Can’t you just sit down and relax LJ? I have plenty of experience with that paving business, both with brick pavers and the larger kind. Just last weekend, I was doing some again because I sold all our verticores which OH had been saving ‘just in case’ ever since we finished our extension many years ago. I found some interesting bottles under there. The only way to really do it properly is to level the entire lot at the same time. If it’s a small area like mine was, I wet it down and leave it (obviously not practical to compact a small area). The next day, I rake yellow sand across it. It’s incredible how just a few grains of sand in the wrong place can make the paver wobbly. I’m sure yours looks wonderful.

Merry, thanks for asking – we managed to end the battle over the airbnb activity next door but not before they got away with it for the entire summer. We then lost the war as our council subsequently approved short-stay rentals for the suburb. We’re fairly confident that they won’t approve one in our little street after the backlash they received. Not in the immediate future anyway. We now have long-term tenants next door. I wonder how Lindsay’s rental next door has been going?

Hi everyone! I haven’t been able to post for a while as we have been without internet for over a week – thanks Telstra 🙁

I have spent the last couple of days catching up on all your posts. It has been interesting to read what you have all been up to and how you are doing in life in general. To those people that have been unwell, I hope you are feeling better. I have also had the dreaded cold/virus and it has been hanging on for the past week or so but I am on the mend now.

Regarding the miso discussion. I love it 😊 I was using the instant sachets but since I am more aware of the salt in my food, I have switched to the paste. It has much less salt in it and I can also avoid MSG or other flavour enhancers. I usually make a ‘cuppa’ soup of miso for lunch at work on a FD as it helps me get through to dinner time. Cinque, the info you wrote about miso was great! I didn’t know it had probiotics in it but I knew it was somehow good for me.
I made dashi a few weeks ago when I made the agedashi tofu. I used the bonito flakes and later added mirin, soy sauce and something else I can’t remember. I used an Adam Liaw recipe if anyone is interested.

I’ve been back to the doctors today for my review after starting the blood pressure medication. I have been taking my readings every morning for the past month and took those in with me. She was very happy with my measurements. Then she measured my blood pressure and of course it was high again! White coat hypertension it’s called and I definitely have it!

I have been a little slack with my FDs. I have still been doing them just not sticking to the 500 cals.. My weight has stayed about the same but I really want it to go down so have started back to strict FDs. When I wasn’t feeling well I was craving unhealthy comfort food but I managed to avoid them. I made a yummy chicken broth and had that instead.

Oh I forgot to mention my cholesterol was high last time I had a blood test and it was a fasting blood test. This time it was significantly lower even with a non fasting blood test. I am happy with that and so was the doctor. I put the drop in cholesterol down to the fasting and my weight loss.

LJoyce I hope your house sale is going well. You have really worked hard to get the good results.

Ladies, the op shop shopping sounds like fun! Hopefully I will need to visit one soon when I lose enough weight that even my saved ‘thinner’ clothes don’t fit me ( I mean the clothes I kept even though I couldn’t fit into them anymore)

I hope everyone is going well xx

Good morning everyone,

Quacka welcome back. How annoying that you’ve had internet issues – Teapot had similar problems last week. Despite the fact that I’m never conscious of anxiety when at the GPs I usually do have higher BP there than at home – that’s pretty common. It’s why those records you kept for your at home readings are so important. It sounds like the meds are doing their job. Well done on the cholesterol improvement, I also found weight loss helped mine.
Op shopping is fun, but I warn you it can become addictive and if you aren’t ruthless about donating the clothing you no longer wear back to the op shops then you’ll need a bigger wardrobe! I have a one in one out policy – it was the only way to stop my wardrobe bulging at the seams.

Arel, what a scary thing to happen, and what a relief that it was discovered before they took any funds. It’s the only thing that scares me about internet banking. I hope you get it fixed soon and put some really strong passwords in place.

Another NFD for me, but I’m aiming for one of Cinque’s snack free NFDs, as too many of yesterday’s snacks contained sugar. To complicate matters I’m baking carrot & walnut muffins this morning so that I can again leave some baked goods for those who come to the open inspection. Not trying any myself will be a challenge.
Because I did so much yesterday I don’t have much to do to get ready for this afternoon’s open. I’ll rake up a few leaves and put out the bedding etc that I just use for staging and I think that’s it.

Good morning,
Merry! 🙂 So delighted to see your post. Sorry you couldn’t get your project to 100%, I hope when the next opportunity rolls around that your 85% done will count. And the other 15% you will do!
And now you have tumbled into the gorgeous but exhausting grandma duty. Good luck.
I do so hope that next on your list is a chance to settle down and concentrate on your health, including getting 5:2 slotted back into your life and daily visits to the 5:2 website!

A sunny, chilly morning here in Melbourne, breakfast has steamed up the kitchen!
Day before fast day for me. I might just have eaten a larger breakfast than I really need, so tomorrow will be welcome.

LJoyce how you described your thinking reminds me of when I was trying to price things to sell at the market. I was really stressed that I couldn’t find the right price. I said to my sister, “I chose this price, because that one seems too high, and the other one seems too low”. And she said “well, you probably have it right.”
Maybe you are like that with your fast days at the moment. You have probably got it right, and if you haven’t well, time is your friend, you will work it out and respond as necessary.

Sending good wishes for open house today!

Thin, you make me hungry for mung beans.

I sometimes start feeling like 5:2 is a constraint, and wonder about just not doing it. That is balanced out by other times when I just feel like I am acing 5:2, in the zone with the rhythm of those fast days.

I think the harder times is when life is harder anyway, and most things are feeling too hard. I am realising that I can remind myself that 5:2 is such a good tool for managing difficult times, and there will be blips, and they will pass. Even if a blip was so bad I did stop 5:2, it would be there to pick up once I was ready.

Other than that self talk, vanity keeps me doing 5:2. In other words it is as you say: fear keeping me thin!

Enjoy your cafe meeting.

PS Wombok is also called napa cabbage. The one I made my kimchi out of 🙂

Cali, you are like me with your wardrobe. I have had to become super strict with myself and only buy something new if it is better that what I already have in my wardrobe. I have just gone through my summer stuff and I have been so severe, but very pleased to be creating a smaller, gorgeouser wardrobe.
(AND I have realised I have to do the same with my recipes, I just keep collecting more and it is just ridiculous!)

Quakka, so glad that Telstra has deigned to let you talk to us! Commiserations re the dreaded lurgy, glad to hear you are getting over it. Congratulations on eating beautiful home made chicken soup instead of timtams.

Thanks for the miso compliment! I remember you making the agedashi tofu (don’t I?). (No I’m sure I do) (Very yum). That is interesting that the miso pastes have much less salt.

Congratulations getting your cholesterol down. That is so good for your health!
Interesting article re blood pressure guidelines in The Conversation yesterday: https://theconversation.com/new-blood-pressure-guidelines-may-make-millions-anxious-that-theyre-at-risk-of-heart-disease-93349

I remember that excitement of getting into my ‘saved thinner clothes”. And then some of them became too big for me! :0

Arelkade, how awful to have been hacked! I do hope it all gets sorted with no skin off you, apart from the hassle which is obviously unavoidable. So depressing too.

Well I am off for a coffee, and then veggie shopping, with my good friend. That will give a chance for my big (delicious) breakfast to be properly digested. So looking forward to a coffee as I ran out yesterday and by the time I bought some it was after 3 and a bit late in the day (insomnia). First world problem… but I am not complaining, just REALLY looking forward to a coffee today!

Hope you have a similarly wonderful day ahead of you! Cheers all!

well done Quacka – any emails which appear to be “strange” need to be deleted without opening – whether they have a link or not. I have not received any emails from this forum, so the emails which you have received could have been “phishing” emails.
Cinque – OMG running out of coffee, that’s a punishable crime :-))

Arel congratulations of getting to your first mini-goal. I think every milestone helps your motivation to get to the next one.
If they had info that only Telstra should know then I think you are right to be suspicious of an insider selling info. Mostly I just hang up, but once I thought a call from a government department might be legit so I asked for their number and then said I’d call them back. They actually gave me a number and I rang the department they said they were from, explained what had happened and asked if the number was one of theirs – it wasn’t. If they are legit, they won’t mind you calling them back.

Sybs, running out of coffee – I feel the same about tea. You should see the size of my tea stash – I think I have several months worth in the pantry.

Cinque, Hope you had an enjoyable outing and have come home to cook lots of lovely meals with those new veggies.

I’ve been thinking my commitment to just 2 FDs per week – it’s only half the solution. I also need to start addressing my recent tendency to eat treat foods pretty much every NFD. My ideal is to limit these things to one day a week, but I’m going to start slow and work my way up. I’m committing to doing 2 NFDs this week with no treat foods, just healthy choices. If I feel like sugar I need to have a piece of fruit. As they are NFDs, I’m not imposing any calorie restriction, just that all food choices need to be healthy ones. That’s the approach I’m taking to today. I think this combined with going back to the 2FDs is the right direction to get me back to the eating pattern I had before easter.

Well done Arel! Just wanted to say congratulations 🙂

LJoyce I also have recently had to look at how I view 5:2. It was going so well for me that I started to let my FDs slip a little. A little turned into a lot and then I really couldn’t call it a FD anymore. I know yours are the NFDs and I think you have the right idea about just trying to eat healthy foods on those days. I hope it all works out for you. 🙂

Quick update.
The agent received an offer on my house this afternoon and is waiting for another to come in tonight. He’s meant to call me when that happens.
No call yet. I won’t have fingernails left at this rate!

Thanks for all the well wishes, they worked a little too well. I didn’t expect things to move quite this fast. You guys are more powerful than you thought.

Evening all. Been reading all the messages from the past few days. Today has been a FD for me and I think today was the best one for me yet. No stressing about it, no over thinking it, just getting on with it. So extremely happy about it. Dentist tomorrow so major yuck day.

Hope everyone has a great day/night.

Good morning everyone
Just wanted to wish you all a happy day. I know I say it a lot, but it’s lovely to be a part of this group. The support and encouragement we give each other is really refreshing in this world where no one else seems to really care. X

I have been doing 5:2 since 1 February, and been reading and sometimes posting on this forum about the same. My observations about the forum:
1. incredibly supportive
2. no nasties (posters and/or comments) – wonderful
3. not just a diet forum, but a community of people who are working at, and knowledgeable about, healthy food and eating in general, and willing to share (life) experiences
4. discovering / rediscovering a WOL which makes us feel good about ourselves

so, congratulations to everyone who is part of the SH 5:2 forum.

Lindsay, OMG – torn meniscus – I know just how that feels. Did it a long time ago in a snow skiing mishap – the result: my leg from half way up to my hip to the ankle in plaster for 6 weeks – needles to say – I never again enjoyed downhill skiing:-((

But congratulations on your “downward” spiral. You must be so strong to be able to stop at 1/2 a square of Lindt chocolate – I would just gobble down the lot. That’s why I don’t have any chocolate in the house. My substitute, when the craving gets to me, is about 2 tsp good quality cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate or Milo), mixed with 1 sachet of equal and mixed in with 2 or 3 tbsp of yoghurt. Not the same as Lindt by a long shot, but I get the choc taste.

Hope your OH recovers soon

Second post for the day – feast or famine. I went back to look for my last post but it was so long ago it is lost in the ether, so I’ll just go with the things I can remember as I read the forum most days.
Quacka we’ve been internet victims too. Mine keeps dropping out – hardly anything at all since the beginning of April despite numerous calls to Exetel. And the speeds! so so low. So a man was meant to come yesterday – still waiting. Didn’t stop them from sending their monthly bill though and warning me my data on my phone was just about used up (mmmm….that would be because I have to use the phone instead of home internet).
LJ I love the pictures of your home – how can you bear to leave? The floors look superb, and the garden is so so pretty. What an amazing job you’ve done.
Thin does ‘short-stay rentals’ for your suburb mean Air BnB? Aren’t these Councils toads? We heard of a few properties being offered as Air BnBs on our island, with guests taking them for a weekend, and holding 48 hour parties. More toads.
My neighbours (thank you for asking) have quietened down since my husband crawled out of his sick bed at 1 am a couple of weeks ago, and shouted ‘will you please keep the noise down’. I hope he didn’t wake other neighbours in the process, but short-term it has had an effect. I do get anxious on weekends though because they pile on the back verandah from around mid-day Friday. Hope we have a freezing winter, to keep them inside.
Arel, brilliant news that you are in the low 70s. Such an achievement.
Calif I am not in a cast yet – but if it’s not improving soon, it’s the next step before surgery.
Sybs I’ve never been skiing – but at least you got your injury having fun, not tripping in a carpark!
Have a good night all.

Hi everyone

On a good note – things seem to be finally sorted with recent computer event. Feeling so much happier! Not sure of mobile coverage for next 10 days, so may not be available online for forum!

I hope each of you will be enjoying whatever you will be getting up to, be they keeping up with 5:2, selling houses, creating new business opportunities, living along side quiet neighbours, getting better healthwise, enjoying time with family and friends, etc!!!😉

I’ll catch up when available. Wishing you all well.
Fraser Island beckons 😃
Bye for now!

Good morning Arel, Lindsay, Cali, Thin, Cinque, Sybs, Paula, Quacka, Teapot, and anyone else who’s reading.

FD for me and I’m just about to have my third and final cup of tea – that’s all I could squeeze out of the small pot I use. (They are tea cups not big mugs in case you’re thinking I must be swimming in tea by now – not that that doesn’t happen on occasion!) I have a bowl of cauliflower cheese soup ready to go for dinner and I’ll have 1-2 pieces of fruit during the day if I need them. I find my FDs mostly fall into 2 categories. Mostly I get through the day to late afternoon with just water and tea and I don’t look for food – on those days I don’t need the fruit. But some days I’m looking for food by lunch time and knowing I have enough calories spare to have a fruit snack or even a hot milk drink if I need it really helps. This seems to be something I’m never ambivalent about anymore – I either really want the snack or I don’t. That’s probably a good thing as I hope it means I’m in touch with my body’s hunger signals rather than eating for the sake of it.

Unfortunately there is rain forecast for this afternoon and the sky is becoming overcast. That means the garden won’t show as well as it could during this afternoon’s viewing. Never mind, I can’t control the weather. I’m still trying to get the washing I did yesterday dry so I can put it away before the potential buyers get here. I really shouldn’t have washed the knits, they take too long to dry. If all else fails I can pile the damp clothes into the washing machine and close the door.

Lindsay, there are things I will miss about this house, floor boards and garden included, but I am certain that moving to flat ground and a small low maintenance block that’s closer to medical services is the right long term decision. I could have delayed it for another decade, providing my health and mobility remained good. There’s no guarantee of that unfortunately – I’ve had several years of being barely mobile with the aid of a walking stick and not being able to go into certain steep areas of my own garden. I couldn’t even take my own rubbish bins down to the road because the driveway was too steep (thankfully I have lovely neighbours who helped). That experience has made me cautious and I know I can’t take my current good health for granted.

Cali, 30 day settlements are the norm here too, shorter is not common, especially if a mortgage is involved. I have asked the agent to try and negotiate a longer settlement if possible – I’m hoping he can get the buyer to agree to 60 days as it will give me time to find the next home without rushing the decision. However if the buyers need a quick settlement then I wouldn’t jeopardise a good sale price by insisting on a longer settlement.

Time I raked up some leaves and checked the house for dust. Surprising there is dust on things despite the frequent cleaning.

Have a good day everyone.

Hi Minka! Welcome back!
It sounds like a wonderful trip and a lovely wedding for your nephew.
Oh dear, how annoying to find your old eating habits waiting for you at home with your old stresses. Typical though. Soon your strategies will settle into place and your newest habits will triumph.
So glad that work has calmed down a lot, although ten hour days are brutal!
It is really lovely to know we will see you here a bit.

LJoyce, hope yesterday went well.
So interesting what you have noticed about snack or no snack on Fast Days.

I had a shocker day yesterday, I ate way too much. All good food but I don’t know what got into me. Today won’t be like that, from what I feel now.

I hope everyone else had a better day than me yesterday, and have a really good day today.

Good morning all and welcome to the weekend. After a rainy night the sun has come out here and will hopefully remain for the rest of the weekend.

The viewing yesterday did not result in another offer. The couple who wanted a second look are downsizing but got cold feet when they realised they’d have less space and have to get rid of lots of stuff. Hopefully Sunday will do better. It’s meant to be 25C and sunny – perfect day for wandering around the garden. I’m hoping more interest eventuates from the Sunday open, but if not I will probably accept the highest offer I already have – it’s not far under what I was secretly hoping for.

Minka, welcome home. It sounds like you had a good time in California and I think that approach to food when traveling is a good one. I hope you get back into the swing of 5:2 quickly.

Cinque, I’m sure you will nip the excessive behaviour in the bud quite quickly – you usually seem to. I had a very hungry FD yesterday, which was preceded by a NFD which also involved excess. Today I’m on a treat free NFD.

I decided not to go to any open inspections today as there really wasn’t much that I hadn’t seen before and what remained were things I’d decided weren’t worth my time as they aren’t that appealing. Tomorrow I’m going back to one I’d seen and discarded but think I should give a second chance to. It’s got a lot going for it – it’s in my favourite corner of one of my preferred suburbs, it’s completely detached, it’s brand new, it has a kitchen that’s actually big enough for me with white marble look ceasarstone, it has floating wood floors in the hall and living areas, it has a free standing bath, it has a good sized verandah under the main roof and it’s walking distance to a big shopping centre, bus stops, taxi rank etc. I had rejected it for 2 main reasons – the back faces west and the spare bedrooms have high strip windows rather than normal sized windows and I though it made them feel like bunkers rather than bedrooms. I can resolve the afternoon sun on the back of the house with blinds, although with the amount of development surrounding it, not a lot of sun gets through. I need to go back into those spare bedrooms and just see whether they do get enough light. I want to use one as a craft room and I need reasonable light for that. I can add LEDs to the ceiling but it’s not the same. Basically on reflection it has a lot of things in its favour and if I can live with the drawbacks then it’s a very good option.

I’ve taken my last litre of minestrone out of the freezer. I’m adding some extra veg, stock and also some pasta to it. I’ll have some on my next FD (without much of the pasta). With the pasta and some toast it will be a filling dinner for the next couple of NFDs.

Because I cleaned for yesterday’s viewing there’s a lot less I need to do today. I might walk into town and buy some bread.

Good morning Thin – your post popped up while I was writing.

LJoyce – I hope things wind down a bit after your incredibly busy time getting your house ready for viewing. I like the way you calculate steps – maybe I should try it :-))

Well hello Southern Hemispherites…..yes it’s been awhile but I’m still lurking in the background although totally out of the loop with forum conversations from the last few months.

The onset of menopause is playing havoc with my body. I’m 3-5 kg over my goal weight and even tbough im a little disappointed that I’ve put that amount back on i accept it given my situation. I feel like im retaining so much fluid and my weight fluctuates by 1-2 kg daily. In saying that im still eating well and doing high intensity workouts most days. Hot flushes and fatigue are taking their toll on me in a big way.

OH, Miss D and I are off to Bali for 2 weeks in 10 days time so really looking forward to some time out with the ones I love.

Although I’ve maintained 5:2 to some degree i havent been as vigilant as i should have over the last few months so will endeavour to be more focused when we return from Bali.

I hope everyone is travelling well….take care.

It is a still, grey, peaceful morning in my part of Melbourne.

Habits… it is strange to have a Non Fast Sunday. My babysitting duties have changed as the littlest one is crook, but I will take the three year old for most of the day. I’ll talk again when I have recovered 😉

Thin, thanks. It is useful to think of Friday as a feast day. And yes, it was just one day.

LJoyce, good luck for the inspection today, both the people coming to inspect your place, and you going for a second look at the other place. I do hope its flaws seem workable. You’ll have to fill your workroom with mirrors to increase the light.

Gday, so good to hear from you. So much sympathy for all those difficulties around menopause. It is like being thrown into a clothes dryer! I hope you are finding some help.(eg ps://www.menopause.org.au/health-info if you haven’t seen it already).
Bali sounds brilliant! It seems like we are all playing tag in visiting there, including my sister and other friends! Have a wonderful easy holiday and we’ll look forward to having you back with Fastier Fast Days.
You don’t mention anaemia, is that under control now?

Arelkade, just ‘overnighting in Ballina’ sounds wonderful. I wonder if the internet will let you give us a postcard from Fraser Island? Otherwise we will hear all about it when you get back. Best wishes.

Time to get ready for the day! Best wishes all

PS: Thin
https://i.pinimg.com/474x/c8/e7/07/c8e70799102ea097daf24cd50f134a06.jpg
Haha, and one that is a little less narcissistic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1dN8Ycqby4
sort of….
🙂

P.S. LJ, I loved the shih-tzu story.

Hi everyone,

Caught up a little bit.

LJ – your house looks beautiful! Well done you- amazing job you’ve done. I hope an offer is acceptable soon, and you can find your next lovely home.

Minka – hi, what a lovely holiday. Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses occasionally.

Thin – so pleased your airbnb situation has eased. Must be a great relief! Enjoy your bridge. Lits of fun and mental stimulation.

Cinque – you are your usual wonderful self and I am unofficially appointing you the nicest person on the forum. I do hope you are keeping well.

Joffy has a good reason for not having been around the last few months.

I will catch up with others’ news as I go along

Update: Did a FD last Friday, had a ‘hoover’ day yesterday (sigh). Need to be patient with myself. Using my travel scales. Down a tiny bit. We go home early this coming week.
FD tomorrow.

Onwards and downwards,
Merry

Foggy this morning, but the clouds will burn off and we will get to 28C.

Had a great time with my granddaughter yesterday, picnic and play at the stony section in Darebin creek. Did have to climb the big hill back to the car with the little one piggyback and the doll, the picnic bag and (at first) the big stick and four wands she found. Luckily she was happy for us to jettison them.

Thin, you were too subtle for me. 🙁 Maybe I am not the most amazing and wonderful friend after all. The daft friend perhaps!
Hopefully Cambridge Analytica didn’t catch it either!
What a nice week you had though, and now DD is happily home and OH soon I hope.

Hi Merry, hooray for the fast day before the hoover day, That is exactly what I did last week too. But down a bit anyway! Hooray! Enjoy your last days with the kiddies.

Cheers to you Joffy if you are reading.

LJoyce, that is a good link. I’ll share it on the YamDaisy facebook page.
Isn’t it amazing how big people need houses to be these days. Good luck with the offers and working out what decision to make. Moving house, especially with selling and buying involved, is one of the most stressful things we do, so it is not surprising that any food issues ramp up. Good luck getting over rough ground as lightly as you can, and hopefully you will be settled soon.

I’m having a fast day today. My body knows it needs it but my brain is complaining. It wants a comfort day. I will make it a comfort day in other ways. Hear that brain?
(I’ll give it a cup of coffee soon, that should keep it happy for a bit).

Cheers all.

Such a lovely autumn day, though rain forecast for later. Perfect. OH is feeling better and has gone off to his ‘literature in context’group this morning, leaving me with my coffee on the back verandah. Peace. Bliss. Thanks all for the good wishes for us both – I’m still hobbling but getting around. The washing’s hung out in the sunshine and I’ve poked at a few weeds. Now I’m setting down to admin…. sigh. I got into a huff with my bank (Queensland) when I discovered they were playing fast and loose with the terms of an investment loan…so, we are parting company! Now I have to unpick all the direct debits, and direct deposits etc. They’ve behaved really badly – we really did need this royal commission into banking.
LJ I think you have made a great decision to move now, rather than wait until a move is forced upon you. I am in awe of all you’ve done. Your renovation would exhaust most people – to do it while holding off RA is momentous.
Cinque those little grandchildren of yours sound so much fun. We are keenly awaiting our new baby – my Dil is due on Anzac Day.
Gday what part of Bali are you heading for?
FD for me today – I’ll have an apple soon, and then some soup. I’m relieved it’s come around (the FD not the soup) again after three days of lunches with friends and family. I didn’t go overboard, although the scales aren’t agreeing.
Enjoy your day all.

Thanks for the good wishes LJ and Merry – it could have been yesterday or one of the preceding two FDs. It passed in an uneventful and food-free way which is just what I wanted. Proving again that birthdays need not be celebrated with cake (unless you want to).

LJ, that’s so cool that everything is falling into place perfectly. And if you are stressed out, it’s not showing either in what you’re writing or what you’re reporting eating. So well done all round. I’ve forgotten now why you’re moving, wanting another suburb I think it was and maybe a smaller garden. Hopefully a nice holiday will be on the cards too.

Merry, you seem to be going well with 5:2. Did you, Joffy and Intesha meet up as planned in January? Nobody reported in! Please send my best wishes to Joffy if you’re in contact and I hope the reason he’s not checking in with his minestrone soup and coffee reports is a happy one.

LJ, I started off quite enjoying the handfuls and thumbfuls of ingredients guide. Not sure about the amount of chicken though, that seemed a huge amount. And then I started wondering how many people might think they could have all those items together in the same meal. I didn’t stick around to see what she made. I am making turkey and white bean chilli for dinner tonight. I thought I should have some poultry as DD and I have been meat-free for weeks now.

It rained all day long yesterday. I can’t remember the last time it rained that long. It was fabulous.

Cinque, what a load you had to carry yesterday. I hope you and Lindsay are having a brilliant FD today. Lindsay, I keep trying to teach my DD that it is better to own the bank shares than have money in the bank. Even then, you wouldn’t want to own a share in a company charging dead people for services.

DD arrived home safely last night having speyed and castrated several aboriginal ‘community’ dogs and visited some amazing gorges and caves. It’s amazing to think you could fly for three and a half hours and still be in the same state!

I had a good bridge session this morning. A lot of laughs and stuff-ups (on my part) but my partner and I managed to come second. Which doesn’t really reflect well on the skills of the other people I’m afraid! The ranking isn’t to be taken too seriously at our level of course. I am now going to check on-line to see where I went wrong and how I could have played better – what an incredible programme it is to provide such in-depth feedback. You can even re-play the exact hands on the computer.