Let's get started
Options
Replies
-
Croeso i Gymru BM a dydd gwyl Dewi Sant hapus. Looking forward to hearing from you when you get your phone sorted and hope everything is OK with your daughter. Well done on staying disciplined during the flight, I definitely believe you can do this.
MITM, somewhere along the line I had missed the fact that you are coming to the UK. How long are you staying? One of these days we must get together in person too. The Beck thing is interesting and makes perfect sense. Many, many years ago I remember seeing Britt Eckland being interviewed and she was asked about the fact that actresses never know when they might be called for an audition. She said she never allowed herself to be more than 7 days away from her "perfect" figure. It's a similar philosophy isn't it and means nipping things in the bud if you start drifting too far from goal. You seem to be doing that really at the moment.
PB - you are a very busy bunny. I hope you aren't doing too much too soon?! How did the swim go?
We drove back today and there is no place like home. I went to cookery this evening where we had lots of Welsh recipes to mark St David's Day including Bara Brith and Welsh Cakes. Lovely!
I tasted everything and as usual I hope it won't affect my weigh in tomorrow!
Bracken, you've been gone a while now. I hope everything is OK with you.
I am yet again full of cold, so I'm having an early night. Thank you for the thoughts regarding my friend
Nos da Crackers
xx0 -
Hello Crackers,
Blowing an absolute hoolie here today. I've got a casserole on in the slow cooker and the fire laid for later. I think it's going to be an evening for hunkering down and getting cosy.
Was absolutely astonished to get on the scales this morning and discover that 5lbs has melted away. I can only think that the exercise from last week which didn't show at the last weigh in has taken effect this week. I'm not complaining but I wasn't expecting that. I have now lost 24.5lbs since January 6 and am well on my way to my second stone. I was good last week in that I had absolutely no cheese and I only had alcohol when I was in York with my friend. I owed her a bottle of champagne for the Wales win over Scotland, so we had that. I had a glass of wine in the interval at the show and then a further glass of champagne at the hotel as a nightcap. By our normal standards we were pretty abstemious!
The news of my friend meant I rather forgot about the James Martin show I went to see called Plates, Mates and Automobiles. He was hilarious and a real entertainer. He cooked nine different recipes on stage and on a big screen there were pictures and film clips of him and his cars. He talked without a script and had the audience in stitches. He grew up near York and his mother and sister were in the audience which he clearly enjoyed. Well worth going to see if anyone gets a chance.
My husband is at the hospital this afternoon. He has a big meeting with the ward sister, discharge nurse and social worker to assess my FiL's condition and discuss his future. They started 3 hours ago but I haven't heard anything yet so I hope it is going OK. I know he finds these things very stressful as he feels hugely responsible for getting the best outcome for FiL.
I hope all Crackers are doing well
xx0 -
Hi LMV - well done!!!!!! What a fantastic weight loss. You should be very proud given everything you have been through recently. Can I please have some of your resolve??
As for your FiL I do hope the outcome was a lowering of stress for your OH. I can understand he feels responsible for ensuring his welfare and that is right but I would guess your FiL's options are pretty limited and with the current shortages of funding and support that can be very worrying. But he must realise he is doing everything he can and that his Father would appreciate that if he was able to say so.
I have to go to work in a few moments - but after today I am free to relax and enjoy the weekend. I simply can't wait! I have had quite a tough week and my boss is in one of her unpleasant moods. Yesterday she accused me of making mistakes when under pressure. This was because she told me not to do something which then led to her having too much to do over the weekend. She had a go at the Heads of Dept too (one of them in a meeting which I thought was out of order). The good news is that she is (although I'm not supposed to know this) leaving at the end of June. Mind you, better the devil you know I suspect! It really is quite hard being treated like an imbecile on occasion and it does undermine your confidence. This job is well within my capability but she rarely lets anyone do their job unhindered and then complains of the outcomes. Its passive aggression at its worst. Still she is nowhere near as unpleasant as the GPs. My main worry is that I'm still on probation (I have a 12 month probation as a 'senior manager') and that she is holding this over me somewhat. I don't think I'm really at risk but she knows how to push my buttons.
Bracken - how are you? My niece has booked her trip to Canada in July (she's going to family in BC so won't be in Ontario) and is very much looking forward to it. Lucky girl. Hopefully, the weather is improving slowly there now? Also have you managed to sort out your vehicle?
Well I'd better close now and will try and log on later.
take care
PB xxx0 -
Hello Crackers. What you will read in this post will be even shorter than I intended as I am now starting it over again, having lost a considerable amount because I went back to page 39 to re-read some posts and when I came back here of course everything was gone. If computers are so smart, why would it possibly make sense that I would want my post to just evaporate! I know I should have just posted what I had- hindsight. So to start again....
It seems like a long time since I was last here. I have been feeling under the weather for the last ten days. I'm not sure exactly why; in fact, it seems to me there is more than one thing that has impacted me. However, I won't go into that right away ( and now perhaps not on this post) before I comment on some recent posts. I have been logging on and generally keeping up with posts, though some days I only logged on enough to keep my consecutive numbers of days going- that was all I had the energy for.
LMV, how sad for you to have such dreadful news of your friend. You have had a lot to contend with recently with the funeral of your aunt, the illness of your friend, and the on-going concern for your FIL, and I presume needing to support your husband as he tries to advocate for his father. Your comments about your friend certainly put it into perspective and are instructive to us all. With all that happening, it really is astonishing that you have managed to do so well with managing your weight goals and lose another five pounds.
BM, it is good to read that you have arrived in the UK and I hope are enjoying every minute with your family. MITM, I understand you too are in the UK and also hope you have a good time. Your long post about Beck was very thoughtful and I hope to comment on it next time. I have just dug out my Beck again. PB, you seem to really be making up for lost time with a busy round of activities. I'm glad you are able to put your boss's behaviour in perspective. You have mentioned your niece will be in Kelowna this summer. That is a very lovely part of Canada. A good friend with whom I taught now lives there. She and her husband (English) retired from England after living there for twenty some years.
The last time I posted seems like ages ago, ten days actually but I was pleased with having just lost two pounds. The next day things began to go awry starting with the beginning of having problems sleeping. On the Monday night I had a really bad night's sleep because I was worried about not waking up in time for an important early morning appointment- there should not have been a problem as I had set an alarm. I had an appointment to have three small basal cell lesions removed from my face by a dermatologist. I suppose I was worried because it was really hard to get an appointment with her; I had waited a couple of months to hear about an appointment and then was told it would be the end of June. My Family Doc said that was not acceptable and got in touch with her office and was able to get the earlier time
so I was worried about the appointment. I have previously had two small lesions removed by her and did not recall them being much of an issue. She did all the procedure which required some excision and stitches. This time the procedure was different (the lesions were not so deep she said) and required a needle with some form of nitrogen, I believe, (really painful) and then the nurse finished the procedure which she called cauterizing and involved a small electric knife-like device that scraped away on my face (sorry if this is too much Information!)
The upshot was that it has been very painful for a number of days. It has also been frustrating as I am cautious about using sunscreen and staying out of the sun because of my natural skin colour. Whatever colour my hair is now, my skin still thinks I am a red head!
Must really leave off for now.
Regards all.0 -
....I really should be packing however... Bracken I feel for you! When I was last in England, I put on my lipstick (I rarely wear make-up on my mountain top!) and I suddenly realised I had a small white mark on my bottom lip which the lipstick annoyingly did not cover. Didn't think much more about it, until nearly 2 months later I realised it was still there and was it my imagination had it got larger? My husband was seeing the dermatologist on Tuesday so I accompanied him into town and he asked the receptionist could the Dr also see me. I popped in after him, he took one look and told me it was a lesion from the sun, got out his nitrogen 'wand' and then and there removed it! He also told me either I wear a stronger SPF lipstick or I should go back to the UK! It was painful Bracken I would agree but I have to say how impressed I was at how quickly he just got on and did it. How long would I have been waiting for an appointment in the UK? It also got me thinking about the rest of my body and what this strong sun up here can do but I rarely think about my lips when I'm out walking! It is the most beautiful day imaginable here today with snow and blue skies and I can't believe tomorrow is forecasted to be so different! Thinking of you Bracken - hang in there.0
-
Afternoon Crackers,
Lovely to hear from you Bracken, but I'm sorry you have been under the weather and have had to deal with treatment for skin lesions. I hope you are over the worst now and that you are improving. Hearing you talk about the strong sun in the mountains MITM is a reminder for me that I must sort out sunscreen before heading off skiing later this month.
Some friends of ours rang last week to say they had decided to go skiing and asked if we fancied joining them. We haven't been skiing for years as my husband was forbidden from further skiing after he broke his back. The risk of irrevocable damage to his spine if he should fall is too great. We had to postpone our trip to Australia because of FiL and also a holiday we had planned last September so we haven't been away for more than a week-end for 20 months. We both need a break but had been unable to decide where and when to go. Our friends had done all the research on the chalets etc so made it very easy for us. We decided to go and enjoy a holiday in the mountains even though he won't ski at all and I'm not sure how much I will do. One of our friends broke her ankle last year so she doesn't think she'll ski much either so we can ride the lifts as foot passengers and relax in the mountain restaurants with a good book! We're heading off in two weeks, so not long to wait.
We have some positive news re FiL. The meeting at the hospital didn't go well, but our first choice care home rang yesterday to say that a vacancy has come up. He was number 10 on the waiting list when we registered him for this home last year, but some of the people ahead of him are happily settled elsewhere now so he has been offered a place. It's a family run business in a village three miles away which would make it easy for us to pop in when we are passing. It has a very good reputation and whilst the facilities are not as brilliant as some other places we've seen, the atmosphere is lovely and the care very good. We went to see them yesterday and they hope to carry out an assessment on FiL next week to make sure they can meet his needs and all being well he may even be settled there before we go away. The bad news is that the funding issues between his local authority in London and Swansea are still not resolved and the fact that health is a devolved issue in Wales and is not the same as in England makes things doubly complicated so more wrangling ahead.
PB, I wish I knew where my resolve has come from so that I could pass it on to you. When I am in the right frame of mind I can be very single-minded about doing things and I think I was just fed up of messing about and playing at losing weight. I was feeling uncomfortable in my clothes and that was making me unhappy. I know that the only person who can do anything about it is me so I just need to get on with it. I feel so much better now and that reinforces my resolve to carry on. The whole discipline vs willpower debate helped me too and I am finding it quite easy to be disciplined about my food and alcohol intake. At the moment I don't want to exceed what is sensible. I'm beginning to wonder if I have turned a corner in my thinking and attitude to food and drink and am finally making those lifestyle changes which will enable me to maintain a healthy weight long term. I suppose only time will tell. I haven't gone off the rails in a major way at all this year nor have I had a gain and I am really enjoying my food.
MITM - I hope you have a safe trip to the UK and that you manage to dig yourself out if you have a big dump of snow. As you say, the exercise will be good for you. If at any time you are at a loose end while over here, give me a text and we can get together for a walk and cup of tea......no hot cross buns!
BM - hope you are having a lovely time and enjoying the cold
Have a good w-e all
xx0 -
Good evening Crackers,
Bracken, I am so sorry for all you have just been through. I am thinking of you xx
LMV, fantastic weight loss, I finally have a UK mobile number and will message you it. So glad things are looking up with your FIL.
MITM, have a great time in the UK. It is freezing here, lovely! Lol xx
PB, my fingers are crossed with your probation and hopefully you will have a great new boss xx
I am writing this whilst lying in bed in the hotel. Unfortunately my dreaded period started early and I have spent most of the week in bed or with my legs elevated on the sofa. A total waste of a week. I have done absolutely nothing with any of my family. It was touch and go if I had to cancel this weekend, but my Daughter was really looking forward to it so here we are. Hopefully it will end soon so I can catch up on a few things. I even missed my Uncles funeral this week, but I am sure my Aunt wil understand when I can visit her and explain. At least it wil be out of the way and I can just get on with things next week (if it ever ends!). Apologies for too much information but I am feeling sorry for myself lol xx
Wishing everyone a happy and safe weekend.
BM xx0 -
Back for a short visit but wanted to make some contact and catching up so today I'll talk about my truck. A week ago I had a call from the police to say it had been found on a Native Reserve about thirty minutes from where I live. It is not uncommon regrettably for vehicles to end up there. The officer told me it was found in a ditch with damage to the front end and the ignition (because it had presumably been hot wired to start when stolen). He mentioned some other damage, told me it had been towed to a garage/compound on the Reserve, and told me it was important I contact the Insurance company promptly so it could be towed to another holding area and assessed. I did that and waited to hear from the Insurance but nothing happened. I spoke to the fellow at his garage who also said one window would not close either. In the meantime I have had the rental car. When I got it I inquired about insurance and was told I could take optional insurance. I found this odd and asked how many people did so. The answer was 85% did so I thought I had better too. I had phoned my insurance to ask if I should cancel the truck's insurance but was told no, that was not the procedure. My insurance would continue (and I would be paying) and I understood that when I got another vehicle an adjustment would be made. Yesterday I had a call from the rental agency letting me know that the insurance to date was $250. Today I spoke to my insurance broker who told me I did not need that insurance and I should cancel it and tell the agency they should not have been selling me insurance. A phone call to the rental agent, of course, resulted in being told they would not know whether my insurance would cover their vehicle despite the fact the insurance company deals directly with the rental agency and sets up the rental. I can see no one is going to want to be responsible. In the meantime apparently my vehicle was only towed from the Reserve yesterday because of some conflict with the insurance over their charge for keeping it. This is not just a problem coming from the Reserve; we have many stories in the news about tow operators throughout the province charging outrageous fees for towing and storing vehicles, so much so that the provincial government is drafting legislation to deal with it. In the meantime, I still do not know where my vehicle is. I'd like to be able to access it myself and also look to see if perhaps the sunglasses and Nellie's safety harness can be retrieved. Another matter is that the police also said the licence plates had been removed so I had to go to the Licence Bureau report and cancel them. However, they are apparently in circulation as stolen plates. All a little stressful.0
-
Quick catch up before I depart for the airport... oh my goodness me Bracken I can see why you have been feeling a little (a lot) out of sorts - all very stressful. I think I would have my head in the fridge by now! Stay strong, thinking of you.0
-
Oh my Bracken - it sounds like a total nightmare in which you are left in the dark and duped by all. I think the insurance for your vehicle which included a hire vehicle should also include the insurance on that vehicle so they have really taken you for a ride. We had a similar problem in France a couple of years ago with a hire car where we were duped into buying an extra insurance that was completely unnecessary. the hire company, which had offered a really low rate on the internet before we arrived clearly made its money by then duping people into buying unnecessary insurance at the airport on pick up. We couldn't get anything back either which was very frustrating. So many firms these days seem to want to separate everything into smaller bits to make it look cheaper and then see what they can extract from you once committed. Despicable!!!! As for the towing companies and garages, thankfully around here its very rural so anyone who played those kind of games wouldn't last long (customers talk and their work would dry up!).
As MITM says - stay strong. It will all be over soon, but I do appreciate the sense of violation that you must feel. Seeing the vehicle might not help much (it didn't for me in the case where mine was stolen as the car was so badly damaged) but it is at least helpful to know where it is and what is happening.
Work has been quite stressful this week but I have a lovely weekend planned. Today, once I get off here I'm going into baking mode as one of the girls at work is holding a bake sale on Monday in aid of the Anthony Nolan bone marrow charity. Her husband has just received a bone marrow transplant and is doing well so she is raising money for this very worthy cause. I also want to make a little box of biscuits as a gift for my hosts this evening. I've been invited to supper in the village. I have a big pile of ironing to do too today and although I hoovered around yesterday I really should do it again today! tomorrow I'm judging so I need to be organised for that and then I must make a journey over to my brothers to see my Mum as it is Mothers Day (here in the UK Bracken - I think yours is later in the year?) and I cannot miss it this year as mum has been so amazing this last few weeks.
I've organised myself a trip to York at the end of the Month with my friends daughter Zoe which I'm looking forward to very much.
LMV I know what you mean about resolve and trying to turn that corner where you can control the way you approach food. I will continue to try to find that for myself but at the moment I feel it is one thing too many to be dealing with - which is ridiculous when I compare my complications with yours - which are so much more complex and stressful. I congratulate you!
Well must go now as I really do need to get my act together and start baking!!!
take care all
PB xx0 -
Hello Crackers. Today has been the first day in literally the past two weeks that I have felt anything like normal. I actually had some motivation to move. It has been extremely frustrating feeling so listless. My plan was to begin with some gentle indoor cycling but I ended up walking outdoors (Nellie was definitely pleased) and managed a total of 5782 steps. After real wintry weather for the last two weeks, overnight the temperature climbed into the double digits today. It was sunny and not windy. Milder than normal temperatures are now predicted for at least the next couple of weeks. It felt really nice walking. One hates to complain about nice weather after the recent cold but we really seem to have extremes here recently. For the next several days temperatures are predicted to be between 13-16C. The problem is that the trees begin budding too soon and then if we get even one night of significant frost, fruit crops can be severely impacted. This happened three years ago when we had one early week of very high temperatures in March, followed by a frost and about 90% of the apple crop was destroyed; there were virtually no local apples. Southern Ontario is a major centre for apple production. Another problem with the quick and extreme warming is the effect on the maple syrup production. On the weekend, I went to buy some local syrup for a gift at a nearby small producer. For good production, warm days (about 5C) and cold nights are needed. The past couple of weeks have been too cold in the daytime; now the daytimes may be too warm. As the season goes on, normally the sap and thus syrup becomes darker and more intense; it is called amber syrup. I like all maple syrup but prefer the amber but was told there may not be any amber this season.
When I was letting Nellie out this morning, I heard a noise and looked up and saw a flock of tundra swans flying north. These are a large white swan with some black markings which make their way to the arctic tundra to nest. I was quite thrilled to have caught a look at them.
They fly amazingly fast and seemed out of sight in just a couple of moments. In the past few days, the chipmunk who lives under my front steps has come out of hibernation and been eating at the birdfeeders. There are still many birds coming to the feeders, including a pair of cardinals yesterday. The squirrels never leave and drive Nellie wild by eating out of the window boxes (I put feed in them too) completely unconcerned that Nellie is standing with her paws on the window sill barking. They clearly understand they are in no danger with a double pane of glass between them. Some of the birds ignore Nellie too. I really like having the birds just inches away to observe.
My vehicle has been finally towed to the insurance company's compound and today my sister came with me to have a looked at it. What a sorry sight- many dings and dents on the body, a window that won't close anymore, and the inside gutted- the airbags removed, the audio system removed, the ignition system ruined. I wanted to get anything that was left but the prescription sunglasses were gone (we were told that is very common; I would have thought they were of no use to anyone) as well as a very good dog safety harness my friend had passed on to me because her new dog would not fit it. The truck is definitely a write-off and I felt sad seeing it as it had served me well for so many years.
Thanks everyone again for thinking of me. MITM, enjoy England. PB, I hope your busy weekend went well.
Must leave off for now.0 -
Hello Crackers,
Everyone seems to be very busy at the moment which I suppose is good. Hopefully it keeps us out of the fridge!
Bracken, I'm so sorry you haven't managed to retrieve anything out of your van and such a shame it came to an unhappy end after serving you so well. It sounds like youngsters have taken everything to try and get a few pence for them. Sadly, things like your sunglasses and Nellie's harness are worth little to anyone else but are so valuable to you. I hope the car's contents are covered by your insurance policy. Thank you for the phone call yesterday. It was lovely to chat with you and to hear that you sound upbeat despite having been under the weather and all the transport problems. I didn't manage to salsasize yesterday, I ran out of time, but I'm pleased to see that you did a fantastic number of steps after your lay off and that you enjoyed it.
PB, how did the baking go? Did you manage to resist licking the bowl? It sounded like your week-end was going to be quite hectic so I hope your leg could take the pace and that you had a good time. Week-ends are especially important after a stressful week at work. I hope the boss is more amenable this week.
BM, I fear that yet again there will be no time for you to grab a coffee with me as you have been laid up for so long. Did you enjoy your stay at the Marriott? Did you get to John Lewis? I hope you are feeling better by now.
MITM - a stonking weight loss from you this week. Very well done. You must be thrilled and how are the new jeans/jeggings looking? I bought a new pair of jeans today. They are from M&S, dark denim, straight leg, "Lift and sculpt"!! Apparently the Lycra and clever stitching lift and sculpt to enhance your figure!! I'm not sure if that is the case, but they are comfortable jeans and the husband seems to like them. The good news is that I slipped comfortably into a smaller size so I am chuffed about that. Jillian and Rosemary are working their magic.
Weigh in tomorrow. I haven't done as much exercise as I wanted this week nor have I tracked my food, so I hope the scales continue to be kind to me.
It's now very late and I'm tired after a busy day - Welsh class, shopping, cookery class - so I'll say good night. We're all in the same time zone at the moment apart from Bracken so nos da i bawb
xx0 -
A quick pop-in as I have just returned from a meeting connected with my Writers' Group. As predicted it was warm and sunny again today and Nellie and I walked in the morning. My youngest sister is on holiday this week so she was here for a visit in the afternoon. When I went to the meeting it was a bit of a walk from the parking place tot eh meeting place so I managed to get my total steps today to 7472. LMV, congrats are downsizing with those new jeans. That is surely a visible mark of what you have achieved. Regards all.0
-
Hello Crackers - lovely to hear how everyone is doing and yes that everyone is busy! BM I do hope you are now recovered? Good luck with the weigh in LMV - I'm not getting on the scales at the moment. I'm still not in the right headspace but I can feel it coming nearer!
My baking went well. There were a few bits left over from the bake sale so I took them to choir and raised nearly another £12. I think the overall total was well over £200, but I haven't heard as yet. I was quite tired after such a busy (but enjoyable) weekend - and had a lovely evening out on Saturday but last night I just conked out having gone to two choir practices on Monday! Work is a little subdued at the moment and I haven't yet seen my boss this week but have a one-to-one with her today so we'll see how it goes. We still haven't been told officially that she is leaving in just over 3 months time. If they put the Head of Science & Tech in her place even temporarily I think that will be a good thing for me but I don't know who will be in charge or whether they will replace my boss at all. We are awaiting final confirmation of University title in the next few months which means that there will be a review I think of our structures. We only have the two faculties at present but will they stick with that or will they move to something different. Also, the Provost may decide its time to step down once the university status has been confirmed. (Until now we've been a unique collaboration between the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex).
I'm waiting hopefully for a Skype from my friends who have been in Asia since just after new year. I think they've had a good time but are ready to come home now - not sure they will appreciate the weather though! They had a rather wet and cold time in Vietnam but the rest of it seems to have been quite warm (It actually snowed in Vietnam!).
Bracken I do hope that the mild weather continues - as you say it can be devastating to the fruit crops. We've had very late frosts this year and my cherry plum is in bloom so I hope it won't be too badly damaged - its quite hardy.
Please please will someone shut up that dangerous idiot Trump!!!!!! I cannot believe that americans can actually contemplate putting this ignorant, arrogant bully in the White House with his bigoted, misogynistic views you could almost see him trying to reinstate slavery! I really want to throw up every time I see him on the telly. What an absolutely appalling apology for a human being. What a frightening product of a wealthy, privileged upbringing.
Well I should now go and get dressed and I'm going to see if I can get a pair of boots on today. The boots I was wearing when I fell. Did I tell you that the council have come and cleaned up the moss on which I slipped? they did it reasonably quickly but I was still out of plaster when it happened!
Take care Crackers, keep up the good work and I will be joining you on the journey again soon (I hope!).
PB xx0 -
Afternoon Crackers,
Just a half pound off for me today which takes me to 25lbs lost since January 6th. Although it is only a small loss this week, I am so pleased with the progress I have made and know that the regular increased exercise has definitely accelerated my weight loss. This week I need to try and get back up to the activity levels I was sustaining a month ago. Since the return of that horrid cold I haven't been walking as much and it really does make a difference.
I'm glad your cake sale was such a success PB, you must be feeling very proud of your efforts. I had to chuckle at your Donald rant. It seems inconceivable to us Brits that the Americans would actually vote for someone like him, but it is a scarily real and terrifying prospect. I saw a spoof statement from the Queen stating that as the American people were incapable of voting for a competent presidential candidate she was re-instating America as a British colony. It was very funny. Also, have you seen the picture of her with Daniel Craig as James Bond taken from the 2012 Olympics with the dialogue " And Donald Trump Ma'am?" "Just make it look like an accident 007"? Let's hope common sense prevails at the time of the actual election.
I expect it was lovely to see your youngest sister Bracken. I hope you enjoyed her visit. Well done on upping your steps again.
MITM - I hesitate to tell you this as I don't want to tempt you, but the March issue of the British Delicious magazine has a special section on Easter chocolate recipes. One of them is for hot cross bun brownies. I instantly thought of you when I saw it as it combines two of your favourite things. I will happily pass the recipe on if you want it.
That's it for now. Be good all.
xx
0 -
Hello Crackers. Spring is definitely my favourite season and virtually overnight some crocuses popped up in my back yard. Another nice day meant I was able to up my walking and even go for a 15 minute bike ride. There were numerous robins nearly arrived from their migration today, staking out their particular lawns and properties. Because my neighbourhood is an older one with many mature trees, it gets a lot of birds particularly robins. I am so happy to see and hear them that I actually say aloud, "Hello bird. Welcome back." Perhaps it is good only Nellie hears me say that. I do love to hear the birdsong of spring.
LMV, you have achieved a significant milestone with your loss this week. Congrats.
PB, you should be really proud of your work raising those funds- not surprising that you conked out after your weekend.
I'll chime in with my agreement with both the comments re D. Trump. It really is appalling and frightening that such a man can be winning all these primaries. The spoof Queen's comments are really funny. My friend in Kelowna, also appalled, e-mailed me the other day with a link to a very funny piece on Trump on U Tube. It is by the brilliant John Oliver (I do not get his show on my tv but you might know he would be a Brit ex-pat on American HBO tv) He does a hilarious but insightful analysis of Trump- well worth watching. I'm sure you could find it with John Oliver discusses Donald Trump on U Tube.
I am getting back in stride with my diet and exercise. The exercise has come the easiest. I have not related much yet about what a poor time I had with the diet when I wasn't feeling well for those days. I had a lot of days when I paid no attention to proper eating. I could not motivate myself to cook and prepare proper meals but I still wanted to eat. I don't know why I don't lose my appetite in such situations. I know a lot of the time I seemed to feel hungry even when I knew there was no way I should feel hungry. So it was interesting to read an article in today's Globe and Mail about a study linking poor sleep and overeating. A lot of the time I was not sleeping well. This is not new to me. I have always felt that if I don't sleep well it makes it hard to eat well. The past three nights I have slept better and it has been much easier to follow my eating plan. I have, perhaps cowardly, avoided a weigh-in this week but I know there has been a gain. I'm glad that I am back to my structured meals and using my diet journal. I hated to have blank pages but there were days I could not force myself to record. I've been thinking of the success graphic you posted, LMV; a good reminder. Setbacks are hard but just quitting would be worse. I've got out my Beck book again too. It has been awhile since I've looked at it and there is a lot of good ideas there. Her plan really is about building habits and discipline.
Must leave off now. Regards all.0 -
hello Crackers - good to see your posts and Bracken don't worry about welcoming back the Robins - its a wonderful thing. I'm writing with a very heavy heart this morning. My 'one-to-one with my boss turned into a very nasty experience in which she basically said that I wasn't coming up to scratch and that my probation was in doubt. I was naturally devastated by this as I have worked so hard in difficult circumstances and have only been back two weeks. She had said she wanted to delay my probation but effectively she did it yesterday. I have had a totally sleepless night and feel very worried with no one to talk to as I can't talk to my mum about this as she will go into a complete panic and make things feel worse than they are. I don't know how I'm going to turn this around. I have a meeting with HR this morning but I really don't expect any help from them.
My problem, as I see it, is that she brought me in to do a job which she has then prevented me from doing. When at first I tried to use my initiative she told me to do as I was told, then when I had my 6 month probation meeting she accused me of being pedagogical (!) and we agreed a plan to try to manage this. I thought I was doing OK on this and then I broke my ankle. When I returned to work a couple of weeks ago she told me to do what I could, within the confines of my time but we were up against a major deadline. She specifically told me not to sort out the track changes on the submission we were working on and give it to her as it was - and now she is resentful as she spend all weekend working on it (the submission was written by lots of different people and needed pulling together, a job I was very keen to do - until she told me not to). Then HEE put another short deadline on us for evidence to go with the submission. There were few items that were directly referred to so I had to guess a bit about what would be right. I thought I done a reasonable first stab, but when I sat down with the Heads of Dept. one of them (who is very resentful of me) obviously grasped an opportunity to stick the knife in and of course I got into a muddle and fell straight into her trap. She reported back to my boss and I was basically attacked as soon as we were alone. I don't feel I can trust anyone anymore and am totally alone. I've lost so much in the last couple of years and now it looks as though I'm going to lose a job that I am dependent on. I don't know where this is going to lead but I really have hit rock bottom.
I'm sorry to pour all this out to you - but I don't have anyone else at the moment that I can talk to.
PB x0 -
PB, I'm so sorry to see your post about your job. It sounds as if you are working in an awful atmosphere where organisational politics are rife and the people are poisonous. That's a terrible situation to be in and whilst it is important to be in a job, it's also important to be somewhere where your efforts are valued and the culture is nurturing rather than confrontational. Dealing with bosses who say one thing one day and then expect something different the next day is a nightmare. My view on these things is that your mental health and happiness is more important than any job and if I were in your shoes I would be looking for something else immediately. Is there much temp work about at the moment? Temping is a good stop gap until something permanent which suits you crops up and it would get you out of that toxic environment.
You've had so much to deal with recently I'm sure it is hard to see the wood for the trees at the moment and what your boss had to say has obviously been a shock. Sit down, take a deep breath, get a clean sheet of paper and work out where you stand financially. If you don't already know the figure, work out what you must spend each month to cover your essential outgoings. If you have any savings see how many months "breathing space" you may have or if not, the minimum amount you must earn each month to get by. Brush up your CV and get on the internet to see what permanent and temp jobs are out there at the moment and get your CV out to the agencies. Using SWOT analysis, the threat to your current job is an opportunity to get out there in the marketplace again, show off your skills and sell them to someone who appreciates them. You are obviously a good organiser and "doer" which are extremely valuable assets and I'm sure you have many other skills too. It will obviously feel very daunting but you can do it. I firmly believe that as one door starts closing another one starts opening, you just have to look for it.
You don't have to apologise for pouring your feelings out on here. We are all friends and ready to provide whatever support we can from a distance. Chin up, and come out fighting (not literally!).
xx0 -
PB - I can't write much as I'm using my father's tablet & I hate this one finger typing - however I wanted you to know I was thinking of you (& that I won't moan again about my husband/boss) & that I second all that LMV has said. You've done it before & you can do it again. There seem to be so many ghastly bosses about these days... Stay strong.0
-
PB, I felt so bad reading of your problems at work. I think LMV has given some excellent advice. I couldn't improve on it but can only sympathize. I can imagine the distress of being shocked by the news and feeling isolated within the organization. It did make me wonder whether there was any protocol for having someone with you while your situation is discussed. To me it seems not unlike the situation when a person is presented with devastating news by a doctor and the importance of having a third party there, as it is so hard to process the information let alone respond at the time. I am only familiar with the procedures in our schools whereby if there is a situation that puts the person's job in jeopardy, there will be a representative present too. Of course, schools here are unionized so that makes a difference I suppose. One reads that in business the modern trend is to coach staff who are having difficulties and remediate situations rather than arbitrarily firing people. One wonders if these people think about the huge impact on people's lives they are making. Of course, there are times that people must be let go but how staff are dealt with should surely emphasize respect and consideration. That said, I listened to a radio documentary recently called "The Frogmarch" about people who were being dismissed (not for bad behaviour but more for downsizing) and were literally frogmarched through their buildings and basically dumped on the sidewalk. The stories were quite harrowing. Apparently, there is a theory that these surgical strikes are the most effective way to deal with both departing staff
and a way to reinforce the boss's authority. The world can be very harsh it seems. PB, stay strong and keep in touch with your Cracker friends.0
