging. He is a shepherd in the Lake District, a man who has a degree the Oxford but who always intended to return to shepherding as his father and grandfather and many generations of his family had done before. He talked about his sense of satisfaction from following this lifestyle (he isn't just up on a mountain alone with his sheep, he has a wife and three children) and his reflections on life and the values he has found doing what he truly wants to do. He probably covered a lot that is in his book but I will definitely buy it. He said a lot about the sense of community that exists among the shepherding tribe.
PB, I'm glad the new job is going well. I hope the office woman soon comes around. How could she not like you? I hope she is soon able to see how interesting you are and what a lot of different interests and talents you have. Yes, the robins here are not like the English robins. My mother always said they were the size of a thrush but they do have a reddish breast. As much as I sometimes grumble about my old trees (lots of leaves to rake in the fall and now buckets of maple keys, the seeds), they draw the birds. I truly love the early morning birdsong, even when I wake before I really wanted to.
MITM, I'm relieved to hear that you are not painting all those windows at once. Even doing them over time is formidable enough. I seem to be improving my exercise but am having an awful time with diet at the moment. I keep losing and gaining the same five pounds it seems. That would not be so bad if it were 5 pounds at the lower end of my weight. As it is I have some nice summer clothes that are frankly too tight. I am reminded of what a good feeling it is to try on clothes and find them fitting loose again as BM has been doing recently. I have not been making my eating plan the central focus recently and it seems that it has to be a really conscious effort to get significant results for me. More on that later.0 -
Quick pop in. Bracken your mention of James Rebank rang a bell and I wondered if this is the same man I read an article about back in March which stuck in my mind because his son Isaac who is 3, is also sheep-mad and I thought how cute! I looked him up and it is, I didn't know he had written a book. Very interesting man, let us know if the book is good.0
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Good Morning all! I have been in my element here with a cup of tea reading these wonderful posts. Wish I could stay longer, but will hopefully pop back in later. I have an emergency appointment in an hour as unfortunately my bloods are not under control. I am not even going to weigh myself this week as I have not been logging my food (first time in ages) so don't even want to think what has happened with my weight, also at the moment I am not too bothered as my clothes still seem ok so I am hoping it may not be as bad as I think
Take care and enjoy a happy weekend,
BM x x
PS MITM, there is no weigh you have ate over 15000 calories extra this week. I am 100% certain that weight is incorrect, be it sodium, hormones, or newly used muscles retaining water to recover! I have every faith you will be back to normal soon x x0
