Hello Southern Hemispherites!!

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  • Well today was definitely a NFD but I am quite pleased that I managed to talk myself out of some excess consumption at various stages of the day.

    Lunch at a hills cafe was nice – I had broccoli corn and haloumi fritters with a yoghurt dressing and salad leaves for lunch. The menu had changed since I was there last and this was a healthier offering than I expected. I avoided the yummy desserts as I knew I had one at home waiting for later. The unplanned treat of the day was an easter fruit bun. I went to the Lobethal bakery to get one of their traditional (sow rise) wholemeal loaves and noticed that they were selling easter buns, so I bought a pack as theirs are excellent. I put most into the freezer but had one with a cuppa for afternoon tea. Dinner was crumbed fish that I cooked in the airfryer with a big pile of cos lettuce and some yoghurt dressing. Then came the debate about whether I should eat dessert.
    On Australia day I didn’t eat any desserts but instead I put a couple of pieces into the freezer and promised myself I could have a piece of tart for my birthday in a month’s time. However, because I’d eaten the unplanned bun I debated about whether I really should still take the dessert out of the freezer and eat it. That’s when I realised that when it comes to food treats I’m still a 4 year old at heart – I won’t stop harping on about it and I’m prepared to throw a tantrum if I don’t get my promised treat! So I removed a slice of key lime pie from the freezer and waited very impatiently for it thaw – then gave up on waiting and ate it frozen! The worry is that it tasted amazing frozen – that means no dessert is ever going to be completely safe from me even when stashed in the freezer. Of course after breaking the sugar drought so comprehensively I was thinking about all the other things I’ve denied myself over the last 2 months that I suddenly wanted – like chocolate. At this this point I was relieved that my adult self showed up and gave the petulant 4 year old a good talking to. No chocolate – you’ve had your treat and that’s the end of it – Oh dear, now I sound like my mother. I settled for a hot cocoa with stevia – still chocolaty but very few calories and no added sugar. The 4 year old is still a bit grumpy but resigned to that outcome and the adult is relieved that the day didn’t end in a big binge.

    Needless to say tomorrow is another FD500 as I have a family brunch at this cafe on Sunday morning. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Greenvalleystrawberries/menu/ – it’s a strawberry farm & cafe at Nairne in the Adelaide Hills.
    We are going to attempt to collect my uncle from the nursing home and take him there too – if he’s well enough. It takes a couple of strong people to get him in and out of cars as he has very little strength these days.

    Cali, the soup sounds interesting – some unusual ingredients. I don’t think we have a concentrated ham base here – I would probably need to make a stock from a ham hock first as use that as the soup base – a bit like you would for a pea and ham soup. The recipe reminds me a bit of Mollie Katzens recipe books – she uses sherry a often too.

    Cinque, Miso’s a pretty cute adult but what an adorable kitten – she’s all big eyes and ears. Funny how cats like to sit in front of computer screens – I think they just decide they want the attention that the screen is getting.
    I am full to the brim with food at the moment, but reading your Indian menu still had me salivating – lucky sisters.

    Anzac, hope all that food gets made and the pool party is a success. Does Maxx jump in the pool too?

    I didn’t get enough sleep last night so I’m aiming for an early night.

    Have a lovely weekend all.

    Hi all, quick “Hi” as I’ve checked in too late.

    Good to read all your posts. I’m always so impressed by the recipes and ideas shared, knowing full well that the likelihood of me trying any of them out is somewhere between Buckley’s and none (for non-Victorian-ites, Buckley’s and Nunn years ago was a very popular department store in the city, and people played on their name for a saying meaning “not going to happen”). Anyway, cooking – these days I stick to the simplest and easiest recipes, and generally avoid beans as they tend not to agree with me.

    Cinque, now I’m eating less the reflux has stopped, for now at least, so it wasn’t really discussed. I’ll see my doctor again in April for the flu injection and can talk with him then if it becomes a problem again. It’s generally less of a problem when I’m a bit lighter. The throat is just about right, too, provided I don’t cough much.
    Hope you’re getting enough rest, so you can stay healthy.

    LJoyce, happy birthday for yesterday. Ooops! Somehow I missed it when I was skimming. I knew you had a couple of special days with FDs between, but somehow didn’t register that one of those days was for your birthday. Anyway, hope your day was happy.

    Anzac65, when you described how busy you would be looking after your guests, I was immediately wondering who was going to be monitoring Maxx near all that food? 🙂

    The big weigh-in is tomorrow. Just 0.1 kg off my February target this morning, so I’m hoping to be 4 kgs down tomorrow. We’ll see.

    Hi to everyone else, and goodnight!

    Just saw LJoyce’s post – from this morning? key lime pie eaten frozen – yum! 🙂

    Good morning

    Betsy, I hope the scales were kind and gave you that extra 0.1 this morning.

    My body has reacted to the sugar hit with a headache this morning. That’s ok the key lime pie was actually worth it, and I wouldn’t be saying that if the evening had turned into an all out binge. I’ll drink plenty of water today which should help.

    FD500 for me and I already have a chicken salad made for dinner.
    Once I feel a bit more awake I’ll head out for a walk.

    Have a nice day.

    Hi all, it was the last day of the bike challenge today so I went for a big ride to finish off the month. I rode right around the peninsula and round the harbour for a total of 115 kilometres. According to my riding app I managed to burn 6,000 calories. That should help avoid the bounce back from my loss last week 😉

    LJoyce, key lime pie definitely sounds like it’s worth the headache the following day.

    Betsy, good luck with the weigh-in, 4 kgs is a great amount for a month, especially since it’s the shortest month so you lose a day or two😉

    I just realised yesterday just how much of my overeating in the past was just down to habit. My wife and I used to polish off a packet of chips with our Friday and Saturday night drinks just out of habit, not out of hunger. I realised yesterday that we hadn’t done that for over a year now and I don’t even miss it. I eat chips at work if they’re there for a staff morning tea, but I can’t remember the last time I bought a bag of chips. We also used to do takeaways every Tuesday after the kids swimming lessons. Again that was habit. Now I’ll do something in the slow cooker in the morning or something quick like omelettes instead.

    Have a great day everyone, I’m going to have a bath and a nap to recover from my ride, then I’m taking a 3 day break from cycling to let my legs recover.

    Shortly after writing the above I changed my mind. Today will be a FD800. I realised that with a FD500 last Thursday and another planned for this Monday, that would have been 4 FD500 in 5 days and that’s too much. It means I tend to overeat on the NFDs if I do that. So today I’ll aim for around 800cals.

    Hi everyone. Early today. Alack, the scales were not kind to me, and have not shifted from the 79.2kg despite yesterday’s FD800, so I am officially down 3.9 kg for the month, mainly due to the whoosh in the first week. I think I’m now back to the slog, but that’s okay. Any movement down is better than none.

    Hope your FD800 goes well today, LJoyce. Sorry that the key lime pie gave you a headache, but it definitely sounds worth it. I’ll be out to dinner today, as I mentioned a few posts ago, so will be trying to keep the calories down to a TDEE.

    Congrats on the stellar cycling effort, Neilithicman, and it’s great to see you garnering insights into what caused your weight gain before you entered this WOL so you will be able to avoid them in future.

    Hope everyone has a lovely weekend; catch you next time.

    Good morning everyone,

    Cali, Indian and Middle Eastern recipes are my favourite too, and I am just happily beginning to explore Africa.
    I’ll put your recipe on the legumes thread! Black beans seem to do particularly well in soups.

    LJoyce your birthday lunch sounds so delicious. Not to mention your dinner and your key lime icecream 😉

    Betsy, wonderful news that your throat has healed (no wonder it took a while, it was acid burn) and that your reflux has remained under control. Surely, as you keep losing weight, and keep eating small meals, it will remain a non issue.
    Congratulations on a whole month under 80kg. Hopefully next weigh day will see another jump down.

    Neil, so true about eating habits! And with ones like your old ones, so easily fixed once they are recognised. Plus you have the added advantage of being thinner and fitter so it is easier to whip up a healthy meal at the end of the day.
    Your legs will love their three day recovery time!

    Well, I bought cashews yesterday and ate at least a cupful. My poor belly. My sister kindly said there must be something in them I really need, but I fear it was just gluttony. So much for Lent and having a fast day this weekend.

    Today is another day, and while it won’t be a fast day (I can share a meal at an Asian restaurant with my sisters), I am eating lightly, ie soup.

    Wasn’t Miso a cute kitten. She was so funny and friendly back then, the whole of the flats were in love with her, and she still thinks she owns the whole building.

    Well cheers all. Enjoy your weekend, Quite hot here, but the only hot day for a while (and I am calling over 30C hot which is so much better than calling over 40C hot).

    Enjoy the end of the weekend.

    Lindsay, missing you!

    Hi all,
    My weight loss has had some hiccups this week. Over the last three days I have been putting on weight and gone backwards. I had lost 4.6 kg since I started IF on 6 January but now I have put on another 1.3 kg. I have graphed it in an Excel spreadsheet and the trend for the past three days has put a big bump in my progress. I know I have done a few things this week that could have affected my results: I messed up on a fast day and sat down to eat a meal with my dad that I had cooked for him. It was just a lapse of memory. I shouldn’t cook on fast days, it is too hard to resist food with all those yummy smells flowing through the kitchen. This week, I also ate a small pizza and some garlic bread that we ordered from our favourite pizzeria on a NF day. And then last night I ate way too much at a restaurant while out with friends, also on a NF day.
    I am a shorty so normal weight for me starts at 59.3 kg. I currently weigh 63.7 kg. I want to get down to 55 kg so that I am well below the borderline between normal and overweight. On the plus side, I used to be obese at 74 kg so I have come a long way. I am just impatient to lose those last few kilos. I have gone from 5:2 to 4:3 and I’m now trying ADF (although I’m contemplating 3:4 so that I don’t have to fast on social days). Is that nuts?

    P.S. Loved hearing about Miso, Cinque!

    Good morning on this sunny, Sunday FD.

    clbw, you’ve done well to shed all those kgs. Over time, you’ll be able to cook on FDs without being tempted. It gives me a smug feeling to be able to resist. I’ve not tried 4:3 but, over the years on this forum, I got the sense that most people felt it didn’t make much difference so not worth the effort. All you want is a downward trend and it doesn’t matter how long it takes because, once you get to your desired goal, you have the difficult business of being in ‘maintenance’.

    LJ, Happy Belated birthday.

    Neil, the comedienne’s comments about shifting fat are so true. I used to snack after dinner out of habit. Somewhere along the 5:2 path, I just stopped doing it without realising. I also stopped buying all dips and what I call ‘non-food’ items and my family didn’t seem to notice. On the boat, we have developed a little ritual of pan roasting a small handful each of mixed nuts after dinner. I eat mine one at a time, slowly, savouring each different texture and taste. So satiating. It’s factored into my daily intake so I don’t consider it snacking as such – PerthGirl would disagree!

    Turn, we are back on board. We were greeted with sleet when we got off the plane. Penguin had asked if we were acclimatised and I’d said yes. We arrived in the UK September and it gradually became colder over time. This was different as it was 20C the day we left Spain and we were plunged into coldness, a bit of a shock. Anyway, I’m handing the Iberian baton over to you, Penguin. Enjoy yourselves.

    Cinque, I think eating just a couple cashews is harder than with any other nut. I buy raw ones to make vegan cheeses and cheese-like sauces sometimes and it’s hard not to eat a bunch of them. (I’m not eating vegan at present.) Combined with nutritional yeast and spices in a food processor or blender, they make a very nice sauce, not necessarily low in calories but free of cholesterol.

    LJ, that key lime pie sounds totally worth the indulgence. A good key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts. I think the key is the right amount of tartness. Many found in stores or restaurants around here are overly sweet.

    Betsy, so many things other than excess calories can affect weight on a day to day basis. It’s the trend over a few weeks that matters. 3.9kg for the month is great! Imagine where you will be if you can do that every month.

    The news about the corona virus has everyone around here on edge. There is a person who tested positive in a hospital about half an hour away. This is the beginning of allergy season with some trees just starting to bloom and soon there will be lots of different pollens in the air. I often take meds to relieve congested lungs or a runny nose under normal circumstances. How does one keep from freaking out every time they’re short of breath with all the news of the virus?

    Neil, you seem to be getting a lot of joy from your cycling and breaking your own distance records. Don’t worry about how many calories you’re burning. You know that you’re building even more muscle and muscle uses more calories to maintain it. You’re a rock star when it comes to both weight loss and exercise.

    Have a good rest of your day everyone.

    Edit: Hi to thin and catlady. I started this post a couple hours ago and both of you posted in the meantime, thin, glad to hear you’re back home on the boat. Catlady, good to see you back posting. Good luck on your 5:2 journey.

    Hi CalifD, I try not to worry about anything unless I’m given something to worry about. So don’t fret over the virus. Even if you were unlucky enough to get it, you’re unlikely to die from it. Is it known whether that local woman had been overseas or exposed to someone who has recently arrived? If not, it’s more concerning. We’re planning to minimise mass travel and we’re exercising frequent and good hand washing. You could always take measures like having your groceries home delivered if you’re concerned about exposure. OH and I feel fortunate that we can take our home with us when we travel this year! We’ll be living in a self-imposed quarantine box.

    Cinque, nice photo of Miso and the Yam Daisy email screen shot (I couldn’t read it). 😉

    Betsy, couldn’t find it myself but someone made a reference to an almost 4kg loss. Well done if that’s your monthly loss for February – outstanding turnaround.

    Anzac, I’m feeling very hungry indeed and have just read your BBQ menu. I’m salivating. I bet your friends love an invitation to your place! I’ve spent today making soup (not cauliflower) and chopping things for other meals. I find cooking so much easier if all the ingredients are already prepared when I need them.

    No-one else fasting today then? I could use the company. 90 minutes until I get the Hairy Bikers’ Chicken Jalfrezi.

    Morning all.

    Betsy, don’t worry about that .1 kilos, 3.9 kilos in just 29 days is a stellar effort!

    Cinque, cashews are my favourite too. It could be a lack of magnesium because cashews are a good source of this. I had a problem with not being able to stop eating them at work because I keep a bag in my desk. So I picked up a small kitchen scale and measure out one ounce of them at a time and lock the rest away.

    Cat lady, I wouldn’t worry about 1.3 kilos gain in a few days. Because there’s 7500 calories in a kilo of fat, unless you’ve eaten about 10,000 calories more than your BMR then it’s likely to be water weight rather than fat you’ve gained.

    Cali, we just had our first case of Covid19 and people went and did panic buying, stocking up on food, sanitizer and face masks. More people die each year from the standard flu, there is a bit of an over-reaction worldwide.

    Thin, I’m fasting today but we’re in different time zones so it’ll probably be tomorrow for you, I’ve just started my Monday fast.

    I had a bit of a scare yesterday. We went to the beach and my kids went in for a swim. The tide was going out and they started getting pulled away from shore. I waded in to my thighs and yelled for them to come back,and they called back “We’re trying!!” I went straight in fully clothed and gave them a push towards shore. Luckily they got back ok, also luckily my wallet and car keys didn’t come out of my pocket when I was swimming out to them.

    Good morning everyone, happy Monday

    Neil, what a terrible shock re your kids. Thank goodness it all turned out ok. Isn’t the sea temperature pretty cold where you are? Yes it is – i just googled it and the average in Feb is 16.1 degrees! I find the sea temp cold here and it’s about 24 degrees so kudos to you all 🙂 Our pool is set to 30 degrees and i find that just perfect

    Well considering we had a party and house guests overnight I don’t think the weekend was too bad food-wise. The scales went up 200g but I’m ok with that. The barbie went really well and everyone seemed to have a great time and raved about the food. Gosh I’m tired today though – two days of cleaning and prep then it’s hard work entertaining. But we really enjoy it.

    Maxx was pretty good – much better than I anticipated. He did occasionally run and push his goobery snout into peoples’ laps (almost always those who don’t really like dogs) and when we blocked him from coming into the group he would bark a bit but mostly he sat and did the labrastare when we were eating

    Here is a pic of my good boy guarding the table where the food was served
    http://imgur.com/gallery/53QaQpM

    Cinque, Miso is a little furry angel 🙂 Our cat Oscar ran our household when he was with us. This included our first labrador Benson who knew his place in the food chain. I might have already told this story but weekends would be hilarious: OH and I would be having a sleep-in when you would hear a kerfuffle happening outside the door. We would hear a ‘meow’ followed by more scuffling by the dog. He was being told what to do by the cat. Then he would come crashing head-first through the door (it was ajar) and leap around so we would wake up. In would stalk Oscar who would hop onto the bed and yell at us for breakfast. Too cute

    Sorry to hear you have returned to freezing cold Thin. Hopefully it will start warming up now that Spring is here for you. Sorry to make you salivate over our food.

    Glad you had a nice birthday LJ and I echo the others – you enjoyed the lime pie and it was your birthday and we have to have some treats sometimes else we will never stick to this WOL.

    Catlady, we all have setbacks so now just settle back into 5:2 and the gain will vanish before you know it. I am a human yoyo so I know this is true 🙂

    Cali, I suffer from hayfever so I know that feeling of sniffles, congestion and running eyes. The only season I have relief is summer so I know I will soon be a sniffly red-eyed vampire-like human soon. Thank goodness for antihistamines. I hope people don’t think I have Corona Virus when I sneeze

    Betsy, what a great month you have had. Well done and I hope March is just as successful

    Hi Quacka, hope work continues to be less busy and you can have a bit of a break from the frenzy

    I finally remembered to bring my coffee to work so I’m off to make one. FD tomorrow and Thursday and CD today, Wednesday and Friday. We have nothing on this weekend thank goodness so I will finally get to go on some long walks. We are also starting a decluttering exercise as every cupboard and drawer is stuffed with cr@p and I’m going to get tough. OH is a hoarder so it isn’t going to be easy but I’m grimly going to persist.

    Have a great day everyone

    Good morning everyone,

    Neil, eep! What a fright! So glad you got your kids safely in. A tide can be so strong.

    Hello CatLady, well at least you put on less than the amount you had taken off, haha. But Neil is right, it will be mostly water weight. Look to the longterm. If 5:2 is easy and sustainable enough you can cruise through the crests and troughs.
    Glad you could have a meal with your dad.

    Congratulations on that big chunk of excess weight you got rid of.
    I’m another shorty, and I had got to over 80kg. Cutting out sugar took me down to about 65kg and then 5:2 got me nicely into the low 50’s.
    It took me 15 months to get from 65kg to 50kg, partly because I have CFS and it forces me to be very sedentary, but I was so happy to just know I had a way of eating that suited me and would get me healthier and keep me there.
    And I keep on it for maintenance which, as Thin said, isn’t nearly as fun as losing weight (looking better in the mirror, buying smaller clothes, impressing the doctor), so enjoy it while it lasts! Even if there are some oopsie days.

    Thin, I am fasting with you today! I do SO need a rest and reset day!
    Brrr keep warm! Glad you have some soup.

    Thanks for all the cashew understanding. I always think I can be moderate, and I always fail. But I have lots left, so I am going to see if I can keep to sensible portions. 12 nuts eaten mindfully every second day at the most, not counting fast days. (I had promised myself to only buy raw ones, as I am slightly better with them, but I couldn’t resist the roasted salted ones). I am pleased they are a good source of magnesium!

    Cali, I think the whole world is on edge with the corona virus. I heard a great interview with a specialist yesterday and I gather that the trick now is not to stop it, which has become impossible, but to keep it spreading slowly enough that health systems can cope.
    It does seem to be more deadly than the flu, and my bad health makes me worry a bit. I am good at washing my hands but terrible in that I am always touching my face! So that is what I am practicing, not touching my face when I am out!
    I am so glad to hear that kids basically don’t get ill from it (although they may still carry it). And also there may be so many people who had it lightly and have not been counted, that it might be even less deadly than they currently think. Let’s hope so.

    Well I had a lovely (small) meal in an Asian restaurant last night with my sisters. I am avoiding breakfast with them today but will catch up before my visiting sister heads back to St Arnaud.

    Looking forward to my evening miso soup already!

    Best wishes all.

    Anzac, Lovely to see your post. Those pets!
    So glad you had a great weekend, and looking forward to a lovely decluttering weekend to come. Enjoy that coffee!

    Morning all. Back in the land of the living after a few weeks of the miseries.

    Cinque as I was rushing through past posts to see what I’ve been missing, I saw your note that you were missing me. Thank you – it gave me a real boost.

    Life goes on here. I’m not really getting into the swing again, but try. Some days are better than others. I am struggling to get back to my lowest weight, but a kilo here, a kilo there, and I’ll get there eventually.

    In other, up news, my Rosy is beautiful and such a lovely companion. And she is so highly protective of us. When I try to swim in the surf she comes into the water and won’t let me go past the breakers – with the result that we both get swamped. Then she tries to grab my arm, and failing that, my swimsuit. It’s one thing to have the odd scratch on my arm – quite another to have holes in my very new bathers. So out I get. Here’s a pic of her, taken a couple of weeks ago.

    https://imgur.com/a/mLlEsIb

    I haven’t commented on anyone’s post – I’m not at all caught up. But I have missed the forum, and my forum friends, a lot. It’s good to be back.

    Hi Lindsay – it is so very good to hear from you. We have all missed you

    Rosy is simply beautiful and she has grown so much. I think it’s lovely that she is so protective of you but yes, very difficult to do something you enjoy like swimming when you have an anxious pup hanging onto you for dear life. I’m not sure what you can do to stop this?

    I hope you are ok and we are all here for you either way

    Lindsay, I can’t believe how big Rosie has gotten! It seems like just a few weeks ago she was still a pup. Was there a sudden growth spurt? She looks almost like an adult now. Glad to hear you’re feeling better. We missed you.

    Thin, the person who is hospitalized a half hour away wasn’t on a cruise ship or knowingly exposed to someone with the virus. But the person contracted it in another county about an hour or more away and was moved to this closer facility.
    We had plans to go out with our neighbors for brunch today at a nearby restaurant. I wanted to change it and have them over here instead but OH and DS insisted we go out. The restaurant was crowded and no one seemed concerned. I guess I’m being too paranoid.

    Neil, I’m glad your kids were ok after that scare at the beach. And glad you didn’t lose your wallet or keys swimming out there. Are your home remodeling projects all finished now? I think you said they would be finished before you went on holiday but don’t remember for sure.

    Anzac, Maxx looks so angelic in that photo of the barbie and pool party. Your deck looks beautiful, so tropical with the palms. That picture looks especially inviting today since our warm temperatures went back down to a high of 12 or 13C today, more like winter. But the two tree in front of the house are covered in white flowers and look so much like spring. They are always the first thing to come back after the winter. The other trees that lose their leaves will probably take another month to start blooming.

    Cinque, good plan on the cashews. Eaten in sensible amounts they have lots of good nutrients and magnesium is something that a lot of people apparently don’t get enough of.

    Wow, what a lot of interesting Monday posts.

    Lindsay, what a beautiful dog. I’m sorry if I’ve missed what’s going on in your life. You mention the miseries. What’s been going on? Are you and OH both OK health wise? Thinking of you.

    Anzac, what a gorgeous summer BBQ photo – and instantly recognisable as an Aussie one because everyone’s sensibly wearing a hat! That feedback must be so great to hear after all the hard work. But then, you don’t have the return invitations to look forward to because your friends can’t cook and you have still have to do all the work. Well perhaps it’s not work, I know you & OH love cooking.

    You will love de-cluttering. While I was downsizing, many things were going out the door every day, yet the drawers and cupboards still seemed full of stuff. It took years to get rid of it all because I dislike waste so I couldn’t just discard. I love living where I need everything I have and have everything I need. I can see that OH would easily fill this boat up with stuff if I didn’t closely monitor. He does too much impulse buying.

    Neil, what a terrible shock, very frightening. I enjoyed reading your positive account of your wallet and keys remaining in your pockets when the reality must have been soggy important wallet documents and bank notes. Minor in the scheme of things I’m sure.

    Cinque, could it be the salt on the cashews that’s making them so moorish? We haven’t been able to buy unsalted, roasted nuts of any description. So we buy a kg of mixed nuts and roast a portion at a time. This prevents over-eating because they have a soggy texture without the roasting so no temptation at all.

    I can’t work out if you’re fasting on Monday with Neil, Cinque. It should be easier because I’m living in the ‘time stamp’ zone. I dropped 900g yesterday so the hunger was well worth it. All that cheap Spanish wine couldn’t have helped my struggle to remain below 60kg on 6:1.

    CalifD, I’m pleased that your OFMs convinced you to enjoy your meal out. I am conscious of the number of people who cough without covering their mouths. So many people smoke in England and Europe though, so I suppose it’s just normal for them to cough without thinking about it. I wonder why there aren’t the health campaigns that we had in Australia, so effective. And how could so many supposedly savvy young people be so dumb? They must be able to read. Decades ago, I remember my English uni friend giving up smoking when we lived in Southern California because, she said, she felt like a leper. Absolutely no-one smoked there.

    Hi Cali, yes the renovations are all done, but we’re already planning the next lot, when we’ve finished paying off these ones.

    Thin, wallet and keys weren’t in my thoughts until the boys were safe, but as soon as I got back to shore in my drenched clothes I thought “oh God, if my keys and wallet came out we’re stranded here” . My wife said one of her workmates and her partner were at the beach and went swimming just after our boys and the same thing happened to them. They started getting pulled away from shore too.

    Good evening everyone. As usual, such a lot has been happening in people’s lives.

    Anzac65, loved the picture of Maxx, but couldn’t help wondering how much he was considering the will I grab a piece, versus will it be worth the punishment? 🙂

    LindsayL, how lovely to hear from you again. What a great shot of Rose, and echoing everyone else – how much she has grown! And yes, a kilo here and a kilo there, and you’ll get to your goal.

    Thank you for the kind encouragement from everyone over my February weight loss. I suspect it was somewhat of a fluke, due to me losing 2 kg in my first week back to serious 5:2. Well, I will persevere. A plateau tends to occur for me around every 3 kilos, so I may struggle more this month. We’ll see.

    Again echoing others, I think the fear engendered around the Covid-19 virus is much worse than the disease for the majority of those who get it. It seems for most to be little more than a slight cold. Having said that, older folk (70+) are much more at risk, and also some of the folk more seriously ill had the flu at the same time, so it’s probably best to get the flu injection as soon as it’s available. Do think about that, Cinque. Your ideas about trying to not touch your hands to your face when out sound really sensible, also. I’ll have to try to remember that.

    Neilithicman, my blood ran cold when I read of what nearly happened with your kids. So thankful that they, and you, are all okay, with no loss of wallet or car keys either.

    Thin, brrr! What a shock to the system to return from 20 degree heat to freezing sleet. Grinned at your comment that you had your own movable quarantine box.

    CalifDreamer, I’m glad you overcame your fears and had a lovely meal out with OH and neighbours.

    Catlady, I’m sure most of the weight gain will prove to be water weight. I prefer to cook my own (simple) meals as I add no salt to anything. Commercially cooked food tends to be quite salty, and encourages water retention which is only temporary.

    Okay, enough for tonight. Goodnight all.

    Thin, Iberian baton accepted. It is now 5.35pm, temperature down to 19C and forecast to fall to 14C overnight. Temp 4C and raining when we left home this morning, snowing yesterday. I am sitting outside wearing a pair of shorts and flip flops (thongs?) – to a northern born Brit this is comfortable. Tonight I think it will be a none FD meal and a couple of beers. I may stay here for ever.

    Good morning friends

    Penguin, where you are sounds so idyllic – enjoy!

    A friend at the barbie on Saturday is a talented amateur photographer and took this lovely picture of Maxx. Someone said he looks like he is saying “she doesn’t feed me you know”. Ha ha
    http://imgur.com/gallery/iS5OcIO

    FD today and I’m sipping on a cup of hot water with a massel salt-reduced stock cube as I woke up hungry. All good now

    Thanks for the advice and encouragement about de-cluttering: It is a bit scary but I’m also looking forward to being able to find stuff that we need without digging through mountains of stuff we don’t need

    We had a fabulous southerly buster hit late yesterday afternoon that dropped the temps from the high 30’s to the low 20’s. Today is cloudy and very dark and cool. Much easier to sleep and also the commute to work is much more comfortable

    Must run but I will check in again soon. Take care

    Melbourne, Tuesday, creeping up to 10am. edit: eep no already past 10!

    Cool and grey with lots of birdsong.

    Lindsay, so happy to see your post!
    But sympathy for the miseries you are going through. So sorry things have been hard. I fear it is ongoing stuff, so I am sending you extra best wishes.
    Well done with the kilo here and kilo there.
    Rosy is gorgeous! She is looking like a teenager already! And so protective (except not protective of your bathers, sadly).
    I do so hope you have some time to read and post here now, or at least post.

    Cali well done for fighting paranoia at the restaurant. I did the same at Tran Tran the other night.

    Ha Thin, I read your post and wasn’t sure if you were fasting Sunday as normal, or Monday, but I figured there would be overlap!
    I binge on raw, unsalted cashews too, so I think it is them, not the added salt. Maybe my poor deflated fat cells all over my body are screaming out ‘fill me up! fill me up!’ Haha.
    I cut out salt back when I was a teenager and didn’t have it in the house for a couple of decades, and it wasn’t good and might be a reason I have trouble keeping hydrated, so I don’t limit salt now. (Cinque: always against the public tide!)

    They are worrying about people coughing into their hands (and then touching things), as well as those who don’t cover their nose and mouth at all. Into the elbow!

    Neil, was it a rip tide? There are good videos for the boys to watch to manage them. (I was caught in one once when I was a kid, and had to be rescued).

    Betsy, fingers crossed for no plateau, a nice steady kilo or so a month would be much easier on you.

    You are so right about fear being the worst aspect of the Covid19. The public fear is so damaging for business and the health system etc and can bring out the worst in racism and unkindness. We are lucky to be in a country that is being sensible. The health chiefs are meeting daily and the government will follow their advice.
    I will certainly be getting my flu shot, I haven’t missed one in 12 years, and this is definitely not the year to forget it!

    Penguin, enjoy that warmth!

    Anzac, what a stunning portrait of Maxx. Those mournful eyes!
    Enjoy a wonderful fasty fast day. It is only one day!
    Hoping you will get a lot of pleasure from decluttering.

    I’m feeling so much better after a fast day. I’m hoping to make zucchini soup today and do some veggie shopping to make my 7+ serves of veggies nice and easy.

    Cheers all

    Hi everyone

    I’ve just quickly caught up on the posts and will do my best to remember them.

    Firstly Cinque, of course you can post up the salad recipe on the legumes thread. No need to ask!
    I am another one who can’t stop once I start eating nuts so I do what Neil does and measure out a portion and that’s all I will eat. I used to think that my body didn’t like nuts but now I realise it’s just that I was stuffing them in, probably not chewing them properly and having too big a portion at once.

    Loving all the photos of your pets. My Mum just got a new pup, a beagle, and I have been receiving some beautiful photos. I also met my SIL’s new pup on the weekend which is a Beaglier (no idea if that’s how you spell it, but it’s a cross between a Beagle and King Cavalier). So much cuteness all around, but no I definitely don’t need a pup at the moment. I have too much other stuff going on!

    Lindsay, hope you are ok. I noticed you were missing from here but understand life just gets so busy at times. Sorry it’s been because of hard times.

    Hugs to everyone. Sorry for my stilted posts at the moment. Work is busy, life is busy and I’m finding it hard to keep up here. You are all important to me and I really want to stay active on here. You guys have been there with me through all this for the past couple of years and I couldn’t have done it without you.

    Take care all x

    Hi all, hope you’re doing well today.

    Good to hear from you, Quacka. Yep, nuts can be a problem. It’s hard to stop once you start. Fortunately (or not) for me, I can’t eat too many of them or I develop stomach pain, so that can limit any damage they might cause.

    Cinque, glad that you are careful in ensuring you have the flu injection. With your CFS, and auto-immune problems, flu would be nasty. Mind you, the past 2 years, I’ve been unlucky in having the flu injection but still getting the flu, which in 2018 was the first time I remember having it as an adult (the second time being mid-2019). I’m sure though that I was less ill than I would have been otherwise.
    At my current weight, I hope I lose more weight than 1 kilo a month for a while, but those plateaus tend to make it a step by step process.

    Have a lovely evening all – isn’t it great to have cooler weather and rain, rain rain coming?!

    I just went back and skimmed some of the posts I had missed. Neil, that sounds like the kind of excitement you could live without!

    Anzac. That is a Labrador sitting in the “This has my full attention, I am being very good, I hope you are noticing” position. You know, of course, that the Lab version of the rule book says that it is impossible to feed them too much and it is their duty to explain this to everyone they meet?

    Penguin, what bliss. You describe exactly how we felt when we arrived at Mojácar, sitting in the warm sun enjoying a good cafe con leche on the promenade right on the Med. I never got into my shorts until the day before we came home though. Enjoy!

    Everyone else is describing the end of a hot summer and I’m STILL waiting for mine, 10 months later! Signs of spring here, lambs, daffodils. Yesterday, though only 7C, was absolutely glorious walking in the sun.

    Quacka, it can be hard to keep up here as so much is discussed, not just 5:2. No pressure.

    Anzac, what a sweet photo.

    Cinque, I don’t know why I thought of you but I cooked quinoa at home for the first time ever. Even OH said it was good. I usually have a quinoa salad with grilled haloumi when we go to the pub, not the lowest in calories but nutritious I feel. Especially when compared to OH’s choice, smothered in every ‘sauce’ on offer. Does anyone have any idea why the packet states ‘do not reheat’?

    Don’t worry Thin, our summer has just ended and I’m still waiting for it to arrive. The country has been split in half this summer, the north island has been getting sun and 30+ degree temperatures, while us poor sods down here at the bottom of the south have been getting rain and temperatures struggling to break out of the teens 😞

    Well back on the roller coaster. Had a gain of 1.3 kilos last week. I’m trying to think what I’ve done this week that would explain the gain. It’s not fat because I didn’t eat enough calories to gain that much. The only thing I can think of is I had a bit of sugar in the 3 days since my big bike ride so I’m guessing that’s the issue.

    Neil, your first post was so funny. As to the weight gain, oh dear. All I can think of is that you’ve been developing a lot of muscle lately. Better ease off with the bike riding!

    Friends in Perth have told us that there is panic buying in the supermarkets d/t corona virus. They can’t get toilet paper. Is that happening elsewhere down under?

    Hi Betsy, as much as I’d like to think I’d gained 1.3 kilos of muscle in a week, I don’t think that’s physically possible. I’m pretty sure it’s got something to do with the copious amounts of ice-cream that I ate over the few days recovering from my ride. My body was trying to build back up its glycogen levels so I was craving fatty sugary things like ice-cream.

    Yes we had one confirmed case of Corona virus here in New Zealand and there was panic buying. Shops sold out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and face masks. They even had one auction on trademe where a pack of 10 face masks sold for $400.

    Thin, I arrived home from work yesterday and our neighbour wandered across the road to ask if we had been to the local supermarket lately. We said no, not for a couple of days. He said he had just been and the shelves were bare of loo paper, tissues and dried pasta amongst other things. It made my blood run cold because I thought that sort of thing only happened where there were direct threats of catching it. We live in a small community suburb so it is a big worry. Thankfully for us, as manic FF point colletors, we recently stocked up massively on the very expensive loo paper that I insist we use. We had to spend $100 at another supermarket for 4 weeks running to get 30,000 points and my loo paper was on special. The pile almost reaches the ceiling in our spare room. We will be ok to ‘weather’ this storm!

    I had an ok FD yesterday – but the scales jumped up 1.3 kilos. Yes 1.3. I feel bloated and awful so not sure what is going on. I’m ignoring it as it obviously isn’t correct. Still annoying though

    Penguin, there is nothing that dog won’t do for food. Did you see the youtube of his training prowess? Here is it in case you want to watch. He only recently started getting really interested and clever with tricks. Sadly his recall and loose lead walking still needs a LOT of work.
    https://youtu.be/JRbFRYkT5jY

    I will post more later….boss is in early….

    Good morning,

    It is lovely here, cool and grey and a happy garden.

    Quacka, I put your recipe in the thread, rearranging the way you wrote it as little as I could. https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/beans-and-lentils-recipes-tips-and-information/page/3/#post-307119

    So glad you were able to pop in among your busyness. The puppies sound gorgeous. Are you able to keep up with 5:2 even through all the pressure?

    Betsy, what bad luck you had, to get the flu twice after having the injection. I got it in 2017 in spite of having the flu injection, so I know the bitter feeling!
    Hoping you do lose weight at the typical rate of half a kilo a week, but I lost it at half that rate (Ms Sedentary) and it was still so lovely (after a decade of putting it on).

    I’m hoping it rains today too.

    Haha Penguin, it does seem Maxx knows the Labrador rule book. Lucky that Anzac has a different Labrador rule book!

    Thin, no idea why you shouldn’t reheat quinoa. I couldn’t resist googling it and everyone reheats it with the only warning about drying it out too much. But I wonder if the cereal bacteria that can grow on cooked rice also grows on other grains? (In that case, don’t leave it at room temperature).

    I bet you thought of me because I cooked millet the other day, So yummy.

    Neil, I’d just think ‘plus or minus 2 kilos’ every time you stand on the scales, there are so many processes going on in your body that effect the weight. Although with all that icecream it would be mostly plus, haha.
    I was really struck when I saw a graph like this showing how up and down our daily weight is: https://i.imgur.com/6s3bMdz.png
    and so weight graphs are only really useful over a longer timeline.

    So glad Aussies aren’t the only mad ones, all our shops are out of toilet paper too. So funny. Apparently, in the scheme of things, I am not so paranoid after all!
    More will be delivered today readers!

    Sending good wishes

    My sister came home from shopping with a big pack of tp from Target, so I guess they are well stocked. But I did hear a few days ago that Costco was completely out of both toilet paper and paper towels, and they usually have huge stacks on their warehouse floor. We have a pretty good supply here. I read this morning that there are now 20 people testing positive in California, at least half of them travelers, but 4 who weren’t. I wonder if some people both here and around the world had it and recovered, not knowing that’s what they had? Apparently a lot of people have mild cases with few symptoms. An interesting article written by one of its victims here: https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/opinion/article/I-have-the-coronavirus-So-far-it-isn-t-that-bad-15093664.php

    Thin, we often reheat quinoa. We keep it in the frig after it’s cooked, so I don’t see a problem. It tastes the same.

    Penguin, glad you’re enjoying the warmer temperatures. Ours keep going up and down. The trees in front of our house that are always the first sign of spring are in full bloom: https://imgur.com/a/4h75GK3

    Hi everyone

    It’s Wed FD and for some reason I am struggling a bit. I made a lovely lentil and veggie stew (almost soup but not enough liquid) last night for tonight’s FD dinner and I stole a little bit of that for my lunch today. I had it with some konjac noodles and even though I have had a very small portion, it was actually quite filling. All power to legumes! I really feel that my struggle is all in my head as I’m not truly hungry but I just want to eat. Argh!

    So I have had a bit going on lately.

    On Sunday afternoon I was bitten/stung by something while I was out in the garden. We have a mozzie issue at the moment after all the rain and I was getting bitten by them for sure, however something got me on my leg and I have had quite a bad reaction. An hour later the redness had spread to about the size of a 50c piece and by the next morning was bigger than a hand print. It continued spreading and almost covered my whole calf and was also swollen. An anti histamine didn’t help so the pharmacist then gave me Phenergan, which apparently knocks people out. Not me, though. Oh no, it kept me awake. Well maybe it wasn’t the Phenergan and just my usual sleeplessness, but it definitely did not help me sleep at all! So, I have been taking them in the mornings now instead. Go figure LOL

    My big news is that I have started a Uni course. I’m doing Bachelor of Food and Nutrition. Don’t you think that’s fitting? It’s very daunting but also exciting at the same time. I may need some of you to be my subjects in the future 😉

    Cali, I went to the supermarket at lunch time and I could not believe the toilet paper aisle was completely bare. It absolutely astounded me. I have never seen this sort of panic buying in Australia and why toilet paper??? Ummm, it’s actually made here…
    I would have thought people would be panic buying food more so than toilet paper.

    The other thing I don’t get is why the media is drumming it up so much. How many more people die from a normal cold or the flu every season. Never seen any panic buying when the sniffly season comes around each year.

    Anyway, just my own opinion. If it’s so bad why would our government put people in quarantine when they have returned from China, but when they have been confirmed as having the virus, they move them to a hospital in their own home towns/regions. Am I the only one that it makes no sense to at all?

    OK, I’ve had my rant. See ya x

    Quacka, do take care, if that bite isn’t improving, get it seen to. Spider bites can turn extremely nasty. Good luck with your studies.

    Anzac, when we had a house, I was always stocking up on TP on sale too! OH and I couldn’t find hand sanitiser yesterday. We use a lot of it when travelling on public transport.

    Good afternoon all. Sorry I’ve been absent for a couple of days. I’ve been trying to keep up with posts but well way behind.

    Quacka, congrats on the studies- no wonder life is busy for you right now. Are you doing this for interest or a change of career?
    I also don’t understand the toilet paper panic buying either – maybe it’s the one thing people loathe running out of. Nobody wants to go back to using leaves or old newspapers!
    I hope that bite has settled down – if the redness persists you need to see a doctor as insect bites can cause blood poisoning.

    Cali, that tree in full blossom is just lovely.

    Cinque, we have had some autumn rains here too and my garden is equally grateful – as am I for not having to water.

    Anzac, labs are famous for being food centred. My best friend describes her behaviour around food as being like a labrador. She said: I scoff my meal and then look forlornly around hoping there’s more.

    Neil & Anzac, scales are unreliable beasts and will record all body changes not just those that relate to body fat. All you can do is wait a while and weigh again another day.

    Thin, I have reheated quinoa with no issues.

    I was meant to do a controlled day yesterday, but it was anything but controlled. I haven’t felt much like food today so I’m doing an impromptu 800cal day. The lunch I was going to on Friday has been shifted to Saturday, so I’m planning my second FD500 for the week on Friday now.
    I made a pot of butternut soup today and will have a cup of that with some veggie-cheese bake for dinner tonight.

    Good evening,
    Just popping in here while my lovely 5 veg meal settles.

    Cali, it was good to read that article.

    Quacka, oh dear that insect sting sounds painful and your body will be in overdrive trying to deal with it. Drink lots of water!

    My doctor gave me a tiny dose of phenergen to help settle my 18month old daughter during the plane trip Melbourne to Darwin. There was a specific reason why, but I can’t remember it. Oh yes, I remember, it was because she got bad travel sickness and I was worried she would throw up for the whole trip. Anyway she didn’t react in the usual way and was awake and very active the whole way even though it was night time.

    Woohoo re your uni course! What a great thing to be doing! How long will it take?

    It is hard to make sense of the whole Covid19 thing.
    I figure that at the moment all the worry and hard work is for the professionals: scientists trying to work out more about it, tracking it locally and checking what is happening across the world, carefully following up every case so people are looked after and stopping contact before it spreads. Preparing the hospitals, GP’s, labs and so on for when it gets worse, as it probably will when the virus season rolls around in winter.

    It is like the fireys putting out tiny spot fires and making sure they do it so well that no big fires get going. But at the same time headquarters are preparing in case big fires do get going.

    They have told us we need to have a fire plan (you need to have a covid 19 plan) wanting us to think about all the same things that we would do to avoid getting the flu. But instead, everyone has gone “Fire fire! My house is going to burn down!” ie “Virus! Virus! I need a siege mentality!” and run out to buy toilet paper and 40 packets of rolled oats.

    What a mad species we are!

    Off to look at my garden before it gets dark. Fast day tomorrow (and a dentist appt). Ciao

    Ooh hello Thin and LJoyce!

    I leapfrogged your posts.

    Here is an interesting (short) article about the Mediterranean diet: https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2020/03/02/why-mediterranean-diet-you-follow-may-not-be-traditional-you-think

    Congratulations on the uni course Quacka, I’m happy to act as guinea pig if required 😉
    Take care of that insect bite. I don’t really get bitten often but my boys get bitten and they have really bad reactions to them sometimes.

    LJoyce, the vege cheese bake sounds good. I made some tabouli tonight to have with our lamb. The nice thing was that apart from the couscous that I made it from, everything else was from our garden. The cucumber, tomato, mint and coriander was all from our garden. I made a pear and plum crumble for the boys to have for dessert and they were from our garden too.

    I just got back from the supermarket to pick up some essentials we had run out of and I was surprised to see that they had completely sold out of flour. I guess that’s the next thing that people are panic buying after bog roll and hand sanitizer.

    Good evening all. Great to read all your posts.

    Yes, the tp saga is a bit ridiculous. I will admit that I’ve ensured that I’m well-stocked with what I need, and the particular thing I bought was extra diced beef for my cat, which he gets 5 days out of seven along with daily dry food (the other 2 days he gets a can of Whiskas, 1/2 a can each day). I’ve carefully prepared 2 weeks’ worth of chopped up meat and put it labelled in the freezer. It’s all just in case I end up with the flu again and can’t go out to shop, or have contact with someone with Covid-19 and have to self-quarantine for 14 days. Wilbur will still receive his normal food, if that happens. Apart from that? Well, it’s all a bit of a hype, isn’t it? Totally overdone.

    Quacka, yay you for taking up a bachelor degree course. You will learn which we will love to hear about! But, do see a doctor if that bite doesn’t start clearing up. It could be a spider bite, and they can turn really nasty.

    Neilithicman, at least the Aussies aren’t the only “mad” ones with the buying. Here, at least one firm is gearing up extra production to ensure we have enough of things like TP, but it seems people are still over-reacting. Rice and flour are interesting. Staples, I guess, but certainly not something I’ll be buying, as I hardly eat either of them anyway.

    Cinque, hope the dental appointment goes okay tomorrow. I had to go to the city today and parked in the 4-hour parking in the shopping centre near the train station. Oops! Misjudged my time, and got back to my car after 51/2 hours to find a lovely parking ticket. Serves me right, I was late back, but $83, ouch! I’ll pay it at the council offices tomorrow.

    LJoyce, like you I haven’t felt like food today (or yesterday) so have eaten little, 2 consecutive FDs after a FD800 Monday. At least it may help to move me off my current 79kg plateau. I will cheer, if so.

    CalifDreamer, Great photo, and what beautiful blossom on the trees – do you know the name of the tree?

    Anzac65, glad your tp situation is okay, given that you were unaware of the panic buying.

    Penguin, had a real chuckle at your labrador comment. I’m sure that Maxx knows that rule book backwards and frontwards. Well, his own version, anyway 🙂

    Thin, a lot of foods that need heating have a “do not reheat” message – I think, as someone else said, it’s to ensure that something isn’t left on the bench for hours to cook bacteria before being refrigerated, because that then stimulates the bacteria to grow more quickly. After that, even with reheating, you could get food poisoning. If you refrigerate food sensibly, I don’t think there’s any problem.

    Okay, enough for now. The washing machine has finished so I need to put out some clothes before hitting the sack. Goodnight all.

    Cinque, I enjoyed the article on the traditional Med. diet thank you. Phenergen can definitely have the opposite to the desired effect for a child, making them totally hyperactive. I’ve witnessed that on planes. Must be the same for adults then.

    CalifD, that beautiful blossom looks like an almond tree.

    Thanks to all who responded about re-heating quinoa.

    Betsy and thin, that’s a Fruitless Pear tree. It gets leaves as soon as the flowers fall off. In the Autumn the leaves turn bright orange and red. They lose the leaves around Nov and start getting buds around the beginning of Feb. Love those trees.

    Betsy, sorry to hear about the parking ticket. I hate when that happens.

    Quacka, congrats on the uni course. Are you thinking of a career change down the line or just personal enrichment? I hope that insect bite has calmed down, or if it hasn’t that you have a doctor check it.

    Thin, I watched a couple episodes of Travels by Narrow Boat last night on Amazon Prime streaming. https://www.amazon.com/Travels-by-Narrowboat/dp/B07NXQG5HB
    It was interesting, but slow. 😁

    Good morning

    Very wet but also humid here today.

    Quacka, when we were in Culburra two weeks ago we were all monstered by mozzies. I have two bites on my right foot that I scratched and are now infected. They were really huge (the mozzies) and we couldn’t understand why there were so many. Possibly due to the massive amount of debris on the beach that is now rotting. We are going back weekend after next so I will be armed with a gallon of insect repellent.

    I hope that insect bite is getting better and WHOO HOO to you for going back to studying!

    Betsy, sorry to hear about the parking ticket. $83 is a lot for one infringement.

    There is a report this morning that a 50 year old man has been confirmed with the Corona Virus in Cronulla which is just a few km from us.

    I’ve had a bit of a crook tum so I’m not doing my FD today but instead will just eat very bland food and not much of it. I cut up an apple for breakfast and have a plain multi grain bread roll for lunch. Like you LJ and Besty, just not feeling like eating and that is NOT like me at all.

    I loved your comparison of firey’s vs Corona Virus Cinqye. It’s so true

    Your meal sounds absolutely delicious Neil, and how awesome that most of it was from your garden

    hi Thin, has it warmed up at all over there? My sister is currently on a bus travelling from Budapest to Krakow. She sent some pics that are just snow covered everything and whilst it looks freezing it also looks so beautiful.

    Is it still warming up in California Cali?

    Ok, work calls. One more day in the office then WFH tomorrow. Something to look forward to

    Have a great day everyone 🙂

    Hi all, quick check-in today.

    Lovely description of the tree, CalifDreamer, and it sounds like it gives you a lovely autumn display as well.

    Parking ticket now paid, sigh. Thanks for the sympathy, but it was my own fault. Also, I looked at it, and was only given it 15 minutes before I returned to my car – and I let a train go from the city so I could make a loo stop, catching the next one 20 minutes later. If I’d caught the earlier train, no parking ticket, so that was a very expensive loo stop 🙂 .

    Anzac65, hope your tum settles quickly, and definitely take stacks of mozzie deterrent with you next time you go to Culburra.

    Have a good day all (what’s left of it!).

    Good morning,
    Breakfast after fast day. Yummy kippers on toast with a smear of ajvar and some chicory leaves. Good strong tastes to go with my morning coffee!

    Neil, what a treat to have that garden tabbouli! Not to mention the crumble. What a lucky family.

    Betsy much sympathy re the parking ticket.

    I went well at the dentist, although I do need to go back for a couple of fillings.

    Hi Thin, hope you have warmed up now. And warmed up your quinoa. 🙂

    Cali, such a lovely pear tree. Just as well it is fruitless, you’d need a big ladder to pick fruit off that tree!

    Quacka, I do hope your inflamed bite is settling down,

    and Anzac, I hope infected ones are getting better.

    Enjoy WFH day. Are you feeling better?

    Dr Mosley has a new book out called ‘Fast Sleep’. This is the most interesting article I found about it: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3867788/How-doing-yoga-3AM-dream-cure-insomnia-TV-s-Doctor-Michael-Mosley-reveals-defeated-sleeping-problem.html

    Best wishes all

    Good Morning everyone, Good Afternoon Cali, and I see it’s almost midnight in England and Portugal Penguin.

    It seems rather a weird week here learning about Covid-19, talking with US expat offspring now working from home and using private transport only, prepping ourselves with up to date prescriptions, Drs appointment for a new script, some extra food etc without overdoing it. The ‘loo paper panic’ has hit here, which seemed to appear overnight after news stories of loo-paper-panic (LLP) in Sydney.

    LLP has extended to:
    HSP – hand sanitiser panic
    SP- soap panic
    TP – tissue panic
    PP – pasta panic
    CTP – canned tomatoes panic
    and a few other co-morbid panics.
    As long as there is no CP – chocolate panic, I am safe!

    Yesterday was surreal. I was in town (Dr/pharmacy) and ducked into Coles across the road to get some Gluten free cheese crackers I’ve discovered that actually taste and crunch like normal crackers, and went to get some purse pack tissues as well. Rounded the corner of the tissues aisle to see an empty stretch of shelving bar about 5 stray lonely tissue boxes laying there forlorn and wistful after losing their entire soft paper family. Not a loo roll in sight. As I turned away 2 women arrived looking for loo paper, also astonished at the loo paper famine and the 3 of us commiserated on the state of the nation. Just then a staff member walked up to us with 2 x 4 packs of double thickness loo paper, 1 in each hand. “These are the last we have” says she. Consternation ensued with the other 2 women, who were together. What lovely people. Despite me reasurring them I was looking for a 6 pack of purse tissues they said I should take 1 pkt of loo paper and they would take the other. Happily, they were able to each have an apparently worth it’s weight in gold 4 pack of loo rolls. Double strength so you can use half as much. We all left with a smile on our faces.

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