Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • The kidney bean chocolate cake is a gluten free, sugar free, low calorie cake recipe on the fast 800 website. It uses kidney beans and eggs to get the texture and dates for the sweetness and then coconut oil for the fat content. It’s something like 250 calories per slice and pretty tasty, if you like dark chocolate you’ll enjoy it because it’s not overly sweet, but still sweet enough that you feel like you’ve had a treat. https://thefast800.com/chocolate-kidney-bean-cake/

    The only down side from the weekend was I woke up this morning feeling like I had a hangover. I’m not sure why because I wasn’t drinking over the weekend. You know you’re getting old when you get the morning after without having the night before :/

    Good morning everyone

    It’s monday FD for me today and I’m feeling positive about it. I have some mushrooms capsicum and konjac noodles with me to make a bit of soup for when I get hungry later in the day. I think we are going to have a miso soup for dinner tonight with turkey meatballs and prawns and lots of veggies.

    The weather has cooled down considerably and we have had lots of rain yesterday which was very appreciated. It’s perfect weather for soup.

    A couple of weeks ago I bought an oven thermometer as I didn’t think that my new oven was working properly. I had put a beef casserole into the oven to reheat and it took over an hour even when I pumped up the temperature to over 200 degrees. The thermometer is saying 125 degrees which is where it stops heating up so I think the thermostat is gone. Yesterday I cooked a beef roast at 270 degrees (so the oven said, but the thermometer still said 125). It took a long time to cook!! I have emailed the manufacturer and I have also asked my MIL to bring in her oven thermometer so I can double check the temperature. Argh! It so annoys me when new things fail to work properly. I took so long to decide on this particular oven and I am very disappointed.

    Congratulations on the weight loss everyone. Great job!

    I best go do some work. I am feeling like I need a nice hot cup of coffee to warm up!

    Have an great day everyone x

    Good afternoon all. Back from Bali, and first day back at work.

    I can’t start this post without expressing our sadness and shock at the events in Christchurch. The situation is beyond words. My fervent hope is this tragedy unites us, and gives all of us – politicians, media, social media, individuals – pause for thought, and reminds us that kindness and gentility need to be how we live our lives.

    I haven’t posted since we left Bali last Wednesday night – my virus has continued to lay me low and I had to really struggle to go to work today. But, it was the first day of my new, expanded workload, so go I had to.

    My weight this morning was .5 under my pre-holiday weight, so I think that is a good outcome. From last Friday I’ve been back to 16:8, low carb, and today is my first FD. I’ve just had some vegetables and salad, with a little tin of tuna. More fish and vegetables tonight.

    I leave for Beijing on 3 May for a bit under 3 weeks, and I am hoping I can shed a kilo a week before then. Now I am working 4 days a week, I’m planning a FD followed by 800 cals, then another FD and another 800 cals, then maybe 1200 for the other 3 days of the week (well under my TDEE). That would mean shedding almost 7 kilos – but honestly, I’d be more than happy with 5.

    I can’t go back and look at the posts on the previous pages because I feel I could lose the lot so I’ll just comment on those things that I can remember.

    Cinque I hope you are feeling less tired. We all need our sleep, except, apparently, your little GD. She will grow out of it, but in the meantime, it’s tough. I did love her comment about wanting to grow in your tummy. Aren’t they so so sweet. DD took the five year old out of school on Friday to attend the climate change rally in Brisbane. It was drizzly and the temps really dropped here on Saturday. As soon as she woke, a very excited Miss 5 flew into DD’s bedroom. ‘Mum it’s much cooler today. Do you think the government heard what we were saying yesterday?’ Bless her – if only it would/could happen like that.

    Quacka, what a nuisance about the stove. Hopefully something minor, but a new product shouldn’t even have a minor error.

    Sorry about the hangover without the party Neil. If it’s any consolation (I am sure it’s not) I’ve had a hangover headache since this virus hit me … and without the alcohol too.

    OK I am going to rescue my clothes off the line. They aren’t dry, but the sky looks very threatening, after a lovely sunny morning. I whipped them out as soon as I got home, but it hasn’t been long enough….and I don’t have a dryer.

    Good luck for those who are fasting, and good eating for those who are not.

    Quick check-in. Tired after the conference and the weekend, but FD800 today – baton received, thanks Cinque. CalifDreamer, so far I’ve mainly been giving things to the op shops, not buying, as my wardrobes have been overburdened with my “fat fat” clothes, my “fat” clothes (out of both categories now, more than 30 garments donated), then my “okay” clothes – wearing them now – and I still have to get into my “thin” clothes, or my “ideal dream weight” clothes, which doesn’t seem such an impossible dream anymore.

    Then there are the clothes which, now I’ve lost weight, don’t look the way I thought they would once they fit. Out yet again. And that doesn’t include all the winter clothes I haven’t gone through yet. Not buying anything at the moment, not even under garments. It will be months before I’ll be buying much of anything in the clothing line. Alas, as shopping is fun!

    Oh well, keep on keeping on the downward trail everyone! 🙂

    Hello everyone, hope your day is going well.

    Impromptu FD today.
    I’ve had a very persistent headache and haven’t felt like food.

    I’ve been clearing out clothes today as I have a one-in-one-out policy to avoid an overcrowded wardrobe. I finally have enough jeans and track pants in the right size that I can get rid of all the roomy ones that I’ve hung onto. With the influx of new tops I was able to throw out all of my old winter pyjama tops and move the older worn long sleeve t-shirts onto pyjama duty as I have plenty of nice replacements as day wear now. I’ve also ditched a few skirts that rarely wear anymore. Despite the massive amount of clothes I bought over the last fortnight, I still managed to find a greater number of garments to get rid of. I also decided most of my thermals could go – I needed them in the hills but not here. I kept one set for holidays in colder climates.

    I only hope I don’t end up in the high 70s again as I no longer have the clothes to fit me. It feels like a big deal to commit to staying below that.

    Have a good day everyone. Will hopefully talk more tomorrow.

    Mornin’….another wet morning getting to work. We even had to pull the car over on the way to the station as the downpour was so hard we couldn’t see. However I can actually see blue sky now (7.40am)! Fingers crossed as we have a mountain of washing to do and hubby was sorting it when I left.

    I had a great FD yesterday and lost a whole 200g. Sigh. At least I’m back in the 85’s (just) and determined to push into the 84’s in the next week even if it is via kicking and screaming.

    But the best news ever came overnight. I received a text from the girl at CBA who is pushing to hire me and she confirmed all has been agreed, including my rate! So nothing formal but I can’t see it falling apart from here. What a blessed relief and Maxx and OH won’t have to go out busking after all. Tee hee. I finish up here Friday next week and I’m hoping for a few days off in between but if they want me to start straight away that’s fine.

    It is such a nice feeling to throw out clothes that are too big for you. I haven’t had a chance to sort through my wardrobe for a while but I did donate some size 20 items over Christmas. I think another 5 kilos will see another big wave of items to remove. Can’t wait.

    LJ you won’t end up in the high 70’s again, you are way too committed and strong with this WOL. We will make sure it doesn’t happen, don’t worry 🙂

    Welcome back Lindsay, sorry to hear you are still not 100% and I’m worried that your extra workload might make your virus worse again. Look after yourself. Is the trip to Beijing a holiday or work-related?

    What a pain in the neck that stove is Quacka. We spent a small fortune on appliances when we did our kitchen up about 15 years ago and touch wood they are mostly all going ok. We recently needed to replace the microwave but that was expected. The only other issue we have had is one of the elements on our Miele cooktop stopped working. We bought a specialised one with three elements and one of them is really large with three different rings so you can use three different size pots/frypans including a huge one (if that makes sense) as we often use a big pot to make soup or other bulk dishes for freezing. It cost so much money to get it fixed – we could have installed a whole new, cheaper brand for it but we decided to risk it as no other one had this large element. That was about 2 years ago and fingers crossed again it is still ok.

    Must start work, will post later. Have a great day!

    Well, weigh in day for week 8 is coming up tomorrow morning, It’ll be interesting to see how I went this week. My pattern so far seems to be a big week followed by a more modest week. I had a bigger week last week so this week should be a more modest week.

    I’m going to have to decide on a winter activity soon because I only have another 2 weeks of tennis before the season finishes after daylight savings.

    I’ve also decided against going in the surf to stadium run, because my wife is going away with some friends for a girl’s weekend so I’m going to take our two boys out to a hut out in the back country and do some manly things…hunting, making fire, eating meat, talking about our feelings, that sort of stuff 😉 . I’ll probably end up getting more exercise than doing the Surf to Stadium anyway because it’s quite a hike in to the hut and it’s pretty steep country to get up to hunt in.

    Good Morning everyone

    Congratulations Anzac on the good news about the job!! So happy this has worked out for you and also that you had a good FD yesterday. You know the drill – just keep at it and the weight will come off. Some weeks we lose more than others and sometimes for no apparent reason 😉
    I have just received an email back about my oven. They have asked me to send through the receipt and they will organise for it to be fixed under warranty. So they should! Its only two months old!

    LJ and Betsy good on you for getting rid of those clothes. Like Anzac said, LJ there is no way you will be getting back up to those high 70s – you know what to do and also that we are here to support and encourage you.
    Betsy, isn’t it funny how as we lose weight that sometimes those ‘thin’ clothes don’t look as good as we thought they would. I am finding it hard to find my new sense of style but it is fun trying on different things!

    Neil, that sounds like a fun weekend male bonding with your sons. I hope you all enjoy it, I’m sure you will. Thanks for the link to the kidney bean chocolate cake. That is one interesting recipe!!

    Lindsay, I hope you can shake that virus soon. Look after yourself. I hope your extra work load is not too taxing when you are feeling unwell.

    I had a great FD yesterday and I’m feeling really good today. My weight is continuing to go down slowly but it still fluctuates up and down quite a lot. I’m happy with that as long as the general trend is down. I understand the factors that make it fluctuate.

    A big hello to everyone I haven’t mentioned and hope you are all doing great. Take care all x

    Oops, I forgot something.

    Yesterday’s positive quote.

    “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve;
    The fear of failure.” by Paulo Coelho

    I don’t have a new one for today but am just recycling one that I have already used

    “Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, you life will start to change”

    If anyone has any new positive thoughts for me, please post them up :):)

    Good morning,
    Anzac, you can always send that rain down here. just saying.

    Big congratulations on your job! A lovely relief knowing and it does sound like a great job.

    Lindsay, congratulations to you on your changed job, but much sympathy knowing you are starting before you have properly recovered from that dreaded lurgy and its hangover. I hope everyone is looking after you.

    Well done! Coming back from a holiday skinnier than you left! You and Thin must be related!

    What a darling that 5yo is. If only climate change could be dealt with like that!

    Betsylee, so nice getting down to your okay clothes. It will be fascinating as you find out what suits you now, and if your style might change, as you get to your healthy weight.

    LJoyce, you’ve got a rotten headache too. Well, I hope it has gone by the time you read this. And what a great way to spend a day, setting out your new wardrobe.

    Week 8 Neil! And a great weekend coming up.

    Best wishes everyone, for a good day today. I’m heading up country to visit my friend, and then coffee with Klondi tomorrow.

    Cheers

    Cali, I love blossom time, and the ornamental pear is stunning.
    I do hope the doctors appt this week provides a wonderful new idea to help your BP.

    Neil, I understood all about the kidney bean cake. I have made a version of it (not gluten free) and my daughter has made brownies with beans in it that everyone loved for the extra squishiness. Oh and I made the wonderful chickpea drizzle cake a couple of times before I gave up sugar. So yummy.

    I hope the hangover type feeling went quickly. It’s not fair!
    I get it from sugar.

    Quacka I hope you had a good fast day too. So annoying that your oven isn’t working. Hopefully they will fix it quickly, or replace it quickly, and it will work beautifully for decades to come.

    PS Just saw your post Quacka! Hooray re the oven, and great quotes.

    LJ, I’m so sorry I forgot to ask if your headache was better today?

    Quacka – here’s one for you:
    Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”
    ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

    Cinque: Rain duly despatched. Please confirm receipt in due course 🙂

    Good morning everyone.

    I’m feeling a good deal better this morning, the headache has finally gone and after discovering the earplugs I’ve finally caught up on a bit of sleep.

    I have discovered that I don’t hear my alarm when I wear earplugs, so if I need to be up early I need to sleep without them. It means I was woken by the dog at 6am, but as I’d gone to bed early that was fine. I had the plumber here this morning to fix a couple of issues. All fixed now.
    I’ve also been stressed about my script for my RA treatment drug. Both the original and the replacement were posted to me and didn’t arrive. I’ve finally managed to speak with the rheumatology nurse at FMC and she’s arranging a replacement script that I will go and collect this afternoon – I’m not trusting this one to Australia Post. My infusion was meant to be this week, but I’ve postponed it until next week so that the chemist has enough time to get the drug in.

    Lindsay, welcome back – lighter than when you left!!
    Maybe we should leave solving the worlds problems to 5 year olds. We would get the unvarnished truth, no spin and something rather straight-forward.
    I hope your health improves quickly.

    Anzac, I love that quote about choice.
    So glad to hear all is working out with the next job contract. A pity that Maxx and your OH didn’t go busking – I’d pay to see that!

    Cinque, I suspect the headache I had yesterday was a “hangover” from the excessive amount of sugar and fat I ate on Sunday.
    Sounds like you are having a busy couple of days catching up with people – enjoy and try not to get to tired.

    Quacka, I had a problem with an expensive European electric oven not heating properly – also when it was just a few months old and under warranty. It turned out to be the element and not the thermostat. The repairer said that the fan actually has it’s own element and when I turned the oven on that’s the only element that was heating up – but only enough to get the oven warm not hot. It was a fairly straightforward fix. Hope you get yours repaired soon.
    The only quotes that springs to mind – good for times of stress and anxiety:
    “Don’t sweat the small stuff…
    and it’s all small stuff.” Richard Carlson
    The other one I like is:
    “This too shall pass.” Source unknown (google tells me it was probably a Sufi poet) I’ve always found this helpful during times of trauma and grief.

    Neil, the bonding time with your boys actually sounds pretty good. I think you’ll have a great time.

    Betsy, good to hear you have been clearing out the “fat fat” clothing too. It is liberating when you commit to not being that big again.

    Thanks to everyone’s support about me not getting to my old “comfort” weight level in the high 70s again. I do feel like I’ve properly committed to a new goal range now. My old goal range was 75-78 and some of these clothes fit me at the top of that range. The biggest thing was getting rid of the only jeans that fit me when I’m 78kg. Now I have to be mid-low 70s if I want to wear jeans – which I do most days. When I think about my new goal range of under 76kg, I feel comfort and peace and no anxiety which is reassuring. At some point I may narrow the range down a bit more, but I think I want to allow my body to find a new level that’s not too much of a struggle to maintain.

    I get the opportunity to wear my new evening jacket this Saturday as we are going out to dinner for 2 family birthdays that fall on Saturday and Sunday. This is the menu for the restaurant. https://www.crafershotel.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CH040-Food-Menu-January19-Internet.pdf
    As soon as I saw that they had pastilla on the menu I knew what I’d be ordering. The description they’ve given of it sounds odd, but it’s a lovely Moroccan pie, spiced liberally with cinnamon. I’ve had the recipe and wanted to make it for ages, but not gotten around to it. I suspect I may also weaken and have the creme brulee. I’m going to need a serious FD on Sunday, otherwise those large jeans are going to have to be retrieved!!

    As the weather is warm here this week I’m actually doing another 5 days of Fast800 from Mon-Fri, although yesterday was probably about 400 as I didn’t feel like food. Once it gets colder I know I won’t want to do this again, so I decided to take this last opportunity to make sure my weight is solidly in the low 70s before the temperature drops and I start craving hot comfort foods – as always happens. I am prepared for this as I made a 5 litre pot of bolognese on Saturday with 1kg of mince and masses of veg. Then on Sunday I turned it into a large tray each of moussaka and lasagne. I got to use up lots of zucchini, eggplant and basil from my garden. It’s now all portioned and frozen into a dozen individual serves. I love the capacity of my new freezer – it would have been a challenge to fit this into the old one.

    I have a free range chicken to poach this afternoon – it will provide most of my protein for my Fast800 days.

    Have a lovely day everyone.

    Although it’s not a quote, just a belief of mine, I thought I’d share this too: “When you put good deeds out into the world, they multiply.”
    I think when you are kind or considerate to others, it lifts their mood and they are more likely to also behave better toward other people. Unfortunately I’ve noticed the reverse is also true, bad behaviour tends to multiply too.

    FD today 68.3 down from 69.4 after my trip. My goal is to lose 2kg a month for the next four months prior to my daughter and family arriving. Whether this is achievable or my expectations are too high we will see but as long as I can continue to lose steadily that’s the aim.

    I wasn’t feeling all that well last week and put that down to the difference in temperatures between here and Hong Kong. My poor body just couldn’t cope with going from one extreme to the other. Feeling much better this week.

    Congratulations Anzac. It must be a load off your mind. We didn’t have any rain here this morning and in fact I got three loads of washing done and did some gardening, so I’ve had a productive day. Hope your OH got your washing done.

    LJ you certainly seem to have a knack for finding bargains. I have to admit that I have never shopped in an Op Shop, too much pride for my own good but also the area I live in has a lot of government housing so I don’t think there would be quality like you seem to find. Glad you are feeling better.

    Cinque thank you for always thinking of me. I do lurk but don’t always feel like replying. I’m not a chatty Kathy!!!!!!

    Quacka any downward trend is a win. So easy to put on and seems like a lifetime to take off. We now have the magic formula and we can invoke it at will.

    Hi Cali, Thin. I too loved the Killing. I am currently watching The Colony. Not my usual but passable.

    Take care everyone.

    Afternoon all.
    Intesha good to know you’re feeling better. Breaking that 60 barrier would be a great achievement before your family arrives – but half of that would be, too. How exciting they’re coming so soon.
    My FD yesterday was even fastier than I’d imagined. I put out the washing, then pulled it back when a storm came over very suddenly. By the time I’d closed the windows in most of the house, I realised that the very large double doors in the living room were open, with just the screen shut. I hadn’t worried too much because there’s a covered verandah off that room, but by the time I got down there the carpet was quite damp, and water was dripping off the piano. We’d only had the carpet laid on Saturday – sob, sigh. The house is usually very well protected with good eaves and covered verandahs, but the storm blew everything sideways, even cracking a Brisbane wattle in half with a tremendous crack. Such a shame because it was so pretty in winter. Water also ran back inside from a blocked gutter, soaking the corner of my bed and the recently laid carpet in our bedroom. We also hadn’t cleared the drains after coming back from holidays so two blocked up, depositing water and garden mulch into the pool which is now brown not blue. Too complacent by half after such a long period without rain.
    By the time I’d sorted stuff, I was too pooped to do more than boil water for a cup of miso. OH, who’d been out when the storm struck, had weetbix and a banana!
    Betsy, how satisfying getting rid of clothes that no longer fit. Our turn soon Anzac!
    LJ have confidence you’ll no longer need those big jeans. Out they go!
    Anzac the Beijing trip is related to research, but I’ll spin it into a lovely holiday. We lived there for a couple of years, so I am always happy to go back. I’d like to be thinner though – packing is so much easier when I am lighter. Like you, I’m a black trousers sort of girl, so a couple of pairs of those, a few tops, perhaps a skirt and dressier sandals, a jacket and a coat, and I’m ready. Not as good as Thin with only carry-on, but when I feel more comfortable in my clothes, I take less.
    Congratulations on the job – what a weight off your mind. Now you can start to plan your holiday in earnest 🙂
    Thanks Quacka and Cinque too, for the get well wishes. I am finding the early work starts a challenge (!) … I lay awake all night, waiting for the alarm. But I guess it will swing around pretty soon, and I can revert to my normal workload, which is familiar enough not to be anxiety-making.
    LJ there’s a certain amount of cut-through in children’s thinking which I think is refreshing. Well, five year olds perhaps,not 2 year olds.
    I remember the last boss I had in my government job – he was such a bully. Not to me..I was a director, so not an easy target. But one of my team told me once she got through difficult team meetings by imagining him as a two-year old in a business suit. I often see politicians in exactly the same way.

    Hi all. Neil I have bookmarked that recipe. The male bonding session sounds great. How old are the boys?

    Quakka. That stove issue is a real pain. Hope it is fixed soon

    Lindsay. Well done on maintaining but I bet that virus helped. Going to work was also quite an achievement. That storm must have been horrendous. Are you in the way of all those cyclones which keep coming. I see Trevor is now on the way. Hope your furnishings dry out, and you have lots of anti mould

    LJoyce. You are the last person to slip upwards. Hope your infusion goes well

    Anzac. I would also pay to see those liquid brown eyes. Maybe you should consider another income stream. Good news about the job. Is this a long contract?

    Intesha. Glad you’re feeling better and what a lovely thing to look forward to, slim and healthy, able to enjoy your family. How old are the children now?

    Just about stopped coughing now which is good as OH had cataract surgery today and it is my turn to look after him. No dramas, just waiting for his eye to open enough to start drops. He has macular degeneration in the other eye so this one is quite precious to him. By the way that rain didn’t arrive, did you send it by Australia Post. It’s lovely to have settled weather but rain is needed.

    Hi guys just testing if posting from my phone works while I am at the hairdresser’s.

    Ooh good luck with your hub’s eyes Klond, hope he isn’t in too much pain.
    Poor Lindsay with your water damage ! I have to confess that I am the antithesis of you, Thin and Anzac re packing light. When in doubt, I prefer to pack more, just in case and the lighter I get , the more I enjoy clothes and variety. I also like bright colours and even worse, like things to match. I admit to being a tad superficial.
    LJ Hope your scripts arrive safe and sound.
    Anzac , congrats re job !
    Today is my first fast day since Friday. Saturday was a St Pats day party and I had to take home made sausage rolls which I sampled all day and then partied at night although I can’t fit in as much as to which I was used and didnt eat dessert. I had planned to fast Sunday to make up for a nfd yesterday as I was cooking a special dinner for son’s birthday but after 5 btb fast days and only one day off , I just didn’t feel like it. Also I was mindful of Thin’s advice to try less fast days, so it will be interesting to see how I go. I felt bigger today , probably imagining it after 3 nfd instead of the usual 2. I do find it easy to fast at work.

    Lindsay, so sorry to hear about your rain disasters. Hope it doesn’t take too much to fix.

    Klondi, my two English grandchild are 9 (nearly 10) and 6. Aussie ones are 20, 6, 5.

    Rosy I’m with you. Know way could I do carry on only unless it was an emergency. Example, trip to Hong Kong, my friend had just over 8kg checked in, mine was 18. I don’t believe in washing while I am on trips of less than 10 days so pack appropriately. I also take my kefir with me so that’s a few kg which allows me to buy things and not worry too much about excess. Long overseas trips when staying with my daughter are different because I have access to washing facilities but I still take more than enough clothes, just in case 😉😉

    Intesha, that’s an achievable goal and I know you can do it! So excited to think of you hitting 60kg! I look forward to regular updates. Glad you liked, ‘The Killing’. CalifD, I finished Series 4 the same night as you. What a lot to think about. The OCD in me found it hard that it took two lengthy series to deal with the first murder, then a third series for the second topic and then only 6 episodes to tie up all the loose ends – or not!

    So Klond, even though your first series was abruptly cut short near the end, you have a long way to go to resolve that first murder (26 episodes I think it was). I have taken your advice and started watching, ‘The Fall’. I think it was you who suggested it – or was it Neil? Sorry, I’m all behind again.

    Klond, I do know that it’s you meeting Cinque tomorrow. I wonder if you’ll be brave enough to post your photo like Minka and Cinque did recently. Perhaps you can give us one of the cafe, anyway! Have a fabulous chat.

    Anzac, I enjoyed that long catch up that you posted, thank you. And even better, the more recent job news. Well done. I hope you get a good few days off. Or longer. So jealous of all that rain!

    Quacka, commiserations on that oven drama. I have similar bad luck with microwaves. Mine always seem to take forever to do the smallest reheating job. We’ve replaced two for that reason and have now given up.

    Op shoppers, I thought of you on Saturday when DD and I went to a charity sale of designer clothes donated by women from Perth’s western (wealthy) suburbs in support of breast cancer research. I nearly, nearly bought something but something Rosy had told me about my body shape made me think twice and I came away empty handed. It was a really great pleated skirt and I happened to be wearing the ideal shoes to go with it, and it fit me perfectly. But Rosy told me I am not a ‘waisty’ two piece shape. And something about it didn’t look quite right which I may not have been conscious of when buying clothes before. So thanks Rosy, you saved me some money and, to be honest, I did also think that if I showed up anywhere wearing some ‘label’, I think I would look out of character. My clothes are like my car, they serve a purpose, they’re not a statement.

    LJ, it sounds like you’ve been a lot more successful in that department.

    GDSA, loved reading about the record shop and the part music has played in your life.

    Lindsay, welcome home. Wow, half a kg lost too.

    I’ve written this from memory of what I read over the past few days. I’ve forgotten a lot I’m afraid. Betsy, Neil, LJ, well done with the weight loss and attitudes to it. Neil, have a great time with the children. Hello and apologies to anyone I’ve missed. I must get going.

    Hi all

    Klondike – my two boys are 10 and almost 13. Completely different personalities too. The younger one is a real extrovert and sporty. He plays tennis, futsal, swimming, parkour and the rest. The older one is more than happy with his own company and spends most of his time building things with LEGO, playing piano or reading. It’s funny how two brothers can be so different.

    WellI I was right, a more modest weight loss this week but still a decent 1.2 kg gone forever. Total so far is 15.4 kg in 8 weeks, my body really seems to respond to this way of life. 4 more weeks on the fast 800 then I’ll reassess where I’m at and where I’m going.

    Good morning, another drizzly day in Sydney 26 degrees

    Well the sun finally came out yesterday and hubby got the washing dry. But it was short lived and it rained all night. Australia Post returned my rain parcel Cinque & Klondie with a message ‘unknown address’ so I must have forgotten to put the postcode. I have resent it and it should be there by the weekend 🙂

    15.4kg is awesome Neil, and you must be feeling amazing. Enjoy the camping with your sons, it should be such a lovely bonding time for you.

    Good news about the stove Quacka and we are the same in that we fluctuate a lot but at least the trend continues downward. I have a graph in my spreadsheet and it is so motivating to look at it

    Sorry to hear about your flooding incidents Lindsay. I hope it all dries out quickly. I did see on the news this morning that Brisbane should be finally getting some sun today so hopefully that will help. How are you feeling today? I hope the virus is gone completely soon

    Thanks everyone for the congrats on the job. I can’t tell you how relieved I am. It is a big risk we take with me staying as a contractor but the benefits outweigh it for sure. So far anyway as I haven’t had one days unemployment (sometimes it’s been close though…like this time). It will only be a six month contract Klodie, they always are, but the project itself is a 3 year one so I find with these if I get in and do a good job they will extend me. They’ve also said my 7 week holiday in Dec/Jan won’t be a problem and in fact they are welcoming it as the project will be in slow mode (most Banking IT project practically shut down in December) and as they won’t have to pay me they will have a bonus in their budget. Win win!

    Klondie, hope your hubby’s eye heals quickly and glad to hear you are feeling better too.

    Glad you are feeling better too Intesha and how exciting that your daughter and family are coming to stay. I’m sure you can get to your goal by then

    I love that quote LJ, thankyou. Good luck with your fast800 days and enjoy that free-range chicken. Yum! I was sorry to hear that your two scripts didn’t arrive and I can understand how stressful that must be.

    FD for me and I need it to be great as well as CD’s tomorrow and Friday. I have two social events on the weekend – lunch with two girlfriends on Saturday at Cronulla but we said we will go for a long walk along the beach afterwards to counter the food and then a farewell Barbie on Sunday for my SIL. I am also home alone for 2.5 days so I will need all of my will-power to not snack. I won’t buy anything remotely snackable! Having trouble imagining two days without dog hair flying around the house covering everything. Maxx is a champion shedder in addition to his impressive chewing skills

    Will post again later, have a great day

    GAH! Someone just plonked themselves down two desks away with a big plate of hot buttered toast! I’m going for a walk around the floor…..

    Oh Lindsay, so sorry to hear of your rain damage and the loss of a lovely tree. Such a hassle with the new carpet too.

    Rosy, I’ll be interested to find out your loss this week. I think you said Friday is your weigh-in day? You’ve only done one less FD. I was glad I hadn’t scared you off suggesting fewer FDs especially as you hadn’t actually sought my advice – I know you handle them with ease. (It’s me who’d struggle with 5 liquid FDs in a row.)

    Another Netflix recommendation: ‘Legend’. It’s very violent so, if you’re like me, you’ll be looking away a lot. But I really enjoyed it because it’s set in my dream era, the sixties, and has a lot of British humour. It’s about the Kray twins, UK gangsters. Both twins are played by Tom Hardy which is interesting in itself.

    FD for me. Have a great day all.

    P.S. Morning Anzac and Neil, posts crossed. Have a good FD Anzac. That hot buttered toast sounds horrid! You don’t need it! ha ha.

    Good Morning everyone

    Thank you Anzac and LJ for your great quotes.

    I was awake in the middle of the night last night and I started thinking about work. Argh! Anyway, ever since I have been putting up my positive quotes each day (I print them and put them in a stand on my desk) there has been a different feeling in the air. I thought, either the girls are not voicing their negativity to me or they are having more positive feelings themselves. I thought about it some more and I had a light bulb moment. It’s not so much that they are more positive, it’s that I am more positive. I have a different attitude and it is making my work days much more pleasant. I have stopped trying to solve their problems or give them advice and instead I just listen, nod my head and try and be understanding. Well, it’s working.

    It’s FD for me today and this morning I was at 65.7kg. I’m really happy to be in the 65s and now I am looking forward to the 64s. My work friend just said “aww, its wednesday, you’re on a FD aren’t you”. I replied “yep,why?” She said we haven’t been out to lunch for ages and “how good would Thai be”……. Thanks friend. Lol
    So I totally understand you Anzac about the buttered toast. I might go for a walk too lol
    The same friend also remarked that I have definitely lost more weight and asked how much more I want to lose. I said maybe three or four kgs and she said “don’t fade away to nothing”. I think she was being supportive this time 😉

    Ok I better go and get some more work done after I walk upstairs and make a cuppa.
    Thanks to the cafe smells coming from next door (smells like frying garlic), I’m feeling a bit hungry. Bye for now

    Good morning all.
    I was up early to bake a birthday cake for my oldest great nephew – 24 today. When asked what his favourite cake flavour was, he didn’t know, so he’s getting a hummingbird cake. (That’s banana, pineapple, coconut & pecan cake with a cream cheese frosting – a very American cake.)

    Lindsay, I hope the carpeting dried out without causing any ongoing problems.

    Neil, that is a wonderful loss for 8 weeks. Have you decided what comes next? Are you going to try 5:2 or some other variation?
    Your description of your sons doesn’t surprise me at all, my sister and I were always described as “chalk and cheese”. I was the introvert with my head always buried in a book and my older sister was the outgoing one.

    Anzac, I’m glad to hear that the new contract will be at your requested rate of pay rather than their previous measly offer. You must have impressed them at the interview that you were definitely worth the money, I hope that’s a boost to your confidence.

    Thin, the first second hand clothing sale I went to was also an annual fundraising event – held by one of the private girls schools. Needless to say there were lots of quality clothes there, although as I was fairly large at the time there was little that fitted. But the idea of the second hand option remained.
    Intesha, you are absolutely right, the socioeconomic area where the clothing is donated makes a big difference. My favourite stores are in towns/suburbs with a high median income and house prices as they do have the best offerings. I don’t specifically look for designer labels but have ended up with some – mainly knitwear. Everything else ranges from discount store origin up to fashion brands. I buy things that are in a colour and shape that suit me and shows little or no wear. I’m always amazed by how many things still have their shop tags attached.
    The thing I like about the op shops is that I’m not confined to what’s in fashion this season – some years the styles and colours that are in fashion don’t suit me at all and there’s nothing suitable to buy new.

    Klondie & Cinque, have a lovely time catching up today.

    Rosy, yes I collected my script in person and got it straight to the chemist. My next infusion will be Monday morning.
    It might take a bit of experimenting to see which FD-NFD cycle suits you moving forward.

    A couple of weeks ago I was informed that the current community nursing arrangement that I use to have my infusions done at home rather than in hospital was not being funded after October. (The drug company who make my treatment trug have been paying for this.) I was not feeling good about this, as the alternative is being a hospital day patient every 4 weeks and having to drive myself home afterward. However it looks like there may be another alternative now. The rheumatology nurse at Flinders said that they are trying to set up arrangements for the organisation that does home based chemotherapy to take the Orencia patients on too. This is the organisation https://chemoathome.com.au/ and it looks like they already have my disease and treatment drug listed as one of those they will provide a service for, so I’m very hopeful that this will work out. Apparently they negotiate with the private health funds for this to be covered by hospital insurance. Makes me very glad I have private health insurance.

    Time for me to finish my chores. Have a good day everyone.

    Hi Quacka, your post popped up while I was also posting.
    Good that things have improved at work. What you have realised is that in the end the only person we can really change is ourselves. It took me too many decades to figure that one out.
    You can always go out for Thai with your friend tomorrow.
    Personally I think the smell toast would tempt me more than the smell of Thai food.

    Anzac – I know what you mean about the buttered toast, I don’t eat breakfast any more, and I don’t really get hungry anymore, but this morning I was walking in to work and went past a house where someone was cooking bacon with the window open. Nothing sparks up the appetite and get’s the mouth watering like the smell of cooking bacon

    LJoyce – I’m thinking of doing 4:3, but I think I’ll reassess where I’m at after 12 weeks. I need to lose 41.5 kilograms in total to get where I want to be. With 15.4 kg down in 8 weeks I’m on track to be over halfway there after 12 weeks. But if I’m still losing weight at a decent rate and still feeling good after that 12 weeks, then there’s no reason why I can’t stay on the fast 800 for a while longer to get closer to my goal weight.

    Day after FD 67.6. Back at Pilates today after a two week break.

    LJ truer words were never said. Any change has to come from us. I wish we had of realised that at a Younger age instead of waiting for someone or something to change our lives.

    Anzac sometimes it seems like you and I live in different states. I guess because you are more coastal that you get the wetter weather. Yesterday and today have been beautiful sunny days although we just had a little shower.

    Another FD tomorrow.

    Hi all

    Yes, I have met the lovely Cinque and she is. We had a very pleasant time, I introduced her to an Aladdins cave of exotic ingredients (NSM – a slightly shambolic shop with big tubs of bulk flours etc) and we filled in a couple of hours very easily. No photos, didn’t think of it but we hope to meet again, perhaps with a couple of grand kids in tow. It will need to be a good shot to capture her lovely henna hair and colourful ensemble with matching green shoes. Put me very much in the shade. Neil, one of the things we talked about was the different personalities of siblings. I’m sure both of your boys appreciate special dad time. Your weight loss is stunning, you must be very pleased.

    Thanks for all the good wishes for OH’s eyes. The good thing about cataract surgery is that there doesn’t seem to be any pain and the results are almost instantaneous. Very glad we have private insurance too. The cost of one day in hospital could have been over $2000 and surgeon was over $1500. We covered our annual cost in about 6 hours and had the surgery quickly.

    Anzac That buttered toast, frying bacon and freshly perked coffee all smell much better than they taste in my opinion. Fresh bread is one of the few things which lives up to its aroma. You seem to have hit the jackpot with your job.

    Intesha. Your English grandkids will keep you on your toes. Are they the sort where everything is exciting or prefer to pretend disinterest no matter what. Pity they can’t be here in summer.

    Not sure who suggested The Fall, it wasn’t me. Is it a series or a movie. I didn’t realise The Killing went on for so long, I was only up to episode 13. Cardinal was a bit the same, 16 episodes for the first series then much less for 2 and 3. Don’t think I will watch Legend, I prefer violence to be inferred rather than graphic. Just watched Wolf Hall, about Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn, seemed fairly historically accurate and very well acted.

    Thin, haven’t heard much about your DD lately, is she still studying for her US registration. Sounds like that meeting with Rosy paid off, she has her personal O.T. and you have a stylist. Win win.

    Brief check-in. Read all the posts, and everyone seems to have responded with the things I’d have written, so what’s left to say?

    Congrats Anzac65 on the job finally being settled.

    And to LJoyce for finally getting the script so you can have your infusion. Hope the new option to continue having the infusion at home works out.

    Sorry to read of the flooding, appliance troubles, etc., for LindsayL and Quacka, and glad the atmosphere at work has improved – Intesha?

    Congrats on the weight loss progress Neilithicman, and have a great “men’s” bonding time with your sons.

    Penguin, are you out there? You seem to have been “missing in action” for a while.

    Slow week this week – not been eating really well, though under my TDEE, and this morning was 0.5 kg ABOVE my Saturday weight. Must NOT self-sabotage. FD800 today plus the next 2 days to try to rectify the situation. In fairness, the weekend was really busy, and I was wiped out Monday and yesterday; finally feeling more “normal” today.

    So, keep on keeping on the downward trail everyone!

    I woke up with a bad case of “I don’t wanna”. I don’t wanna get out of bed, I don’t wanna go to work, I don’t wanna do anything today. I should have gone with my instinct.

    I got halfway down the hill and realised that I was out of petrol so I had to go and buy some, then I tried to get to an area there were usually car parks, but every street I tried to go down had road works and had the road completely blocked. When I finally got there, there weren’t any parks free. I tried to get somewhere else but there weren’t any parks there either, I tried to drive to my sister-in-law’s house to park there and just about got wiped out by a car that went through a give way sign. I finally got to work 30 minutes late.

    Poor Neil. Can I suggest a liquids only fast day ? Not that I want to but every time I do I wake up at 4.30 am totally alert and energetic. When I have a nfd I can sleep in.

    Betsy , the ‘if not now, when’ quote works for me on difficult days. I’m 61, if I don’t do it now, I never will. I make myself rules e.g no solid food on my fast days. Have now lost 20 kg in 6 months after a lifetime of failed diets and fluctuating weight. I have a bmi in the 22s ( albeit high 22s) and have only 1.5 kg to be right in the middle of the bmi healthy weight range. You can do it, make yourself rules.

    Klondike, that was such a clever comment re OT for me and stylist for Thin. Actually it was more like a meeting of the minds and we covered a million topics and didn’t know where 2 hours went. It was me who recommended the Fall. Thanks for the Wolf Hall tip, it sounds right up my alley. You might like Versailles series, very accurate also. Has anyone seen Bad John on Netflix starring Eric Bana, I loved it and it is based on a true story. Glad to hear your hub wasn’t in pain.

    I agree about the smell of bacon although sometimes the fantasy is better than the reality. I would add to that the smell of an Aussie sausage sizzle and onions on the flat plate of a barbie. I reckon someone should export our barbies to Canada because every barbie I saw over a 13 month period had grill bars , no solid plate. We always said how do they cook the onions and rissoles ?

    Thanks for the advice re experimenting LJ. Good news about the possibility of the infusions at home being taken on by another mob.

    Hi Thin, I have a long service leave day off work on Friday and hub and I are off to the caravan and camping show at the Claremont Showgrounds. I couldn’t do a tent but certainly would love an air conditioned caravan in which to go exploring.
    I appreciate your caring and wise advice, thank you so much. I am planning to take a backpack with my frozen, flavoured water and protein shake and weigh myself Saturday. It is a long time since I have had 3 consecutive nfds. The fasting at work is a breeze as I am literally too busy to think about food and don’t go near people who are eating. The sight of how massively overweight they are and still overeating cures me of any temptation. Friday night is my only difficult night , don’t know why and I will drop that fd as soon as I am at goal.
    Thin , you sell yourself short, not many women could pull off your white shorts ( well above the knee) so well, certainly not me. You can wear skirts but straight skirts will show off your shape better than pleated. In fact few women can wear pleats well. I always had to wear full skirts that accentuated my waist and concealed my bottom half. I have just bought 2 straight skirts on sale at Target for $15 each and I will celebrate being at goal by wearing them.
    I am a pear and Thin is an apple. Trousers, jeans, straight skirts and dresses look amazing on her, however a full skirt will hide her slim bum and thighs. I am hoping that the only way people can identify me as a pear is my small waist as I want to get rid of my last 1.5 kg off my bum.interestingly the ABBA costume that worried me for so long is too big now.

    Good morning everyone,

    What a treat it was to meet Klondi and chat over a good coffee and visit the Aladdin’s caves of treasure. I came home with barley flour (bread is on the rise), lamb neck chops (chickpeas soaking for lamb and veg tagine) and a couple of other treats. But best of all is my lovely jar of Klondi-made feta. I’m going to make a gorgeous salad for lunch.
    I do hope Mr Klondi is having an even better day today.

    Anzac, the BOM also thinks your rain parcel might get here on the weekend. Thanyou!

    LJoyce, hooray for better sleep. (I had a pretty good night, yay!).
    It does seem like those sugar hangovers are not just idiosyncratic me.
    Ooh your pastilla is to be anticipated! I hope it is especially good.
    And yum! Hummingbird cake! Your nephew will love it.
    Sending good wishes for that new infusion-at-home funding scheme.

    Intesha, I am so glad that difficult week is over and you have lost some weight inspite of it, and now the pleasure of being back into pilates and all the other good things you can do for yourself and to prepare for that exciting family visit.
    You are so right that Op Shops are different in different suburbs.

    Lindsay, so awful to read of the horror rainstorm and the flooding all over your new carpets and everything. THAT was the rain that should have come down here and watered my garden instead! I do so hope that you have managed to dry everything and that there is no lasting damage.
    Oh, but another beautiful tree gone.
    I do so hope that the nights have been kinder to you too. Too much to worry about, and you need your sleep. If only we could put earplugs on to keep our worries from waking us.

    And ha, bullies are always two year olds. Six, at the very oldest.

    Rosy, I can just imagine you travelling with gorgeous outfits in gorgeous luggage. Lots! You too, Intesha. Whereas I’m one of the ones who wants one bag, that I can use as a pillow if needed. That was back in the days when I did travel anyway.

    Didn’t even think of a photo, Thin, maybe next time. That skirt sounds really nice. It is good to know that when and if you ever buy a preloved piece of clothing… it will be perfect. Designer made or not.

    Anzac, fascinating how your weekends fill up so you can never get to puppy training. Does Mr Anzac organise it? Well he has organised a lovely weekend for you this time, and since your rain will all be down here, you should have a lovely time.

    Quacka, what a lovely result of your positive quotes. I bet it is working on all the levels. I’m lucky, my real name is Joy, and my blood type is B positive, so I get reminders to be positive all the time 😉
    Here is one I love:
    “Change is hard at the start,
    Messy in the middle,
    And gorgeous at the end.”
    I hope you have a gorgeous day.

    Betsy I do hope you have recovered nicely by now. A busy exhausting conference weekend really takes some recovery. Was it worth it? I do hope it was a great conference.
    Don’t self sabotage, do some other wonderful non-food treat for yourself. I hope you can think of a lovely one.
    Or two.

    Oh dear Neil. Today had better get better! Sending you lots of good wishes. In fact I will light one of my pretty little tea-light candles for you and it will send a constant flow of good wishes.
    If you are coming down with something, go home and go to bed!

    Rose, you really are a stylist! Klondi did make a great observation.
    I hope your wrist exercises are going well.
    And hooray that you got to wear the ABBA suit when it fitted you. It sounds like you will never wear it again, you slim thing you.

    Time for me to go and face the day. I am sending lots of thoughts to Borroloola, in the path of Cyclone Trevor, that’s where I lived and taught and I know how worried everyone is there. Evacuations are happening.

    PS I had a good fast day yesterday!
    Three days now to practice sensible eating, mindful cooking (my new thing) and lots of listening to body signals. I need to retrain this dragon!

    PS2 I think Penguin is in Portugal at the moment.

    Bye all.

    I think it’s just the change of seasons. Now were moving deeper into autumn it’s getting darker and colder in the mornings. It won’t be long before we have our first frost of the year.

    Good morning all.

    Neil, I remember those mornings, it makes me glad I’m retired. I’m very pleased you actually got to work safely after that close shave.

    Rosy, I wouldn’t worry about having a well rounded bottom in that ABBA jumpsuit. It was Agnetha who always wore the jumpsuit and she was well known for also having that shape!

    Betsy, self sabotage is an issue we have all dealt with and I’m sure your get back to your healthier habits. If it seems to hard just focus on today or the next meal and try to make good decision. I find if I take a longer view than that when I’m struggling It’s all too much, but focusing on just now is a bit easier.

    Klondi, I’m pleased to hear things went well with OH’s surgery. I have moments like that too, where I bemoan the amount I’m paying in health insurance, but when I need it I’m enormously grateful. Glad you had a lovely time with Cinque.
    The Fall is a series that was shown on SBS – I saw the first series and enjoyed it.

    Intsha, I hope you achieve your weight loss goal. I think 2kg a month was the rate that Thin mentioned losing weight with on 5:2. I only managed that in the first month as I was eating too much on the NFDs to lose 0.5kg every week.
    It’s lovely you have family coming in a few months, something else to look forward to. Is there room for them to all say with you and your dad?

    I’m on day 4 of my 5 days of Fast800 and it’s been reasonably easy.
    Time for a cuppa and then a walk.

    Hi Cinque, our posts crossed. I use barley flour for bread too, it has a lovely flavour – enjoy.

    Hello everyone, after a heavy rainy morning the sun has come out. Just in time for hubby, SIL and Maxx to head down the coast for their two night holiday.

    Failed FD yesterday. It’s just too hard with a houseguest. I didn’t gain but nor did I lose. Ho him but now I have a couple of days on my own to eat well and do some exercise. It will be so weird tonight; I can leave the tv remote on the couch, eat a meal without labrador eyes boring into my plate and vacuum and it stays hair-free for over two days!

    Glad your fast800 is going well LJ

    Neil -, frightening start to the day! Glad you’re ok

    Klondike/Cinque your catch up sounded so lovely

    Just arrived at work after being at the dentist for a check up (all good). Must run as we are crazy busy but will post more later or perhaps tomorrow when I’m WFH
    Take care

    Hi Anzac, glad the dental check was ok. Hope you get your fasting back on track once you have the house to yourselves again.

    I forgot to post this yesterday. It’s the hummingbird cake, so don’t look if it will make your day difficult. https://imgur.com/a/KK3TZpb As it was for my great-nephew I went for a rustic rather than pretty look. He won’t care as long as it tastes good.

    I think I mentioned that the climbing green beans I grew were not very nice as fresh green beans – a bit tough and stringy. So I let some grow to full size and shelled them. These were the beans which I shelled, cooked and froze. https://imgur.com/a/4htAVsT
    I decided to take it one step further and see if allowing the pods to remain on the vine until fully dried would allow me to harvest a dry bean for storage. This is what I’ve harvested so far. https://imgur.com/a/XClPyQN Quite a different colour to the fresh beans which are pink. There are a lot more on the vine but they need more time to dry out.

    Neil, the universe was obviously trying to tell you something. Thank goodness you are ok. I hope your boss was sympathetic and understanding.

    I started this at 6am and now it’s 2.30pm!

    Quacka – heading for 60kg! Wohoo!

    Neil, sometimes it’s best to just stay in bed! I’m in awe of your weight loss regime and dedication to it. I hope we can see a before and after photo when you reach your goal.

    LJ, I did read all you wrote about your next phase of ‘comfortable weight’ and getting rid of the big jeans. I have full confidence in you. You have come so far with your transformation. I know you said that you gained 9kg back at one point. But since you arrived here, you have never failed in any of your missions and this will be no different. Small steps, small goals. It’s like the ‘take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’ saying. Adios fat clothes!

    I have realised after watching three episodes that I’ve seen ‘The Fall’ before. LJ, you’ve reminded me it must have been on SBS. I find Gillian Anderson mesmerisingly beautiful. One of the benefits of a rubbish memory is that I can watch it again without recalling the outcome.

    Klond and Cinque, that sounds a marvellous time together.

    Klond, thanks for asking about DD. She informs me that the time she’s had off since finishing uni (21 Dec) equates to a normal uni summer holiday. Not that we’re in any hurry for her to leave. I love having her around. Yes, she is still studying for the US exam (for the pure love of learning) but abandoned the idea of actually sitting it when it became apparent that one must also nominate a US state in which to practice. And that some of those states require candidates to fly in to sit their state exam. All have different rules about transfer of their state licence to another state and length of validity but there’s no central database to discover these rules, one must approach each state board separately. Since she has no immediate plans to work in the US, it all started to seem ridiculously complicated. She’s invested a lot of money in their learning materials and loves improving her knowledge. She’s just started applying for jobs, primarily in the UK and NZ. Sorry, Klond, that was a very rambling answer to a simple question. I am a rambler.

    I found this fabulous visitor in our garden yesterday. I say visitor because I can’t find him today but I hope he’s a resident hiding out in our trees. He made me so pleased that we had stood our ground against cutting down our trees for the neighbours’ swimming pleasure. I know which noise I’d rather hear given the choice of the scrotes next door or the motorbike frog. I’m pleased with myself for spotting him as he hasn’t actually been making any noise to give away his location and he was so well camouflaged. https://imgur.com/SNR2lBV

    Quacka, alert! It’s best that you ignore this post. Rosy, I’m not sure of the extent of your interest in this airline crash subject about which you asked my OH’s opinion. Here’s a rather alarming article underscoring what he suggested: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-19/how-an-extra-man-in-cockpit-saved-a-737-max-that-later-crashed

    Hi Thin, thanks for the article, it seems 3 issues were involved, a flaw in design ,inadequately trained pilots from that country and poor servicing . I have flown with 2 different airlines from that country and have never flown with either of them again. The flight experience each time was terrifying. So horrible to hear of all the lives lost but I have been expecting an air disaster from that country. Thin do you and your hub prefer different airlines and have some you won’t deal with? Are you interested in caravanning when eventually your oh has his wings clipped ?

    This weekend is going to be unusually quiet as we don’t have any social engagements. The footy is starting up again this weekend.

    Thin, I’m not sure about a before picture because when I was pretty big I tended to shy away from the camera. There might be one of me at a family gathering somewhere, I’ll have to look one out. I can definitely do an after photo though. I can put up some pics of the hut we’re going to tomorrow as well if I can work out how to do it.

    LJoyce, we were meeting some friends for dinner at an Italian restaurant Saturday night, but I think I’m going with you instead! That menu looks wonderful. Escargot and creme brûlée, what more could I ask for?! The restaurant looks beautiful. They have pano shots on the website. The pastilla sounds delicious.

    FD for me today and I’m not feeling hungry but have had an on & off headache all day. Trying to drink more liquids which sometimes helps.

    Lindsay, that big rain storm sounds like the one we had here a couple months ago. We only got a few drips inside the house, but it uprooted a small tree and did lots of damage to the area next to our driveway. I hope you got the carpets dried out quickly and everything back to normal.

    Klondi and Cinque, your meeting sounds like it was fun. It’s so nice to meet people in person when we often know them very well from the time spent ‘talking’ online.

    Klondi, glad to hear your OH’s surgery went well. I had cataract surgery on both eyes last year, about 5 months apart. It was very quick and like you said, the results almost instantaneous. Besides getting the cataracts removed, the new inserted lenses made my very nearsighted eyes better than they’ve probably ever been, with 20/20 vision. I don’t have to wear contacts or glasses anymore.

    Neil, hope your bonding time with your boys goes well. I know a lot of people who have children who couldn’t be more different from each other. Funny how that works.

    Thin, that show, The Killing, did wrap up quickly, didn’t it? I wish it would have continued for more seasons. Do you have ‘Russian Doll’ on Netflix there? OH watched it and said he’d be willing to watch it again with DS and I, it was that good. It certainly got good media reviews. I think it’s 6 episodes.

    Intesha, happy to hear you are feeling better. Traveling, both because of different climates and being stuck on a plane in a closed space with a bunch of other people, a few who might not be feeling well, often results in acquiring some type of of bug. It probably also helps to build up some type of additional immunity if you travel a lot.

    I have been away from the forum for a couple days because my DS’s Abyssinian cat had to be put to sleep on Tuesday morning. We had been treating him for over 2 years with sub-q fluids every night and in the last couple of months with other meds. His quality of life in the last couple weeks wasn’t very good. We were lucky enough to find a vet to come to the house and give him a sedative shot so he fell asleep, and then the injection. So that made it a little easier, certainly for him. He went to sleep in his heated bed with DS petting him. He was 13 years and she had him since he was a kitten. She is heartbroken. He slept with her every night. It’s very sad for all of us.

    Cali, please pass on my condolences to your sister. It’s never easy to lose a much beloved pet.

    Good afternoon friends.

    Cali I just read about your DS’s cat and I have tears in my eyes. When I lost my Oscar (Himalayan Persian) I could not believe the grief. Hubby bought him as a 1st anniversary present and he was my best little buddy for 17 years. So I do know the pain and it is just awful. I hope you can console your sister.

    Just a quick update as we are so flat out at work it isn’t funny. It has been lovely to have a night and a day to myself but have been hunched over the dratted laptop since 7.00am and will be here for a while longer yet.

    I have had a massive blow-out food wise but that is enough said. Next week is going to be the beginning of a much quicker downhill slope

    Ok must go or I will never finish work today. Take care all

    Neil, I know what you mean about shying away from the camera. When I was in denial about my weight, I would always think, ‘gosh, that’s a really bad photo of me’. Sometimes, I look back at digital photos and am grateful to be able to press ‘delete’. The turning point for me was sitting down on the bed naked in the spare room which has a mirror on the closet and seeing my reflection. No denying that image. It was me. Something had to be done.

    Rosy, that’s about it. I’m sure the lawyers are already lined up ready to apportion blame between Boeing, the airlines and, of course, the pilots who are no longer able to defend themselves. The article is nothing official concerning the safety findings, I only posted it to follow up my answer to your question. Had there not be a pilot dead-heading in the jump seat, that flight could have met the same demise just one day before. This is why I say I’d feel more comfortable with the old codger up front! No, there are no airlines that we avoid and none that we consider ‘safer’ than others.

    As for caravanning, the best times OH and I ever had in Australia were ‘going round’ as they say here. We spent 12 months in a campervan but we were quite a bit younger then. When I lived in the USA, I never visited Canada because I always thought that when I grew old (think 50!), I would visit Canada in my RV before retiring in Mexico. How about you?

    CalifD, thanks for recommending ‘Russian Doll’. I will look for it. So sorry about your DS’s cat but wonderful that the vet could come to your house and have it all done with dignity. Losing a beloved pet is the just the worst.

    Hi to anyone who’s posted since CalifD’s post which is the last thing I read. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

    Good morning all !

    Re airline preferences, mine is probably based on impressions and reputations which are hardly accurate. Nevertheless, my favourite airlines are Air New Zealand, Singapore Air, Qantas ,Air Canada and Cathay Pacific.

    Lost 200g on my Saturday morning weigh in and am now 63.3 with a bmi of 22.1. Nearly there but not quite. Am undecided as to whether to drop my extra fd or not. My preference will probably be to stay with my routine of fasting during the working week till I eventually lose at least another kg. At my current very slow trickle of weight loss , it will take me another 5 weeks at least. It is now so automatic for me to 1. Have 2 cappuccinos on rising. 2. Have one more milk coffee on arrival at work. 3. Have 2 bouillions (stock cubes in boiling water)4. Sip on my favourite iced water flavoured with cucumber, mint, lemon, lime and coriander. 5. A large Metamucil containing effervescent tablets of calcium, D, B, C and MSM powder.

    It was really hot and humid at the caravan show but still enjoyable none the less. After years of researching, we finally decided on a Retreat Fraser which is 21.6 feet, has an east west bed, a side ways club lounge (u shaped), a toilet , shower and basin at the opposite end from the bed, air conditioning, washing machine. You can tell I don’t like roughing it.It is fully off road(hub wanted this for those gravelly roads). It also has extra lithium batteries, water tanks and solar panels.

    Caravans appeal to us because we have been on many long car trips around several continents and the continual lugging and unpacking of cases gets annoying. I like the idea of everything in its place and easily accessible. I also like the idea of being able to pull up anywhere and to be able to make my own coffee, refreshments and/or meals.

    A couple of years ago, hub and I drove to Exmouth which is halfway up WA and a very long journey that takes several days of driving. We were dependent on the exorbitantly priced, unhealthy, unappetising coffee and food of roadhouses and we both gained quite a bit of weight. We would enviously gaze at the caravanners who would pull up in all manner of scenic places without the rabble and serenely have refreshments from their own restaurant on wheels.

    Another reason caravanning appeals is that in about 4 years we both will retire and will need something to do as we are empty nesters and 3 out of our collective 4 sons live overseas so we need to have something to do with our time, so either overseas trips or take our time travelling around Australia. In the current economic climate, it is better to spend money in one’s own country. We have also seen a lot of the world already. If one of our friends suggested a cruise somewhere, I would probably say yes.
    Hub is a guy who loves tinkering and gets bored being inside so he will love playing around with the caravan. We placed the order yesterday with a deposit and take delivery at Xmas time which suits us as we are in no rush. The show prices were $5000 less than usual.

    We both like luxury so eventually we will save money on accommodation as we usually pay between $400 and $600 a night. We both like weekend trips to the country and have long service leave to use up and lots of holidays . My sister lives I. Melbourne so we will have our own accommodation when we go to see her. I am absolutely a musical theatre addict and Melbourne is the musical theatre capital of Australia (although I’d love to see West Side Story which is playing in Sydney). I also like AFL and tennis so I would love to see the Australian tennis open and the AFL grand final in Melbourne.

    Another reason is we want to go caravanning while we are both young enough to be able to do it. Our friends who have caravans absolutely love it! There are also lots of opportunities to free camp around Australia so that is another money saving opportunity.

    Good morning all !

    Re airline preferences, mine is probably based on impressions and reputations which are hardly accurate. Nevertheless, my favourite airlines are Air New Zealand, Singapore Air, Qantas ,Air Canada and Cathay Pacific.

    Lost 200g on my Saturday morning weigh in and am now 63.3 with a bmi of 22.1. Nearly there but not quite. Am undecided as to whether to drop my extra fd or not. My preference will probably be to stay with my routine of fasting during the working week till I eventually lose at least another kg. At my current very slow trickle of weight loss , it will take me another 5 weeks at least. It is now so automatic for me to 1. Have 2 cappuccinos on rising. 2. Have one more milk coffee on arrival at work. 3. Have 2 bouillions (stock cubes in boiling water)4. Sip on my favourite iced water flavoured with cucumber, mint, lemon, lime and coriander. 5. A large Metamucil containing effervescent tablets of calcium, D, B, C and MSM powder.

    It was really hot and humid at the caravan show but still enjoyable none the less. After years of researching, we finally decided on a Retreat Fraser which is 21.6 feet, has an east west bed, a side ways club lounge (u shaped), a toilet , shower and basin at the opposite end from the bed, air conditioning, washing machine. You can tell I don’t like roughing it.It is fully off road(hub wanted this for those gravelly roads). It also has extra lithium batteries, water tanks and solar panels.

    Caravans appeal to us because we have been on many long car trips around several continents and the continual lugging and unpacking of cases gets annoying. I like the idea of everything in its place and easily accessible. I also like the idea of being able to pull up anywhere and to be able to make my own coffee, refreshments and/or meals.

    A couple of years ago, hub and I drove to Exmouth which is halfway up WA and a very long journey that takes several days of driving. We were dependent on the exorbitantly priced, unhealthy, unappetising coffee and food of roadhouses and we both gained quite a bit of weight. We would enviously gaze at the caravanners who would pull up in all manner of scenic places without the rabble and serenely have refreshments from their own restaurant on wheels.

    Another reason caravanning appeals is that in about 4 years we both will retire and will need something to do as we are empty nesters and 3 out of our collective 4 sons live overseas so we need to have something to do with our time, so either overseas trips or take our time travelling around Australia. In the current economic climate, it is better to spend money in one’s own country. We have also seen a lot of the world already. If one of our friends suggested a cruise somewhere, I would probably say yes.
    Hub is a guy who loves tinkering and gets bored being inside so he will love playing around with the caravan. We placed the order yesterday with a deposit and take delivery at Xmas time which suits us as we are in no rush. The show prices were $5000 less than usual.

    We both like luxury so eventually we will save money on accommodation as we usually pay between $400 and $600 a night. We both like weekend trips to the country and have long service leave to use up and lots of holidays . My sister lives I. Melbourne so we will have our own accommodation when we go to see her. I am absolutely a musical theatre addict and Melbourne is the musical theatre capital of Australia (although I’d love to see West Side Story which is playing in Sydney). I also like AFL and tennis so I would love to see the Australian tennis open and the AFL grand final in Melbourne.

    Another reason is we want to go caravanning while we are both young enough to be able to do it. Our friends who have caravans absolutely love it! There are also lots of opportunities to free camp around Australia so that is another money saving opportunity.

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