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Morning Crackers,
Feeling much better today so went and weighed in at a WW class this morning. Very pleased to have lost another pound so that is my first stone done and dusted. Now, straight on to the next one. I am hoping to shift a good part of the next stone before Christmas despite all the Christmas parties I have lined up. I’m going to the first one tonight but will drive so I am not tempted to have a drink and that definitely keeps the calories down.
MITM, I absolutely love your bag. No wonder you couldn’t resist. I am a firm believer that once you have something you can always find an occasion to use it. I would use that bag just to go to the supermarket or for any other everyday chore as the sparkle would definitely raise my spirits.
As you have chosen to wear so much navy I’m sure you would find it in your colour palette. If it didn’t suit you, you probably wouldn’t wear it as much. It’s probably more a case of which shade of navy. My navy is quite a yellow based one if that doesn’t sound mad, not a “black” navy.
Jillian sounds quite sensible and the 80/20 rule is definitely something to be taken seriously. We all relax a bit over weekends when we have more social events but I know if I work hard during the week I still lose weight. To get the big weight losses I have to be super good over the weekend as well. Nit much chance of that next weekend. We’re having lunch in Cardiff for a friend’s birthday and the the boys are going the Wales v New Zealand rugby match. The next day we are going to see friend’s in Surrey, staying the night and then going on to see my parents. This means that I won’t be in total control of my food but I’ll do my best to make wise choices. I need to try and get plenty of exercise in.
Well done on the weight loss. You are doing brilliantly and keeping well under target. No wonder your exercise gear is looking so good. I am seeing a difference in my clothes. Today I am wearing a pair of trousers which I had on in the summer. Last summer I bent forward in them and the centre back seam split. Luckily it was a French seam so only one set of stitching came apart not the whole seam. I repaired it but put them at the back of the wardrobe. The same trousers are now loose on me so I know the inches are coming off. I still haven’t measured myself so I don’t know how much I have shrunk but it is starting to be significant judging by my clothes. That is quite motivating. Also motivating is the fact that I only have 70 days before I go to Australia and have to slip into shorts, tee shirts and summer dresses! I would like to be two stone down but I don’t think that is very realistic. Maybe 1.5 stone at a push which would be a steady 2lbs a week. I’m sure you could achieve your target if yo7 put your mind to it MITM. You are so close, but I know how difficult it is when you have so little left to lose.
Time to go.
Be good Crackers
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There do not appear to be another hours in the day.... hope to return - sooner rather than later!0
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Evening Crackers,
My whole day was messed up yesterday by a television man! Husband bought a new TV for his office forgetting the old one, was 'tied up' - bolted to some monitoring system which can see what he is watching. Do not ask why as there is no answer! My husband just agreed... To me it is utter madness as his viewing habits are not helping anyone! And there is no payment involved! And of course it made me all the madder when he realised he couldn't set his new TV up and he had to arrange for the man who originally set it up, to drive 2 hours to come and deal with it. And the man just sent a text, I will be there at 2pm. Who will be there at 2pm?! Oh yes me. This was at 12.30pm. I had intended to max fortunately I decided not to risk it and just as well as the TV man arrived at 1pm.
The good news is he completely set the new TV up after freeing the old and then he 're-bolted' it but from an A4 box to one the size of a mobile phone. But it took nearly 2 hours so I had no time for maxing. I had to walk to the post office as I had a birthday present that had to go off that day and then I had my hair cut. So my steps for the day a miserable 8,886.
Today for some reason I have be thinking about the saying from Joe Wicks 'People smash themselves in the gym but you can't out-train a poor diet.' Not for one moment am I suggesting doing a max is like a gym work out and I consider I do eat a good diet but somewhere in my brain, when I'm tired and fed up I think if I've exercised I can over eat! I have maxed today and I have walked with my friend and I'm on 12,165 steps but I'm having one of those days when I could just eat and eat and eat. So before I do any serious damage I should take myself off to bed.
LMV - brilliant result! How are you now feeling? Perhaps I should send my bag to you for the weekend! Saturday as the husband is working I am planning on giving the panelled wall a 2nd coat of paint and then I am finished with painting for this year. I also have some new kitchen curtains which I ordered the material in April, my Mother kindly made them in June, my friend hemmed them in July but then the husband damaged his finger and I need his help to hang them because of the poles, well I intend to press them this weekend and hopefully finally have them up on Sunday. I hope I still like them!!
Right to my bed. Be good Crackers - she says to herself!!!!
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Hello Crackers. Well the on-going saga of the basement rec room fix-up continues with some slow progress. I had been waiting for contact with either of two contractors who could do the rest of the fix-up and neither of them panned out. This after considerable waiting; the one fellow actually came, had a look, told me he would work up an estimate and plan and still has not been in touch. In desperation, I phoned the man who put the backsplash tiles in my kitchen when I had the new cupboards installed. He had referred me to the electrician and the plumber both of whom are excellent. This man, Peter, has previously installed flooring and floor tile for me, a storm door, and wood ties that form the front flower bed. I don't know why I did not think to call him right off. In any case, he has come over promptly and although he is very busy will work me in and is hopeful it can be done before Christmas. He will do the flooring and the carpentry work but will have someone he knows do the ceiling tiles as he has not done them before. I really like that he won't take on something unless he has previously done it, usually at his own home as he is very meticulous. As a (rather long!) aside for the past week I have had a dreadful bug of some sort that has quite hit me hard. It started with dreadful sneezing, went to stuffy head and sniffles, along with a lot of tiredness, and for the past several days a cough that is so bad I have kept a water bottle under my pillow because I wake up coughing so much in the night. Because of this renovation, I have had to go out some as there was a big sale at a local building materials store. I am glad I dragged myself out as I purchased tiles for the ceiling and floor tiles at really good savings. I had a sample of them and Peter said they should work well so a good relief. On top of that I have had to purchase a new clothes dryer. Can you believe my old one is over 30 years old. It still works really well but the door will not shut properly and has to be propped. The plumber had a look at it and knew exactly about the door workings but said he knew that you could no longer get a replacement part because of its age. I was able to order a nice dryer at the so-called Black Friday sales where I bought the basement materials. (Black Friday now seems to be a week thing!) LMV, I also have you to blame for the other stage of my reno! It is all a result of that lovely picture showing the Hague Blue. Originally I thought I would continue to live with the wood panelling as it is although I know that stained and varnished wood is not very fashionable. Both peter and the plumber asked me if I was going to have the panelling painted but not until I saw that picture did I think- yes, I will have it painted. Which means I will be doing a lot of the painting
(also encouraged by your fine example MITM- how nice you are finished for the year)but hope my younger sister is interested in working for me too. I always buy my paint at a store owned by a woman I taught many years ago. They do not carry Farrow And Ball but are a Benjamin Moore store (not sure if that is sold overseas)- very high quality too. They actually had the F&B
paint chips and I am able to very closely match that Hague Blue. Hope I have not carried on too long with my reno saga. Must leave off but before I do, congrats to both of you for continued weight loses- a stone, LMV! and under goal and loose pants, MITM- well done.0 -
Evening Crackers,
Bracken - I had just finished painting the second coat of Hague Blue, my nephew had popped in and admired the colour and then I read your post and just had to laugh - in fact it made my day! I hope you like it as much as I do once you start painting. If you need any help with the painting I can always pop over! And I'm so pleased you have 'Peter' is sorting you out with your ongoing renovations, is this the same man who you liked to buy books for his child?
Yesterday the weather here was beastly as in cold! The husband insisted it being Sunday, we climb mini Everest but we had been working and the sun had already gone down by the time we left the house. I've never walked so fast because I was SO cold! I was impressed with my speed uphill and I put it down to my stronger leg muscles after all the maxing. Steps combined with Saturday 24,040 - so for the week 76,088 which makes up for the fact I only did 2 max sessions (I'm blaming the TV man!) and one Rosemary.
Today I have maxed and felt brilliant afterwards plus walked in the sunshine and I've completed 10,882 steps. LMV - are you missing your weigh in tomorrow?
Be good Crackers!
P.S. Strictly is getting rather exciting!
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Hello Crackers,
Sorry for my absence, been on the road. Going home tomorrow so will catch up then.
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Hello Ladies,
Apologies for my absence, I seem to have lost my mojo a tad. Writing the first few words can feel so difficult sometimes and at other times it's a joy. I spent my birthday in Bali and came home to the news my Father has had a few more small strokes so is more confused than ever now. I am not going home though as he says he will worry how ill he really is if I fly home to see him. He seems to think we all know something he doesn't and if I go home it means he is about to die! No amount of reassurance helps so I am still in Singapore.
On the happy side which I have t keep looking for I had a new Fitbit (my 4th!) for my Birthday, a charge two. So hopefully I can get myself up and at 'em again. It's a wrist one this time, not so much chance of me throwing it in the washing machine still attached to my bra! I quickly read through the last few posts, I will take my time and enjoy them later, but I have been wondering what this Max is your all on about? Is it a daily total or workout? To give you an idea of my health/fitness my daily goal is 2500 steps. I know it's appalling but some days I can't even reach that. However it has given me a base with which to progress from so onwards and upwards!
Hope this post finds you all well, I apologise if it's a bit garbled.
BM xx0 -
Afternoon Crackers,
BM - how lovely to hear from you although I'm sorry to hear about your Father, all very worrying when you are so far away. When are you next due home February?
The max is a workout DVD 'Lorraine living to the max' as in Lorraine Kelly and her fitness trainer Maxine Jones, who she credits for her 2 stone loss a couple of years back and has kept off, thanks to the 3 classes she still attends a week when in London. It's 'dance aerobics' no getting down on the floor on a mat, nothing fancy or hard and it's done with her regular class of ladies all shapes and sizes. Very do-able. There are 3 20 minute workouts, I only do one session, 3 times a week. But it does what it says burns calories and shifts fat! I've lost nearly 5 pounds since returning from England without changing my eating habits and LMV a stone and most importantly there is no pain involved!!!
I'm thrilled to report somehow I have lost 0.6 pounds this week, making me just 0.2 pounds from my Christmas target! The leaf clearing (just as well I did it as it's snowing again today) and the quick march up the hill on Sunday made up for my naughty moments it would seem! It all balances out in the end. I did not max yesterday and I only managed 7.645 steps and today at 1pm I have only managed 157 steps which must be an error!! So I must max today if nothing else.
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Hello Crackers,
BM, well done on starting to write those difficult first words. It’s really lovely to hear from you.
Yet again this is a short check-in. I didn’t think this year could get any worse after three unexpected bereavements in August, but sadly, one of my cousins, younger than me, unexpectedly passed away yesterday. We are devastated.
We are away in Edinburgh this week-end for our anniversary and are going to Nottingham tomorrow to pick our Goddaughter up as she is coming with us. I really don’t feel like going but we can’t disappoint her. I may not post again until we return on Tuesday. Thinking of you all though and I will be back then.
Cherish the ones you love.
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LMV - so sorry to hear your sad news. Stay strong.0
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Morning Crackers,
Just a very quick pop in as I'm packing for my trip home, I'm back on the 18th - hopefully carrying no excess luggage on me! I've managed to maintain my new pre-Christmas weight with walking and maxing so I'm looking forward to a 'few' well deserved treats, with my Mother on our overnight visit to Bath and whilst catching up with my friends and family.
LMV - thinking of you.0 -
Hello Crackers,
I’m back from my long week-end away which was lovely. Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities in the world and I always love going back there. We redid some of the touristy things which we haven’t done for years with our goddaughter - tours of Holyrood Palace and the Royal Yacht Britannia. We had a fabulous afternoon tea in The Balmoral Hotel and generally did a lot of walking around. The Christmas Market and Fair was in full swing and had a fantastic atmosphere. I definitely indulged in a few naughty foodstuffs but I am back being good now. I didn’t weigh in this week but will do so next week come what may.
No news yet on when my cousin’s funeral will be so we are on tenterhooks knowing we will have to drop everything and go. There are so many plans at this time of year and I am now loath to agree to anything in case we won’t be here. I do hope it can be organised before Christmas otherwise it will be hanging over us and none of us will get any enjoyment out of the festive season at all. Despite all the sadness this year, I am determined to try and get into the Christmas spirit.
MITM - I can’t believe you did 9,999 steps one day. Couldn’t you have managed just one more to make it 10,000? I did well over 10,000 every day in Edinburgh, but haven’t been quite so good since I’ve been back and haven’t got back into maxing yet. I was interested to see that Darcey Bussel has her own dance based fitness programme called Diverse Dance Mix (DDMix). I don’t know whether she has a DVD or whether there is anyone in my locality who does it, but I definitely intend to investigate if it’s something I might enjoy. Hope you have a good time with your UK family and enjoy those treats, you have earned them.
Bracken and BM, hope you are both OK.
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Hello Crackers. It has been more days than I realised since my last post. I put this down to the dreadful cold which has hung on and the painting which I have worked on regardless, partly because I can sit down for some of it and do as much or as little as I feel up to at a time.
LMV, my condolences on the sudden loss of your cousin. As you say, after three bereavements in August, one would think there could be no more in such a short time. I hope you found some time to reflect on and cherish your anniversary despite your time of loss.
BM, it is good news to see you here and I so admire your strength when you have to cope with so much in the way of health issues and the stress of being so far away from family.
The painting has been a much larger job than I anticipated but I have completed about 90% of what I can do for now. I have had to do it all myself. One of my sisters said she would love to have helped but because she has fairly recently had treatment for carpel tunnel in her wrist is now wary of creating more damage. The other who has just retired end of October is simply very busy. That left me, myself, and I! The colour that I painted the panelling changed from the Hague Blue. When I began to paint, of course, I had to first use a primer over the old varnished wood. It was suggested that I have the primer tinted which had not occurred to me.
The tint was made by using the 'Hague Blue' lookalike at half strength. It turned out to be a very lovely blue that looks like the historical blues one sees in early American homes. I really liked it and came to feel that the other colour was perhaps too intense for my room. However, I have a small can of it that I am using as an accent colour and have done a first coat on a bookcase which was also a varnished wood. I am well pleased with how it is turning out. In the rec room there are cupboards which I have also finished painting in a very warm cream colour.
I still have doors to paint and bits of touch up so will be kept busy there for some time. MITM, what a good memory you have. Yes, Peter is the one who has a daughter to whom I gave books. She is an only child and he clearly dotes on her- he was not long at my house before showing me pictures of her on his cell.
Because I have felt so dragged down by this cold, I have not felt like braving the malls for Christmas shopping. For the first time, I have done the bulk of my shopping on-line. I was able to get some very good buys during the Black Friday sales. Still I feel rather behind on my preparations. I still can not fathom it but somehow I misplaced Christmas cards I bought last winter in sales. Truly, I am not that disorganised and untidy but I have not been able to turn them up. I then had to buy new ones, none of which seemed as nice as I remember the lost ones. I have got the ones to distant places off but still have many to do more locally. I have also done a couple of volunteer shifts for the Salvation Army's kettle fund raising and have another tomorrow. I have not signed up for quite as many as usual, again because of not feeling my best.
Next Thursday my writing group will have its Christmas meeting and luncheon. We all committed to write something on a Christmas theme to share. My piece has two parts; I have finished the first part but still am working on the second.
Today has been very windy, about -3C but it has felt much colder. Tonight some snow is predicted though not a heavy amount it seems. More and more birds are coming to my feeder and seem very hungry so am putting out extra food- I don't mind as they are such a pleasure to watch. Today there was a bird I had not seen yet at the feeder this fall. It does amaze me how they actually find a feeder which is after all quite small.
Off for now. Regards.0 -
Just a quick pop-in because for the first time in literally years I have lost a piece of writing (other than on this site!). It was the Christmas writing for my meeting Thursday. I have no idea how it happened. My friend who maintains my computer logged on with me and we spent almost two hours trying to find it. No luck. So I am working on rewriting which is always difficult because you keep trying to remember the original to recreate and of course, it suddenly seems so much better than it probably was! Fortunately the first part which was 1000 words had already been sent to the woman who organises our group. For that I am extremely thankful. Snow has now seriously arrived and my yard in completely blanketed. Today is very windy and bitterly cold. Of course, Nellie still wants and needs to go out some so
many short stints must be done. Perhaps because of the wind, the birds are not out much either at the feeder. So must get to the writing task.Regards.0 -
Hello Crackers,
Bracken I’m sorry you lost your piece of writing. I remember losing a very important report at work once which couldn’t be retrieved so I had no choice but to recreate it. It is very dispiriting to have to do it all again. I hope that your lunch went well and that you enjoyed it.
We have had snow in the UK too although none of it settled where we are. The temperatures have risen again the last couple of days so we are back to rain and lots and lots of wind. All in all, very damp and miserable.
The blue of your room sounds lovely Bracken and with accents in the darker tone and warm cream cupboards it looks s going to look beautiful. I know it is a lot of hard work but I am sure you will be pleased when you have finished.
My cousin’s funeral has been set for January 4. This is the one date I really didn’t want and given it is five weeks after his death I didn’t really expect that there would be a clash. That day is my husband’s 60th birthday and we have already booked to go away. I really don’t think it is fair to cancel my husband’s birthday so I am going to miss the funeral. The family are fully supportive of this but it doesn’t feel right to miss it. It wouldn’t feel right not celebrating my husband’s special birthday either. How I wish I could do both.
I weighed in this week and have put half a pound on. Given the anniversary celebrations and Christmas dinners which have begun I am quite satisfied with that. I have our book group dinner tomorrow evening but I intend to keep a lid on things. The book we read this month was A Boy Made of Blocks about a husband and wife who have an autistic son which takes a toll on their relationship and how the father eventually build a relationship with his son through Minecraft (a computer game). It is based n a true story and is one of the better books we read this year. The subject matter doesn’t sound that attractive but it is a heartwarming story and at times I just couldn’t put it down. My husband really enjoyed it too. We will vote on our book of the year tomorrow and I’m finding it quite hard to decide on my top two reads. We also put our programme together for 2018 so it will be a good evening.
I haven’t been exercising very much so I need to try and get back into it. Exercising isn’t so inviting in the cold, dark and wet mornings.
MITM, I hope you are enjoying your UK trip.
BM, I hope your health is improving. Thinking of you.
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Hello Crackers. LMV, what a difficult dilemma for you faced with the funeral of a cousin and your husband's birthday but I think you are right to go ahead with your husband especially as you have booked up ahead; it is nice your family is supportive of this. Perhaps you could send a few words of reflection about your cousin to be read at the funeral. I had sad news this week from England as our dear family friend with liver cancer died. I phoned her on Wednesday and her son answered the phone and said she was being given the last rites. He told me she would be able to hear me so I said a few words about how much she meant to us. She said a couple of words but I could not really understand them but hope she understood mine. On Friday morning I had a call to say she had passed. It is the end of era for us as she and her late husband made many trips to Canada and many of my family, self included, visited her a number of times over many years. She always made great plans so we could do a lot while we were there. One lovely week was spent in a flat she rented in Polperro from which we saw a lot of the Cornwall/Devon area.
LMV, A Boy Made of Blocks sounds interesting. I'll look out for it. My sister might also like it as she works as an educational assistant in an elementary school and has a lot of contact with autistic children. There seems to be so many cases now but to my understanding there is not a really clear grasp of what the cause is. One has to wonder though why there is such a huge increase. I am reading Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. I really like his writing and find he packs so much about a character in such a succinct amount of writing and yet it reads so easily. To me his sentences just glide along. I also have to get back to another book for my book club called Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien, a Canadian of Chinese background. It is interesting and well regarded but, to me, it does not read with that smoothness I so admire in McEwan.
I do feel like a bit of an old crock. My cold thankfully has largely cleared up but I have had considerable distress with my on-going gastro issues. It has really made me wary of eating a lot of the rich foods around at this time. Yesterday we had a large family gathering at my brother's in the country home. My nephew and wife with their recent two month's old baby were there so it was good to see the latest addition to the family. There are now four youngster six or younger between my two nephews so it was quite hectic. In addition, besides Nellie there were three other dogs. Recently my brother picked up a stray that was running down the road. Despite much effort, no owners have been found so he has two now. Also one sister is fostering a dog for her daughter's friend so she has two although she brought only one as her dog refused to get in the van for some reason. We had a lovely meal but I really ate very modestly especially as we ate later in the day and that seems to bother my digestive issues even more. The good news is that I decided to weigh myself today and am 5 pounds below the lowest weight I have weighed this year. This is very satisfying because for ages I seemed stuck at the same weight despite healthy eating. I have not weighed for at least a month. So today I am able to wear a pair of jeans that had been too snug the last time I tried them.
Must off now. Regards all.
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Evening Crackers,
I went and weighed in tonight and lost 2lbs this week. As I hadn’t logged my half pound gain from last week it shows as a 1.5 loss here at MFP. I am so pleased with that given how many temptations there are in the run up to Christmas. It means that despite our anniversary w-e away, the dinners I have been to and the lack of exercise and steps, I’m showing a net loss for December at the moment albeit a small one!
Bracken I am sorry to hear about your family friend. I hope it is a comfort to you that you managed to speak to her one last time. I’m sure she understood what you said if she tried to say something back to you.
I quite like Ian McEwan too, but we read Nutshell in book group this year and that one certainly split the group. It is a modern take on the story of Hamlet and I must say I didn’t like any of the characters, I thought they were all vile. He may write beautifully, but when you aren’t invested in any of the characters it is hard to like the book so it was a miss for me. Some of the others loved it because it was so beautifully crafted and they loved the Hamlet references. Having never read, studied or seen Hamlet, that all passed me by!
I’m sorry about your ongoing gastro problems. It must be very difficult for you, but every cloud has a silver lining, you are at least back in your jeans and at your lowest weight for this year. Well done.
MITM - I hope you have arrived home safely and enjoyed your trip to the UK. I expect you will be busy catching up with things now. I have pre-ordered the Darcey Bussel’s Diverse Dance Mix dvd which comes out n Boxing Day. I’m hoping I might feel motivated to do something between Christmas and New Year and a new dvd to get my teeth into might encourage me.
Well I’m off to see my parents for an early Christmas tomorrow so I had better get some sleep.
Love to you all
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Hello Crackers. After a nice milder day on Wednesday, we are back to real cold and a bit of snow. I have my final volunteer shift for the kettles this afternoon and did one yesterday which went well. Several people thanked me for doing it as they were donating- being appreciated is always nice. Our weather is somewhat uncertain for the next few days which is worrisome as I have quite a lot of driving to do. On Sunday, I have been invited to an open house by the stable owner where I used to board my horse. On Christmas Day, I go to my brother's in the morning and my sister for dinner. Next Wednesday, I have a luncheon invite from old friends. All except my sister's are out in the country. The only one Nellie can go to is my brother's because of logistics with other dogs so I worry a bit about being stranded and her at home.
I had a lovely call from my sister from the West (Sask.)even though it was early Thursday morning. She could not sleep because of jet lag so thought she would call me. She and her husband have just returned from a trip to Tanzania and Rwanda. Her husband is an optometrist, now retired,and they were part of a group who went to Tanzania to a clinic to provide eye care. They were billeted in a convent as nuns run the clinic and my sister said she awoke to the sounds of the nuns singing in the morning. They were also able to work in touring and spent three days on the Seregeti Plain where they saw a lot of wildlife and then flew to Rwanda to do the trek to see the gorillas. The day set for their viewing proved to be an arduous hike of over three hours each way and the gorilla family was elusive. They did finally get some viewing but it wasn't great and was impeded by a couple in the group who were clearly unfit for the hike, complained and swore, made unrealistic demands on the porters and caused delays. My sister said the woman was thirty pounds overweight and her husband had had heart problems they later learned! My sister's husband complained and they were allowed to do a trek again the next day to another troupe and had great viewing.Apparently this was fortunate as usually one is only allowed to go once but perhaps as it was not high season, an exception was made. I am quite envious that my sister could do this as Africa has always had a sort of mystical allure in our family. My mother's father (who was himself quite old when she was born)spent a number of years in Africa between 1895-1905 working for the railway that was built to Mombasa; he had a facility for languages and directed the local workers who were hired. I have some photos my aunt gave me that her father took during this time.
LMV, well on keeping on track with that 1.5 pound loss and a great attitude. I have not read Nutshell but read some reviews of it; it definitely seems like a quirky novel and is one of McEwan's I have not had a huge desire to read. Hamlet, however, I love and have seen several times, the last time three years ago. I also taught it for many years but never tired of doing so.
This week the student I recently helped was back with another essay for help. This time it was for an independent study essay in which she had to compare two novels, neither of which I was familiar with. I spent almost five hours just learning about them before she came but there was really no way around dealing with what she had written without doing that.
Must be off soon. I think Crackers are all out and about but wish all well wherever you are. BM, I hope you are managing with your troubling health. Regards all.
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Evening Crackers,
Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and I hope Santa is kind to you.
Lots of love
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Nadolig llawen from me, my apologies again for being so absent. I am now in my second week of gastroenteritis and seeing as how I had nothing good to write I chose not to bore you all with the details!
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful and happyNew Year. I hope 2018 will be a little kinder to us all than this year has been.......
You are all always in my thoughts even when I’m not able to write and express them xxxxxxxx0 -
Merry Christmas Crackers.
I'm swimming in a sea of sugar at the moment and very much against the current! Looking forward to getting back on the straight and narrow come the New Year. BM - sorry to hear you are under the weather again. LMV let me know how the new DVD is? BRACKEN - well done on the weight loss. I too bought a size smaller jeans last week, as it dawned on me I finally have thighs I like (thanks to the Max) and my jeans I bought in September were now too loose on the legs - so I ordered the size down on the Tuesday from the UK, they were on my doorstep in Austria Thursday morning! Nearest airport to me is 3 hours away, I was very impressed. However having not exercised in over 2 weeks and the amount of sugar that has passed my lips, I may put them to the back of the wardrobe until the New Year!
Be good Crackers - see you on the other side of Christmas!0 -
Happy New Year Crackers,
I'm off to the UK for the weekend, returning on Monday and then I'm seriously back to my routine as in less eating and more exercising... Don't know what the weather is like with you Bracken, I'm guessing very cold, here in Osttirol we have lots of snow which is very good for business as the skiers sit in the huts up the mountains eating schlipfkrapfen. LMV enjoy your husband's birthday, I'm sure there will be champagne involved! BM hope you are now on the mend?
Be good Crackers!
P.S. New jeans still have the price labels on... say no more.0 -
Bore da Crackers a blwyddyn newydd dda! Happy New Year
Well it has been party central here with the New Year festivities and then my husband’s 60th birthday. We went away to a spa hotel for his actual birthday which was lovely and then we went out with our local friends on Saturday and had a fabulous evening. As you predicted MITM there was plenty of champagne. I have been eating and partying solid for ten days now and have ballooned! But what the heck, life is for living and these were special times to be enjoyed. So, back to it today. I will attempt to eat healthily today and will get back to exercising tomorrow.
We have a number of other celebrations with other friends to look forward to during the year and I managed to keep the Venice trip a surprise from him so we can look forward to that in May. It is only three and a half weeks until we go to Australia now. Yikes it has crept up quickly so it is action stations to undo the Christmas/New Year/Birthday damage and get into my shorts!
Hope you are all well
xx0 -
Evening Crackers,
I'm home and will be back in action tomorrow! After journeying for 13 hours yesterday on 2 hours sleep, I didn't wake until midday today.
LMV - glad the celebrations were fun. I agree if you can't enjoy yourself on 'special days' when are we allowed, says me having 'celebrated' for over a month.... Stepping on the scales and facing the music in the morning. I have just finished working so I'm going to have a yummy cucumber and marmite sandwich then lay my gym clothes out ready for my first session of the year tomorrow.
Be good Crackers!0 -
Hello Crackers and a Happy New Year. The number of days since I have posted have crept up in large part I think because of dealing with unrelenting weather. Canada as a whole is experiencing very cold weather and temperature records have been falling everywhere. In my area we have had many days below -20C, some days into the -30's with the wind chill. That said, we did have three days of milder temps this week although today is wild again with freezing rain this morning followed by snow and the beginning of another below normal cold for at least the next nine days. It can be more than frustrating. I missed my Christmas writers' group meeting because of the snow and a luncheon at an old friend's who always gathers a number of us who started out riding together. I did manage to get to the 'open house' at the stables where I used to board my horse, although the last bit of that drive on gravelled roads was not much fun. The roads were very bad on Christmas day and I was reluctant to drive but my intrepid brother came for me in the morning so I had a nice time with him and family and one of my sisters and family. He brought me home and I was invited to another sister's for dinner but mid afternoon more snow and blowing so I missed dinner. However, it calmed down in the evening and I was able to go there with my sister who was at the morning celebration. With all the snow I have been very fortunate that my two neighbours who have snow blower machines have been clearing my driveway for me. There are two cedar bushes on the one side of my driveway that my resident sparrows shelter in. One day after a huge snowfall, I realised I had not seen them at all and when I went out I could see that the bushes were so covered in snow they were virtually encased. I dug out part of the snow and they soon emerged and flew to the feeders.
After feeling painted out before Christmas (although not finished in my basement) I have returned for the past two days to the job. My workmen have not been able to fit me in yet but both of them say they hope to be able to get here later next week. At the moment I am painting a French door and asking myself why I didn't get a more ordinary door. My sister has made me some templates of bristol board to fit around the glass which is a great help but it is still very fiddly. I keep telling myself that it is good to get this painting done while I do not have to worry about taping because the existing flooring will be replaced along with the ceiling tiles.
LMV, good to hear that your celebrations went off so well, especially the birthday of your husband. With your recent stellar achievements on diet and fitness, I'm sure you'll take care of recent and lovely indulgences. I would presume you'll be active in Australia too. I previously commented on your words about Nutshell. At the moment I am reading Sweet Tooth by McEwan and finding it very engaging. Interesting characters, suspense, good plot and his usual interesting commentaries on the state of society.
BM, I was happy to see that you could drop in and let us know how you are. I hope your gastro issue is resolving.
MITM, I hope you are not being overwhelmed with the demands for your schlipfkrapfen!
Off now to try and do a little more painting. Regards.0 -
Good Evening Crackers,
Bracken - I loved the tale about the sparrows!
Well I have spent this past week since returning from the UK, running around like a headless chicken trying to keep on top of all the schlip orders.... It's been a busy week and next week is going to be just the same. I'm blaming the snow but I'm not complaining - yet!
I started the New Year weighing in at 136 pounds, up 5 pounds so I had a very good Christmas!! My goals for 2018 are to get back to 131 pounds my 'new' desirable weight. I actually like how I look 2 pounds lighter than my target weight of 133 or to be precise I like my thighs toned and if the price I have to pay for a body I like is to do the Max (1 section) 3 times a week, so be it! I'm also going to continue to aim for 10,000 steps daily and I have started back on my 8 minutes of Jorge strength exercises a day, as I'm aware I'm not getting any younger.
Anyway even with my short stop over in the UK, I'm pleased to report I'm now back at my normal weight of 133 and I've managed to fit in whilst my potatoes are cooling my 3 Max for the week. After a month of no exercise, I did ache after the first session but I've since recovered. Plus I'm up 5000 steps having been dragged up mini Everest by the husband.
Be good Crackers!0 -
Hello Crackers,
I know I posted two or three days ago, but it has disappeared so I don’t know what happened to it. I’m sure I actually saw it on the page.
Anyway, to recap, I went and weighed in on Tuesday and I had piled it on 8lbs over the 3 weeks of partying. I deserved that, but I have tried to get back to healthy eating this week and have been mostly successful. I’ve got out for some long walks and have averaged 10,000 steps everyday. Bracken, I sympathise about the weather. We’ve had what I consider to be a very cold snap here, but it is nothing compared to what you are dealing with. Well done MITM on shifting 3lbs of that gain so quickly.
I have a friend coming to stay tomorrow so it might be a bit more awkward to stay on track but she’s only staying one night so I won’t be out of routine for long.
I need to get back to the dvd’s and in my desperation to get into my shorts for Australia I am contemplating doing a 15 day shred. I only have two and a half weeks so things are a bit desperate! As you suggested Bracken, we will be active while we are there so I hope I won’t put weight on over the six weeks of our holiday. I shall make a concerted effort to stay off the ice-cream!
I haven’t read Sweet Tooth so I shall have to add it to my list.
Sorry this is a quick check-in, but it’s quite late.
Nos da all
xx0 -
Good Evening Crackers,
LMV - I almost spilt tea everywhere when I read this line!I need to get back to the dvd’s and in my desperation to get into my shorts for Australia I am contemplating doing a 15 day shred. I only have two and a half weeks so things are a bit desperate!
Have you weighed in again this week? Hopefully you have shifted a few pounds without having to meet Jillian!! However I assume tomorrow maybe, day one of the Shred for you and if so good luck!
It was my husband's birthday on Monday. And my best friend's birthday is on Thursday. I always make cakeS and gain weight this week of the year. I decided this year would be different, as my friend is away in Vienna hopefully she'll treat herself to a slab of sacher torte and instead of 2 cakes, I would make a large batch of biscuits which could then be baked from frozen rather than scoff the lot in one sitting. I chose a Waitrose recipe; chocolate and salted peanut cookies. Husband loved them and so did I and just as well at over 200 calories a cookie and the recipe made 24. He ate 6.5 and I had 1.5 and the rest are safely in the freezer awaiting my friend's return. I made a tower with the biscuits and stuck a candle in the top, it looked quite fancy! Sadly what I did not take into consideration were the peanuts left over or the jar of peanut butter - 2 items I'd never have in my store cupboard for good reason. If you were to ask me do I like peanut butter, I would answer no, but for some reason I can't stop eating the stuff. So whatever calories I may have saved from not making a cake, I have added by devouring half the jar... and the peanuts are no more. Middle of last night I experienced the same feeling as when I ate the teddy bear crisps! OOOHHHH.
I still feel rubbish today! But I have done a Max.
Be good Crackers!1 -
Beck 'Think thin Thursday'
Remind yourself that your body doesn't know what you don't eat and only knows what you do eat. Extra is extra, regardless of how much extra you didn't eat.
Oh my body sadly knows exactly how much EXTRA I ate 2 days ago..... Still feeling rubbish! But I've done a second Max for the week.0 -
Hello Crackers,
I weighed in on Tuesday evening and had lost 7lbs. That leaves me just 1lb over my pre Christmas weight so I hope I can shift that this week. However, we are off to Hertfordshire tomorrow ready for my Mother’s birthday on Saturday. We are meeting some of my former work colleagues for dinner in London tomorrow evening so I need to work out how to negotiate dinner and birthday cake and still lose 1lb. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
I should have started the shred yesterday, but having lost 7lbs I decided to give it a miss and did 10,000 steps instead. I’d forgotten about the trip to Harpenden when I thought about a15 day shred. With this trip I couldn’t get 15 shreds in anyway.
The cookies sound delicious MITM and having just eaten a pikelet with marmite and a teaspoon of peanut butter I know how moreish it is once you start eating it. You did well to stick at 1.5 cookies and I’m glad your husband did the decent thing and demolished 6.5 of them for you. I hope you have recovered from the peanut episode now, I’m sure the maxing has helped.
Right, off to bed as I have an early start.
Stay warm and healthy Crackers
xx0
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