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Oh Bracken - I'm so sorry for you. Having had a car stolen myself (some years ago) I know exactly what you mean! You look for it and can't believe its not where you left it and then you start thinking I didn't leave it there - did I put it somewhere else. After which you then realise you are in for weeks of fafing about with the insurers etc.. Not funny! In my case, it happened when I was at a University for a summer school. The car was parked in an official car park. What I didn't realise was that it had been stolen almost immediately and used for joy riding and involved in a police car chase. Then it was crashed and set fire to. The only thing I'd left in it was a pair of really good walking boots but they of course were gone. The worst part was that the police didn't know where it had been stolen from and I didn't realise it was stolen. The result was the police contacted my parents who were then in complete and utter panic thinking something had happened to me! THey had a full day of hell before I rang home to tell them I was having a lovely time only to discover that they were imagining alsorts. (this was of course pre-mobile phones).
I've had a very busy week at work and, although my heart wants to work full time I can honestly say that I am shattered after just 3 days. Next week is going to be busy too. Still, my walking is improving and I am hoping to go and see the horses (but not ride) this afternoon.
Mum and Dad are leaving for home today so we went out for supper last night. I had the most delicious dinner of smoked haddock on a bed of gnocci in a parmesan sauce with baby spinach (i.e. I wasn't good but oh it was delicious), Having said that, when I got home I realised that my step counter had disappeared so I need to go back this morning to try and retrieve it.
I'm sort of looking forward to the peace and quiet but also thinking its going to be very strange. I have bought Mum a little gift from Hotel Chocolat, but not given it to her yet as I want her to take it home and enjoy it and not share it with me. I also need to make sure she takes home all the biscuits and chocolate etc that she has stowed around the kitchen. Hopefully, there won't be too many things for me to nibble on and I'll be able to be more disciplined straight away. keeping busy will be the most important thing.
Well, Bracken I hope you find a good bargain and that the thieves arms drop off.....
PB xx0 -
Bracken,
That is terrible news, I am so sorry. I'm sure you are in shock, it is such an affront and awful to think about people coming onto your property and stealing. I too send a big hug and let us know if there is anything we do to help from a distance.
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Bracken - shocking news. Maybe you will be lucky and it was some bored teenagers and it will turn up somewhere... But it's so unfair. However stay strong.0
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Thanks everyone for commiserating about the truck incident. I am trying to keep it in perspective and think about how it could have been worse- it was not an accident with injuries, it did not involve my family or my horse or dog. PB, your situation was much more dire with your poor parents put through such upset, thinking something had happened to you.
Of course, it is an unsettling experience. I have already spent considerable time on the phone talking to the insurance broker and then the insurance agent and answering many questions.
I was surprised and relieved to find out that because the truck was stolen rather than in an accident I am allowed a certain amount of funding for a rental car which I picked up today. I did not have the optional rental clause on my policy since I am no longer working and felt that I could forego it and save a bit of money. I have started looking at types of vehicles available on my computer which is stressful, partly because I have always taken quite a lot of time to research out vehicles before I bought. The insurance company has already said that if my truck wasn't found in 72 hours, it is quite unlikely to be recovered. I think the insurance will be pushing for a quick settlement but I don't want to be pushed into acting in great haste. I'm sure the settlement offer will be shockingly low as everyone has told me. So, yes even trying to put things into perspective, I know I am feeling a lot of stress. I know this is not the ideal time of year to have to buy a new vehicle and even getting the rental today was stressful- driving a car I'm not used to and being so conscious of not damaging it. At least it is making me park even further from the store entrances and other vehicles!0 -
Bracken - if insurers are the same there as they are - don't accept their first (yes it will be ridiculously low) offer. If you are able to do some research on line you can tell them what you think the truck was worth (and anything that was in it). Vent your stress on here - we can take it! At least you are mobile as that would be a real issue I suspect! Take the hire car to the stables and you can relieve your stress with your horse too. I always find that the best way to let go and did spend a little time with the horses yesterday. Although I'm not up to riding, I was able to give Merlin a good groom which he enjoyed and looked much better for.
Unfortunately, I had a really bad night last night - finally giving in and taking pills at 1.30am. I've slept since then but feel really rubbish, which isn't good as I'm going into work this morning. I have a major piece of work to do today which can't wait so hopefully, once I'm settled into it I will be OK.
The news regarding the EU over the weekend did set me on a rant about how we are citizens of the world and we should strive to work together as the 'human' race - not as a petty member of a petty Island. But I won't start that again here.
I hope everyone else has had a good weekend! I did go to church yesterday and I was so happy to find my voice was reasonably good. Had thought of going to choir tonight but I think I should probably say not this week.
Well take care Crackers!
PB xx0 -
Good advice all round P.B. And yes, insurers are definitely the same here. I am expecting an extremely low first offer. Nice to hear you have reconnected with the horses yourself. Too bad about your poorly night; I hope you managed all right at work today. I read about the UK referendum on the EU in the paper on the weekend. It seems like it could be a very divisive issue for the country. Here there is a lot of debate about the new government's decision to withdraw our six fighter jets from the Syrian conflict and concentrate on other ways of helping with the fight against ISIS. But it all seems so very complicated, as if no solution is an ideal solution. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to read the paper!
I was extremely pleased today with a two pound weight loss after the stress of last week. It is not letting up immediately either but nothing to do about that really. Today, I went to one auto dealer to get some information about the type of vehicle I am interested in. There are a lot of decisions to be made in the next while and I was reminded of that article I wrote about awhile ago which talked about how a person's brain can only make so many decisions in a day.
I think I am going to have to do some preplanning about eating decisions!0 -
Hello Crackers,
Bracken I am pleased to hear that your insurance cover entitles you to a rental car which will surely make things easier for you. It's a little bit of good news but no doubt there will be lots of hassle ahead as you try to sort things out with the insurance company. Channeling your stress into exercise is probably the most positive thing you can do. Well done on resisting the urge to eat your stress so far.
My week-end didn't quite go to plan. I had intended to do quite a lot of the prep for Saturday's dinner on Friday, but I got completely waylaid. The husband's car was going in for a service and there was no courtesy car available so I drove over to the garage and intended to go straight home with him. But he suggested we go and see FiL as we were on the hospital side of town. Then there was some new tool shop that had opened which had 10% off so we had to go there and get steel toe capped wellies. Then we remembered it is our goddaughter's birthday next week so we went and got a present for her. By the time we had done that and stopped for a bowl of soup the garage phoned to say the car was ready so it was back over there. Having left at 8.45am I finally got home at gone 5pm with none of the prep done. I got some bits and pieces done during the evening but decided I would just have to get going on Saturday morning. Lo and behold on Saturday morning I woke up with an eye infection. I couldn't open one eye without it watering constantly and hurting. I've had the same symptoms before so luckily I had some eye drops and I knew the best things is to keep it closed and rest. The husband was brilliant. I had to give him instructions on what to do and he got on with it. By about 4 in the afternoon I was much better so we got everything done. MITM you wanted to know my menu. Informal starter - I made 3 dips (spicy hummus; puréed roasted squash, sweet potato, onion and garlic with lime juice and cumin and a Creme fraiche with Parmesan and herbs) served with crudités and mashed potato "biscuits" (from a gluten free cookbook). Main course chicken in an orange, ginger and Tamari (gluten free soy sauce) sauce served with brown rice and broccoli in an Asian dressing, desert was a nectarine and plum crumble made with brown rice flour, oats and molasses (a Gwynneth Paltrow recipe) and a cheeseboard. We had a fun evening with great music choices and 60's costumes. Having never worn false eyelashes before, I'm now addicted to them!
I was really good on the food front. No starter as I was too busy with the chicken, small portion of the main and desert and no cheese. Can any of you believe that? I also only had half a glass of champagne. I did succumb to finishing off half a bottle of sparkling wine which was left on Sunday though AND I had a bit of cheese, but not too much.
It was FiL's 85th birthday yesterday so I had to make some cakes to take to the hospital for him and the nurses. He insisted that I ate one. We were at the hospital quite late and decided to get something to eat on the way home. I had sea bass with fresh vegetables and mashed potato, but I think there was quite a bit of butter in the dish so I'm not sure how good a choice it was. I didn't manage to get in as much exercise as I had hoped so I'm not sure how weigh in will go tomorrow.
Congratulations Bracken on your fantastic weight loss and to you BM. I think we can be proud of what we are achieving. How did your weigh in go MITM?
PB, I hope your piece of work went OK and that you are feeling a bit better. I expect it will take a while to get back to full fitness.
I have to travel to Hertfordshire tomorrow for a funeral of an Auntie (family friend rather than relative). I was very fond of her and she was always very good to me but latterly she has suffered with dementia so in a way it is a blessing that she has slipped away. It will be a sad day though. As we were due to go up on Saturday anyway after which I am going to York we have decided to stay on with my parents rather than come home and travel back up again a couple of days later. It's been a bit hectic getting everything ready so apologies for my absence the last few days. Hopefully I will continue to be able to log in while I am away.
BM - I put my UK contact details in a message to you. Did you get them?
Be good all
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ps a small victory. While packing I tried on the too tight black dress (remember I had to dash out and get a new black dress in January when the choir sang at a funeral?) and it fits again even without "suck it all in" underwear. Thrilled.
Incidentally Bracken, it is a fitted bodycon dress, the sort you said you thought were unforgiving. I suggest you try one on one day and you might be surprised. This one is made of a heavy jersey type fabric and is enormously forgiving and flattering
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STS this week. Better than a gain, but a bit disappointed in myself. I lost discipline. Renewed effort this week on the food front and I WILL post a loss next week
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I'm about to start work but I just had to say LMV - you cannot feel in the least bit disappointed with yourself, just reread your last posts and see how much you've crammed in to this past week; dinner party, eating out, birthday cake... and you didn't gain!!! So your discipline must be strong not weak, you are back in a dress that did not fit and you are still shredding so next week you will have a massive loss I'm sure.0
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Thanks for the support MITM. You have put a much more positive spin on things than I was feeling!
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Well said MITM, I echo every word! Xx0
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Ps LMV, found your message! Thank you so much for info, will send you mine as soon as I have it xx0
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Hello Crackers,
Still in Hertfordshire but have been unwell and in bed since Thursday evening. I've had the most awful headache which still hasn't cleared but I hope I will be well enough to go up to York tomorrow with my friend. I've done no exercise at all yesterday and today but I haven't eaten all that much either so I hope the lack of exercise won't lead to a gain.
BM - I think you fly tomorrow. Have a safe journey and do get in touch once you are here.
Hope everyone else is having a good week-end
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Hello Crackers, sorry to hear you aren't too well LMV although I guess you are secretly hoping there will be a weight loss as a result! You should, however, be very proud of your STS as given the events you had been involved in I would have put on half a stone! I'm still struggling to focus on food (other than to eat it. Lots of it) but I am definitely on the road to recovery. Planning to go for a swim on Friday morning (which will probably mean spending most of my time in the Jacuzzi). This will be the first time I test my leg in some form of real exercise. Having said that I'm trying very hard to do some walking everyday and I'm up to 4000 steps per day (which from nothing is not so bad, but not as much as normal). Now that we can expect the weather to improve hopefully I will get out to do some more walking too. The council have scraped away the moss that caused the accident although it doesn't seem likely that they will put any lights in to the area (there are virtually no street lights in the village).
I've had a good weekend with some enjoyable activities but next weekend is going to be very busy! I have rehearsal on Friday evening, supper out on Saturday evening and I'm judging at a horse show on Sunday (mothers day! - how do I get inveigled into that every year???). It will be a short day though so I will whizz over to Mum in the afternoon with card and presents.
I woke with a headache this morning so have had to take some painkillers again as I have a very busy day ahead. Going into work shortly (today could be a long day as I have things to do which must be completed by close of play so we've agreed I'll go in later. Then I'm hoping that I will have the energy to do at least one choir). I was a little surprised at Church yesterday when our priest mentioned my appearance on Songs of Praise - I hadn't really thought of anyone apart from family recognising me so it was lovely that she had spotted me.
I managed to go to stables, groom two horses and help do evening skip out. I didn't stay for the remainder but it was really nice although the wind was quite chilly. It felt good to give Merlin and Ed a brush over. Merlin is already looking better and as the weather turns warmer I shall work all that winter coat out and give him a lovely shine (he is very elderly and does love the attention). Ed is harder as he is a grey so without water and soap he never looks much better after I've groomed him. I don't feel quite up to dealing with the other two who can be a bit more fidgety to groom as I don't feel confident that I can get out of the way quickly if necessary.
well that's all from me for now. Looking forward to hearing from you all. BM hope your flight was good. I hope you and MITM manage to get together that would be wonderful!
Take care Crackers
PB xx0 -
Good morning/afternoon/evening /night?? I really don't know which way is up at the moment. The journey was ok, plenty off bumpy bits but champagne does help lol X I was very good though, usually I think calories don't count on a journey, but I had continental breakfast instead of the huge buffet put out at Dubai. And on the planes I just snacked on apples and a banana from the buffet bar. I did have a glass of wine with both main meals, but only had starter and a small cheese board,no mains. I really
am starting to have faith in myself I can do this! Oops don't know what I have done on this ipad now!
Wishing you all a good week, stay warm, I am wrapped up well and totally loving it! Xx
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Good Evening Crackers!
Well it's been a long time since I've had time to post on this thread but it feels like it's now or never, ever again! I have finished work for the evening and since I know I'm going to be busy for the rest of the week as I fly to the UK on Saturday it's got to be now....
I have recently been bombarded with emails from Beck (yes THE Beck!) very strange coincidence did she know I'd been struggling and was in need of a helping hand?! Even more interesting (for me) the emails have been on the cycle of maintenance - how weird is that?! I quote 'A big misconception about maintenance: dieters think that they'll get down to a weight and ultimately stay there; they think that maintenance is a straight line. In reality, maintenance is actually a cycle. It's a cycle of getting down to a certain weight, which requires a lot of energy and focus, eventually we naturally start to lose a little bit of focus and we loosen up in certain ways. After a while that bit of loosening up starts to feel completely normal and we loosen up even more from there and then the scales goes up a few pounds. Once we realise that the scales has gone up and stayed up for a few days we refocus, figure out where we've gotten loose and tighten back up. And then the scales goes down. And then overtime we lose focus, loosen up, the scales goes up, we tighten back up and the scales goes down and so on.'
Becks thinks loosening up over time is normal and for most people pretty unavoidable. What is a problem when dieters don't catch the loosening up before it's really gotten away from them. She also advises it's critical to be getting on the scales somewhere between once a day and once a week and if the scales goes up by 2 or 3 pounds for 3 or 4 days that's usually an indication it's time to get refocused.
When you think about it, this also happens if you've got a lot of weight to lose over time....
I decided to look at my weight chart over the past year and I was pleasantly surprised to discover I'm actually lighter than I was this time last year and realising that I haven't weighed any heavier than 4 pounds over my target weight for 8 months now, so I must finally be doing something right after all! Last March I did just what Becks describes I avoided the scales and during the time I was in the UK I completely loosened up and went right over my 1/2 stone allowance and it took me until July to get back in control of my weight. Since then I am now doing just what she describes I'm always nearer my target weight than my boundary line. But until I received these emails I wasn't aware I'm doing just fine and because of all the exercise I look a whole lot better too, I can see my abs in the mirror.
I read a good quote 'giving up on your goal because of one setback, is like slashing your other 3 tyres because you've got one flat.' Well thanks to the Crackers inspiring me with all your successes of late although my scales were refusing to budge I just kept doing what I normally do and finally this week they have moved - not a lot but they've budged and in the right direction! So I shall try and be good whilst I'm in the UK because I would very much like to be at my target weight on the dot for my birthday which is at the beginning of April. Christmas and my birthday are my personal bench marks!
Right Crackers be good!0 -
Hello Crackers,
I received some bad news this morning. One of my friends has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so instead of going home today as planned we hotfooted it to the Royal Free in London to see her. She has a renal tumour which has spread to her bladder and bones at the base of her spine. She is starting chemo to keep things at bay and make her more comfortable. It's been a huge shock as we didn't know anything about it before the final diagnosis. It has reminded me that we should all make the most of every day, do the things we want to do and say the things we want to say. Life is short and precious.
Feeling sad
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LMV - so sorry to read your sad news, I didn't see it last night we must have been posting at the same time. It really does make you sit up and think about life and appreciate good health which so many of us take for granted. Thinking of you.0
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LMV, heartbreaking news. You are in our thoughts and prayers xxx0
