Happy Monday all

Thinking of you G’day

Wow Neil, 20,000 steps so soon after having Covid is impressive. I too no longer watch tennis as I don’t particularly like any of the players. I am a Federer fan and was also an Ash Barty fan but now? Pfffft

We had to take Maxx to the vet on Saturday as he tumbled down our internal carpeted stairs and was walking gingerly. Good news is he is just a bit bruised and some anti-inflammatories and no walking for a few days should do the trick. Bad news is the vet nurse just rang to say the vet has tested positive to Covid. Gah! We all wore masks and the vet nurse said she sprays Glen20 constantly. Steve’s next surgery in on Monday so if he does catch it that will be delayed and it will crush him

Thin being in the 58’s is the perfect way to be just before a holiday. You can surely marginally lower your strict regime whilst in Andorra? I do wordle every day too (love it) but rarely get it in 3. My stats are: 5 times in 2, 34 times in 3, 38 times in 4, 35 times in 5 and 13 times in 6

Cinque your ramekins sound very nice except the brown rice (not a fan). Sorry that you had a terrible sleep late last week after grandgirl minding; I hope you have now recovered

I am on a major health kick starting this week. We went out for lunch on Saturday and I saw some photos and UGH! I am tracking my food and drink and exercise in a spreadsheet. Nothing drastic just lower carbs, no wine and more exercise. I weighed in this morning back up to 92.7 so I will post my progress here to keep me honest

LJ I hope your current busy schedule isn’t too tiring and looking forward to a nice catchup from you

ok back to work, take care Friends

Anzac, oh no, covid at the vets. Best wishes to OH for the surgery – is that today or next Monday?

Neil, Cinque, I agree about the poor sportsmanship and that’s one reason I dislike sport in general. The mindless drivel from the commentators is another. I hoped Norrie would win. I then pinned my hopes on Kyrgios but changed allegiance in the second set with his non-stop rantings, swearing and diatribe. It was a great final nevertheless with Djokovic proving the better – and more composed – player.

Cinque, hurray for delicious ramekin portions.

It’s a Monday FD for me. Yesterday we’d agreed to help a solo boater through a lock and swing bridge and rode on his boat to the next village which has pubs and amenities. I thought it would be nice for OH to get his Sunday lunch before we walked back so suggested I swap my FD. I’m starting the day at 59kg exactly so will be well back in the 58s to start our trip tomorrow.

I’m not taking any ‘devices’ so I’ll catch up with everyone in a couple of weeks.

Cinque, I forgot to say that space picture was great.

Neil, thank you. I do like a two hour flight – no matter how fat your seat mates, you know it’ll be over in a flash. I’m so pleased that you’ve found something that works well for you. It is hard to watch family members tucking into other things that you love and can’t have but you get used to it. The rewards are worth it.

58.4kg this morning, my lowest for this year. I have a spring in my step.

Stay strong everyone.

Morning all. How odd Neil. Can only be water weight, surely? All the other markers sound great.

We’ve had a dreadful weekend. We were away for a few days and OH got his medication confused (ie he didn’t take it) and had a dreadful day in a slump. The immunotherapy has knocked out his adrenal glands and his endo had warned that if his adrenalin levels slipped, the best he could hope for was a trip to ICU. I carry extra ‘just in case’ tablets, and pumped more into him, and he rallied…but it was touch and go. And then, he tested positive for Covid. He has a great GP. We have his mobile number, and although he wasn’t working we called it and he helped. Back from our weekend away, and straight to hospital, where they sorted him.
Thin, you asked whether the UK accepted an Australian vacc. certificate. The answer’s no. Although my brother and his wife had been double dosed with Astra Zeneca, they still had to have another 2 jabs once they got to England. That was last year – I am sure things have changed.

Anzac, it’s a good time to go on a bit of a health kick. Just 7 weeks til Spring. It would be nice to see some kilos shed by then. That’s my plan too. I’m still 5 kilos over what I ended up last year, and it affects by whole wellbeing (not to mention the lovely leather jacket I got at my lowest not sits loved but not able to be worn, in my cupboard).

Cinque, indeed. what goes on in little ones’ heads? loved your grandgirl’s image. Aren’t they a hoot?

OK, off to get a PCR. I’ve taken a rat three days in a row, all negative, but they’re aren’t as accurate with the new strains of Covid.

My lovely lovely son has just dropped the dog back – she’s been prowling and restless with both OH and me unwell, so he took her for a run. Last I saw, my 6 foot, super fit marathoner was being towed up the drive by my big red girl.

LJ hope things are going well with you.

And G’day. Hard times. Hope you are OK. xx

Good afternoon lovely people.

Still busy (in the middle of school holiday babysitting), but am taking this chance to catch up on posts that I haven’t read for a few days.

Lindsay, wishing you and your OH a speedy recovery. I’m very glad to hear that your husband has such a good GP – so important with everything he’s dealing with.
I could just picture Rosy dragging your son up the driveway in her hurry to get back to you.

Cinque, sorry that the group still isn’t off the ground. Promotion is important as you need to reach a lot of people to find those few who might be interested. I think starting in warmer weather will also help. A lot of people don’t want to go out in this weather (especially those using public transport) and there is a common phenomenon of weight panic as summer approaches.

Thin, have a fabulous holiday. I look forward to hearing some stories of the delights of Andorra.
SBS has been showing the Great Canal Journeys series that Timothy West and Prunella Scales did after her alzheimers diagnosis. Some of it has been on the continent, but they were back in their own narrow boat in Britain in the last episode and it did have me thinking of you.

Neil, sorry to hear about the blip in weight – I had one of those this week too. It’s always a shock when you know you’ve behaved well. As you say, stick with it and hope for a result you deserve next week.

Anzac, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you and your husband escaped covid infection so that the surgery can go ahead on Monday. I hope the surgery is uneventful and that this time your husband has a drama free recovery.

I’ve been catching up on cooking today. I had some lamb shank meat in the freezer so I made it into stock this morning and will use it as the base for scotch broth for dinner. A lovely hearty soup which will make for several filling meals.

A few weeks ago my weight bounced up to the high 80s yet again. So for the past month I’ve been doing 5 x 500cal FDs per fortnight – the most I can manage without the calorie count creeping up. To manage my appetite I have stuck with a moderate carb intake and have avoided all added sugars and most starch where possible (aiming for about 30% of my calories from carbs). Once I got into a rhythm it became quite easy and for once I stopped being stressed about meals out. I just made the best choices I could, enjoyed the occasion and then got back to the program immediately after. Surprisingly my weight loss has been quite steady and after a month I’m down from 88 to 83. Considering I am eating to my TDEE on most NFDs I’m surprised by that weight loss. The only blip was this week when I gained 0.9kg, despite eating carefully.
I must say that controlling carbs is easier now with so many options readily available. When I went looking I was shocked by how many things I found which cater to the low carb craze. I’ve been using low carb wraps which are less than 100cals, have lots of fibre and allow me to have a sandwich for lunch on NFDs, which makes my life easier.
I’ve also been using my fitbit app to track calories and macro-nutrients – something I haven’t done in years. It has reassured me that my estimation about whether my choices were about right for my TDEE were actually correct and it’s quickly apparent to me when I’ve eaten too much. I found this quite reassuring as I feel confident that when I stop this calorie tracking I will know what my choices and serving sizes need to be.

I have another busy week ahead, but it should calm down a bit once the kids are back at school.

Take care everyone, I hope the week ahead is good to you.

haha LJ Rosy was dragging DS up the drive, trying to get away from home and out into the big open spaces. She was happy to leave us at home.

I’ve been terribly sick with Covid – much more so than my OH this time. I’m on antivirals and they are helping. (OH had them too). But it’s been a rough old five days. In the middle of it all, I’m trying to edit a PhD to meet a tight deadline. Ironically, it’s about obesity and the motivators for it. I am sure at another time I’d find it interesting.
One of the shocking things I remember from the first read was that 11000 of the 45000 items commonly found in US supermarkets contain corn oil.

Thinking about you and your OH Anzac, and hoping it’s going well.

Cinque, your group may be taking time, but it will be a great success once the promotion for it hits the ground. Good on you for persisting.

my weight is sticking, but the jeans I abandoned last week for being overtight for a long drive are now sitting comfortably, so I’ll take that.

Hello everyone, very quick post to say Mr Anzac had his surgery yesterday and apart from one small complication it went well. He was awake and chirpy last night but of course I knew that was false as he was still full of anesthetic. Overnight that wore off and he said this morning he kept waking up in pain and having to push the pain relief dispenser button. We just need to get through the next few days and I hope and pray he doesn’t get so sick coming off the drugs like last time

I have my hands full with looking after and entertaining Maxx, house stuff and keeping up with my job so I may not post for a little while. Thanks for your support friends

Hi all from a very wet Kaiteriteri, it is coming down cats and dogs at present but not as bad as it has been in some areas, with some towns in Canterbury cut off with bridges washed away and severe road flooding. There is always someone worse off eh?? We’re just thankful we have a warm roof over our heads, a well stocked pantry and don’t have to go anywhere.

Sorry to have been MIA for a while, I have been reading and lurking, but not really much to report. My weight is sitting quite steady around the 66 mark, which is not where I really want it to be but I will try harder. I call it maintaining, just not at the correct figure. I often wonder if it will be this easy to maintain when I eventually get to my goal weight? No doubt someone will tell me. OH and I were going to join the gym to workout for the winter but unfortunately I was having some dizziness issues when we arrived here, a problem emanating from my neck, a trapped nerve, so I have waited for that to correct itself before starting. It has taken a little longer than we had hoped but we will begin soon. We haven’t cycled for a while but have been out walking on fine days, mostly in hilly terrain. My food choices have been quite up and down, steadily incorporating winter veggies which I seem to be fine with, most mornings enjoying sauteed cabbage – red/green with shredded sprouts, fresh ginger, grated kumara, with feta and topped with toasted seeds (my fave four – pumpkin, sunflower, flax & sesame). Yummy, followed by my first long black of the day and a couple of squares of dark chocolate.

Your ramekin dishes sound lovely Cinque, I would like them apart from the rice, not something I eat anymore, but a good portion size too. I have dropped down another plate/bowl size to eat from, haha. Good to hear you are persisting with your group, much needed I am sure, maybe not the best time of year to get something like that off the ground but all kudos to you. It must be so tiring for you minding the Grandies, I don’t have any, but we have two children in a bus next door to us who come over some days and we can always tell when they have been here, OH feels so exhausted after they leave. They are “un schooled” so tend to push the boundaries even further than usual kids I feel.

I hope you are not faring too badly with the weather Neil? Sorry to hear about the weight gain, but surely just a blip, love the way you have embraced the Keto plan, I have been making burger patties with pork, lamb, salmon and beef mince for the last couple of years, but never serve them with bread, sometimes have a thin slice of steamed kumara either side. I have to say I now prefer the chickpea patties instead of the meat ones and no longer eat salmon or pork.

Awful news about your current health Lindsay, sorry to hear you are feeling so wretched with Covid, and trying to manage work and nursing your OH too. I do hope your darling Rosy is helping you haha. The food situation in the US is so dire, I’m always amazed that more people aren’t on deaths’ door than the number already, if you ever need to see what not to do regarding growing food healthily, look no further than the US! I think that stat regarding corn oil is just the tip of the iceberg, and don’t even get me started on sugar and all the “oses”? Well done for those comfortable fitting jeans.

I had to laugh at your comment LJoyce regarding describing in detail on here what you do to lose weight and afterwards it either stagnates or you regain it, the same happens to me too, it’s almost like telling a secret and then when everyone knows it, it’s just not a secret anymore? I decided to skip that idea a while ago. You do keep yourself busy though, and active, and your dining out/social activities must make it difficult for you to keep a tight rein on things. I always seem to blow it if I eat out at all. So many foods I am finding I prefer to avoid these days, purely just because they make me feel so awful after eating them, it really doesn’t make me want to eat out to be honest, at least I know what is in my cooking!

Pleased to hear your OH’s surgery went well Anzac, thinking of you and your massive juggling act, wish I was there to help out looking after Maxx. Looks like we are experiencing your latest rain even here now, hopefully not quite as bad though. Looks like the state has a big clean up operation to deal with. Good luck with the new job hunt.

I know you are away holidaying in lovely Andorra Thin, and without devices, but I’m sure you’ll catch up soon. Hope you are having a fabulous time and relaxing after all that boat maintenance. I am sure it is warm enough for you and your flights are not being affected at all. Enjoy and stay safe.

I think that’s all of my waffling for now, it is still raining, just not quite so hard. Time to get the soup on for dinner I think and look forward to tonight’s racing from the Tour de France, one sporting event I absolutely love.

Take care all and enjoy the rest of your day.

I couldn’t get on this site this morning, because of British hot weather causing chaos, maybe. But I thought “Oh no, what if they have shut the site down, and I can never send Lindsay get well wishes!
So I am quickly doing that right now, just in case, and will write a proper post tomorrow.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e1/de/fe/e1defe6354e3d9b808c8b2d95bad342e.jpg

Me too, but thought it was my computer or wifi as we had just changed over to the sites’ wifi and this little machine has a mind of it’s own when it comes to connections!!

Its finally stopped raining and the suns out but a very watery sky. Lots of flights are cancelled due to strong winds and all ferries cancelled, so we’re not out of the woods yet. No wind here, thankfully, hope all’s well down in Dunners Neil?

Might just be able to get out for a walk today.

Enjoy your day friends.

Evening all.

Well today was the first day all week where we didn’t get any rain. I used my chainsaw to cut up some wood that came down in the strong winds we had, and then went and chopped up my neighbour’s tree that had come down in the same winds. I got out for a big ride around the harbour. Since I hadn’t been able to ride all week I went right out to the end and then back. Total of just over 2 hours and 52 KMs.

Thin, yes, we have something similar here. The gondolas in Queenstown have clips on the outside that they put bikes on and there are several mountain bike trails from the top of the hill to the bottom. Also the Cardrona ski field has several mountain bike trails that they sell passes to ride during summers. They run the ski lift and clip bikes to that.

Great to hear you had a good trip though. We’ve been hearing news stories over here about the heatwave in The UK and Europe. It sounds really bad at the moment with 40+ degree temperatures and bush fires.

Turn, everything is saturated down here, we’ve only had a handful of days so far in July that hasn’t had some form of precipitation. We lost a whole lot of trees and power lines in the wind a few days ago. But everything seems to be recovering now.

Well, one more day of leave then back to work on Monday. I’m hoping to get out for a morning ride if the weather is good and we have a family lunch as well.

I hope everyone else is ok. Has anyone heard anything from G’day? I know she probably has other things on her mind at the moment, but it would be nice to know that she’s ok.

Anzac, thank you for the update. You seem remarkably calm in your delivery of that alarming news. I know nothing of the recovery process from this diagnosis but I know you have thoroughly informed yourself so you are well-prepared. I do hope things improve for Mr A. and that he continues to get the best possible care in hospital until he’s well out of the woods. Look after yourself properly while he’s being looked after.

Neil, nice that you got some clear weather to do a good ride and cut up the fallen trees.

The sun is finally out. It’s a FD for me. Back to the chicken somethings.

Good morning,
A bit of a creaky old morning here thanks to a) minding Ms7 yesterday for a big day – it was a delight, and b) missing the chair when I went to sit down with Ms5 on my knee. It slid back and I landed flat on my back. Extraordinarily little damage but I do have a tender backside this morning!

Thin, welcome back! What a great break, and wonderfully energetic.

Neil, every time I am thinking how cold and dark, windy and rainy it is here, your post shows that actually I have got it pretty warm, dry, still and sunny!

I also wish Gday might be able to post soon and let us know how she is going. I can imagine it is such a hard time. Lots of good wishes, if you are reading, Gday.

And Cali, more horrible fires in California, sending you good wishes too.

Same Merry, Intesha and everyone else lurking. Lots of good wishes.

Anzac, all power to Mr Anzac talking his way out of hospital today, especially because that would mean infection is under control and healing is going well.
And if not today, then very soon.

I hope your nose and head symptoms go away quickly, you don’t want even a non covid virus!

I’ve been doing well with sensible healthy eating, but I want another fast day. I think I will aim for Thursday.

Best wishes everyone, for a good day today.

Evening all

Thin, wasp stings are the worst because unlike bees they can sting again and again. I got stung on the back of my knee by one when I was kayaking in the middle of a reservoir when I was a kid. It got stuck there and I couldn’t reach it so I had to paddle back to shore with it constantly stinging me.

Cinque, I’ll bet Ms 5 thought you missing the seat was a great joke.

Anzac, best to keep monitoring with RATs and maybe double check with a PCB test. Those RATs can give a false positive quite often.

I saw an interesting article on how to test how well your body reacts to carbs. You chew a plain cracker and time how long it takes to change taste in your mouth. It shows how much of the enzyme Amylase your body produces. Apparently Amylase breaks down the carbs and leaves a sweet taste in your mouth. If it takes less than 20 seconds then you have a lot of the enzyme and can eat lots of carbs ok. 20-30 seconds and you have a moderate amount and can eat some carbs but monitor the amount, more than 30 seconds or no discernible change in taste and you have a low amount and need to limit carbs. I tried it and so was chewing for 40 seconds without noticing a change in taste. I guess the keto is the way to go for me. I’ll just have to find a balance between reduced carbs but enough fibre to keep me regular.

Well I hope all of you who are in the wars have a better day tomorrow.

Just a quick note so this is at the top of the list for a new person looking for a post from Cinque! I forgot to tell you it was the Southern Hemispherites thread!

Good morning,
I am going very slow after a big day yesterday.

Not a new recruit to 5:2, Thin, but maybe a new recruit to this forum.
My group actually properly started yesterday with three of us having an easy lovely chat, and someone was doing 5:2 but hadn’t come across this forum.

(I said we’d been very quiet here, but that if she joined everyone would probably come out of the woodwork to say hi).

Hooray for the Mediterranean diet.

Well, yesterday was a very good low eating day. This morning I decided I needed something for breakfast so it won’t be fasty fast, but maybe 800 cals.

Haha I don’t think I’ve a pain in the arse at all today. Less each day I am glad to say.
I wish your wasp sting would ease as quickly.

Hmm, I think I will go a herbal tea right now,
Cheers all

Neil, gosh that video brings it home. Yes, interesting isn’t it? I’ve been lamenting the lack of healthy food when dining out for years but, for us, that’s the only time we succumb to less healthy choices. At least at home, I know I’ve always provided healthy food from scratch. For others, as you say, they don’t know how to serve anything that can’t be emptied out of a packet or jar. The supermarkets are shocking – I buy frozen blueberries and, because every store is a new experience, I have to wade through aisles and aisles of alien frozen products to find them. An industry preying on misery.

Cinque, congrats on getting some people to your group. WOM will do the rest now. To the new person who may be lurking out there: don’t be shy, we want to meet you.

Oh wow Neil, that is some days of rain, poor you. Watching that video is so heartbreaking for everyone involved, I really feel for them. Christchurch was similar, but it was in the middle of the city too. For once we have escaped the worst of it up here on the north west coast of the SI, but we do have more to come late on tomorrow, then it’s back to colder temps and sunny days, which I much prefer. I really do think I suffer from SAD!

Welcome “Home” Thin. Glad to hear you enjoyed Andorra, it is lovely isn’t it. When OH and I travelled to Europe back in 2011, we took teenage twins who worked for us with us and we rented a Gite in the south west of France for a week. One (daughter) wanted to visit Barcelona and one wanted to visit Andorra. We did both and we were all quite blown away by the loveliness. I couldn’t help feeling Andorra would have looked so much better in the middle of the ski season covered in snow? Can’t quite believe it’s now over 10 years ago, wow.

Weight holding steady. But not surprising as not getting out anywhere near as much as I would like, bit like you Neil (God, I hate winter) but feeling optimistic for when I do. Made a lovely pot roast in the slow cooker yesterday with topside of beef, red lentils and veg and served it with cauli creamed with coconut cream, delicious.

Best head off, I need to make some more Dukkah and pumpkin brownies.
Enjoy your day everyone, Turn

Hello all from a gloriously sunny, but cool, Sydney

Mr Anzac is home and doing as well as can be considered. The poor man is running (literally) to the loo 30-40 times per day with no more than 10 seconds warning. He is in a lot of pain but I walked into the study yesterday and he was watching Johnny Cash’s ‘Burning Ring of Fire’ on YouTube so his sense of humour is intact.

While in hospital my normally spend-averse hubby went on an online spending spree! Hooray! He had been (and has now finished) cleaning out the 3rd bedroom (a.k.a. the junk room) and we moved the spare bed and furniture into the 3rd bedroom as it is a better fit. As a surprise he bought a gorgeous desk and new office chair for me and now, after 2.5 years of WFH from a corner of the dining table, I have my own office! It is fantastic to have space, drawers, good light and it even has a couch.

The second best thing he bought was an air-fryer. I have wanted one for years so we are christening it tonight with a chicken dish. Any tips or recipes for air-fryers will be gratefully accepted.

My weight took a beating in the 2 weeks he was so sick. 2.5 kilos on but I have reverted back to more healthy eating and lost 0.5 last week. Why does it go on so fast but come off so much more slowly? I feel ICKY (technical term)

That rain is terrifying Neil, I can understand and empathise as we have had similar bouts over here. Glad there was a break yesterday and you could get out for a ride

Turn, I hate hate hate winter also. I love the heat and love to swim so I am (fingers crossed) looking forward to a ‘normal’ summer after the last two cool, wet ones. The one before that was when we were in Europe for 7 weeks and watched the news in horror as our country was burning. However the BOM forecasters are now saying there is a 50% chance of a third La Nina. GAH!!!!

Maxx is barking for play time and Mr A is watching is beloved footy so I will try and come back soon. Take care all

Morning all.

Thin, who doesn’t like Boney M? Even my kids rock out to Rah Rah Rasputin and Mary’s Boy Child has to be one of my favourite Christmas songs.

Anzac, I’m sure Mr A is much happier to be at home, despite his “burning ring of fire” That made me laugh. You’ll have to let us know how the air fryer goes. It might be something for us to look at because we often do crispy chicken strips or fish tacos and I usually shallow fry everything. I hear you about the desk too, I don’t work from home often, but when I do it’s at an uncomfortable desk with one of the dining chairs. It would be great to get a proper work desk and office chair.

I rode from Dunedin to Waitati and then back home over Mt Cargill yesterday. The damage due to the rain was evident, there were slips partially blocking the road in a few places, one place where one lane had been closed off because the road had cracked in the middle and slumped an inch or so, and the gravel sections were all pot holed, ridged, and gouged out by the rain. The ride was 45 kms with 1100 vertical metres of climbing. It was pretty tough but I was just pleased to be out on the bike.

Slip Leith Valley Road https://imgur.com/gallery/dSPD5wL

Well have a great day everyone.

I have an electric slow cooker Thin as we power up through the winter and don’t have much use for it in the summer unless I’m making a juicy jam and it’s a sunny day so I can have the inverter on. Funny those Boney M songs eh? kinda get under your skin and we all seem to know the words to them. A bit like Abba really, it must have been the times I think, songs were all “singalong” One UK city I have never been to ever is Liverpool and would love to visit, maybe next summer when we are over. I do hope you enjoy it. I did laugh at your comment about the Gay Pride thing, I could just imagine you sitting dockside watching all the slinky lycra minimal outfits and Ru Paul look-alikes hahahaha. I almost forgot, we have watched the latest Roger Allan programme and the best scene of all is when he and his wife are lying in bed, she asks, “Is it hot in here, or is it me?” I have lost count of the amount of times I have said that over the years. And also on his return from the bathroom, he likens his passing of urine now he has aged to Morse Code, dot dash dot dash! I thought this was so hilarious and relatable with OH……

So pleased to hear Mr Anzac is back home Anzac and he hasn’t lost his sense of humour, most important in these situations? I also laughed at his humour with Buddy’s Ring of Fire. Sounds like a good option for you to hang on to that job if it is giving you what you want and certainly WFH is of the utmost importance at present. Yay for a new office, completely separate too, it will make all the difference I am sure. Good luck with that air fryer, I’ve never used one so can’t help, sorry. I need to de-clutter the van again as it is. I’m not sure where everything comes from, I think there are some sneaky fairies around somewhere?

Sounded like a great ride that Neil, Mt. Cargill is seriously steep. The slip looks awful, so much of it around the country. We had horrendously heavy rains again last night accompanied by strong winds this time. The sun did put in an appearance for a while today though and tomorrow looks sunny after a cold night ahead.

Glad you are feeling much better from your miss the chair accident Cinque, it sounded quite painful. I slipped over in a wet muddy puddle this afternoon, and although I don’t have any injuries, I think it’s the shock as much as anything, you’re totally unprepared for it? Sounds like the group will grow over time, I wish you well.

Managed to get out for a hilly walk today which was great, planning another one tomorrow which should help knock off a few hundred grams? Just devoured a Thai chicken curry for dinner with cauli rice, yum, was so hungry. We’ve been watching the inaugural Ladies Tour de France, don’t know if anyone else here watches any of the cycling Tours? it’s been pretty good but with some serious crashes and injuries. We have also watched a really good doco about Don McLean and his song American Pie, brilliant, watch it if you get the chance, sure it’s on Netflix.

Off for now, enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone, fast day or not!

Anzac, sad abut the Sydney beaches. Those images are shocking. Pleased you don’t have to worry about finding a new job for a couple of months now. I’ve never met anyone that admitted to liking KFC other than the GP neighbours we had in Perth. The husband liked it so much that he would have one piece for his FD.

Turn, you must try and get to Liverpool. We had no idea about all it has to offer and wouldn’t have visited had it not been the terminus for the Leeds & Liverpool Canal that we’re cruising. We spent a whole morning on just one floor of the Maritime Museum, fascinating sections on emigration via Liverpool ships to America, Canada and Australia and another on what is now known as Border Force.

Neil, pleased you had a good ride, that road looks very slippery.

Oh LJ you gave me a bit of a prod and I realise I’ve been a bit of a lurker too lately. I read, and mean to post, and then…..
Good your jeans are feeling looser, even if your scales aren’t being kind.
My mid jeans are fitting comfortably now too – I had to undo the waist button for my long drive home from northern NSW a few weeks ago.
Pretty much over my Covid now, though still some lingering headaches and a shockingly ugly cough. Thin I’d just had my 4th jab too, so heavens knows how I would have been without immunisation. My OH pretty much sailed through his Covid – I wonder if the steroids he takes daily now helped?
Cinque, I am sure your group will take off …good to have some interest to get the ball rolling. Who was it that said word of mouth would see it take off? I agree.
Turn, you sound like you are living a lovely life….weather or not. I do enjoy reading about your travels.
Anzac, what a roller coaster with Mr A. Hope he is continuing to improve and those fiery symptoms are easing. How nice to have a comfortable office.
Neil, shocking shocking weather. Good to be able to get out on your bike – although it does sound like a bit of a dangerous ride over tricky damaged roads.
OK off to cook dinner, but before I go…..
I’ve been reading parts of the obesity literature for the PhD I’ve been editing. It is fascinating. Some interesting stuff about why diets stop being effective, over time. Just diving into a book by Dr Robert Lustig (anyone know him? – he’s the sugar doctor …I almost said nazi, but that would be unkind and inaccurate). Not far in but so far the theme for the book is how our food has become industrialised over the past few decades and how that is affecting the obesity crisis worldwide. I saw that when I lived in China ….one supermarket I know I’ve told you about had a section for ‘puffery’ food, which was all the processed crisps and stuff. No wonder their diabetes and obesity is going through the roof.
Hope I can come back with more info as I read on.
night all.

2. I’ve opened the window in the spare room and packed a box of old computer/electrics and put it in my car ready to to take to the place. And I have done a bit in the kitchen. Who says you can’t multitask? 😉

Neil, what a flood!
I am so glad you got your ride. The seasons are turning, hooray.

Turn, same for you. The bit of sun we had when I got up is now covered up, that brisk cold wind blowing in the clouds.
Well done on a stable weight, lovely cooking and the prospect of getting out more.

Anzac, lots of good wishes to Mr Anzac, and cheers!

What a wonderful thing he did for you, preparing such a wonderful, functional, comfortable place to work!
I do hope that every day he is healing and his gut is repopulating with all the good little microbes and his muscles and plumbing are remembering how to work.

It has been SUCH a stressful time for you. Did you find that the good work you have been doing, changing eating habits, made the stress eating any less damaging that it would otherwise have been? It sounds as if that might have been so.
Good luck now getting all the good things back in place.

Congratulations on the air fryer too!

I’m so glad your work has been supportive. (Hopefully now they have supported you through Mr Anzac’s crisis, they will support you to have a less stressful life so you don’t end up having a health crisis. It is in their interests!)

Thin, the Gay Pride celebrations sound a hoot.

Hi all,

Haven’t been reading posts so hope everyone is going okay. Life has certainly been a struggle the last few months and I haven’t been travelling too good. Adjusting to life and finding a path forwards is difficult. It feels like everything single thing I am, and I have known, has been turned on it’s head.

The home business and my diploma study has been put on hold for now, I have no desire, no interest or the right frame of mind at the moment to deal with any of it. My zing and passion for life is no longer there and I have literally fallen in a heap, having been diagnosed with depression and am seeing a psychologist every fortnight. Although it’s not what I want to be on, I accepted the psychologists and my GP’s recommendation to start on medication for the depression.

Surprisingly, given the amount of crap food I have eaten lately, my weight floats between 59 and 61 kgs, although I am no longer buying the crap food (lollies and chips) when I go shopping but still eating toast and cheese at 1am when I can’t sleep, plus icecream every night, yes every single night I have icecream in a cone. I have no desire to cook so food has been quite basic but at least it’s been healthy vegies etc.

I’ve done no exercise at all in the last 2 months, absolutely nothing. No motivation at all, not even a walk.

I finally started checking emails today, over 400 to plough through….aghhh, just too hard to get on top of things because I’ve let everything slide too far. The psychologist assures me the medication will kick in within 2 weeks and my serotonin levels will increase which in turn will increase my motivation levels and my desire to work through things etc. The initial side effects in the last few days have been yuk, gut issues, mild headaches, aches and pains, insomnia (on top of the lack of sleep I’m already getting), feeling unsteady on my feet and generally feeling quite weird, I just don’t know how to describe it but I feel really odd.

I did notice while scrolling to the bottom of the page that someone mentioned Robert Lustig, I have 2 of his books, Fat Chance and Metabolical, both great reads. Must go, school pick up time.