Quacka. You are not alone. On the few occasions I eat breakfast I am starving by mid-morning. It may be in the mind, but it feels like an empty midriff.

Day one of my two day is behind me and I am one pound below the pre-grandchild weight. I have a Pilates workout this morning, following which OH has a house re-organisation in mind so I will get some more exercise moving furniture.

I like those rules LJ.

Penguin, I’m having problems with breakfast due to playing bridge two mornings a week and, for four weeks, taking a lesson on a third morning. I’m just not hungry before the 9.30am start as I don’t usually eat anything before about noon. I restrict myself to one cup of coffee instead of my normal two, in order to make it to half time before needing the loo. At the break, I forego their instant coffee and the store bought biscuits as neither hold any appeal. But during the last hour I find my stomach starts growling loudly. I’ve tried eating breakfast before leaving home but can’t get past a few mouthfuls. Now I just eat the balance when I get home. It’s all in the mind as you say because the lesson falls on a FD – when I have no trouble going without food until 2pm.

Wow, I’m getting behind in posting! Today is a FD for me because yesterday was a holiday, Labor Day, (not much is celebrated other than a day off of work and govt businesses closed) but I figured with DS off from work we might have a bigger meal.

Hi Evie and welcome back, lily. As LJ said, there are always challenges to eating in everyday life, so learning to accommodate them with 5:2 is the key. I do think that it’s the easiest weight loss plan to do that because it’s very flexible. And easy. Good luck to everyone who is just starting out. Just stick with it, it works!

We have 3 strictly indoor cats. We don’t vacuum daily and I don’t usually detect odors unless a litter box gets messy. We use scoopable litter and clean it at least twice a day. We find it the easiest to keep clean. Because of wild critters like raccoons, possums, squirrels or even snakes, I don’t think a cat door would work here. And there are animals like coyotes in the area that have killed cats, although we have never seen one. By the time a cat might become incontinent (most don’t) you love the pet so much you whatever necessary to accommodate it.

I’ll write more later.

Hi everyone, just checking in.
I hope you all have a wonderful day, be you fasting or not fasting!
Enjoy whatever you are getting up to and bye for now!

Morning Cinque et al,

I find I have endless physical energy on FDs but, like you, I do sometimes struggle with brain fuzz on FDs. That usually comes later in the day though. I’m not as flexible with changing around my FDs as most of you and a bridge lesson doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to switch days (perhaps if they were ongoing but it’s just 4 weeks).

Thanks LJ and Cinque, as I was writing that post about the breakfast dilemma, I could already imagine LJ saying back, ‘take a banana’. It just shows how helpful this thread is, one only has to imagine the voices. I was just concerned about introducing extra food but I might take half a banana to get me through to lunch (which is actually breakfast for me). I’ve also tried taking a decent cup of coffee with me to have in the break but the thermal mug didn’t seem to do its job. Anyway, today’s a FD so no discussion required.

Cinque, if you need breakfast, I think that’s perfectly fine. I hope you are able to make good YD progress.

Quacka, of the two, I’m going for the shaven option. But I’m sure OH’ll look handsome either way. I don’t miss pasta at all. We only ever used the packet stuff and, frankly, it’s not that good, is it? That’s one of the meals I often make for OFMs on my FDs. But today, we’re having Hairy Bikers’ Thai Coconut Chicken. It’s a whopping 283 cals so, apart from the cauliflower soup, nothing else for me today. One of the tasks I sometimes struggle with on a FD afternoon is following a recipe.

CalifD, no house decorations for Labor Day? (I’ve spelled it that way because it’s your day!).

Hi Arel, Minka, how are you getting on with your Sept challenge?

Good morning all.

Cinque, skipping breakfast doesn’t have to mean no food until lunchtime. If I get hungry earlier on a NFD I do have a light snack/brunch mid-late morning. Usually either a piece of fruit or some yoghurt or a small glass of kefir. When hunger hits at about 10-11am I find that if I wait until lunch I often eat too much at lunch if I don’t have the snack.

Quacka, my suggestion on the hair dilemma is to tie it neatly into a pony tail. I’ve even seen men in a suit at their own wedding with a pony tail and it looked just fine.
I hope your hunger calms down a bit so you can get through your FD more easily.
I wonder if your appetite is increasing because your cold is getting better. I always found that nothing tasted right when I had a cold as my taste buds didn’t work properly. Once I get better my appetite for food seems to want to make up for lost time.

Cinque, I’ve also been noticing the birds chirping early every morning – I suspect they all have nests full of babies at present – that will get you up early.

Arel, hello, hope you have a good day too.

Cali, I seem to remember you said you had tiled floors. With 3 indoor cats I imagine that’s beneficial. Coyotes hunting domestic cats is something I hadn’t considered. Where I used to live there were feral foxes that would hunt both domestic pets and also possums and koalas, but where I live know is so built up that I doubt there are foxes.
I hope your FD goes well.

Penguin, I have trouble imagining anyone mad enough to tackle a marathon, let alone in heels.

I will probably be posting fewer food photos now as I think I have my eating back into a rhythm that I’m happy with. On difficult NFDs I will probably still do a careful plan and may post a photo. Thankyou all for supporting me through this time, it feels like it’s taken me a while to get on top of things again and the daily food photo idea really helped me on NFDs.

I did like the idea of getting each family member to build their own dining chair on Sunday night, so thanks for that suggestion. Although I was a bit worried that hunger might lead to shoddy workmanship! So I built 8 dining chairs yesterday and now have very sore fingers from the endless time spent turning an allen key. I always find with Ikea furniture that the majority of screws and bolts go in easily but there usually one on each piece of furniture that you have to fight with. I still have 2 chairs that I haven’t put together as I’m still undecided about whether to have 8 or 10.

Today is my third NFD in a row and I was rather shocked that not only could I get my smallest jeans on, I did them up easily and can even get a hand under the waistband when they are done up. That normally only ever happens after a FD, so I’m quite impressed. I will be wearing them into the city for lunch. Lunch is at an Italian cafe in the Adelaide Central Produce Market. Most of their menu is pasta and pizza, both of which are nice. But they make the best minestrone that I’ve ever eaten, so I’ll be ordering a large bowl of that. For dinner I have a bunch each of asparagus and broccolini that I will blanch. I’ll decide later what protein I want to put with the veg.

I’ll be taking the train to the city and back and should get a bit of walking done in the process as it’s a 10 minute walk to the train from here and a 15 minute walk to the Central Market from the Adelaide train station.

I’ll be joining any Thursday fasters tomorrow.
Have a good day all.

Hi all. Have skimmed through posts to catch up. Speaking of dress codes,OH and I are off to Qld on Monday for a week to attend a wedding which is on the beach and dress code is casual/bohemian. OH insisted he must wear a full suit and tie because ‘that is what men wear to weddings’. After lots if argy bargy I’ve finally convinced him to wear black jeans, short sleeve shirt, boat shoes (new style for OH) and no tie. He’s still not happy with the idea but he will look and feel like a right twit in a suit. Very old fashioned is OH….Lol.

Still haven’t taken the food dehydrator out if the box as life has been too busy of late. Was in Adelaide for work last week and the builders are supposed to start erecting the new shed and back verandah extension next week so have been busy cleaning up the yard in preparation. I’m so looking forward to the new shed being completed with flooring, lining and heating/cooling so I can set up my treadmill and gym equipment again which is currently packed up in a corner of the car shed. Hoping within 6 to 8 weeks it will all be done….fingers crossed

In answer to the question re fish that nibble feet in Bali, it’s a weird feeling, thickly but soothing at the same time.

Have to dash will finish post later

Hi Thin. I think probably 70 ….but I’d have to count them. I have a small case full of ones that need reheeling, that I’ll take to Vietnam for next time I go. Better to pay $3 a pair than $22, which is what our local shoe repair shop charges for a simple reheel. I don’t think there are any more left downstairs.
I don’t know about looking fabulous – but I do feel good in that outfit. I think it’s because it’s classic, and suitable for a woman of my ahem mature years. I had something similar made for my son’s wedding…same style skirt and a short-sleeved top that had some of the pintuck detail, in aubergine silk shantung. They got married in Vietnam and it was so so hot. I started off wearing high heeled sandals, but after a downpour all the guests shed their shoes and it was barefoot all the way…except for the celebrant, who put plastic bags sealed with elastic bands over his shoes as he negotiated his way through the puddles to the outdoor pavilion where they were married. …
This hotel (Pullman Legian) is just lovely – we look out to sea and can watch the surf schools teaching aspiring surfers, and also the planes taking off the landing at the airport. Very interesting and relaxing.
Good morning LJ – I too like the idea of choosing vegetables and then protein after that. It changes of the focus of the meal. I’ve always chosen meat then vegetables …but doing the other way around makes the veges the heroes – great idea.
Happy day all

Quacka. For much of my adult life I had a moustache that OH never liked. I shaved it off without telling her. It took her two months to notice. As I have grown older my stubble has grown stubblier and the morning shave less fun. I have contemplated a beard, but when I tried it came out in black and grey areas and I looked like a badger. Even I concede that is not a good look. I suspect that heels to a woman are what proper leather shoes are to a bloke – they change the way you stand and feel and people notice.

The furniture is moved and two beds disposed of to turn the room into a studio/workroom for OH. The problem now is what do we do with the things we stored under those beds?

Day one of my B2B worked but day 2 didn’t, so I will throw in a day 3. These days I find it more effective to
have a three day water only fast about once a month – the normal 2 day 600 cal only keeps me where I am, which is below my initial target and about seven pounds above target two.

P.S. CalifD, I looked up ‘Roomba’, suspecting it must be a robot vacuum – is it good at getting in the corners and around furniture? Did that come from Amazon?

Penguin, that’s what my OH says every time he gets rid of some building material or other (usually just the right piece of wood) that had been stored behind the shed for decades. I say, “Do you need this?” and he replies, “Not until you throw it away”. Don’t get rid of that gap in para 3 – you’ll probably find you need it later.

Hi Southern Hemispheres

A few thoughts for Wednesday

Re: Roomba for floors: We live in Florida in the very southern peninsula of the USA near the coast. It is sub-tropical here and vegetation grows fast. Since we deal with tracking sandy soil and tiny plant debris inside year-round, keeping floors tidy is a daily chore. We bought a Roomba about 4 years ago. It did not work out for specific reasons, but I think it might be useful in certain settings. In my case, the Roomba dirt cup holds a small palmful of debris, just enough for about one room. The Roomba would quit picking up dirt even though the motor was running. I also discovered the sensor eyes that determine when the cup is full also have to be cleaned periodically. I had to stop it after each room, remove the little dirt cup and empty it, use the little comb to remove my long hair that was tangled in the brushes, etc. Honestly, in my situation it was better to use a broom and dust pan. But, you might enjoy a Roomba if you have a small area to clean, small amounts of debris on the floor, and no long-haired folks in the house. Also, it is fun to watch a Roomba work, to watch it travel to charge itself, and to use the remote control like a toy robot.

Online recently, at a fraction of the cost of the Roomba, I replaced it with a mechanical Bissel carpet and floor sweeper for quick touch ups. I bought the one with the best reviews. The Bissel uses simple rotating brushes and has two larger dirt cups that empty over the trash can by pushing a lever on the side. Also, the brushes have easy access for removing long hair. After I bought the Bissel I remembered my grandma used one all the time. The Bissel is working out much better for me.

Re: shoes, high heels and healthy feet: A month ago I had agreed to judge an event. The day before I left, while I was packing I re-read the email and discovered it specified business professional attire and no open toed shoes. What? Sandals—including dress sandals—are the norm here. I did not own a pair of pumps for anything I could wear. Shoe shopping is usually a task for me. I stopped packing, drove to the mall and quickly purchased three pair of moderate heels that felt okay at the moment, along with a dressy handbag. The first morning I wore the tan pair of pumps. After 30 minutes at the site I felt piercing pain in my right heel. I stuffed a piece of tissue and continued my duties. Within an hour I had a blister the size of my thumbnail. While the driver took me to the next site, I removed the shoe and discovered a small piece of debris was sewn into the heel. By now the blister was the size of two thumbnails, plus another blister rose on the ball of that foot. Meanwhile two smaller blisters in the same areas raised on the other foot. My driver saw my distress and informed me the closed toed shoes rule covered legal issues and applied to judges at construction sites, not finished projects where I was. At lunch break my driver kindly dropped me at a shoe store where I purchased a good quality pair of slide-on dress sandals to wear the remaining days. I was thankful none of my projects had any construction!

Shoe Lessons Learned: In my life here, there still will be occasions that require pumps, so shop and buy ones that really fit when I have plenty of time to test them out. I now have faced the reality of shoe shopping in the USA where shoe stores stock shoes in a limited selection of sizes. Also, sizes are terribly inconsistent here. As a result, I rarely find shoes on the shelf. Since I am hard to fit, I have now resigned myself to ordering shoes in a range of sizes to see which actually fit. It means I must pay for all of them up front then make a trip to the shoe store to return all the ones that do not fit. It is a hassle I have tried to avoid but realize I just must shop for shoes this inconvenient way. That also means I must plan ahead. Also I have learned I must use common sense for my personal heel height. I’ve known women with hammer toes, bunion surgery, etc. from years of wearing spike high heels, and they are fine with that. I feel that is a personal choice. I’ve escaped those issues and not risking them now. The women I saw in lower heeled pumps looked great when the shoes complimented their outfit. It has taken a month for my feet to heal past the worst, but I am still treating the large discolored area on one heel. We women just have to reach our own conclusions about shoes.

Re: My Fast Diet results: Today I weighed and measured for the second time since starting a month ago. I am steadily losing a couple pounds (about 1 kg) every 10 days. I wish it were faster, but all losing is a win. My measurements are more encouraging. My belly (where I gained the most) is shrinking fastest—exactly what I want. I am learning to tolerate being hungry and realize that is a good thing. For years I have followed the information to eat throughout the day so I never, never, felt hungry. I now understand research shows that is not a good idea. It has been an awakening to realize feeling hungry is actually natural for my body; this hunger cycle leads to good insulin and other good body functions. I’m working on learning to embrace hunger as a good thing, not something to be avoided. Hunger is a natural pattern; even a healthy baby does not cry for food until the last meal is digested. My brain will catch up.

Re: Breakfast: One recent big lifestyle change is not eating breakfast. The other is not eating past 7:00 p.m. That allows the benefits of a longer time without digesting food and one workable strategy for consuming less food. When I travel this is a bit challenging because my old cycle was to enjoy the big tempting breakfast buffet at the hotel. I am still puzzling out a strategy for that. I liked the suggestion on this site to first have coffee, look over the buffet selection, sit down, and to plan before putting anything on my plate. Today I cannot find who wrote that, but thank you for the idea.

That is enough from me. Have a great, healthy day.

Good morning everyone

Yesterday’s FD was so easy as again I was super busy at work. I didn’t eat anything all day until 3pm where I made a miso soup from the paste without any additions. Dinner was spaghetti bolognaise with zoodles and even OH had a few zoodles with his pasta!

Work is under control at last and I have taken a day off today. I am off to the hairdressers today and have lots of cleaning and washing to do before then. I am going to get my hair coloured ready for the race day. I only get it done once or twice a year as it is so expensive. I have very quick growing hair so those greys come through way too soon! I just do it myself at home usually.

Aaaaah shoes. Lindsay – 70 pairs!! My OH teases me because of how many shoes I own but it’s less than 70 ha ha ha. I had them all thrown into the bottom of a built in wardrobe also with his shoes (one, maybe two pairs). One day I found his boots had gotten mouldy in there and threw them out. He had to go to a funeral a few months later and called me asking where his boots were. I told him and so he had to wear this other pair of boots that were way too big for him but the only dressy pair he had. I got them from work as a freebie so I didn’t get to choose his size. I came home from work that afternoon and all my shoes were pulled out of the cupboard and thrown all over the floor, a huge mess. I could just imagine it would have been like a cartoon watching him pull them all out and probably cursing at the same time. Lol
That weekend he took me to Bunnings and we bought a big 12 x 12 cube thingy. It is probably more like a display type cabinet but it fits perfectly in the wardrobe and I can put 2 or 3 pairs in each section. I also have some across the top and probably some on the floor outside the wardrobe. I let him have one cube for his new boots and joggers we bought a few weeks ago! Lol 😆

LJoyce thanks for the suggestion regarding the pony tail but his hair is not quite long enough for that at the moment. I am still in the process of negotiating with him. I am trying to bribe him but hmmmm the rain has stopped so I don’t know when he will have time to get to the hairdressers. I think Quacka will have to get the clippers out….

Penguin, I can’t believe it took your OH 2 months to notice your moustache gone! That’s another thing – he is having a shave before we go. Luckily this is event is only once a year for the stress of it all lol

I weighed myself today and I am down another 400g. Hopefully by Christmas I will have reached my 60kg goal weight. The intermediate goal weight is 65kg.

The Roomba sounds interesting.

Rainbow and LJoyce have you heard of Ziera Shoes? They have a new multi fit system and many of them are built to take orthotics and are also available in different widths. Revere are another brand of shoes that we have that could be suitable for you ladies. Rainbow you mentioned the sizing issues. Every manufacturer makes their shoes on different lasts and so the sizing varies wildly. I would say I am size 8 (39) but I actually fit into anything from a 37 to a 40 depending on the brand. One other thing I have noticed is that I seem to fit into more size 7 (38) now as a rule since starting 5:2. My friend at work (our floor manager) says it is because of the weight I have lost! I don’t think it would affect my shoe size. Other sizes yes, but my feet?? Lol

I know some of you are fasting today so I hope it is a nice easy one for you. I hope everyone has a great day x

Quacka, you’re up early. I woke before 5am this morning and thought of you. Caved in at 6am lured by frothy coffee Thursday. Divine, coupled with the reading of the morning posts.

CalifD and Rainbow, thanks for the detailed product review. Are they noisy as they go about their business? And, if not, is there a danger of tripping over the thing? I actually began to enjoy vacuuming when I first purchased my Dyson. The novelty has since worn off.

Rainbow, it was I who suggested that buffet strategy. I think I was still in weight loss mode when we were given a complimentary hotel, buffet dinner AND buffet breakfast vouchers by our delayed airline. I was so disgusted by the frenzied greed of the diners at the buffet dinner (which would have been my own behaviour a year prior) that I was totally put off. That’s when I developed that strategy. Only a few hours later, we were back in the dining room repeating the exercise before our flight finally took off. I think just taking some time to consider what you’re about to do is a better strategy than mindlessly hoovering up (or Roomba’ing) everything in sight without even knowing what else is on offer. Congratulations on your loss so far – I think that’s a great result. When I was losing, I reliably lost half a kilo per week with one or two plateaus along the way. I was very happy with that. All you need is a consistent downward trend. this is for life and, when you reach your goal weight, it’s very boring in maintenance. So take your time!

Also Rainbow, we’ve been sold the constant grazing idea by commercial food manufacturers. Dr M. says this is all well and good if you’re not eating any meals but it’s far too much fodder when we eat three meals and snack all day too. I noticed this constant snacking trend in raising my DD – when taking her to gym creches, etc, children didn’t seem to be able to do anything unless they had a snack and a drink in hand. The gym creche lady used to hassle me to bring a packet of chips for my 2 yo. She said it wasn’t fair because all the other babies and children had food. I explained that she’d just had her breakfast and didn’t need food. I didn’t want her equating being separated from me with the need to snack. A better strategy would have been to have banned all food from the creche.

LJ, I’m glad the FD photo strategy worked for you. I’d love to see others’ photos.

Good job with the cat training Cinque! And the YD project. Thanks, the meal was very tasty. I kept it under 500 cals yesterday but I normally aim for 350 cals so the meal was a bit too much for a FD but I will continue to use it on nonFDs.

I’ve been reading the posts this morning instead of packing to move to our next spot (Ubud, in the mountains) and I have enjoyed them so much. I don’t have time to respond fully (sneaking in a quick post while OH is showering etc), but I did laugh at all the comments about shoes (I will answer later, because as you’ve probably guessed, shoes are a bit of an obsession) and hotel breakfasts. A good tip, I’ve found, is to watch the chubbiest people in the room – and go the other way. My OH is also a good guide – has a great appetite, but never piles his plate and rarely has the sausage/bacon option….which is why he stays around 72 kilos, holiday or not. He is however a sucker for chocolate croissant.
Blackouts all over Bali last night – an underground cable, I think (it was a it hard to understand the room service attendant). Wonderful when the whole hotel was plunged into blackness before the generators did their bit, and the streets too. The stars were so, so bright.

I need to be unusually brief this morning as I’m heading out soon.
FD for me. The plan is a banana mid-afternoon if needed and a bowl of vegetable, barley and red lentil soup for dinner (currently defrosting). And of course water and cups of tea.

I’ll try and post properly tonight. Have a good day everyone.

Kippers update: https://imgur.com/a/y4RRvPS
On my way to an appointment at Mount Barker I drove through Hahndorf and stopped to buy some freshly smoked kippers.
Apart from the many “supposedly” edible bones that I’ve been warned to expect, I have two concerns. The herring that they have smoked came all the way form Europe, not exactly buying local. The kilojoule count is over 1000 per 100g – that’s pretty horrific compared to most fish. It will want to taste amazing for me so keep using that many kjs for a small portion of fish.
The guy who served me dais the best ways to prepare are panfried or grilled. These still feel plump and moist so he didn’t recommend soaking them in water.
Because of the high cost and calories I will definitely make this at least two portions and plan to try some Saturday night.

I hope you love the kippers LJoyce, and maybe the fat is omega 3?

Lindsay, I hope it was a lovely trip to Ubud, and that you are enjoying the mountains. Oh the stars are a wonderful site without electricity.

Thin, nice strategem with the Coconut Chicken.

Arelkade, it is spring cleaning weather here too! I hope you got a lot done.

I’m having adai for breakfast. Again! I soaked too many legumes last time so I popped half of them in the freezer, and and now they will be today’s lovely breakfast.

Cat training continuing okay. Business plan finally getting into shape.

Best wishes for your day today.

CalifD, hoping your surgery went well yesterday. Minka, Arel, how’s the Sept challenge going?

Good news CalifD.

LJ, thinking of you today: https://imgur.com/a/iVW4e0k

Good afternoon everyone

Second day off today before the big race day tomorrow. This has turned it a little bit of an expensive exercise. It’s going to be cold tomorrow so I have bought some toeless stockings to wear ($17.95 *****). I also bought some make up today. I really am not the make up type of girl but as you may know I have rosacea. I wanted to get something that would give me a little coverage but not look caked on, I wanted it to look natural. I have bought a B.B. cream and a translucent powder to go over the top. The powder has no colour, it really just kind of sets the cream. I am really happy with how it looks. I will wear mascara and some lip gloss with it and that is all. The redness still comes through a little but it more looks like a glow rather than a traffic light! It’s Napoleon Perdis brand but I got a good discount for it as the girl who matched my colour is the sister of a friend at work. I’m very happy with my purchase.
I got my a hair done yesterday as well and it looks very different to my usual look. I like that too. So far I am happy with how I will look.
The most important thing that I wanted to share with you all, is that it’s because of my weight loss that I feel confident enough to go and do these things. Before 5:2 I would have said ‘I don’t care what I wear and how I look’ but really inside I would have been feeling really bad. I probably wouldn’t have made much of an effort to look nice because I would have felt horrible no matter how much money I spent. I know looks are not everything but I also know that my attitude to the occasion goes a long way to helping me to have a nice time. People have always said to me how nice it is to dress up and have an event to go to. Inside I would be saying ‘how can they be serious. It is a nightmare’. This is the first time in a long time I have been excited.

OH is not home from work yet but I suspect he is getting a haircut. Yay!!!!!!!
He called me this morning saying he had called the hairdresser to make an appointment and they didn’t answer. I had to remind him it was before 9am lol. He starts work so early he sometimes forgets how early it still is.
thin, you mentioned I was up early the other day. I am up early every morning, well awake anyway. OH leaves very early for work and I can’t sleep again after he is gone. I’m such a terrible sleeper anyway so I am lucky if I am asleep before he wakes as well 🙁

Cali I am glad your surgery went well. I didn’t know we shared the same middle name – anxiety is also my middle name! I stress about things so much, even things I have done 10 times before. Have I told you all about the boat ramp and backing the boat down it, and how sometimes the Ute slips a little? I can stress about that for weeks beforehand lol

Anyway I must go. I think my toenails are dry now. I have painted them a pretty light pink colour. I hope you all have a lovely evening x

Thanks thin but I’m no glamour girl lol. I don’t mind a front photo. Will there be a problem with it? I need to work out Limgur imgur? First lol

Good morning everyone.

It’s a cold dreary morning here and it’s also cold and dreary in the Quacka household. I was just about to go jump in the shower and get ready for this long awaited race day when we got a text saying the races have been called off! Apparently there was storms and a lot of rain last night around Kembla Grange and now the races can not run. Soooooo disappointing. There will still be lunch up at the race track but most of the group we were going with have pulled out and Mr Q is not very keen to just go for lunch anyway. It will be a sad state of affairs, a race track with no races running.

Anyway off to clean the house. I can think of things I would rather be doing…….

Hope you all have a lovely day x

Oh No Quacka!
That is SO disappointing. Can you dress up and go and see a film after lunch or something?
I bet you are giving the house are good hard cleaning!

I’ve just been to the big veggie shop and come home with an enormous amount of glorious veggies. I might have got a bit carried away but I feel like just eating veggies today, and fast day soup tomorrow and I will make yummy things for the week ahead.And I did buy beetroots to make more kvass, Minka’s recipe.

Cali, I am so glad Thin remembered the day of your operation, and then to see you comment to know that all has gone well. http://www.myflowerdelivery.ie/products/getimage?productid=55

Thin, the night heron is so beautiful and your photo shows of the long white feather so perfectly.

LJoyce, I hope today is a great getting-things-done-day.

Best wishes all.