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A brief pop-in at the moment but I must say LMV and MITM, you two are doing so amazingly well. LMV, you must have made an absolute assault on that Christmas weight to shift it like that and MITM, despite the slip into the peanut butter jar, you continue to maintain that ambitious goal you have set for yourself. I am doing OK but my basement exercise room is still not set up as there have been delays with the fellows doing the work. However, some progress has been made as on the weekend the new ceiling tiles were put in and along with the lighting which was installed earlier it makes an amazing change. The flooring is the big issue but some progress is being made. Peter who is doing it has been working on the floor preparation. He is very meticulous and since the floor is quite old, it is not completely level. It was not such a problem when there was carpeting but this tiles need a more exact level so he is doing some renovating with cement - quite a job. In fact he has come after his regular job tonight to do some skimming as he calls it; it seems to be a process of sanding down the cement that he poured a few days ago. I have continued painting and am getting near to finishing what I've planned for now. Today I put a second coat of paint on the last wall to be done and finished three cupboard doors and primed a small window. I hope to finish it tomorrow and the other window. Then I'll just have a door left to do but the old one has to be replaced first. Oh, I forgot I'll still have some 1" trim that goes around the baseboards but that is not a huge job.There are cupboards and a closet that need to be done inside but I am not going to worry about doing that so quickly. Well, I have run on about my painting and now I must just run. Regards.0
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Evening Crackers,
Well I weighed yesterday evening and I have lost another 1.5lbs this week. I’m really pleased with that given the socialising we did with my old work colleagues in London and for my mother’s birthday at the week-end. It means I have lost all my Christmas weight plus half a pound. I spent yesterday going through my summer clothes ready for our holiday and everything fits so I shall be able to wear my shorts. I got a nice casual short skirt in the Boden sale which will be great for everyday wear too. I must say, I’m starting to get quite excited!
Bracken, you seem to be on the last leg of the refurbishment now and it sounds as if a very nice job is being done. I’m sure you will be thrilled with it when it is completed. I had an email from Farrow and Ball promoting their seventeen colours of blue the other day and I thought of you and MITM with your beautiful blue rooms.
It’s very dreary in the U.K. at the moment. We left Hertfordshire in snow on Sunday and then as we got further west it turned to sleet and then rain. It was wet all over the country and absolutely torrential in places so it was a horrible journey home. It’s 28 degrees in Melbourne at the moment, so looking forward to getting there!
One of the WW crazies at the moment is a mug cake. Mash a banana, beat in an egg, add some vanilla essence (or any other flavouring) put in a mug and microwave for 2 to 2.5 mins. Out pops a “cake”. Serve with some chopped fruit and 0% fat yogurt and you have a nice sweet treat which is free in WW terms. The texture isn’t like a normal sponge but I quite like them. I’ve added a few strawberries/blueberries to the mix too and that works well. For those times when you want something nice and you want it NOW it can save the day!
Time to go, hope all are well, keeping warm and eating well.
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Evening Crackers,
A very, very quick pop in....
LMV I just wanted to wish you before you leave, a fantastic trip and that I hope you will be returning after your 6 week break. And a huge well done for getting back to your pre-Christmas weight!!!
I'm madly busy at the moment, don't know if I'm coming or going but potatoes are coming out my ears!!! Although having said that I have managed to keep up my 3 times a week Max and I'm averaging 10,000 steps a day.
Bracken - your basement will be wonderful upon completion. I too LMV got that email and I also thought immediately of Bracken!
Right sadly I must go as I have another long day ahead....
Be good Crackers!0 -
Just popped in and am sorry that I have probably missed time for giving you, LMV, bon voyage wishes (do not know if you will be able to log in or have time) and to add to the accolades for your success in dealing with your Christmas weight. Anyway, I will be missing you here are am wishing that all goes well for you. MITM, I am left to wonder if you are still drowning in potatoes! Well done on making time to exercise. This really is brief but hope to be back i more detail soon. Regards to you, BM too.0
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Afternoon Crackers,
Well for me personally this little group, aside from all the ongoing interesting conversations that we have, it is all about accountability - for some reason it keeps me on the straight and narrow!
So with that in mind I decided as today, was the day that I finally managed to lift my head from the sand, where it has been 'cemented' this past month.... Or more likely it was wedged in with potatoes I would 'report in'.
'Your life doesn't get better by CHANCE, it gets better by CHANGE.'
It's not just my work load (and it's due to snow again tomorrow) that is getting heavier, too many orders/potatoes, too many house guests, too many birthday celebrations, too many calories = too many EXCESS pounds!
It's time for change and I've drawn the line in the sand (again), faced the scales and I've got to plan ahead as my work load is not going to get any lighter this month and nor will I, if I continue to eat rubbish to console myself. I know from experience 'a little progress each day adds up to great results' and I want to be back at my target weight for when I go to the UK and escape the potatoes in 5 weeks time which is all doable if I just get started!
Be good Crackers!
P.S. I'm hoping BM that you are in the UK for February to recharge.
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Hello Crackers. I have just re-read your recent post, MITM, and it hits the mark. Good quote about chance and change and one easy to remember! It sounds as if you have had a number of challenges recently, any of which could easily lead to consolation eating. Here what is having the biggest effect on me at the moment is the weather. Winter seems endless. So much snow. It has snowed significantly since Monday, especially Friday and today and much more forecast for tomorrow. I am very fortunate that I have not one but two neighbours who use their snow machines to blow out my driveway as the amounts we are having are beyond me. I do keep the entrance steps done and a pathway to the back garden to let Nellie out and try to clear a path to my vehicle. One neighbour blew out the driveway this morning and already it is filled in again. Of course, I have to wait until it is convenient for them to do it- not that I am planning on going out immediately as the roads are very slippery today apparently. The snow is so deep in the back yard that Nellie struggles to get through it although she makes a valiant attempt to play with her soccer ball. I look some pictures yesterday of her and the ball which I think is quite cute; however, it was snowing at the time and they are somewhat unclear so perhaps I'll try again when it stops. My resident birds continue to flock to the feeders I have out especially to the window box. Since January at least five squirrels have also discovered this food source. They seem to be really hungry by the amount they eat and I don't like to begrudge them food. Nellie goes quite crazy as she can hear them jump to the window box and runs to the sill, putting her paws on it and barking at them. Although they are just inches away they seem to know she is safely behind glass and ignores them.
Now that I have finally finished the painting in the rec room, I have been spending a lot of my time on my writing for my writer's group. I am revising a short story to enter a contest although the chances are very low of being chosen- almost like winning a lottery. There are usually around 2000 entries, many from established writers who have published previously. I may have mentioned I did have a story published many years ago when this contest first started and when it was not so well known and entered more by amateurs. However, the year I was published there were over 3000 entries so you can imagine I was well pleased.
I am managing to keep the weight that I lost before Christmas off and seemed to have lost a pound last week (no huge feat for sure!) but if I can at least do this with being so housebound and with really reduced exercise, I feel some positive outlook for when spring finally gets here.
Regards all.
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Afternoon Crackers,
Bracken I am so pleased to hear that you have finally completed your painting. I know what you mean with the snowy weather. This year is the first year that I can recall feeling cold at night in my bed, no matter how many layers I'm wearing! In the daytime it is sunny but still bitterly cold.
My diary quote for February is 'if you want to get ahead, just focus on yourself' which I have been thinking about a lot. I can't do that with my 'work' but I can when it comes to my diet and exercise, so this past week I have thrown myself back into planning. I have ate well and exercised and I have been rewarded with a pound loss. My hardest ever lost pound! I've watched the scales go down 2 ounces a day... still at least they continued in a downward pattern!
On Sunday with the husband we did our usual trek uphill. It's a perfect sledging track which means it's hard work to climb up. So I had my eyes firmly on the ground for my next step and all I could think about, as we hiked was the size of my thighs which kept coming into my vision! I'm aware I can live with my thighs at my target weight of 133 pounds, in the lead up to Christmas when I exercised for a month and hit 131- I actually 'liked' my thighs and had to buy them a new pair of jeans in a smaller size but alas at my present weight I detest my thighs! My excess pounds are sat on my thighs and equals 4 inches all over of fat on each. So knowing that happiness and tolerance can be experienced if I just shift the remaining 3 pounds is my current motivation!!
Bracken well done at keeping your pre Christmas weight loss off, no mean feat! And good luck with the writing competition what is your story about? Well I must go and count my schlipfkrapfen... and hope my fingers don't freeze in the basement.
Be good Crackers!0 -
MITM, congrats on the hard work and the pound lost.
Here the weather reporters were promising a milder weekend but I am not feeling it as so- the air has a sharp nip to it. However, Friday morning when I let Nellie out I heard a cardinal singing, the first bird for months it seems and a hint of spring to come. Yesterday the chipmunk emerged for a brief visit to the bird feeder, another sign. My brother has started his maple syrup making as the sap slowly begins running in the trees. This weekend is a holiday here called Family Day which is a provincial one started by the Ontario government about a decade ago.
My story is now in the mail. At least I did not leave it the very last minute and have to pay a lot express delivery. At my writing group meetings, we always do a writing exercise based on some prompts that members bring. I always feel I'm not much good at writing spontaneously and for a short period. I take along time to develop a piece. However, this story did start in the meeting from a three word prompt. Two of the words I disregarded immediately but one stuck with me and somehow turned into a story. The story is a bit gothic which is not the kind of story I typically read, let alone try to write. It involves a youngish woman who works for a small publishing company as a copy editor but who is also writing a Regency romance novel.
Much of her outlook on life is affected by her reading of exotic and romantic fiction. When a mature and unusual man whose hobby is taxidermy is hired, the woman sees him through the lens of her ideas gleaned through fiction. Not good!
Off now. Regards.0 -
Afternoon Crackers,
After losing the hardest ever pound last week, I gained the easiest pound this week! And then this headline caught my eye 'The Big Fat Lie: Britons eat 50% more than they say.' I think this is starting to be my problem, so I need to go back to basics AGAIN and start counting calories.
I'm not working until Friday so I have time to dip into my new book 'The 4 Pillar Plan' by Dr Rangan Chatterjee how to relax, eat, move and sleep - your way to a longer, healthier life. Apparently about 90% of your health is determined by your environment, not your genes that is news to me!
Bracken - thank you for forwarding on your story, I really enjoyed it - and I didn't snack at all after reading it!!
Right I'm going to 'move' and exercise now.
Be good Crackers!
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Hello Crackers. MITM, so true about where to find the easiest pound. Glad you enjoyed the story but hope you slept well especially since it is one of the pillars of your new book!
Weird weather here again. After so much cold and snow, sudden rise in temperature and rain. nearly all the snow in the back yard has melted. The snow leading to the yard has turned to sheets of thick ice and very treacherous so it is a real challenge letting Nellie out.
I do not watch much of the Winter Olympics and but I have just watched a video of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir who won gold in the ice dance competition. Of course, as a Canadian I am probably biased but I thought it was amazing. I was quite astounded at some of the moves and the syncronicity between the two. I have been aware of their career as there is a lot of local news about them as they live in my area. Virtue comes from a small village very near my old stable and her aunt rode there at one point. Her family is very ordinary and highly regarded so their win is very popular here.
Do not feel like going out in the rain but have a couple of jobs that must be done.0 -
Just a quick pop-in. I have been thinking of everyone I know in UK as it seems there is some terrible winter weather going on causing many accidents and disruptions. A milder spell is here at the moment but snow forecast again for later in the week. My writing group was to meet today but was cancelled at the last minute due by the woman who was hosting because of flu in her house. I have taken the chance of good weather to finally make an appointment to get my hair cut- quite overdue again because of weather. I had an unusual bird at my feeder today. I looked it up in my bird book- a purple finch. Not really purple but very pretty. The head, breast and a strip down the back are red and the wings and tail look like a common sparrow so the bird does seem a bit cobbled together! However, it always enjoyable to have a new bird at the feeder.0
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Evening Crackers,
This morning Bracken it was minus 20°c here when my husband left for work! The beast from the East is all over Europe although here in Osttirol, we haven't had any more snow thankfully, just bitterly cold. We are forecast 2 more days of cold weather then it will be plus 10°c. I do feel sorry for the wildlife, they can't know if they are coming or going with this weather but I know I am looking forward to Spring.
I had an email yesterday from MFP informing me that I had signed in for 30 days and well done, you are one month closer to your target.... Really?! Actually I think it would be more correct to say you are now one month further from your target. I stayed the same this week. My excuse the weather! I didn't walk with the husband at the weekend too cold (still scoffed the treat though) and I was down 20,000 steps on the week overall from just sitting around too much. I read a good chunk of my new book yesterday and what I'm also suffering from is 'itchy mouth'! Strikes in the evening - you are not hungry but you just think you should eat something.
Anyway this week I'm going to move. I am on target so far with the steps. I am maxing plus salsacising and I'm sticking to my eating plan - so far so good. I also scared myself by trying on my trusty summer cigarette styled trousers and my 3/4 capri jeans and both were skin tight on the thighs and hips! That has kicked me well and truly up the back side!
Be good Crackers!
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Hello Crackers. MITM, I have been seeing a lot of "Beast of the East" news here with pictures of dreadful accidents and people stranded for long periods on the highways. I hope you are coping better now as it is a few days since you posted but I note that -20 is something I can really sympathise with as we had many days like that and some worse in January. Bitter as you say. Now it is a little below zero and a little above but still feeling cold to me. I think part of it is a general weariness of winter weather that has worn down my resilience. That said, today I heard a robin singing and then saw him high in a maple tree. I so love the sounds of birds. A couple of my friends in the country have had a flock of them land on their lawns, fresh from migration and not yet dispersed to stake a claim for individual territory. When I see the first robins, I am so happy about it I do speak aloud. I'll say. "Welcome back" or "Thanks for making the long journey back." I suppose if anyone heard me they might think I was a little strange! Today we had a Writers' Group Meeting but half the members were away because of illness. There have been a lot of flu and respiratory infections here; I have not entirely escaped but have avoided the worst of it. But a lingering cold/cough really drags one down.
I had a call last night from the woman who used to board my horses asking if she could pass on my number to a mother who is looking for someone to tutor her daughter who has problems with reading and comprehension. I did some of that kind of work with my friend's grandchildren some years ago and she and her daughter were pleased with how the boys progressed. However, I am not an expert in that area as being a teacher of senior high school English I dealt more with the academic teaching of literature and writing. I will try to help the girl and have been able to borrow some resources from an elementary teacher that my sister works with. I just hope an overnight miracle is not expected.
MITM, have you mentioned the name of the new book you are reading? Is it a novel or a health and wellness book- always interested. Regards.0 -
Afternoon Crackers,
Well after doing so well last week and losing, this week I've undone all my hard work again eating too many oranges (!!!) and far too much bread and being too sedentary... and regained. I seem to have lost my magic formula! Although I always seem to have this problem at this time of year, my get up and go, has got up and gone.
My book Bracken is still the same one 'The 4 Pillar Plan' your way to a longer, healthier life. I've just read the chapter on eating and I'm more or less doing as he advises, I eat a mainly unprocessed diet (my biggest downfall is bread) and daily at least 5 vegetables of the rainbow. As I eat a mainly plant based diet I easily do this, in fact I'm off his chart so I'm beginning to conclude maybe I simply eat too much! Next chapter is move which should be enlightening....
I'm off to the UK on Friday I'm not back at my target weight, nowhere close I'm 4 pounds over but as my book says 'just remember, everything we put in our mouth is a choice. If you ever go 'off-plan' try to understand why you made that choice and be happy with your decision. Whatever the reason, accept it and move on.' So I'm going with the attitude, I know I have a full on week of social engagements meeting family and friends and I will go with the flow indulge and enjoy and then on my return I hope to get my dieting head firmly back on.
I hope Bracken your latest student is proving to be studious! LMV are you back yet?
I return on the 26th should I not get the chance to report in whilst I'm busy scoffing!
Be good Crackers.
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Afternoon Crackers,
Well there's no place like home! But I've had a lovely break from the potatoes - caught up with my daughter, family and friends and indulged in so many hot cross buns of all varieties, I don't desire another until my next trip home.
I monitored my weight daily and the scales stuck at 137 at the same weight as I left Austria. I ate something everyday I wouldn't normally eat but I walked 20,000 steps most days simply because of lack of transport and whilst 'window shopping' which I don't do up my mountain!
I returned home Monday evening and yesterday I spent the day 'cleaning' and faffing with Easter decorations and managed to do 10,000 steps without even leaving the house! This morning I stepped on the scales after my first sensible day of eating in 14 days and the scales are back to 135.8 so I'm not sure if my eyes or scales are playing tricks on me, hopefully neither!
Have a good Easter Crackers - I'm making an Easter egg cheesecake but we have family visiting so hopefully I will just have one slice!
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Hello Crackers. MITM, I would say you have done 'jolly well' during your time away- you had an excellent time, you had many enjoyable indulgences, your did a stellar number of steps and you stayed the same weight. And your have already made inroads into that 4 pounds. Yeah you!
I have been dragging a bit, a least part of which I am blaming the weather. Only now has the snow finally melted but it keeps hovering just above 0C and of course, windy. At least now I can get my bike from the garage and hope to start riding it next week. On top of that I have developed a bladder infection. It has quite frustrating and I only discovered it coincidentally. My regular doctor sent me for some yearly blood work. I asked the lab to e-mail the results to me as can be done. Although I am no doctor, I am able to get a good grasp of the basic results and noticed a high cell count indicated in one of the urinalysis results. I checked the internet and found it typically meant a urinary tract infection. Phoned my doc- wouldn't you know it, she had just started two weeks holiday (well deserved, of course, as she is extremely hard working but bad timing for me). I thought I shouldn't leave it so went to a walk-in clinic with my report. Two and a half hours to be seen- very busy. The Doc was very nice and said I was probably correct and prescribed an antibiotic. I had to give another sample to confirm that I have the best antibiotic for my particular infection but ,of course, can not get results until Monday because of Holiday. Still feeling rather dragged down- perhaps by the antibiotic. Oh well....
My student has proved to be a very nice young person. She is definitely behind grade level in reading/writing but is conscientious. It really helps that she is a rider as I have tried to gear some of the reading around horse themes. I have a subscription to a horse magazine and use articles for her to do vocabulary and comprehension from homework I assign. We are also reading together Black Beauty- like many books written for children (though I am not sure the author didn't want adults to read it as it really was written to point out the many abuses horses suffered at the time) at an earlier period the language and style is more complex than many young adult books written today. So the horse themes are sort of the sugar coating to the more boring slog through phonics and comprehension exercises. She is extremely weak in phonics which I really believe should be taught; however, many schools here do not teach any phonics or very little.
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Once again, my post above was posted without my knowing it so this is a continuation....
The last thing I was going to say about my student is I see here twice a week at her parent's request. Her mother is assuming we will meet all summer too. It is good that they don't expect huge chance in just a couple of weeks.
I have recently submitted two stories to different contest. That kept me busy during the worst weather of Jan/Feb. Both contest as really large and draw around 2000 entries so the chances of winning are rather low. However, there is the satisfaction of completing a project. And maintaining credibility with my writing group! (actually the group is very supportive and would never be critical if I had not completed any work.
Easter Sunday Nellie and I will be at my brother's in the country for dinner. We all bring some dishes for the dinner so he and his wife are not left with all the work.
Must be off for now. Easter good wishes to all. Regards.0 -
A quick pop-in while I wait for the time to call my friend who maintains my computer. (he is teaching so I have to wait until lunch hour). The reason- I was just checking my e-mails and was horrified to discover a notification from Pay PAL saying I would be billed $219 dollars for a Michael Kors maxi dress (size 2x plus no less- definitely not my size) I had ordered. Well I did NOT order anything and am quite upset until I get this resolved. And if this has been done, can other breaches occur? I just hope Adam can sort this promptly.0
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I had to leave the last post to talk to Adam. He has determined that the post was a scam whereas I was thinking it was simply an error on the part of Pay PAL or the company sending the dress. I am so glad I did not touch any of the links on the site and it is now deleted.
This was the second frustration of the day. I woke up to find that the yard was completely covered in snow- several inches. It was thick, light snow which I might have appreciated more were it not April 6! A lovely patch of cocuses have given up and some little budding daffs were looking very bedraggled. I did take a couple of pictures with Nellie who didn't mind it at all and happily played with her soccer ball. As for the poor robins that have been around my yard I can't imagine what they are eating. I saw a couple the other day trying to pull something from the grass although I can't imagine that worms are near the surface yet.
I am trying to be positive about spring and gardening. I recently bought a package of heritage tomato seeds. They are for a variety called Sicilian Saucers. A couple of years ago I bought that variety from a local farm and thought they were the most flavourful tomatoes I had eaten. They are a very large, very irregularly shaped tomato, a pink/orange colour rather than bright red. That farm has now gone out of vegetable production and turned to corn and soybeans. Last year I tried to find the seeds locally but had no luck. I found them on the internet from a place in Manitoba that specialises in heritage plants. There were more than the few seeds I need so I have given four of my siblings some and issued a Green Thumbs Challenge- I will give a nice money prize to whoever produces the best specimen. They are all on board- my brother who teaches horticulture has access to a greenhouse at his school. My two sisters are very competitive and both said they would be seeking internet advice before seeding (they are also good gardeners) and my brother in Alberta also has a small greenhouse and is keen to
compete. My family is very competitive so it should be quite fun.
I had hopes of getting on my bike this week but no luck so far.
Hope all are well. Regards.0 -
Good morning Crackers,
Well Spring has finally arrived here in my part of the world. We too Bracken had snow over the Easter weekend, I was not impressed although my young nephew enjoyed his Easter egg hunt in the snow. But now all change and the farmers are busy muck spreading madly, so the hillsides are one big brown blur and you need a nose peg outside of the house! My husband prepared our chive garden over the weekend, all 162 plants have survived the winter. Tonight he may well start digging over or loosening up our vegetable plot so I can begin weeding... Your tomato challenge sounds fun Bracken. Last year my husband grew cucumbers on a stake in a pot and it was really successful, so this year he has plans to do a whole row against the wall in the vegetable garden and we are having more high beds which does make a difference with the weeding!
It was my birthday at the weekend a beautiful sunny day and fortunately the farmers didn't start until Monday! We were out walking. I made myself my chocolate cake, but missed out the ganache and instead used a little raspberry buttercream on the sides, dusted with icing sugar and piled on the raspberries - it was delicious! So I'm not going to moan about the 0.8lb gain this week.
It dawned on me (as I recorded my birthday measurements - habit!) that I haven't exercised aside from walking for months now! I'm only 3 pounds from my target but I need to burn those extra calories to lose those pounds so I'm very pleased that LMV will be back and joining us again next week, as I need an exercise buddy! Have you been able to get on your bike yet Bracken? I hope the weather is improving.
Be good Crackers!0
