Hi all.
Betsy, no you didn’t misunderstand. Rosy often runs alongside this particular chap but for some reason she nipped his elbow, playfully I am sure, but a nip nevertheless. But … she isn’t normally a nipper, so I am treating it as an aberration but keeping an eye on her.
So sweet in the field yesterday – there are three little Chinese children who go there with their different families, and they have taken a shine to me. One is in grade 2 and the other are in grade 1 at a local private school. Well they stuck to me like glue – and the little Grade 2er asked if she could be with me and when I said yes, she slipped her little hand in mine. It was a sweet moment. I was rather pleased to see her whip out her little bottle of hand sanitiser a couple of times during our play. Seemed strange though, that I can hold the hand of a stranger, but not my own little Grade 2er.
Cinque did I read that correctly? You are giving up on your henna? Or did you mean giving up cutting your hair? I always think of you as a striking redhead. What colour are you au naturale?
I don’t feel qualified to give you little pep talks Cinque given my history of up down and roundabout. But here’s to you for looking to the forum to keep you up to the mark.
Quacka and Betsy, how are your sore throats? Any improvement?
Neil how nice to read about your day in the sunshine. I can just visualise it. Perfect. Our island remains out of bounds except for day trips at exorbitant barge fees, until June. Roll on lifting of the overnight travel restrictions.
I’m with you Turn on coffee. My day always starts with three (it used to be two) killer black coffees, before we brunch. Not quite keeping to the 16:8 lifestyle … more like 14:10 but the coffees are just not negotiable.
Thin did you see my email address? Hope so – your blog sounds such a good read.
Penguin I saw that series too … I really like Rick Stein. Of all the TV cooks, he’s the one who seems most genuinely interested in the culture of food. I also like our Luke Nguyen for the same reasons.
OK Sunday night, 5.38, and I think I’ve earned a G & T. No sugar tonic of course.
Enjoy the last of the weekend all.

Thin, I know those Dutch Barges, I used to sail a dinghy in the lakes and rives of Holland. I learned very quickly that they were so big they couldn’t see anything small in front of them. If we were sharing a canal they were so wide that I couldn’t pass, I had to turn and run.
When I was 13 years old I read a book called “The Journeying Moon” about a couple who bought a Dutch barge in England, sailed it across the Channel, through France and the Med to Malta. She was called Moeder de Gans, Mother Goose. The name stuck with me to give to any boat I owned, but I haven’t used it because i never actually owned anything bigger than a Canadian Canoe. About 30 years later I was in Malta and found a rusty old barge in the harbour, but no one could tell me the history, I hoped it wasn’t the Goose because she was very neglected.

I lost a short post earlier. Merely to report that in OH’s opinion I am a Rockhopper.

Not a bad day. This morning I helped OH empty the garden room, clean it then put every thing back. At lunch time I went to get the first salad stuff of the year out of the greenhouse and found it occupied by a Wren, which immediately went into panic mode. With a little careful positioning and ushering I got it out of the door. Apart from my asparagus, which seems to get earlier every year, this is the first own food this year. My energy levels bounce up and down so this afternoon I took it easy. I have just been out and watered the garden. We had the driest April for years, possibly ever. It rained briefly once last week and there is no more forecast here this month.

Good morning everyone,
Another glorious Autumn day here. Yesterday I staked my broadbeans and planted a punnet of lettuces (and yes they survived the night!) and generally made my garden look gorgeous. So good to be out in the sun. Also my health is still on an upswing and goodness it makes everything easier, including fast days!

Yes, I had a particularly good one. Hope yours has been great too Thin.

Betsy you’d think the no sugar thing would make my health choices easily wise, but sadly I still find ways of undermining myself. My brain is SO SLOW or even broken in its ability to signal that I am full and that extra handful of nuts or another serve or not enough time between meals mean that I stay 3 or 4 kilos above the weight that suits me best. If I lose it easily now, I will also blame a year of worse CFS.

Ooh you are so close to the 30BMI, all power to you today.

It will be a relief to have your ‘makesafe’ people there tomorrow giving you more info and hopefully a clear and not too expensive way ahead.

Thin, I bet your Mexican Soup was a treat. The big tunnel sounds daunting, don’t choose that time to fall in the water! The painting sounds wonderful.

LJoyce, what a hard time those lung bugs are giving you. Let’s hope this course does the trick. A sweet, simple bouquet today https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/wildflower-bouquet-wildflowers-poppies-daisies-cornflowers-white-background-studio-shot-38838364.jpg

Ooh your pasta dish sounds yummy. I have a packet of sweet potato noodles to play around with, but they are telling me they want to be in an Asian dish. I nearly put some in my miso soup, but I remembered them 5 mins before I was ready, and they take 20 minutes to cook! I might try them with stirfry.

Oh dear, it is frustrating to lose the same kilos over and over again (but wouldn’t you be in trouble if you hadn’t). Hoping that you get over the lung infection and start finding it easy again.

Lindsay, I am growing my hair… and using even more henna! Haha. I originally had very dark long hair (not as dark as my sister who had hair so black it shone blue, mine shone chestnut), but it meant that when my head got fat and my hair started greying I looked so colourless and potato-like, it freaked me out. So I cut my hair and turned it red.

Is it the protectiveness of your son and daughter that is stopping you from spending time with your grandchildren? Might they consider bringing the kids to the park with you (washed hands and clean clothes) for 20 minutes? Outside in the fresh air seems to be the safest way to interact. I’ve just been reading info here: https://twitter.com/mugecevik/status/1257393259929915393

Now I want the pep talks that you give yourself (yourselves everyone!) to be extended to me! If you tell yourself “No snack!” “Remember how lovely it feels to be slender” “Less carbs on that dish” “Go for a 3 hour bike ride” Then I want to hear it. I mightn’t relate to the bike ride, but they will all be bracing!

Penguin (and Thin) the Mother Goose Barge sounds wonderful, I was a comfort reader as a child, and so my mind goes ‘Saucy Jane’. Yes, Enid Blyton https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/author/illustrations/520high+8394066.jpg

So good you managed to help the wren on its way, and get some salad veggies. Haha, you are rockhopper by personality as well as hairstyle? Keep taking it easy, your body is doing so much work within itself.

Victoria, well Melbourne to be specific, has been Covid cluster madness with one McDonalds, and then another one, and now a driver that delivered to another dozen. So less McDonalds open in the city than usual. (Not that I have been to McDonalds for more years than I can count.)
Fortunately it feels okay because it is the massive testing push that found them all and fingers crossed we are on top of it.
Sadly Australia lost our 99th person to Covid19 but that terrible news is so stark compared to Spain who have had their first day for such a long time, where less than 100 people died in a day.

Best wishes to you all on this precious day.

Good Morning everyone

Yes, Cinque, I did get to see my Dad. We went up on Friday afternoon and stayed overnight. He’s very very thin, just skin and bones really, but we had a couple of good chats and I’m really glad for the time with him. Also really glad to see Mum and my niece who lives with them.

I started a medication for the acid reflux yesterday. I think it was you, Betsy, who asked about it. It’s called Losec and I don’t know how quickly it is supposed to work but I haven’t noticed any difference. I actually think I am getting better anyway, whether that is all in my head or not, I don’t know.

I’m not the best one to give you a pep talk at the moment Cinque as I’m not even fasting. I am eating healthy food and trying to be very mindful when eating as one of the things the doctor said is to slow down when I eat and not over eat. I am guilty of inhaling my food and then I wish I had some more because it is so yummy but if I slow down I get to enjoy the portion I have for longer. So that’s my pep talk. Slow down and savour every mouthful and chew your food really well.

OK I must run. Sending out love and good wishes to you all, especially Penguin and LJ as you are both not so well at the moment.

Take care all x

Well done on the fast day Thin.

Mine wasn’t quite so successful. I thought I had eaten a decent small amount, I skipped breakfast, had just lentils and sautéed celery leaves for lunch, and a little bit of lamb and salad for dinner, but when I tracked it I had eaten about 1700 calories! It’s no wonder I have been gaining weight over the past couple of weeks if my fast days aren’t really fast days at all.

Great you could get to see your dad and family Cinque. Hopefully you can get in some more trips in the future.

Isn’t it a great feeling eating food from your own garden Penguin? We’re moving into winter so we don’t have much left in ours but we’re still getting some celery, courgettes, cauli/broccoli, strawberries and cranberries.

I had my first gym session back yesterday and although I’ve been cycling all summer and I’m reasonably fit, it still hurt doing exercises I’m not used to. 15 minutes on the rowing machine and my arms were dead! I’ll try a different exercise today to save my arms and spread the pain 😉

Weigh-in tomorrow so wish me luck. I’m over seeing the number climbing on the scales.

Ha, no, my salad wasn’t like that, but I forgot to mention that I had a flat white in the morning, my home-made sports drink while at the gym, and half an avocado with my salad which added about 500-600 calories 🙁

I guess I’ll try another fast day on Thursday and try to keep my calories to under 1,000

Who left the door open and let the spam bot in? ^^

I’ve reported the Spam bot Neil

Turn, hope all goes well with the onward move and well done for trickling down on the scales. It doesn’t matter how slow it is so long as it is not in the other direction.

Funny, I love reading and have been an avid reader all my life. But I also found Watership Down weird at school – one book I didn’t enjoy. Interesting.

I’ve mapped out my food for today and it is about 970 calories so I hope to see more losses coming my way 🙂

Good afternoon

I’m on another 800cal FD today. The alternate days of 800 cal feels surprisingly easy. My NFDs are still a challenge to control but definitely not as excessive as they were and there are thankfully less of them now. I’m not weighing daily so I don’t know how much this new eating cycle has helped, but my jeans that were quite tight last Thursday are now comfortable – always a good sign. I will weigh after I’ve done this for a week to gauge how it’s really going.

MY own GP has taken long service leave so I had a face to face appointment with a different doctor in the practice yesterday. She was a little concerned with how long this infection had persisted but was comfortable with me finishing the current packet of antibiotics before considering alternatives. I suspect my thermometer is not very accurate as it was showing a temp in the 36s, but her ear thermometer said almost 38 yesterday – no wonder I had been feeling hot. If I’m not better by the end of the week I go back with a sputum sample and they will test for antibiotic resistance and switch to a different antibiotic. I’m hoping it just clears up this week. I don’t feel sick or overly tired, which is a good sign.

Quacka, I am so very glad you got to spend time with your Dad, very precious. I hope there are more opportunities ahead for visits too.

Thankyou for the daily flowers Cinque. Yesterday’s shasta daisies, cornflowers and poppies were all things I used to have in a cottage garden bed at the previous house (although I grew icelandic rather than flanders poppies). Today’s bunch is stunning too, especially the plum coloured dahlias.
Did you still get time with your granddaughter after the seat was organised? It’s strange how family time feels like such a special treat these days.

Neil, hope the meal planning to stay under calorie limits gets easier. I tend to estimate rather than track my calories, but I do have a fairly accurate memory for a lot of kilojoule counts which helps.

Anzac, would a piece of fruit work as a breakfast choice? I remember you saying choosing something that you felt like first thing was challenging.

Penguin, hope your treatment continues to go well. How much are you planning to downsize?

Thin, hope the trip through the long tunnel went well. Is there lighting inside or do you have to provide your own?

Lindsay, hope you can cure Rosy of thinking nipping is part of play. I remember reading that amongst puppies it’s normal, so nor surprising that a young dog will think it’s part of play – they can’t use hands like we do.

Turn, I hope you find somewhere lovely to wait out the winter. I remember a week’s self-drive holiday that my ex-husband and I did from Auckland. We were meant to go to the top of the North Island but when we got to the Bay of Island my ex-husband loved it so much he refused to move. We spent the whole week there. It was nice, but not really my cup of tea – humidity, sun, sand ocean… not my thing, I’ll take the green hills, lakes and cooler temperate climate of the South Island any day.

My neighbours asked today whether we can get together for lunch. I have postponed it until the week after next as I need to be sure I’m completely well. We are going to pick up a take away from our usual cafe and bring it back to one of our houses to have – we don’t fancy sitting outside in the cold to eat it at the cafe. It will be so nice to do something that feels normal again.

Have a lovely day all.

Just another quick post – somehow when I posted last time, most of the posts on this page were not showing??? Don’t know what happened, but I’m glad to see that everyone is as active as normal.

Hope things go well with the infection clearing for you, LJoyce.

How were the grandkids, Cinque? I can just imagine you with long flowing black/chestnut locks.

Good luck with the ongoing weight loss, Anzac65 – one good day done!

The makesafe people came. Wouldn’t go under the house, as they said there wasn’t enough room (despite the 2 duct people scrambling around under there successfully), and took photos of the photos one duct guy took and sent to me. They then left, and came back 15 minutes later to take photos of 2 rooms at the affected end of the house, talking of the possibility of the floorboards having to be lifted (and possibly replaced) to give them access to under the house. That’s my bedroom and study, so not impressed. They assured me that everything would be replaced back to how it is, if that’s what they had to do. None of this even looks at the cause of the problem, the drainage down the driveway being not connected to the stormwater drains. The mould removal should be covered by my house insurance, but not the drains, which could be a very expensive exercise. Sigh. Next thing is to hear back from the insurance company, and go from there. Not sure how long it will be, a few days to a couple of weeks, most likely.

Okay, sorry for that. What has to be, will be. I am praying that whatever happens will be the best option to eliminate the problem altogether.

And in all that, I WILL monitor my eating and stay strong with 5:2.

Not a bad day. Interesting phone chat with the Consultant this morning – the Monday blood test showed improvement. Had a call from the physio this afternoon about exercise, quite keen that I should continue to exercise as long as I don’t overdo it. Diet advice is different; balance is good but calories are everything, make sure I get enough. Start my second week of chemo tomorrow.

LJ, we are looking at about half the size and a minimal or no garden. We have been here for nearly 18 years and have filled every available space, so lots of stuff has to go. Fortunately there is a local “Freecycle” system. You put on a website unwanted items for which you don’t want payment, or list things you could use. My first two listings (wooden pallets and an old guitar) went within hours.

Turn. I have always been a reader. By the time I was eight I had cornered all of the family library tickets, adult and child, and was taking out a dozen books at a time. When I was 13 yrs I spent three months in bed with Rheumatic Fever and read almost everything in the library. I always preferred non-fiction, apart from Biggles. I was lucky with Shakespeare, the BBC TV did the entire history series in sequence when I was doing Henry IV and V at about the age of 15. I have actually been to Watership Down, it is just south of the old RAF Greenham Common. OH’s cousin and his NZ OH were living in a hippy commune on the Common. I ruined his reputation and damaged mine by visiting him in an RAF Land Rover.

Betsy. It has to get better.

Neil, it is frustrating but after the success you have already had you know you will get back on track.

Wednesday morning, cold, enormous crack of thunder interrupted my night at about 2 am (big storm over Melbourne). Feeling a bit slow and groggy, but it is fast day!

I am nearly out of milk, so an extra impetus not to have too many milky drinks today.

I made some bran muffins yesterday, with added finely diced celery, grated carrot and chopped spring onions, a little bit of fresh oregano leaves and some grated lemon rind and parmesan. Very nice. (And if I eat three I score a serve of vegetables haha)
Not convinced it would be a better breakfast than toast, but I have most of them frozen and they will make such a delicious accompaniment for soup and stew. I will try not to have them as a snack, but if I really really need a snack they will make a good one. Not today of course!

Neil, hooray the scales have stopped going up. We’ll all be cheering if there is a good loss next time. The move to maintenance is a tricky one!

Anzac, ooh lovely to be one kilo down. Woot! And won’t you have fun with your nutribullet (and banana muffins).

I did have a lovely time with my grandchildren on Monday and with my sister yesterday. What a giddy social life.

Turn, enjoy your next part of your journeying, I hope your new stop will be just as lovely.
It is hard to be far from family especially with your dad in hospital. Do you have any siblings that are near them? Hoping he is able to be home again soon.

Betsy, wow it does sound like big things in the works to correct your drainage problem. I am glad you could air your house yesterday. Fingers crossed your insurance company surprises you in a nice way. I’m keen to hear what happens next.

LJoyce, I’m glad your temporary doctor is keeping a good eye on you, and you are not feeling too bad. A bit of a fever always seems a nice sign to me, of a body working hard to overcome infection. Hope that is the case.
Lovely to have that get together with your neighbours to look forward to.

Yesterdays flowers made me think I wanted to grow cornflowers and poppies again. Today’s flowers aren’t quite a bunch, but I wanted to include bees, since it is world bee day, and I thought this was beautiful. https://www.beeculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Cool-Bee-on-Blue-Flower-Wallpaper.png

Penguin, that must be so heartening that there is an improvement already. And what a relief to have clear advice on lifestyle things. It is Wednesday here already, so I am already sending a flow of good thoughts your way. Should be there soon!

Lindsay, lovely to read of that time in the garden with Miss 6. Don’t they love hearing about and reconnecting with things they did when they were littler. SO long ago, haha.

Oh dear, the editing sounds so hard when it starts having to address structure. I hope you can give yourself lots of breaks.

Thinking of you especially on World Bee Day, say hello to them from me!

I have homehelp today, most stressful day of my fortnight so I have better get ready. End result a clean house so woohoo!

Bye now.

Good morning everyone, sunny and 24 today.

I heard about the storms in Victoria Cinque, some places really copped it. Sorry your sleep was disturbed. Your banana bran muffins sound so much better than mine and surely healthier than toast? Not sure. Enjoy your clean house 🙂 – I did a big clean last Saturday and while I was sore and tired afterwards it really does feel nice to have everything dust-free and sparkling.

Lindsay, I am always happy to hear any advice so feel free to do so anytime. Thanks for the info about the fruit and yes we put too much in this morning and they were too thick. We will play around until we get the right flavour and consistency. How lovely that you can spend time with your children and grand-kids.

Ha ha Penguin, you naughty thing visiting your hippy cousin-in-law in an RAF vehicle. Did he ever forgive you? Very glad your results are already showing signs of improvement. Maxx said you need to follow his lead and get plenty of rest
http://imgur.com/gallery/6JlzV8R

Betsy, how awful to have this problem hanging over your head with no idea what it might cost. I do hope the Insurance company surprises you but I’m not holding out hope. Generally it is the other way round. Good luck

Neil, keep thinking about where you have come from and when you are so close to your goal weight it will come off more slowly. It’s not a sprint 🙂

I was so glad to read your positive post LJ and happy that you are feeling better and doing well with this WOE. I sometimes do have some fruit for breakfast but I find it isn’t enough most days to get me through the mid-morning snack attack.

The scales did not move today but that isn’t a surprise given the big drop the day before. Another day of around 1000 calories should see a drop tomorrow. I’m also back on the stationary bike each day on top of the big dog walk every morning so getting some exercise always helps.

ES calls so have a great day all

That is SO annoying Betsy….I now type mine into a new email then copy/paste.

My new Huawei fitness watch just arrived – hooray! Did I mention I lost my other one? It eloped with my reading glasses and credit card. I lost all three in a week! Hubby is ready to quietly murder me I reckon but after 33 years he must know how clumsy I am by now.

Anyway, I can monitor my steps, heart rate and sleep again. Very happy

Evening all

Thin, although it’s a lot of work, the tunnel and locks sounds like a lot of fun. A real adventure.

Anzac, enjoy your new fitness watch. Although I tend to steer away from technology I am a bit of a numbers geek so that would probably appeal to me.

Lindsay, it has become a real issue trying to find consistent sizing, For work clothes I tend to stick to clothes that have actual measurements in cm or inches rather than rely on the inconsistent M, L, XL, etc. our badminton club imported some shirts from Malaysia and their shirts were all 2 sizes too small, I was in XL shirts at the time but I needed a 3XL shirt in their sizing

Cinque, thunder and lightning is always exciting but perhaps not at 2am 😕

Penguin, great you’re getting some improvement, hopefully it will continue.

I hit the treadmill at the gym today. It was the first time I’d done any running for ages and I was surprised how long I could run. I can run at a jogging speed for over 10 minutes at a time without too much trouble and a full run for over 3 minutes at a time. I ended up doing 45 minutes and running about 6.5 kilometres, but my legs are pretty sore now.

Have a good evening everyone

For the two nights before tonight I’ve been sitting here reading all of your posts and then being too tired to stay awake and reply. It’s so nice to hear all of your news. I had 2 proper FD’s last week and fasted yesterday, Monday, as well, so back on track with fasting. My NFD’s are still not always under control, but at least I’m not gaining anymore. Meal planning for the three of us when I’m doing all of the shopping is somewhat challenging. I was so used to going to the store at least 3 times per week especially for vegetables. Now I try to limit my trips. I did order some groceries online that I will pick up “curbside” tomorrow morning. Hopefully they have most of the things on my list.

Penguin, it’s good to hear that you are seeing improvements in your bloodwork already. Have you looked at any houses yet?

LJ, I hope that lung infection is gone soon. When is your next infusion? I imagine you want the infection gone before that.

Quacka, so glad to hear that you’ve been able to visit your dad. I bet it did him good to see you. Hope the antacids are starting to help and that you’re feeling better.

Lindsay, Rosie is getting so big! She’s a beautiful dog, but still has all the puppy habits. I forget how long the chewing thing goes on but as I recall from when we has the mini dachshunds, it was about a year. Since Cooper is a rescue, we missed all of that.

Cinque, happy to hear that you’re feeling better. You mentioned a couple pages back that I might not consider 5C as icy. To me, anything below 10 is icy! It’s been in the high teens, ow 20’s here and rainy the past few days, but we can use the rain so not complaining.

So happy to hear that most of you are able to visit family members again. Restaurants are opening here but the number of new cases are still very high even though the trend is downward so we’re still quarantining here. Australia’s total cases are less that half of what the US has as new cases in one day. I see that the world total is now over 5 million. When will this end?

We do takeaway meals about once per week plus take and bake pizza on Saturday nights. I cut OH’s hair the weekend before last and DS’s hair this last weekend. Both turned out well and were pretty easy. DS cut mine about 3 weeks ago. So we all have home haircuts now. Since we all have simple hair styles, I think we look about the same as when the hairdresser cuts it.

Anzac and Betsy, sorry to hear about the water damage. I hope you can both get that sorted quickly, before it gets too cold. We just had the roof leak over the laundry room (hopefully) repaired today. We’ll know when it rains again if it’s really fixed this time.

Neil, good to hear that you’ve been able to be out riding again.

Turn, good to hear from you again and good luck with the weight loss.

Thin, I love reading about your channel boat adventures although I don’t think I would have liked that long tunnel! So good to hear you’re maintaining your low weight as usual.

Good afternoon all. Very cold and windy here (15deg), have just put the heater on as OH is sitting on the lounge with tracky pants, thick jumper, beanie and ugg boots. Even I’m feeling the chill which is unusual for me. MissD should be home from school soon so will appreciate a nice warm house to come home to. I know 15deg is not cold for many of you but when our summers can be 50deg plus then 15 seems chilly. I had to laugh at this mornings news where it’s hit 28deg in England – perfect, beautiful weather but for the English it’s extreme heat. I’m sure Penguin thinks calling 15deg bitterly cold a bit weird too.

Spent today doing yet more job applications. I’ve actually scored an interview next week (yay) via zoom (yuk) because of the distancing stuff. The job is only 2.5 days a week but its a large organisation so if I am successful it will be a foot in the door for other possibilities. I threw in the towel half way through one job application this morning, would you believe besides having to do a cover letter, resume, address selection criteria and answer a set of 25 questions, they also required me to record a 5 minute video to upload where I had to ‘sell myself’ to the employer. The job was for a receptionist at a health clinic for goodness sake – I’m not applying to be rocket scientist. That’s just totally ridiculous and over the top in my book so I exited out of that one real quick.

Thin, loving your boating adventures and woohoo Neil on returning to the gym after all this time away. I’m finding exercising in the morning very unappealing with the chilly weather, even hard to get motivated with indoor fitness.

I’m a big fan of Rick Stein too, really enjoyed the series that just finished on the ABC on Friday nights, forget the name but someone mentioned it in a post above. If I look back to find it I will most likely lose this post so I ain’t going there! OH likes MasterChef but I’m not really fussed on that one. Also glad that MKR has been given the flick – OH loved that too but again I’m no fan of reality TV shows. Although I’m not actually 100% sure if MKR is finished or just that Pete Evans has been shown the door as I read conflicting media reports on that one.

Food for me has been tricky. So hard being home all day and having no set routine as I did while I was working. Not so bad when we are busy outside working in the yard but when I’m inside all day I struggle keeping out of the pantry and fridge. Not eating the wrong foods, just picking throughout the day. I’ve been keeping a food diary too Neil and was also shocked (well maybe not if I’m to be honest) to see how my protein intake has decreased and my carb intake has increased of late. I blame the colder weather as those comfort carbs are so appealing as a warming food. I also managed to only have 2 thin slices of OH’s homemade bread from the last batch – I think MissD ate most of it. Shows the power of homemade bread – she would never, ever eat grain bread in her life but devours OH’s homemade grain bread like crazy.

Cooking successes from the last week – 2 huge stockpots of bone broth which was the best I’ve ever made. It smelt and tasted divine and the broth was extremely gelatinous (just like jelly) which has never happened before. I used Pete Evans recipe and followed it exactly. I had to order the correct bones from the butchers (3 different types) as they didn’t keep them in stock. Also made 2 huge stock pots of chicken stock although I couldn’t get hold of the chicken feet (as per Pete Evans recipe) so had to omit them. Was still a beautiful stock but not gelatinous. Now have enough frozen stock to last quite awhile. I made a coconut cream chicken chilli casserole which was beautifully spiced and the one I loved the most (and surprisingly MissD loved it too) was Pete Evans Healing Garlic Soup made with 5 large garlic bulbs. Surprisingly it wasn’t overly garlicy tasting and was silky, creamy with a touch of nutmeg spice. Once the soup was cooked and blended egg yolks were added so maybe that was where the silky, creamy texture came from. Anyhow it didn’t make much, enough for 3 large bowls but I will make this one a permanent fixture in our kitchen. The recipe called for toasted crushed almonds on top but I did toasted pine nuts and crispy prochutto which really gave it a nice kick.

Most go as MissD will be home any minute now. Best wishes to those who are feeling unwell, to those with water issues and hoorah to those who have managed to catch up with family and friends. x

Good afternoon all

Cali, the infusion was meant to be this week. I postponed it until next Tuesday but I think I’m going to have to delay it again. So glad you have been able to get back in to the 2 FDs. I hope your NFDs improve too – mine too. I also miss being able to buy fresh fruit & veg regularly. I am cooking more fresh fruit (combinations of apple, pear, berries or rhubarb) and relying on more frozen veg as I’d rather that than fresh fruit or veg that has been in the fruit bowl of crisper too long.
I could do with one of those home haircuts, but the only bit I can easily get to is my fringe, the rest will have to wait.

Betsy, I have found with bathrooms that the problem is less likely to be the grout between the tiles and much more likely to be the silicone that is in the gap where the floor and wall tiles meet, and also the wall tile corners where two walls meet. It perishes after 8-10 years and will start leaking. It needs to be dug out and replaced at least once a decade. Over time it loses its elasticity and hardens, then it can’t stretch to accommodate the small movements that a house will undergo across the seasons each year. How quickly it deteriorates will also depend on the cleaners that are used on it – the more strong bleach, the quicker it perishes.
The other things that can happen in older properties is leaks in the drainage pipes under a bathroom – over time ground movement can crack them. I had both of these problems in the bathroom in my previous house. I hope it’s just the silicone as replacing silicone is a whole lot easier than it was to get the bathroom concrete floor jack-hammered up to replace the drainage pipes.

Thin, glad you got through the tunnel, but it’s unfortunate that you scraped the boat after just repainting it.

Anzac, you are not the only one who loses things. I left my wallet at the GPs last week and had to drive back the next day to collect it. Thankfully they had kept it safe for me.

Neil, I don’t buy clothing online for that very reason, manufacturers can’t be trusted to make consistent sizing. I also find differences between stores. Some always sell tops that are too tight on my arms and too baggy in the body, where another store always seems to make their tops (in the same size) without that problem.

Cinque, thankyou for the daily flowers and also the lovely bee.

I am going to have to go back to the doctor tomorrow as I finish antibiotics tomorrow and my lungs are unfortunately not clear yet. It also means than my infusion will have to be delayed again. On the bright side, my lovely neighbour bought milk for me today as I thought it best not to leave the house and I was nearly out of milk. I could have made up skim milk powder, but tea tastes much nicer with fresh milk.

I’m continuing with my alternate days of 800cal. Today is an 800cal day and I am a little hungrier than I was – probably because the weather is colder in the last couple of days. I will persevere though. I can weigh tomorrow and will know what effect a week of doing this has on my weight. I’m hoping that will encourage me to keep going. I can see and feel a difference on my torso, so I’m hopeful.

Hello to everyone else, hope you are doing well. Take care.

Betsy, great job, well done. Now heading for the 60s. You won’t believe the feeling.

LJ, hurray for lovely neighbours bringing milk. It was a different part of the boat so my new painting’s intact. The main damage was to the cratch cover which needed some re-stitching anyway but the rip is in a vulnerable spot. And the scraped paintwork is on the railing. Never mind, they’re like bumper cars and boats are always in need in repair.

Lindsay, thanks so much for posting that article, I loved it.

CalifD, good job all round on the haircuts. I haven’t come across your Netflix recommendation yet. I’m a big Keeley Hawes fan and swapped a DVD from the marina library before leaving just because it had her in it. We just got around to watching it last night. Subject matter not normally my cup of tea and certainly not OH’s but we both really enjoyed it. It’s called, “Tipping The Velvet”. Three part BBC series about the hardships of living an alternative lifestyle in the 1890s. Very well done.

GDSA, good luck with the interview. Quite incredible what’s expected nowadays. Last year, DD was interviewed by a vet in his pyjamas in his bedroom! Good grief, times have changed.

Cinque, Penguin, Neil, Quacka, hello to you.

Brrr cold here. And wet.

A short post as it is zoom-sisters day and I need to get my lippy on 😉

Cali, glad you don’t cop it this cold.

I’m snug inside though, and have the clothes horse full of things drying nicely in front of the heater.

I had Miss 3 over yesterday and we had a fine time. And I did some necessary shoppingcentre shopping on the way home. Exhausting! I kept forgetting things and having to walk to the other end of the centre. Lucky it was Northcote plaza and not Northland! But it included buying some gravy beef and I am so looking forward to cooking it today.

It is lull day for me. No fast day yesterday, and none tomorrow. Mindful eating is go!

Lindsay aren’t those clothes sizes crazy. The last few years the opshops have been full of brand new things that are clearly bought online (or from previously trustworthy clothes shops?) and then the wrong size. I am a glad beneficiary, but I do think it is terrible.

Oh I do miss going opshopping, but I have just pulled all my winter clothes out of the wooden trunk. SO MANY! (Three knitted dresses that cling to my tummy 😉 ).
And I put away the summer things (including some gorgeous things that I haven’t worn once).

Anzac, there is nothing nicer than having a clean house! Almost. Haha. And it is still fairly clean, even with Miss three and me making a birthday party out of playdough studded with plastic beads and fed to the dolls. The dolls were all very messy eaters!
Enjoy your smart watch!

Okay, off to get self styled to impress my sisters. See you later.

Hi all

Well done Betsy! 30 BMI and knocking on the door of breaking into the 60s, you must be pleased with that? Mine is going the other way at the moment. I got it down to 27 but it’s back up to 28 now.

Good luck with your experiment with 800 cals on alternate days LJoyce, hopefully you’ll reap some good rewards on the scales.

Gday, great to hear from you again, sounds like we’re in the same boat at the moment. I’ve been having to track my meals because my weight has been up and down but moving in an upward trend, and I was shocked by how much my food had been slipping.

Cinque, yum, gravy beef, what do you do with it? I really like the cheaper cuts because they go so well in the slow cooker or in a nice casserole or stew.

Anzac, sometimes you need the shock of tracking what you eat, I think that’s why my food was slipping, when I was still dropping weight I had convinced myself that my eating wasn’t too bad, it’s not until you track it and find that a pretty light day of eating is actually sitting around your BMR for the day that you get the kick in the pants.

I was proud of myself today. I’ve been trying some treadmill work in among my cycling and rowing at the gym, and today I managed to run 7 kilometers in 45 minutes. I was averaging about 9.5 kilometers an hour. I’ve never been much of a runner and I never would have guessed that I would be able to run that much 18 months ago.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Good afternoon all from a lovely warm and sunny Blenheim.

It really felt a bit of a wrench leaving Kaikoura after being there for nine weeks and we have friends there too, but it was definitely time for a change of scenery. We gave a lift to a guy from the same site up to Blenheim with us, a Parisienne originally, a photo journalist who has spent the last 25 years travelling the world, amazing life. We are now in a lovely site just north of town with a creek running along side it and lots of trees. We are in the heart of the Marlborough wine region so the likes of Cloudy Bay, Wither Hills, Yealands, Saint Clair, Villa Maria, Allan Scott, and Lawson’s Dry Hills to name but a few are on our doorstep! They are renowned for their Sauvignon Blanc here and it is good. Also one of my favourite breweries is here too, Moa, but might give that a bit of a wide berth, hahaha!!

Well done Betsy, great news with your BMI, I’m hopefully not too far behind you, sitting at 30.2, but not quite with you being so close to the 60’s. Good on YOU! Wilbur sounds adorable, have spotted a ginger kitten at the site here, pretty skittish though.

Go for it Neil, running as well as cycling, tennis, badminton and rowing, you should be killing this? It does help to log food doesn’t it, I just forget to look back and read it though!

Well done on the scales Anzac, and hooray for the fit bit, that should help your tracking in the right direction.

Dad is home again, thank you Cinque, apparently he was anaemic, cold, always tired and sleeping and very low. He has had iron injections and is now home again, sitting out in the sun when the wind isn’t blowing. I have a younger sister who lives around 3 hours drive away, and an elder sister who lives in France, but his youngest brother is close by and also my cousins, along with my Mothers brother, wife and daughters. I try and chat as often as I can, but the time difference sometimes gets in the way.

Time to go and whizz the cauliflower soup I just made for dinner tonight, caulis were back at 3.25 the other day, so bought 2! Been out on the bikes today so feel like I’ve earned it.

Have a great weekend everyone,
Turn

Where’d everyone go?

I’ve never in over 5 years seen a period of 22 hours with no posts on this thread! All good with you, Turn?