This topic contains 27,901 replies, has 831 voices, and was last updated by thinatlast 10 hours, 25 minutes ago.
Morning all
I’ve got a bit of the winter blues in the middle of summer. The weather here has been cold, rainy and windy for the last week, I haven’t been for a ride since my trip out to Pinder’s Pond where the guy drowned last Friday night. I’ve been eating healthy but my weight isn’t budging and I’m feeling really low. I really hope that the weather improves and we get a little taste of summer before we move back into winter because it’s really getting me down at the moment 🙁
Good afternoon everyone.
Neil, there isn’t much that can be done about the weather, but when the rain allows please try and get a little cycling in as it does seem to help your mood. If you haven’t been doing your usual exercise I think keeping your weight stable is a success not a failure.
I had to drive to the GP surgery today to pick up the papers the doctor had left for me after our telehealth appointment on Wednesday. As it’s hot here today I took the opportunity to do my long walk around the suburbs of Hawthorn and Westbourne Park (lovely leafy suburbs south-east of the CBD). I love the old houses there which were mostly built from the 1880-1930. They are mostly built from sandstone and old fashioned red brick – my favourite building materials and I love most of the styles from that period (except the bungalo which I find a heavy looking). They are way out of my price range, but very nice to look at as I walked along the shady footpaths. Actually I think I enjoy looking at them more than I’d enjoy the time and expense of the upkeep and internal modernisation required. I was so interested in the homes and gardens that I walked for 90 minutes without realising it – much more than I’d than planned. I took some photos which give a rough idea of the variety https://imgur.com/a/AuXIHGp unfortunately some of the best examples of house styes also had high fences. I was able to get tantalising glimpses of them but couldn’t get a good photo. In these suburbs there are a few mansion sized houses that are now on approx 1 acre blocks, in the return verandah villa style which I love. I suspect these were were the first built in the 1880s and originally were surrounded by land where fruit and vegetable crops were grown. Over the next decades the horticultural activities moved further out and the land was sold off for housing. This area is in Mitcham council which is just one council district further east than where I am, but it’s a world away in style. My area was mostly built from 1950-60s and as that’s not a popular house style they have been mostly demolished and subdivided and then replaced with lots of new builds on very small blocks – just like the house I now live in. Where I live is actually very suitable me and my circumstances, but it doesn’t stop me looking longingly at old houses. When I was younger I very much made “heart” decisions when it came to buying houses and then had to live with the endless issues of 80-100 year old construction, wiring, plumbing etc. Where I live now was very much a “head” not a “heart” decision, but I haven’t doubted it was the right one.
I hope everyone is having a good day. Now that I’ve done all my exercise for the day I’m staying indoors where it’s cool.
Neil, commiserations from sunny, but 6C England. I know all too well how the weather can get one down. When I left here 43 years ago, I never expected to spend another Jan/Feb here again but here we are. It feels like we’re in limbo counting down the weeks until we can start cruising again. I haven’t actually felt terribly cold though, it’s just the gloomy or windy days that can wear me down after Australia’s daily sunshine.
LJ, you managed to get in your walk through the old suburbs. I’ve only owned two houses and both were ‘period’ homes. Lots of character and lots of maintenance. Mine were in California and Perth, ancient by their standards. Now of course, we walk through villages where there are centuries-old homes.
I haven’t checked the previous page, it’s too much trouble to get from one to the next nowadays but hope everyone is safe and well.
P.S. CalifD, maybe we should have a thread-wide zoom chat one day!
Hi everyone and happy weekending!
Yay Neil for some lovely weather finally. I know how you feel, I really get down if I don’t see the sun for a few days. I’d love to send some heat over; currently it is 33 degrees and the next few days are 35, 33 and then 36 on Australia day on Tuesday. Phew!
Mr Maxx has a very bad habit of sneaking up behind us and just standing there quietly. Mr Anzac stepped into our small laundry the other day and when he stepped back he fell over the fur-child and both ended up in a heap of skin and fur. No-one was hurt thankfully. Today it was my turn. I opened the back door to pop something into our recycling bucket and when I turned around Maxx was right there. I fell (of course, clumsiest person on earth) but unfortunately I put my hand out to save myself straight into a tupperware container full of knives. We have been cleaning out our kitchen drawers and these were knives that were being rehomed or thrown out. OUCH. Luckily my hand went in sideways, not palm first but I was bleeding and had to run to the sink and couldn’t check whether Maxx was ok. He had fled out the back door away from my initial shriek and ongoing cursing. Mr Anzac was at the shops but luckily came home within a couple of mintutes. Poor man entered the kitchen to me yelling “go and see if the dog is OK”. He came over to see what was happening but in my shock I just kept shouting at him to check on the dog. Maxx was perfectly fine of course and I’m fine too – now – just a bit dented. Four cuts and none too deep luckily.
Brrrr Thin, that is cold. I remember London last year (or rather year before technically) in December and we were walking around with several coats, gloves, scarves hats etc and were still shivering. Some of the locals just had thin jackets on! Stay warm – spring will be there before you know it. Every time I hear a story about health or other workers being abused when they are simply trying to help people it makes my blood boil. Apparently it happens a lot in the UK – not sure why. The girl who started up and runs the labrador friends forum has a sister who is a paramedic in London. She cops constant abuse when she is trying to save people’s lives. Some low-lifes blame her for being a virus spreader. Honestly I would walk away but the people that selflessly do this sort of work are so dedicated they just put up with the abuse.
That sounds like a lovely walk LJ and I love the photos; what stunning homes. Good for you for getting your exercise in early. I have been doing some running around when we take Maxx to the park but it was too hot this morning, even at 7.30am. It is 3.30pm and I have done a measly 2,800 steps!
I hope you have been able to make it back into your time-zone Cali!
Cinque, I really hope you are having a lovely time on Phillip Island and that you were able to find someone to take care of lovely Miso the cat. Looking forward to hearing about your holiday
Betsy, how are you going?
Hi to everyone else, the housework is calling so take care all and stay cool or warm depending on where you are
Good afternoon all.
Another hot day here, so I was out of the house for a walk at 7:45. My afternoon activity was building the last Ikea cabinet – the box had been a trip hazard in the dining area for 2 months! I felt immense satisfaction finally getting it built. I’ve started sorting through what needs to go in each drawer, although I can’t finish the room until I get a cabinetmaker to redo the wardrobe interior – I need shelves not hanging space in the craft room/study. That’s the next task.
Anzac, that sounded like a lucky escape – you could have had a really nasty injury. I used to have a cat that liked to stalk native birds. To give them a fighting chance I put a little bell on his collar. Perhaps Maxx needs a bell too so he can’t sneak up on you – a miniature swiss cow bell perhaps?
Neil, Excellent that you finally have cycling weather. Hope you have a lovely active weekend.
Thin, yes “old” when it comes to housing is all relative. I remember the endless issues of my 1930s art deco home – but at least it actually had some plumbing and electrical power when it was built. I can’t imagine trying to deal with a house that was built centuries before indoor plumbing or electrical or worse still – before a proper damp course was required.
The other day I was explaining how I incorporate high calorie foods like haloumi and nuts into a FD and I realised tonight’s FD dinner is a prime example: https://imgur.com/a/Oga5F4P My dinner salad has 1/2 bag of baby spinach (60g 12 calories), 1/3 continental cucumber (100g 12 calories) a dozen homegrown cherry tomatoes (125g 19 calories), 25g toasted pine nuts (175 calories) That totals 218 calories plus whatever dressing I put on it – probably a dessertspoon of plain greek yoghurt (25g 32 calories). It’s a big bowl and the fibre content means it hangs around long enough to keep me feeling full for a while. Excellent choice for a hot day too – I suspect a hot soup or stew would be more appropriate in your currently bleak winter.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Stay cool.
Anzac, what a story, your OH returning home to find his wife with a box of knives and blood all over her hands! That poor London paramedic. How utterly appalling. Please pass on that some of us very much appreciate the work she is doing. I remember the first time I entered an Australian ER when DD was three. There was a life-size poster of a healthcare professional with wording to the effect of “We have the right not to receive abuse from patients”. I just kept staring at it wondering what they meant – not being able to conceive that anyone would abuse a healthcare professional.
Interestingly, after our recent snippets evaluating the world’s covid issues, hotel quarantine is being considered in the UK. And, instead of fining rule breakers who refuse to stay home after receiving a positive test, a proposal to pay them £500 to stay home.
We had a nice walk in the sun for three hours yesterday. Through very muddy fields, so it was quite a workout. I think it saved me from reaching my trigger weight today.
LJ, nice FD fare. I must have missed why you’re not fasting tomorrow. I wonder if Cinque will be back to join me.
Good morning all. It’s 6:50am and already 32C here. I went out to pick zucchinis and was shocked at how warm and steamy it felt. I’ll have a quick cuppa and then go for a walk.
Hi Thin, I am also joining you today for another FD – I decided to do B2B FDs on the weekend as it suited my schedule better.
I think the payment system makes sense, if needing to work is the reason people are breaking quarantine. During the Victorian winter covid outbreak they had both fines for rule breakers and payments available for those infected. The payments were so that casual workers, who don’t get sick leave, could a afford to stay home when they had covid. Although I think some still lost their jobs when they couldn’t work scheduled shifts.
Have a nice day everyone.
Good morning everyone,
I got back yesterday from our wonderful little beach holiday. The closest beach was perfect for the girls, a wide flat beach with warm shallow water, and just enough rocks, seashells and seaweed to be fun. We saw ibis (not being bin chickens) and a heron and heard a kookaburra. The little place we stayed was great with the hugest backyard tree with rainbow lorikeets (I think, they were high up!) visiting. Lots of other birds too, ofcourse, and wallaby poo in the driveway in the morning!
My upstairs neighbour was happy to let Miso in and out, and another nieghbour kindly offered to water my garden, so that was just lovely.
I took a container of my chicken and veggie soup with me, which was sensible. And I enjoyed plenty of bits of chips, beautiful battered flathead and pizza. Glad of my fast day today though!
I am tired, but it s a hot day building outside, today and tomorrow, glad to just gently catch up with friends online.
LJoyce so sorry about that flat battery and hooray that you did end up getting your walk around a beautiful suburb. I have only visited Adelaide once for a weekend, and just loved the old suburbs.
Jony, I think it must be some secret rule of joining this group, that only super gorgeous grand children are allowed. Don’t they grow up with that first proper haircut! I’m glad the barber could convince him he was safe.
to be continued…
Part 2
(3 things away, drink of water, another three things away, sit down 🙂 )
Anzac, hello! Fingers crossed you don’t lose any more posts.
Yikes re drama at your home! I do hope those cuts are healing nicely.
Re alcohol, I remember reading that when we drink our body prioritises energy from the alcohol first, then the energy from sugars in the drink before moving on to use energy from what we have eaten. So I can see how eating with alcohol would be a disaster.
Thanks for your kind thoughts re CFS treatment. Not much new, sigh. They still can’t work out what is going on, and basically it is a matter of treating the symptoms, and living in a way not to exacerbate them. But there is much more understanding and acceptance, which is a relief.
My fasty Mcfast day was good. I won’t try to be so fasty today, but I will be under 800. I am still working through chicken and veggie soup (luckily I am not sick of it yet) and will just have a small bowl every four hours or so for my fast day today.
Cali I read your post about that Nigerian bean stew and went and checked my pantry for red kidney beans. (Yes I have some!) (And peanut better). But I still have the mung bean stew on my list! Maybe I will make it first.
LJoyce did such a great answer about the international flights and the quarantining. I do hope our Federal Government is able to organise more people to come home, it has just been cruel hearing the stories.
But Thin, the Victorian Hotel Quarantine Inquiry found no evidence for those hankypanky rumours. (Small comfort given all the other things that were done wrong.)
Wow that jigsaw! Such a beautiful, beautiful picture! And wo I can’t even imagine what it was like to do.
Neil, so glad you are getting sun and some riding in, and fingers crossed all that good work you are doing will show in the scales this week. At least you can keep in mind how good it is for your health, even if those devil scales are not behaving.
LJoyce, gorgeous salad!
Hurrah for the Ikea furniture in place, and I hope the cabinet maker can come soon.
It has taken a while for the heat to build up today (yay!) it will be a different story tomorrow (sigh). So I’m closing the house and having a lie down.
Best wishes all! See you on my lovely morning after fast day!
Welcome home Cinque. I hope you had a fabulously relaxing holiday. I bet the kids has a load of fun. Hope you are now having a lovely rest to recover.
I remember being shocked to find that ME/CFS wasn’t an auto immune disease as extreme fatigue and having to carefully manage your activity seems to a feature of most of them – and that reminds me so much of ME/CFS. Not that I would wish an autoimmune disease onto you, but there are a range of quite effective treatments for autoimmune diseases these days, so it’s a shame that ME/CFS sufferers can’t benefit from those new treatments too. I will keep hoping that they find an effective treatment that helps you.
Helped by the heat, I have done a second FD. I have another spinach salad tonight, although topped with tinned salmon not pine nuts tonight. Hope the other fasters are going ok.
Welcome home Cinque, what a lovely break you’ve had and hurray for helpful neighbours willing to help with Miso. Rainbow lorikeets make an unmistakable screeching, I love it. We had dozens visiting our trees and diving down to the bird bath in Perth. Thank you for putting me straight on the Victorian quarantine hotel issue. I was wrong. It was really to demonstrate that as well as home quarantine, the hotel system can also be flawed as well as being very expensive and restrictive in numbers.
As for rewarding the type of people with no social or moral conscience about knowingly spreading the virus, they’ll now have even less reason to take reasonable care against getting it in the first place. It’s a measure of a decent society to help people in genuine need of a leg-up. But people must also take some personal responsibility and make contingencies in their lives.
I think one of the problems with getting the masses to follow the simple guidelines that could have prevented much of this has been the media’s relentless attempt to catch the government out throughout this pandemic. It’s not easy to get the nation to pull together when you have biased media with so much political and social clout constantly undermining every policy. This is not the time to try and bring a govt. down.
There’s a good public health message on TV now showing the masked, visored faces of NHS staff and patients, some with trach tubes, looking into the camera. It asks, “Can you look them in the eyes and tell them you’re helping by staying home?”. It drives home that the responsibility lies with us.
Oh dear, too much rambling. Don’t worry, not many people usually agree with my politics. Not out loud anyway! But I vigorously defend your right to say so.
LJ, it sounds like your B2B fasting has gone well. My FD is just beginning. Another chicken something for dinner. It’s 10am and we’re lazily contemplating having our showers. It was -5C last night and I can see frost on the next boat. It snowed yesterday and more is forecast for today but it’s not settling. I want to build a snowman on the boat’s roof. I planted some more chilli seeds this weekend as it’s like a greenhouse inside the boat. I’ll sow some tomato seeds soon and, this time, I’ll select just one strong plant and ruthlessly discard the others.
Cinque, thanks for the info on alcohol. I hope I can make better choices next week. How I’ve kept my trigger weight at bay on 6:1 for 15 months is a mystery. It must be all the walking although we both feel very sedentary right now. Many of our local walking routes are now under water and the river is still rising.
Morning all,
I had a good weekend, I went for a couple of rides, got some work done around the house and took the kids out to the river and swimming pool. The weather is still good today so I took my bike in to work again this morning. I always feel so much better when I’ve had a morning blast of exercise.
Wow, I hope your hand’s ok Anzac, that sounds like it could have been a lot worse than it turned out to be.
Ljoyce, the salad sounds pretty good. That’s one thing that I’ve missed this dreary summer, a couple of really hot days where you just don’t feel like eating.
Thin, I hope you didn’t get too muddy on your walk though the fields. We had some major flooding over here just after New Years and now that it’s gone down all the fields on the plains are full of stinky mud.
Cinque, glad you had a good holiday.
Well back to work, I’ll catch up with you all later, and hopefully now we’ve had some good weather I’ll see some budging of the number on the scales.
Good afternoon everyone.
It’s currently raining heavily here – with is an immense relief as we had a dangerous bushfire in the Adelaide hills yesterday and heavy sustained rain should help. The fire is near Mylor, which is small farms with mostly dairy cows or horses – it’s about 8km from where I used to live. This morning the fire was heading toward Aldgate and Bridgewater which is much more heavily populated. No reports of lost lives thankfully, but some homes were lost. Where I live now is a 40 minute drive from the fire but this morning the smell of smoke filled my house, despite the closed doors and windows.
I did manage to finish two B2B FDs, although it was a 500 + 800 calorie combination. (I doubt I could face two 500s in a row.) Tonight I’m having an early Australia day meal – lamb with vegetables. I have a red capsicum and some homegrown zucchini which will be roasted in the airfryer and I found some discounted lamb fillets at the supermarket this morning which I have marinating marinate in lemon, rosemary and garlic – they will go onto my little stove top cast iron grill plate. After two days of very limited fare I’m looking forward to tonight’s dinner.
Neil, I’m very pleased to hear that you’ve been able to get back on the bike. I hope the weather continues to allow you to cycle to work.
Thin, talk about contrasts. It didn’t get below 32C her last night and you’re dealing with -5C. I would definitely be missing access to big bath tub in those cold temperatures.
I love the idea of building a snowman on the roof of your floating home – can we have a picture please? Just don’t fall in trying to take it.
Cinque, how are you today. I hope you are slowly recovering from your little vacation.
I have been baking again today – a passionfruit souffle pudding which is served chilled so has to be made ahead time – which is most convenient. It’s a recipe that my best friend often makes when asked to bring a dessert and it’s very delicious. My family mostly don’t care for it – which I find completely unfathomable because it literally makes me swoon. I’m going to an Australia day buffet lunch tomorrow and need to take either a salad or a dessert – I always take a dessert. I usually do a pavlova, because that seems appropriate to the occasion, but this year I decided to make this pudding as I love it so much. Given that there will be a buffet table full of desserts I doubt I’ll have just one dessert on my plate. Somehow I don’t think cutting back on the chicken and salad buffet that preceeds it will make up for a plate full of desserts! I suspect some of you now understand why I’ve just done 2 B2B FDs. I’ll probably need to do another two after tomorrow.
Hope you are all doing well.
Hello friends, very hot here – 5.00pm and still 33 degrees. Tomorrow is going to be the hottest day of the heatwave (39 here) but a southerly buster is forecast tomorrow afternoon/evening that will drop temps to low-mid 20’s and bring some much needed rain
We are having Dad over for an Australia day barbie tomorrow so that will be nice. It will be an inside party with air-con of course. We are doing sausages (ick) because Dad loves them more than anything (I don’t eat them unless they are home-made by Mr Anzac because only then do I know what is in them) and some thai chicken and some kangaroo in a blackberry jus. Lots of salad and some whole baked potatoes with sour cream for the boys and a smidge of butter for me plus chives from our garden.
Your dessert sounds lush LJ! I’m not a huge dessert fan as I prefer savoury but when I do have one I really enjoy it. I love passionfruit with a passion (ha ha) and souffle is a favourite. We need to indulge sometimes else this WOL is not sustainable so enjoy your desserts and then knuckle down for a couple more FD’s
I’m still doing my 800-1000 calories during the week but have gone a bit silly on the weekend for the last couple so any weight lost is gained back. So that needs to stop
I’m so glad you had a lovely break Cinque and the place you stayed at sounds amazing. I hope you can rest now and recover as best as possible.
Neil, every time you describe your typical day I have to go and have a lie down (ha ha). Exhausting! But also very active, productive and joyous. I hope the nice weather continues for you.
Thin, -5 is seriously cold. That is an almost 45 degree difference between you and me! Stay warm my friend and may spring spring early for you. My nephew and fiancé sent some videos of them playing in the snow in London and I was amazed at how deep it is.
It is 5.30pm so time to go and help Mr Anzac with dinner prep. Take care….
LJ, terrible news to hear of the fires.
Anzac, LJ, your Australia Day plans sound great. Have fun. You can’t get much more Aussie than BBQ’ing kangaroo. Yes, what a difference in temperatures! I think ours must have been the only region in the UK not to experience snow yesterday. It was 0C when we went walking yesterday but, although I wasn’t keen to leave the cosiness of the boat, it actually doesn’t seem that cold when you’re on a brisk walk. Or maybe I’m acclimatised. I do notice that the face mask keeps my face toasty warm – I need a balaclava. And Gore-Tex is ‘no go’ clothing. Today is sunny and cheery, 5C high.
Neil, good to hear you’re back to your old self. Have a great week all.
Morning/afternoon all
Ljoyce, sorry to hear about the fires, it seems to be a regular occurrence in Australia in recent years. We’ve even started getting some over here in NZ too. There’s currently a fire burning on the Port Hills above Christchurch. 32 degrees overnight sounds like more than I could handle. I think I would be sleeping on the couch underneath the air conditioner if that happened over here :/
Anzac, wow, 39 degrees! Somewhere in between your temperatures and our recent temperatures in the teens would probably be the ideal, do you think there’s someone we can talk to to make it happen? 😉
Thin, I know what you mean about not feeling the cold when you’re walking. I went tramping with a friend in the middle of winter a few years back, and although it was -11 overnight and didn’t rise above freezing during the day, because it was sunny and we were walking with big packs, we were wearing just shorts and a shirt.
Well I had a good evening last night doing some work out at the local scout camp for the frisbee golf tournament this weekend. I’ll probably be out there again tonight doing some more. It’s a lovely little spot and I’m really looking forward to getting out this weekend and playing the course. The photos on the site really don’t do it justice, but they give you a rough idea of what the grounds are like.
Phew, what a scorcher! Our summer has finally arrived and the mercury hit 33degC today. Both our daughters happened to be off with their kids but our plan to hit the beach was canned when everyone realised something which is unusual for Dunedin – it was just too hot to go to the beach and sit in the sun for hours. Our place was transformed into a kids’ wonderland complete with paddling pool (suitable shaded) and a water slide on a lawn and our new outdoor table had its first outing by hosting a shaded ploughman’s style lunch for a dozen family.
It was lovely! As I write, it’s almost 11pm and it’s still 25degC here.
Neil, I see you’ve been busy at the Scout Camp preparing for the disc golf champs. Good on you for your voluntary work. I must have a go at that frisbee course sometime – I’ve got a couple of competition discs. Tomorrow (Wed) I plan to ride with my newest mountain bike group, the AOK Shark Bell Riders, after missing last week’s inaugural outing. For tomorrow’s ride I’ve got an interesting course mapped out which includes riding thru a links golf course and then a cemetery. I hope it’s not too hot for our ride.
OK – better get to bed. I guess it will be our first (attempt to) sleep with only a sheet cover. Very unusual in Dunedin, which after all is quite close to the Antarctic!
Ka kite, John
Morning all, looks like this is where my body wants to be. it’s my third weigh-in in a row sitting around 88.5-89 kilos. It was nice sitting under 85 kilos but the diet wasn’t really sustainable long term and I’m happy with being high 80s, as long as it doesn’t start going up into the 90s again. I’m eating a lot more fruit and veg than I was before the whole 30, I’m eating a little bit of dairy and occasionally some gluten.
February should be a big month for me since I’m doing the Aotearoa bike challenge, trying to ride as much as possible during February. Last year I managed 850 kilometres, this year I’m going to push for 1,000. I’ve managed around 600 kilometres so far in January so if I do that again and then add the Alps to Ocean ride on the end of it then that should get me pretty close to my goal.
Good morning good people,
I am moving slowly, but just got a call to say that home help will be a couple of hours later today, which is perfect.
LJoyce, ha yes, I am pretty sure I would swap to the scariness of a different horrible disease if it had good treatment. But I remind myself that if I live a small enough life I am almost symptom free.
However, I realised my small life needs to be better managed as my terrible habits mean that I can probably blame dustmite for my year of worsening cough, and I spent Monday clearing my bedroom of everything (now piled up in the spare room ) and washing all the bedding (I had protectors on mattress and pillows but forgot to wash them regularly), vacuuming and cleaning all the surfaces. Ooh I do love a clean clear bedroom!
Now I need to keep it clear and also deal with the spare room, haha. (weep)
Thin, awful news in this morning headlines of the UK deathtoll from covid reaching 100,000. But such a relief that the curve is flattening.
I think you nailed the alcohol argument because most of us just can’t afford to be eating empty calories. Nutrient packed calories are go!
LJoyce, an exception must be made for passionfruit souffle pudding! (Some good nutrition in there!)
Anzac I hope you had a wonderful time with your dad yesterday, and that everyone enjoyed the delicious food.
So much extreme weather! It is in every post 😀 I hear it is wild for you this morning again, Anzac.
Neil what beautiful grounds for your championships!
90 is a good round number for keeping under.
Jony, I hope you managed refreshing sleep (so hard when the night is hot). I hope you get a great ride today.
Quacka, I was thinking of you after reading how fasting can change the acids in our stomach (a conversation on reddit). It said that while some people find it cures their acid reflux, others find it starts it off or makes it worse. Smelling food, or even thinking about eating, is enough to make the acid start building up in the stomach and, because there is no food in there, it overflows. Is that the same as you have found out? Have you worked out any strategies for managing it? I gather some lucky people find a drink of water (or chamomile tea) is enough to sort it out as it begins.
Yesterday I made my mung bean soup. Ooh it is good. I’ve another bowlful in the fridge for today and some more in the freezer.
I’ll have my fast day tomorrow. Today it is mindfulness… especially in the evening!
Cheers all
Hi everyone, a quick post before bed.
Yesterday I was doing well with my food choices until the desert buffet appeared. I skipped the starter of homemade cocktail pies, was restrained with the chicken and salad buffet and then proceeded to sample 4 of the 10 desserts on offer. The only positive thing I can say about all those desserts is that it could easily have been worse. I actually contemplated going back to try some of the others that I’d skipped the first time, but managed to find a modicum of common sense before that happened.
This morning I had a justly deserved post sugar headache – hence my late post today.
The scales had poor news for me this morning too. It appears that the 2 kg I lost in December has been regained.
I have done another FD today and will aim for a couple of very restrained NFDs to follow. I think I need to revisit my mindfulness practice as I realised it never occurs to me to use this skill now.
Goodnight all.
Cinque, snap! We had mung bean soup last night. It was so good. I usually have loads leftover but used significantly less stock this time and left it on the diesel stove most of the day. We each had two bowls and it’s all gone! Good job on your clean and tidy bedroom and the home help coming a bit later. Are you one that cleans before the home help arrives?
Yes, a grim covid milestone. We’re expecting an announcement today about implementing the Aussie-style hotel quarantine at least for people entering from other countries with the variant. I heard some discussion on the radio where Australian critics of the policy cited the 800 deaths attributed to those two Melbourne hotels. They said the outbreak represented 99% of the 20,000 cases and was attributed to security guards and hotel staff. No system will be perfect.
CalifD, for the first time in my life, I understand what anxiety feels like. Yesterday, we needed something from Boots the Chemist, quite a large store that was devoid of customers when we entered. A couple came right up to the spot where I was examining a product so I quickly backed into an aisle to get out of their way but they followed me in and one actually touched me as they pushed past down the aisle only to exit it at the other end. Typically polite and apologetic – because covid will of course appreciate that. I’m gobsmacked that, after nearly a year of this, people just don’t seem to understand the simplest of instructions. I’m thankful to have a warm, safe place to hole up. Shopping is something I never enjoyed but have now come to dread.
We do have good news though. 6.8m people vaccinated. Brilliant British scientists working on genome sequencing and offering to help other countries with it. And selfless NHS staff risking their lives to give the best possible care to others.
LJ, you only sampled the desserts so it can’t have been that bad! Were they worth it? I’m pleased you’ve quickly realised the excess 2kg though so you don’t get back to that position you were in a year ago last December. It requires constant vigilance, doesn’t it? Sigh. I am so close to my trigger weight but the jeans I bought in the Spanish op shop last year are quite baggy. I know many of you go by the feel of your clothes but I feel I’m grasping at straws, the jeans probably just need washing.
Neil, I seem to remember deciding I was at ‘goal’ weight after quite a long ‘plateau’ towards the end. I think I was about 2kg lower than my ultimate weight when my body decided enough’s enough and settled back at 61kg. A couple of years later, I did get the other 2kg off without really trying. Nowadays 60kg is my ‘trigger’ weight.
We needed diesel and a pump out this morning and it was my turn to take the boat across. I reversed into the services dock perfectly – and no one was around to see it. There’s a current in the marina and I made a pig’s ear of backing into our skinny mooring. All the neighbours were out by then. Our neighbours bought their boat last April and have never left the marina. He is too scared to drive it and she takes it across for services with other moorers calling out instructions. We’ve been giving each other a good laugh at our ineptitude today.
Good morning,
Penguin, I haven’t stopped sending you good wishes. https://vasseflowers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/single-bunch-of-the-day-1.jpg
Fast day for me, and I think it will be an easier one. I’ll see how fasty I can go.
LJoyce, I hope you have recovered from your dessert buffet and are ready for mindful, frugal, nutrient rich (apart from carbs) food again. I hope I am, for the foreseeable future, too.
Thin, yes there are things to celebrate from the UK covid19 response. So much respect to the front line workers, and those researchers.
We have learnt so much about hotel quarantine after those first breaches and may need to learn more as the more infectious strains are testing our procedures now. As the authorities keep saying: we need to let people into our country, but not let the virus in. Tricky work.
(Really interesting article and visual representation of our clusters here https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-25/covid-19-spread-through-australia-over-year/13078574?nw=0 )
Ha, that mungbean soup was originally stew. It sounds like yours was pretty much the perfect plateful.
Damn that your perfect docking wasn’t in front of admiring onlookers. Ha, I think I would be like your neighbours.
Yes two bits of tidying up for homehelp, one to clear the things so she can clean them and secondly to prepare the house as best I can for the possibilty of having someone with covid breathing hard in every room for one and a half hours.
But guess what! I had a replacement cleaner yesterday who KEPT HIS MASK ON THE WHOLE TIME! I nearly burst into tears telling him how grateful I was. He was really surprised to hear I had never had a worker who kept their mask on before.
Hmm, enlightening message from Tartalbot. Not sure whether to report or not.
I’m off to embrace the day. Sending best wishes to you all.
Hi all
A quick message from me this time (I always say that, then end up writing heaps).
Neil, my page opened with your message about feeling blue. I am sorry to hear that. I imagine the accident at the lake has had a bit of a delayed reaction too ….you’d be coming back to what happened, and the ‘what if I’d been on the other side’ scenario. Hard for you.
Cinque, your holiday away sounds just delightful. And nice to have a cleaner who observes the protocols….it is really hard to tell people when they are doing the wrong thing (like your other home help, and the folk who stand way too close in the supermarkets). Ingrained, I suspect, to be polite. But in this dangerous world, I’m practising being more direct, although it isn’t comfortable.
Thin, just after I wrote this I moved back up the posts and saw your message about your Boots shopping. Just what I was talking about! I actually channelled one of the young ones the other day in Aldi and said to a rather surprised chap, ‘back up buddy’. I’ve never said anything like that to a stranger in my life. It felt strangely empowering.
Tartal, I did have a laugh at your post. Thanks for stating the bleeding obvious (which actually isn’t correct, but there you go).
Oh LJ, those pesky kilos….you’ll shed them soon enough, but frustrating for you.
I truly loved the images of those wonderful houses you posted …what a lovely area.
Now, I have some great news! (all relative, I guess 🙂
My dearest and one of my oldest friends also battles weight, but has been following her own plan (so so different from this WOL) and has successfully lost about 12 kilos, but has plateaued. I had a message from her on Tuesday ….she was watching tv and saw one of the Doctors Mosely talking about Fast 800 and decided to get on board. I’ve never preached about it …but now she’s made up her own mind, and we are going to do it together. She’s bought the books – I got the new cookbook – and we start Sunday, after a coffee and catchup on Saturday to get underway. She may even join the forum – one step at a time though. I’m very excited for her (and me).
Oh Anzac, what a terrible accident, and how much worse it could have been. Hope you are healing well. Maxx the phantom….not an image I had of him.
Jony, super gorgeous pic….Cinque is right ….we have some lovely little ones on this forum.
Miss 4 started prep yesterday and she was so excited she could barely sleep on Tuesday night. She opened her lunchbox yesterday to find a note from her big sister – O loves I. with a big red love heart between their names, ‘because she can’t read yet’. Then last night, the little one slept 12 hours straight. Not even when she was a baby did she do that.
OH has been tossing and turning, after an infection from a root canal has put him in a world of pain. Back to the dentist yesterday and she gave him a script for antibiotics. Just as he was about to pop one, I read the accompanying notes that advised against this particular brand for people with penicillin allergies. I well remember the anaphylactic shock OH went into in Macao after taking penicillin, so it was calls to the dentist and pharmacy to get a replacement. Only a 10% chance, apparently, but those odds just aren’t good enough.
I’ve been eyes down, other part up, editing a couple of papers for journal submission. They came out of the blue and had tight deadlines – one from a professor whose first language isn’t English, and the second from his PhD candidate who also has English as a second language. Both interesting papers, but full of highly technical language that had me with my nose into medical dictionaries. It was good work though – short and sharp.
Talking of which, Betsy, how are you going? Making progress?
Coming now to the discussion about alcohol. Yes, far too many calories. Yes, too much can make us silly. But actually, I just like it! A lovely G & T in the late afternoon, a very good red, served in a beautiful glass. Just sometimes, occasionally, the calories are worth it.
Back too to the discussion about my niece getting home….my brother had tried business class, as someone suggested. But …it was booked through Singapore, and the flight ended up being cancelled. There’s always a reason the flights don’t actually get off the ground. But hey, the tennis players got here, so that’s the most important thing, right? (OK, tongue out of cheek now).
Neil, further down the posts I see you sound much cheerier. That is good news.
Hello to those I’ve missed, and those not posting. Penguin, hope you are doing ok. Hope you have found somewhere good to live Intesha. And Cali, there is so little news of Trump these days, it’s like he was just a bad dream. Are you happy with the way the vaccination program is being scheduled?
Enjoy this very hot day all. (and so much for my quick post)
Good evening everyone.
I’m now home from babysitting and dealing with kids with a noticeably boosted appetite. I’m not sure if it’s because they are more active at school or that they just can’t graze all day when they are there and have some catching up to do. They each ate a bowlful of leftover spaghetti bolognese as a snack while they waited for me to make macaroni cheese for dinner! Amazingly they were tucking in to their macaroni cheese when I left.
Lindsay, how lovely to have a friend joining you on this fasting journey. I hope she find it works for her.
As to the calories in a G&T – I don’t actually know how many there are, but I happily allocate up to 150 calories to milk every day so that I can have as many cups of tea as I fancy. I will happily sacrifice a little food for that. Nothing wrong with prioritising something that brings much pleasure. Actually I suspect you are much better at practicing alcohol moderation than I am with tea.
What a wonderful story of sisterly support – even remembering that it had to be suitable for someone who can’t read yet. My great-nephew and I agreed to adapt the “I spy” game to use a colour rather than a letter as the clue, so that his little sister, who couldn’t read yet, could play too. Even now that she’s at school and reading well, neither of them will let me change it back, because they think their version is special.
Cinque, how wonderful that you had a cleaner who didn’t cause you to panic about your safety. It’s a shame the others don’t follow their training as closely.
Hope your FD has been an easy one.
Thin, I also see many people here who haven’t change their behaviour, and i do understand why they think our risk is low. It’s quite alarming with the infection rates you are dealing with though that people wouldn’t be alarmed and behave with caution – taking “keep calm and carry on” too far. I hope the new advertisement causes some changes in behaviour. I saw on the BBC news this morning that the government is introducing a version of hotel quarantine – ironic given our recent debate about that. I hope it reduces the infection rate – especially the South African and Brazilian strains as the early evidence is that the vaccines are less effective with those strains.
As to those desserts – yes I did just have one dessert bowl, so small portions of each – but it was pretty full. As to whether they were worth the calories – the passionfruit pudding and the banana caramel pie (banoffee pie to some of you) were definitely worth it. The other two were not. The trouble is you don’t know that until you’ve tasted them.
My eating has feel wonderful stable and controlled over the last two days, which is such a blessing. I cut up a big container of carrot and celery sticks yesterday and also made a pot of hummus. Having a healthy snack right at eye level in the fridge really helps. Without it I’m reaching for crispbread, crackers or bread. Not that they are a problem in themselves, but by the time I’ve added butter or cheese or nut butter the calorie count can be substantial.
I am slowly also making progress at getting the many things in plastic tubs or boxes stored away in the new storage units in my study/craft room. Did I mention I finally got that last Ikea drawer unit built last weekend? I even unpacked my sewing machine for the first time in 3 years and put it on the sewing table. I’m running out of excuses for avoiding the pile of clothing waiting for minor alterations – mostly shortening the hem on jeans and pants. I still have to sort out the bookcase and then I need to get a cabinetmaker to replace the wardrobe hanging space with shelves.
I have been paying attention to the calorie count that my fitbit tells me I have used each day and comparing it to how active I’ve been. I’m finding that there is definitely a law of diminishing returns. If I sit on the couch all day I need about 1400 calories. If I meet my 10,000 step target (achieved by including a one hour walk into my day), I need around 1800 calories. But if I do a second walk to increase my steps to around 13,000 my calories needs only go up to 1850. I have decided that pushing myself to do more and more exercise is not necessary. I need to meet some minimum activity targets, but anything beyond that should only be because I enjoy it.
I hope everyone else has had a good day. Take care all.
Cinque and Lindsay, I enjoyed your posts this morning but didn’t stick around to reply at the time. Now there’s another from LJ. And yes, that other silly thing, some people have way too much time on their hands. I didn’t report it because a) there was no link to something irrelevant and b) I didn’t want to slow down JJ’s effort to fix the page issue which she says is down to these annoying spammers. Please just go away!
Cinque, it was great to read of your male home help wearing his mask properly and keeping it on. Can you request him again?
Lindsay, great little stories in your post. Sweet big sister. Lucky that you were on the ball re: OH’s prescription. Until your comment about dealing with the Aldi customer, I’d forgotten that I’d resolved to speak out against the covid rule-breakers. Good luck to your friend with fasting and it would be fun to welcome her here although these days we’re so off-topic, I’m not sure how helpful we’d appear to newcomers.
LJ, it’s interesting that you, Cinque and Lindsay all speak of observing covid measures. And you’re all in different states. Several friends in WA feel that everyone there is complacent now – people are hugging, shaking hands when they meet and so on. I agree, LJ, it would be harder for people to appreciate the risk when the numbers are so low – or absent. Yes, interested to find out how well the hotel Q works out here. It is already proving a boon for domestic tourism before many details have been confirmed. Sounds like you’re well in control of things after that minor dessert blip.
We met a lovely elderly couple walking past when we first moored the boat opposite the castle outside the marina (or sardina as I’m now calling it). We’ve often stopped to have a socially distanced chat with them since. They were telling us today how they’ve both had the vaccine (they’re over 80) and how efficiently the whole operation was being run.
Morning everyone
This, great to hear that the vaccine is being effectively distributed. Hopefully within a couple of months you’ll start seeing the results from it and cases will start to fall away.
Ljoyce, Yes, we’re always told that weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Exercise is good to keep your metabolism cranking but you can’t really rely on it for weight loss. I do my exercise to keep my level of fitness up because I love the feeling of being this fit. Calories in a G&T depend on how you make it. I think a standard serve of Gin (30mls) has around 80 calories and 100 mls of Tonic has about 35 calories, so a standard G&T would be 115 calories and a double would be 195 calories. I agree with Lindsay that sometimes it’s worth it. Sometimes a couple of drinks on a Friday evening to see off the end of the working week are a pleasure that’s worth the few hundred calories, as long as you’ve fitted it in with your eating the rest of the day.
Cinque, great to have a sensible cleaner who shows they think about others more than their own comfort!
Well two lots of good news from my side of things. The insurance pay-out has come through (they paid market value of my bike rather than repairs) and I have ordered a new bike which will hopefully be arriving by the 1st March. I went for a gravel bike (a road bike that has suspension you can turn off and on and more knobbly tyres so it’s suited for both road and off-road riding). The other good news is I have managed to organise my Alps to Ocean ride. I’ll be doing it from the 25th-28th February, travelling up to Mount Cook on the 25th, riding from Mt Cook to Lake Ohau on the 26th, Lake Ohau to Kurow on the 27th, and Kurow to Oamaru on the 28th. 306 kilometers of awesome scenery and challenging riding.
Well have a great day and weekend everyone and I’ll catch you all later.
After hearing all the talk about soup around here I decided to make the Nigerian bean soup a few days ago. Soups and beans are both filling and the beans are full of fiber. I started with the main recipe but then had a taste for something a little spicier, so I added some cinnamon, a little allspice, and a small amount of a couple different curries. Like LJ, I usually add a bit more peanut butter than the recipe calls for but this time I added quite a bit more. I rarely measure ingredients so not sure exactly how much more, but usually I can’t specifically taste the peanut butter in the final soup, this time there was the subtle flavor. And it was sooo good! I used some adzuki beans I had in the pantry for some time. Other than the peanut butter and beans, it was still modest in calories. I increased the recipe with the thought of freezing some, but OH and DS loved it too so we ate it in a couple days. So I’m getting back into soups, stews and legumes again.
Cinque, LJ and Lindsay all mentioned people becoming complacent about covid precautions in Australia. Are people still wearing masks? There are so few cases that I would expect they wouldn’t, but judging from all the cases in the rest of the world, I would hope that they would. It seems like such a small thing to prevent the spread if cases do appear. People around here have always been complacent for the most part but it has gotten better lately with some of the big numbers. Cases across the country are leveling off some, but deaths are increasing in many places, including here.
Thin, which vaccine are they offering there? Here it’s Pfizer, which the 3 of us have an appointment to get mid February or Moderna. Distribution is slower than people would like but I know or know of quite a few people over 65 or healthcare workers who have received it. From what I’ve heard, the process has been pretty efficient.
Anzac, that accident with the knives sounds scary! Glad it wasn’t worse. I agree that a small cow bell might work well for Maxx so you can hear him coming. Isn’t it funny how dogs go from wild and noisy to quiet and stealthy in just a couple years? Of course, even pups are quiet when they’re up to something or into something they shouldn’t be.
Penguin, I hope we hear from you soon to let us know if you are in your new place yet and how the move is going. I miss your posts.
Neil, I agree about weather affecting our moods. It’s been cold and rainy here the past few days and I think it would be depressing if it weren’t that we need the rain. It’s been a rather dry winter. Fires are always a worry here when summer comes, just like there. LJ, do they have those fires near Adelaide Hills under control yet? I’m glad to hear you’re having rain. That should help. It seems like most of you have had more rain this year than last. I hope it continues.
We added another tv series, “Last Tango in Halifax”, a British show, and are quite enjoying it. We always try to have 3 series to switch back and forth to. With the pandemic I think we’ve spent more evenings watching tv than all the years proceeding this put together!
Well, hello to everyone I didn’t mention. I am reading your posts.
Here I am again, way behind on posts and no time to catch up. A few things jumped out at me while I was scrolling to the box to type my post but I don’t know who said what.
Was it $16,000 for air flights….OMG that’s unbelievable. Alcohol and carbs, yes I find that I can have a few drinks and the scales are still kind to me the next day but add a few carbs into the mix and up the numbers go. Oh dear, I’ve had a brain fade and I’ve forgotten what the other things were I was going to comment on. If I scroll back now I’ll lose my post so oh well, I’ll have to move on.
Miss G’Day started high school this week, lots of nerves etc and her first comment when we picked her up after the first day was….’I’m never going back there again’….lol. Anyhow, were on day 3 now and she is over the nerves (mostly), has made some new friends and is feeling more positive about the whole situation thank goodness.
To say life is a bit busy for me at the moment is a total understatement. I start work experience at the gym on Monday and because I’ve taken on quite a few other fitness activities I thought I should write up a weekly timetable to ensure I don’t lose track of where I’m at. Although I’m nervous about starting at the gym, I’m also
looking forward to shadowing the personal trainers in the different fitness sessions they run. So here’s what my week looks like from now on –
Monday – Lap swimming, pump/step class, yoga class, metapower class, boxercise class and pilates.
Tuesday – Yoga class, weights and exercises at home, study day
Wednesday – Lap swimming, tai chi class, daily grind fitness, metafit class, circuit training.
Thursday – Yoga class, weights and exercises at home, study day.
Friday – Bootcamp, lap swimming, study day.
Saturday – Yoga class, powerwalk and free rest of the day.
Sunday – Powerwalk, tai chi class, study day.
So it’s early to bed and early rise for me as boot-camp and lap swimming start at 6am. Even with our hot temperatures here at this time of the year the water is quite chilly at that time of the morning given the pool is outdoors and not heated.
I have 2 more assignments to submit to complete my Cert III in Fitness (apart from completing the work experience component) so hopefully I should have them done in the next week or so. Then I need to focus on my Cert IV in Weight Management course as I still have quite a few units of that to complete and I really want to have that finished before EOFY.
I hope everyone is going well, take care all xx
CalifD, people here are receiving Pfizer or Astra Zeneca vaccine. Another UK developed vaccine, Novavax, has shown 89% efficacy against the ‘English variant’. (Interesting how that terminology would be considered offensive to any other nation). Some of my former work colleagues in Southern California have received their first jab (healthcare).
I quite enjoyed ‘Last Tango In Halifax’. It highlighted the versatility of Nicola Walker who I’d always consider a spook. Can you get ‘Unforgotten’ in which she plays a lead detective? We’re currently watching ‘Punisher’ which is too violent for my taste but I look away. It serves us both as OH likes a bit of action and I think the plot is fairly good. I have a feeling that it might become one of those never-ending series that starts off with a great idea but they don’t know when to call it a day.
Neil, great news about the bike and the event. You will have such fun in beautiful surroundings. Stay safe out there! Yes, agreed. I spent far too much money on gyms over several decades doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I lost all my 25kg while walking as my only regular, daily exercise. I must say that since we stopped working the locks, I feel I have lost strength. I have some theraband and have devised a few exercises but I’m hopeless at sticking to a regime. I’d also love to do some yoga but the ceiling isn’t high enough (that’s my excuse, anyway).
Good evening all.
GDSA, I felt tired just reading your list of activities OMG! Probably a totally reasonable list for a fitness trainer. What a relief that your daughter has adjusted to school in a few days. It’s not as if there a re lot of other choices in a country town.
It was me that mentioned the flights, the $16000 was for 2 people one-way business class flights from Montreal to Sydney (so $8000 each) – and that was bargain basement business class.
Cali, I can’t wait for the weather to start getting a bit cooler. I enjoy cold weather foods like stews, soups and casseroles so much more than summer fare.
The fires are still controlled and they are gradually dealing with the remnants of the fire. They are using infra red on helicopters at the moment to find hot spots where there are smoldering areas that could flare up again. Wonderful when technology can provide such a useful benefit.
In South Australia very few people wear masks. When I go into any shopping centre, shop, pharmacy, medical practice etc I have a mask on. In the shops I am often the only one, but more people wear them in medical settings such as the GP or physio. One nice change though is that nobody looks twice if you are wearing a mask even if you are a rarity these days. In the early days of the pandemic you got very funny looks if you wore a mask – mostly because they were telling us we didn’t need to back then.
Neil, excellent news on the insurance payout. I hope the new bike you ordered is even better than the damaged one.
Thin, I am much more cautious than most of the community here, and as I mentioned above I am often the only person in the shopping centre with a mask on. I can’t control anyone else’s behaviour but I can take sensible precautions for myself. The only settings where I don’t use a mask is when I am going somewhere to eat or drink, as I’d have to take it off anyway. In that case I go back to system I was using early last year – betadine nasal swabs and mouthwash before I leave the house, (on Australia day I even popped home after 2 hours to redo it). I also avoid going to shops during really busy times.
I must admit I don’t tackle the covid rule breakers head on, because most people here don’t follow the distancing rules. I do make very deliberate movements to remind people – like taking a big step sideways to enforce a 1.5m distance and when I get to the checkout I make a big deal of standing on the X that is marked of the floor and when it’s my turn to move up the line I am very deliberate in moving exactly onto the next X to remind people that they should be standing on the appropriately spaced Xs too. It’s interesting how often my exaggerated behaviour does remind people and I see then shuffling back to the X they should be on.
I know you haven’t been keen on staying in a mooring for months, but finding other nice people who can regularly chat to is nice bonus to being in the one place for a while.
It’s only 8:40 but I’m already yawning. Another early night I think.
Take care all.
LJ, it was interesting to read about how you handle the SD rules. I always think those spacing floor markers will make for great twister games when this is all over. I feel that since masks became mandatory, people developed a false sense of security wrt the distancing. So your SD guideline is 1.5 meters? When the pubs were open, the rules were that patrons must wear masks everywhere but at their table. That’s a good policy for restaurants. If you get up to visit the loo or order another drink, you put your mask back on.
Yes, we definitely know Newark! The boating community is just lovely here on the sardina too. On a day like today, 10C, sun’s out, it’s possible to have a decent six foot chat from one boat to another or down at the ablutions block. Some have been here 12 years and never left the sardina. We’re unlikely to see them again even if they were to venture out, as we’ll head south towards the canals with narrow locks that the wide beam boats can’t access. Some of the boats are positively huge. There are only 20 narrow boats, we only know of one other nb couple here for the winter mooring like us. Meanwhile, we all look out for each other, scattering grit along the slippery jetties, offering to collect essentials when we go out or sharing advice and tools for repair jobs. It’s interesting that we rarely know people’s professional backgrounds, we’re all just boaters with boating tales. I just wish we could have been allowed to see more of DD but at least we’re close.
GDSA, your post wasn’t there when I started my previous one. I, too, am exhausted by reading all that activity. You will have a very high level of fitness. What did DD not like about high school? I’m sure she’ll make lots of new friends and presumably some of her primary school friends will have gone to the same high school.
Part post while I am waiting for my washing machine to finish. I’ll catch up gradually.
Lindsay, great news to be 5:2ing with your friend! I do hope it suits her and you can keep on being 5:2 buddies.
I hope Mr L’s saw jaw is soon better, and hooray for checking for allergies.
Your 2 bits of editing sound good work. Hooray for short and sharp.
Excellent point about your G&T and widening it to lemon souffle and delightful food in general.
Betsy, I’m missing you here too.
Off to hang out washing…..
G’day all. Another filling winter soup tonight that I threw together on the fly, with chicken broth, chopped chicken breast, lots of pinto beans, farro grains, chopped onions and garlic, a small amount of red lentils which work nicely in soups and stews as a thickener, cumin, a bit of regular chili power, and some aleppo chili powder for a bit of heat and salt. It was another successful soup/stew with lots of fiber. While it wouldn’t be a FD meal with all the beans and whole grains, it was a nice filling NFD meal that didn’t encourage further snacking. I made enough for leftovers. Good fare for the cold rainy weather.
Thin, Nicola Walker is my favourite actor in Last Tango in Paris too. While I sometimes lose patience with the character she plays, her acting is excellent. Actually, all the characters in that show are great. We do have Unforgotten and watched the first episode tonight, but I fell asleep about 20 minutes into it. Then we watched another new one for us, Poldark. I promised to stay awake and made it through all of 10 minutes before falling fast asleep again, half sitting up on the sofa. I will have to watch both again tomorrow. Why is it so easy to fall asleep early, after dinner while watching TV and so difficult when I go to bed at night? I must be in a different personal time zone!
GDAY, just reading about your weekly workout schedule is exhausting! But wonderful training in all of those different exercise classes. You are going to be in great shape and hopefully have some fun in the process. I’m glad DD decided to like high school after the first couple days. Her age group seems to be more resistant to changes in their routine and making new friends, at least initially.
LJ, I’m glad the fires to the north are under control now. Rain is a good thing in the summer months in both of our climates. Unfortunately here, it rarely rains in the summer. While I love the warm weather, I’ve come to dread the later part of the summers here in recent years because of the fire danger. The world’s climates seem to be changing rapidly and I fear that energy policies aren’t changing quickly enough.
Neil, great news on the insurance payout for the new bike. Why so long to get it though? Do they have to build it from scratch? We want to see pictures when it arrives!
The vaccines are rolling out here, mostly for people over 65 and healthcare workers. There was a story tonight about a medical center in Seattle that had a freezer failure and had only hours administer 588 doses of Moderna vaccine before it expired. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/late-night-freezer-failure-in-seattle-sends-hundreds-scrambling-to-get-a-fast-expiring-covid-19-vaccine/ It demonstrates some of the challenges in distributing so many does as quickly as possible across the country. I read that about 6.9% of the people in this country have received at least one dose so far. The push now is to get more people vaccinated before several variants have a chance to spread. Thin, do you know the percentage of people who have been vaccinated in the UK? It’s an interesting one to watch and compare to new cases since the vaccines were started earlier there.
Hi to everyone out there who isn’t posting. Betsy, Intesha, Penguin and Merry among others.
CalifD, funny that you fell asleep during those shows. Back when I had a couch, I would regularly fall asleep watching movies and then wake up so deeply tired, go to bed …. and stay wide awake for hours. Now we have these fancy reclining, swivelling, leather chairs with adjustable footstools which are really comfortable but I’ve never fallen asleep on them.
The UK has vaccinated approximately 12.5% of the population. The number of new cases is falling but the death toll remains high because, of course, there’s a lag. The new strains are more contagious hence the spike this year but, from everything I’ve read, it’s a simple matter to adjust a vaccine to combat a new strain just as happens with the ‘flu vaccine every year.
I’m looking forward to hearing that you three have had your first doses. It’ll be interesting to see if you get it done before my OH. His category have been receiving letters this week but OH not lucky yet …. Although it’s not our ticket out of this mess, we’ll all feel some hope once we at least get access to the first dose I think. Stay safe.
Cinque, P.S. I kept waiting for the next instalment, that must have been an industrial sized laundry load that you’re hanging out.
Good Sunday morn,
Fast day.
Ha Thin, I followed up the washing hanging out with an opshop and library expedition, and then was too tired to do anything else (haul was a nice silk shift and a few recipe books to peruse). I did manage to bring the dry washing in at the end of the day though, and put it away.
Let’s see how I can respond today before I head off to my daughter’s for a little visit.
LJoyce,hooray for stable days and sorting out that energy expenditure guideline for yourself. I love how we keep learning (and relearning – in my case at least), if only we could go back in time and know what we know now.
Thin, Cali, people are more complacent here too, but most people still masked in the shopping centre and in shops and, I think, more practiced at social distancing, so it is working better.
Neil, hooray a new bike and a gravel clever one, and wow what a ride that Alps to Ocean will be!
Cali, mmm yum legumes in soups! What lovely hearty nutritious ones you are making.
We’ve had no community transmission in the country long enough now that even WA is relaxing its borders in a couple of days. (Touching wood) No vaccines here for a few more weeks, but hopefully they will roll out nicely then.
I read an article yesterday explaining how the coronavirus was mutating through the big Victorian wave, and how lucky it was that we stamped it out so there isn’t a Melbourne mutation to add to the world’s worries.
Gday, so glad young Gday is settling into High School, it can be a brutal change.
Wow, good luck with the week ahead! If I remember rightly you did some freezer filling with good food to help. I imagine you will be aching all over and so tired to start with. Superwoman by the end though!
Good luck with it all.
Lindsay, I thought of you this morning when a friend shared a gorgeous clip of an Azerbaijan family collecting honey and cooking the most wonderful meal in the open. She had very gentle bees and didn’t need protective clothing! I hope your bees become gentler and gentler.
Well, I’m calling that caught up. Cheers all. I’m off to be hungry all day, and imagining the little microbes having a chance to vacuum clean my guts, and a little bit more of my belly disappearing. Cheers.
Morning all.
Such a lovely picture, Cinque, of those little microbes with their vacuum cleaners out
It’s hot and steamy and I’m over the heat. But at least our pool is sparkly ($500 later, after replacing the cell in the whatsamajig that does something with the salt, and a few technician visits later).
Expensive start to the year actually – the motor on the pool robot also sighed its last and had to be replaced. I’m not complaining though – we’ve had literally decades out of the pool and on these hot nights often go for a swim and into bed under the fan, to keep cool, in the absence of air con.
Now, Jony and Neil, Dunedin. How’s the heat? Fancy not being able to go to the beach because of it. Hope it doesn’t affect your various bike trips. And nice the insurance company is doing the right think Neil. No left over aches and pains from he accident?
LJ Neil is right with the cals in a gin, and I drink slimline tonic so it’s not too bad. I don’t drink milk in tea so I have a little wriggle room. But I don’t always want it – dinner out last night with friends and both OH and I drank iced water (because he’s on antibiotics). Just sometimes, it’s just right.
LJ I love the idea that your little ones still practise their own version of ‘I Spy’…a lovely little family tradition.
I caught up with my friend yesterday and we went though the program and both started the Fast 800 today. Both of us are feeling pretty motivated, and I think it will be easier too because we’ve both already made huge changes to the way we eat over the past couple of years.
Thin we don’t see masks here too often now, but the socially distancing seems to have stuck somewhat. Great to see the vaccines being rolled out in the US and in the US, and knowing that those horrendous numbers will fall. Concerning, though, the stance the EU has taken about vaccine exports, particularly for the poorer countries.
Calif I adored Last Tango in Halifax …the marvellous, versatile Nicola Walker. I loved her too in Unforgotten. All the cast in both programs was wonderful I thought.
I had the DVD series of Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet in my cupboard and we got it out a couple of nights ago. I loved the book, but couldn’t get past the couple of scenes that started the series, so put it back in its covers and opted for a repeat of Vera.
Gday I hope your daughter’s second week in the big school isn’t as terrifying. I well remember my DD’s shoulder set as she marched into high school, full of trepidation. Another step on the journey for your DD. (and I am in awe of your program….whew!)
Cinque, a silk shirt in an op shop! You really are the OP wizard. I’ve been searching for my pink china plates, with no success. I did however find a terrific china coffee mug, with lid, which fits nicely into the centre panel in my new car (the mugs I had were just a tiny bit too big….and who needs splashing coffee in a new car?). And it was a dollar, so I left the store feeling very happy with myself.
Cinque, where did you find the film of the honey collectors? It sounds delightful. Did you ever see Honeyland? Amazing film, and a true story which made it even more special.
OK now the rain has started, so my day needs a rethink.
Happy Sunday all.
Cinque, oh dear, you spoke too soon. Perth is back in lockdown, albeit brief. Great op shop finds.
Lindsay, glad to hear that SD is the norm in your area. I think when all this is over, if it ever is, I will continue to give people a wide berth. I actually like the fact that fewer people are in my ‘personal space’.
FD for me, I’m looking forward to it. I marinated the chicken tikki masala overnight. It’s a chilly 3C but sunny and that’s always more inviting for heading out for a walk.
Good evening all.
Just nearing the end of a FD, joining Cinque, Lindsay, Thin and probably a few others. I had a dinner of zucchini, mushrooms, capsicum, quinoa and mince. I have to say that Thin’s chicken dinner sounds much nicer. Mine was fine, but nothing to write home about.
Thin, I just saw the news on Perth’s lockdown too. When we had something similar happen in Adelaide last November our short lockdown was enough to help SA Health find and quarantine the close contacts. Hopefully it will work for WA too.
12.5% is very significant – that’s a lot of coverage in such a short time.
We are now wondering here whether the Pfizer vaccine that we are expecting to arrive from Europe in late February will be stopped from leaving by the EU, who seem to be having issues with they own vaccine supply. Once we move on to the Oxford vaccine (not yet approved here), it won’t matter as we are manufacturing it in Melbourne.
Lindsay, I hope you and your friend found this FD easy. Hopefully she can find a meal pattern that works for her. Is she doing the intense Fast800 or two FD800s each weak? I had assumed the latter.
Cinque, I am impressed with your silk shirt too. Good weather for something so lightweight.
I am heading to the hills tomorrow morning. I’m walking with a friend along the creek path to a local cafe for lunch and then walking back to her place. It’s a total of 70 minutes walking, and a lovely shady walk. Also good for the leg muscles given the steep hills. Then in the afternoon I have the nurse coming to do my infusion.
Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.
LJ, it was very nice thanks. Good thing too as we’ll probably be having it again on Wednesday when I feel it’s inevitable that I switch to 5:2. I thought I might do that for the remaining four weeks we have in the sardina as we have access to so many grocery stores that it makes sense. It will give me a chance to find some extra wiggle room before we have to head out into the unknown again and planning becomes trickier. I’ve had a very good run of maintaining 6:1 for about 17 months but two FDs are better than one for re-setting portion control.
Bad news just breaking: Captain Tom has been admitted to hospital with covid. Oh no. Not good at his age. Then again, my uni friend’s mother was recently admitted with it at age 90 (here in England) and has survived and been discharged home alone.
Morning all
I had a great weekend out at the scout camp playing frisbee golf. Now it’s all about the cycling. Today is the first day of the Aotearoa bike challenge and I’m planning on getting around 100km in the books on day one to give me a jump start to my goal of 1,000km this month. I’ve got 26km done on the ride to work, I’ll go for a lunch ride, ride home the long way, then go for an evening ride.
Thin, sad news about Captain Tom, I hope he comes through it ok.
Ljoyce, I hope you enjoyed your walk, I got plenty of walking during the tournament. It took around 5 hours for each round so 10 hours of walking during the weekend (phew) I had a nasty hamstring cramp after the first day which I haven’d had for ages.
Lindsay, no aches and pains leftover from the crash, relaxing in the pool sounds like the place to be when it’s hot and steamy, even if it did cost you some serious moolah to get it going.
Cinque, great way to look at a fast, stop interrupting our little gut microbes so they have time to complete cleaning the house, I like it.
Cali, it always throw me hearing northern hemisphereites talking about winter soups when we’re in the middle of summer. The bike takes so long to get here because during lockdown the demand for bikes skyrocketed as we were allowed to go for a ride or walk each day as long as we stayed away from other people. There just aren’t that many bikes in the country, and now that covid has slowed all the imports coming to the country it takes ages to get anything her.e. My bike is coming from the factory over in the states.
GdayfromSA, Whoah! sounds like you’re going to be putting in some serious hours over the week. Good variety of exercise too. I’m going to be putting in some heavy hours as well but mine is all going to be cycling for this month.
Well have a good week everyone and I hope to hear from you all later.
Good morning.
Me and my big mouth jinxing things! Not only the poor guy in WA tested positive but I went to the supermarket yesterday in the early afternoon and discovered that I was completely wrong when I said Melbourne was pretty good at social distancing now!
Note to self, go shopping in the quietest times!
Thank goodness for masks.
So sorry to hear about Captain Tom.
Well I did have a good easy fast day yesterday. I went out (always a good idea on a fast day) and had a nice low carb veggie based meal when I got home at 3ish and then didn’t feel hungry later so didn’t have a meal. Very good except I slept so lightly.
I hope all the Sunday fasters had a good one.
Haha yes. I imagine the little gut cleaning microbes like those little fish that nibble people’s feet. I will give them a nice go now, I hope, as I plan to wait for a mid afternoon meal before I eat again today (I did have a hearty breakfast).
Lindsay, the honey gathering (and meal cooking) clip I saw was just 6 minutes long with a voice over, and I enjoyed every minute, but the link goes to a half hour clip! Luckily the bees are at start (and in it I see she does smoke them): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvuyOv7FkxA&fbclid=IwAR3pStS7VhANirGa1Q3PqqTXDQTxI7BUmvvSqPINbkI5kscAWCkJR1fpb30
LJoyce, I hope you are having a wonderful walk in the hills.
And also that your infusion is especially easy.
Thin, what a brilliant run you had on 6:1 and what a sensible time to move back to 5:2.
I saw a tweet this morning that 1 in 87 Brits were vaccinated yesterday. Phenomenal.
I am glad it was such a great weekend Neil, best wishes for your riding.
I need an at home day and need to focus on housework and not food. Wish me luck!
Cheers all
Morning all. Cooler today, which is a blessed relief. I think we’ll only hit 29, which is perfect for gardening. My OH has his first face to face U3A today (he tutors creative writing), so I will have some time on my own to enjoy the serenity. As I say fondly to him, ‘no thought left unvoiced’.
My fitbit gave up just as I particulaly needed it so I’ve ordered another using FF points. No point in keeping them – I have three hundred thousand, and it’s not like I’m going anywhere anytime soon.
Neil do you wear a fitness tracker to keep tabs on all your activity?
LJ to answer your question, my friend and I are doing the fast 800 for 8 weeks. She lives alone, so is cooking meals to divide for the freezer. I am very lucky that Mr Lindsay is very supportive (and slim) and is happy with whatever I serve, pretty much. I will need to watch he has the extra carbs though – he doesn’t need to lose weight. So, great result this morning for my friend who lost 1 kilo after her first day. I lost .9 so I’m happy too.
Fingers crossed for Captain Tom Thin. He will get the very best of care, that’s for sure.
LJ your outing this morning sounds lovely – what a nice walk you describe.
OK off to get OH’s breakfast. His going out reminds me how I managed the 16:8 fast so well when I was working. He always had his breakfast while I got my lunch ready for work, so I was busy and didn’t miss the meal. I’ve still kept to intermittent fasting, but not always 16:8 these days. Dr M recommends 12:12 and then 14:10 for the fast 800, and a 14 hour fast is very manageable.
Morning Cinque – no doubt you’ll post just as I sign off, so I’ll pop back soon to see how your day looks.
Kia ora, fast friends! Sorry I haven’t posted for a while but as some of you will know, retirement is the busiest time of life!
The photos were taken on our AOK Shark Bell ride last Wed – yes, I’ve started my fourth bike group since I came to Dunedin 24 years ago. This time I’ve plumped for a mid-week ride, hoping to attract some of the retired folk I spy riding around on their own. It is also attracting shift workers. I know it’s hard to make new friends when you’re ancient so we’ll try this. So far it’s working well – last Wed we had 18 riders out; I expected only half a dozen. Riders pay nothing to join or to ride – I just run the rides as a public service, as I believe in giving back to the community.
Neil – great to hear you’ve got a new bike. Your gravel machine sounds like the bike I used to ride to school down gravel roads to the school bus (7min down, half an hour home back up the big hill). However, I guess your new bike will have gears and I hsee it also has suspension – none of that in the 1950’s and 60’s. See you on a Shark Bell ride next time you have a day off on a Wed!
Lindsay L – yes, we’re starting a promised week of fine summer weather, but no, I don’t think we’ll get a heatwave, thank goodness. I prefer about 25degC, as I can still dig the garden or do other strenuous activities without feeling like I’m about to expire.
Today’s my first FD for week 19 and I’m into my 37th FD. It’s just part of my routine now – I know I’ve got to do it, as no-one’s gonna hassle me about sticking to the plan. It’s called self-discipline, I guess. Since I started I’ve just been losing weight gradually, and now I can do a fast day then scoff whatever within reason for 3 NF days but still stick to the lower weight. I must note I’m having only light lunches on NF days, though, as I just don’t feel very hungry at lunchtime. I’ve now lost 8kg since I started. My initial goal is 90kg, so 7kg to go! I’m about halfway and still feeling committed.
We’ve been watching series 1-4 of “The Crown” and enjoyed it, although the writers took some terrible liberties with the truth at times. Take the episode when Chas and Diana toured Aust and NZ in 1983 and there was a lovely scene of baby William playing with a Buzzy Bee toy on the lawn of an Aussie property. Can I point out the Buzzy Bee is an iconic NZ invention? The NZ people gifted one to William when his family toured here and that Bee scene took place in NZ, on the lawn of Government House, Auckland! Interesting that the only NZ scene from that tour pictured in The Crown showed fierce Maori warriors dancing as if they wanted to eat the pakeha visitors. No we have to wait for series 5 of the Crown to see what other historic royal happenings are about to have their history rewritten. Now we’ve started watching Queen’s Gambit – not too bad.
Ka kite, John
Hi all
Lindsay, I don’t wear a tracker, I keep tabs on my riding by using the “Map my ride” website where I manually plot the routes I ride. https://www.mapmyride.com/
John, yes the bike has got suspension that you can lock out if you’re riding on the road. this is the one I’m getting if you want to look https://www.evocycles.co.nz/Product/355365/2021-trek-dual-sport-3-bike-grey?fbclid=IwAR36CCXgi_ssjjT-dg54e2o019gexp_IHnJ77MN-NMwUe-lovNkVT7gocPI
Hi all,
Well my week of full on exercise came to an abrupt holt last night (Sunday night). A mishap in the kitchen while cooking tea ended up in 4 hours in Accident and Emergency with a severely burn hand. I put a metal frypan in the oven to keep the food warm while I was finishing off something else and when I went to remove it (using an oven glove) it was so hot the heat penetrated through the glove. Whatever metal the pan was made from was obviously designed for stove top and not the oven….oops.
My 3 middle fingers of my left hand (one positive is I’m right handed) were burnt from finger tip to down past the knuckle on the palm side. The pain was unbearable and I had tears streaming down my face while I held my hand under the cold water tap. I was still sobbing when we arrived at A&E where they kept me waiting for nearly half hour before I was attended to. Given I was the only patient there Mr GDay was getting quite peeved off to say the least.
Before they would dress the burns, I had to be able to tolerate the pain without having my hand under running iced cold water for at least 10 minutes. It took over 3 hours before I could manage it. Mr GDay sat next to me with a timer and by the first hour the most I could manage was 30 seconds out of the water before the pain was unbearable again.
So I’m now bandaged up for 7 days and then go back again to remove the bandages and assess the healing and they will decide from there if anything else needs to be done. I’m on strong painkillers which are making me quite drowsy but at least the pain is bearable at the moment.
So my gym sessions for at least the next week will be as an observer only. All is not lost as I will be able to complete components of my Work Experience Manual such as Work Health and Safety etc that don’t require me to actually participate in exercise. Again, thank goodness I’m right handed so I can still write. Although the simple things in life are quite difficult at the moment, putting my hair up, taking the lid off the toothpaste, tying up shoe laces etc…..not so easy with one hand.
Hope everyone is travelling well. Cheers for now
Hello everyone
Just wanted to pop in to say hi and happy Monday. I’ve managed several days of not falling off/over/into anyone or anything so that is always a good thing!
Jony 8 kilos is great and you must feel so much better already. Nice pics; you are never far from a stunning view in NZ
Yay that NSW has lifted restrictions and we have booked our very late Christmas get together with the family next Saturday. I am very much looking forward to it
G’day I too am falling over in exhaustion just reading about your week! Good for you! I disliked high school to the extreme and it would have been better if I hadn’t been successful in getting into a selective school and went to the local high school with my friends. But we weren’t to know. I hope your daughter ends up loving it
I think it is SO great that you have a friend starting this WOL with you Lindsay. It sounds like you are off to a flying (downhill) start 🙂
I very much like the thought of gut microbes cleaning the house Cinque, thanks for that. Glad you had an easy FD yesterday but sorry for the light sleep.
That’s a lovely sounding walk tomorrow LJ, I hope the weather is perfect. I walked home from the hairdressers on Saturday, about 40 minutes, but it is through lots of shaded paths so very enjoyable. I have to say it’s a bit ironic about the rules here. Masks are no longer mandatory in most places with a big exception being hairdressers and beauticians. Back during the first lockdown they were some of the only businesses allowed to be open and masks were optional. It was a hot day and I felt very relieved to have the darn thing off after over 2 hours of sitting in the salon with it on.
Cali, while things are still dire over there I’m glad there is some hope on the horizon. You are sounding more hopeful too and that is fantastic. I’m glad your vaccine is scheduled soon. I think Mr Anzac and I will be later this year. My Dad will be amongst the first to get it being 95. The poor bloke currently has a terrible rash and we could not figure out where it came from. Then Mr Anzac realised that he has been asking us to get cherries for him the last few weeks when we get his groceries. The Doctor twice gave him cream and AB’s – increasing the power the second time. So a third trip to the Doc today and he mentioned it and the Doc agrees this could be the cause. Anyway they got him an emergency appointment at the skin specialist tomorrow.
Good luck with the riding Neil and between you and G’day I am doubly exhausted!
Must run, work calls as always. Take care and hi to everyone else
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7:50 pm
21 Jan 21