Hello all

It’s been such a long time since I posted that even Cinque has stopped calling out to me. A salutory reminder!

Happy new year to you all, and may 2023 bring peace and good health.

Things aren’t great here in this new year. After thinking it couldn’t be worse than the past two – it looks like it is going to be challenging to say the least.

OH was diagnosed with a brain tumour on Wednesday. He starts treatment next week – a preliminary 2 hour appointment to fit him for a metal mask (sounds like something out of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical), before he starts radiation oncology. But first, more surgery on Wednesday for something unrelated. My poor poor love. He’ll have an MRI first to make sure there’s only one tumour. The PET scan is less accurate than the MRI, and they will need very accurate pictures for his treatment.

On a happier note ….our puppy is a joy and delight, and we are very happy we decided to keep her. We called her Scarlett, and she and Rosy are starting to engage as pals, now the other puppies have gone to their homes. Rosy has been a perfect mother…I couldn’t have asked for better. She and I go out for either a walk with my DS and his two dogs (and sometimes, his 8 year old son) in the very early morning, or on alternate days when DS runs, Rosy and I go to the dog park for a very energetic gallop for her, and a more sedate walk for me. Once the puppy has all her shots and OH is feeling stronger, he’ll sit with the little one in the puppy section of the large park. But …that’s for the future.

My weight is up, though not to where it was. I’m cooking food to tempt OH, and it’s higher calorie because he’s lost so much weight. I know I don’t have to eat it, but at this time the companionship of a shared meal is a higher priority than the calories in it. It is always healthy, at least. One habit I’ve maintained through thick and thin is time restricted eating. Not always 16:8 as I did back in the day, but I never – never – eat within that 12 hour window, and mostly it is 14:10. I am much more active now, just by having to maintain the house/garden/pool/dogs without much help, but the good outcome from that is that my fasting blood sugar is perfect. Rarely over 5, even if I eat carbs with my evening meal.

I won’t go back and answer all the posts – but I will try to stay closer to the forum. I enjoy reading all your news.

Take care all.

Morning all

It was a nice weekend here. Yesterday especially was a hot sunny day, and we’re far enough south that it’s still light enough to be out doing things until 10pm. I went out riding after dinner and was out until after 9pm. I ate too much on my non fast day on Saturday because we had my wife’s cousin over for dinner/movies and we ended up having movie snacks on top of dinner, so I threw in an extra fast day yesterday to make up for it.

Lindsay, I’m so sorry to hear about your OH I hope that the radiotherapy works well. My wife still hasn’t fully recovered from her surgery on her brain tumour almost a year ago. She’s way better than she was, but still can’t fully close the eyelid on the right-hand side, so usually has it taped down.

Cinque, our rhubarb isn’t forced but it grows huge, the stems are up to 2 feet long and 2 inches wide at the base. I gave away 4 kilos of it to neighbours the other day and we still have tons of it in the garden. I use it for adding a tang to cordials. Strawberry and rhubarb cordial is especially good.

Thin, I hope you have a great time on your trip.

Well fast day today and control day tomorrow, hopefully my 3 fast days this week will show up on the scales on Wednesday and that will kick start me on my way back down to where I was 2 years ago.

Have a great one everyone

Good morning, Cinque how could I not reply to your request 😉. I read all the posts but just don’t have the energy to reply, some days I find it hard to get myself out of bed. My Dad continues to be a drain and not taking to the nursing home at all. He never stops complaining, has refused medication and food on occasion and just being thoroughly miserable. I have had so many meetings with management and staff, we’ve had Dr’s come and assess his mental state and the list goes on. Even though he will be 96 in April he is still very mentally alert. He is forever picking fault with everything, the tablecloths have not been changed, the salt shakers are empty, they take too long to answer his call button and it goes on and on. I’ve changed from seeing him every second day to every third otherwise my sanity would be in question.

Like Neil I have put on 7kg from my lowest weight but at least it’s not the 87kg I started with. My lowest was 65kg. Like LindsayL I have a 14-16hour window where I don’t eat. I still have quite a bit of food in my freezer and pantry and although nothing too drastic it still has to be eaten and with only me to feed it’s taking awhile to get through. Once this is cleared I will be able to go back to only buying what is necessary and no Thin I can’t give it away. Being on a pension and with prices so exorbitant I have to be very frugal.

Anzac your trip sounds wonderful. I have been to Egypt 7 times, I love the history although some places leave a lot to be desired. I hope to go back at some stage to see the new museum and the new finds they have uncovered. I loved Petra in Jordan and Greece is on my bucket list. I have flown first class with Emirates once and that was to NZ quite a few years ago when they were relatively new. There were only 3 of us going over and I was the only one coming back. I must say the Dom Perignon was flowing 😳 too bad it was such a short flight. I have flown business with them with upgraded points but I know longer fly with them after I had a bad experience with them a few years ago and they were not very compassionate.

I am driving down to Melbourne on the 21st Cinque but not sure of my movements. My friend that you met is turning 70 and she doesn’t know I am coming.

Anyway I may not post often but I enjoy reading what everyone is up to my life is lived by your adventures. Thin you certainly have been doing some travelling.

Take care everyone and hope the new year is kind to you all. Lindsay my thoughts are with you and your OH

Good afternoon everyone.

Lindsay, so sorry to hear that your husband has yet more health challenges to deal with. Hoping that your family is coping with the news. I’m hoping for the very best for you all.

Intesha, My father always needed something (or several somethings) to complain about when in aged care. I eventually worked out that trying to find solutions didn’t help, he’d just find new issues to moan about.
Reducing your visits to the nursing home sounds like the only sensible thing you can do, when your Dad’s issues are not something you can solve.

Cinque, I’m wishing for better health and a bit less fatigue for you in 2023.

Neil, my two rhubarb plants are growing well too, but the stems aren’t as long as yours. I cook it with strawberries or apples and some stevia, yum.
I hope your first week on the new eating regime rewards you.

Thin, flying off for another adventure. Have fun, I’ll enjoy your reports on the wildlife you see.

Take care everyone.

Morning all.
And that you for the lovely responses, Cinque, Thin and LJ. And for your kind message, Cinque. It’s a roller coaster. But ….after 18 months, he’s still vertical, as my old uncle used to say when I asked after his health, so that’s something.

Here’s a pic of my lovely little Scarlett. Such a handful, and so so sweet.

https://imgur.com/hdplAmY

Our vet took her sister, and came yesterday for a play (and to give Scarlett her shots). It was lovely to watch them together, and see how excited Rosy was to have two of her pups to play with.

Intesha, it must be so very difficult to watch your father in his misery, and not be able to help. Unrelated but relevant, I have been watching the program on ABC where kindy children are paired with aged care residents, and the improvement in the general health, mobility and mood when they have the stimulation and social contact. It would be so good if programs like that became more common.

Cinque I am sorry you’ve not been well at all. Yet through it all, you remain so cheerful and determined to get on with things…. you have my admiration.

Thin, off on another adventure. How nice to be travelling.

Things sound a little grim in the UK. I heard news yesterday of a friend from a long time ago, who slipped on ice and lay in her dressing gown for 3 hours, before an ambulance came, before spending 6 hours ramped in the ambulance and 4 days in A & E before they could get her a hospital bed. During the nurses’ strike, which made it so much worse. I thank heaven everyday for the care my OH is getting here.

I am sorry your DS is away from you for a while – as you say, I am lucky to have my DS a couple of suburbs away, and DD just a 10 minute walk. They both lived away (Vietnam and Canberra) for many years, as did we, so it’s such a bonus to have them back with their families. We see a lot of the little ones, and it’s a great diversion for OH.

The 6 year old continues to entertain. Her latest is her quest for a black labrador. Going off to sleep the other night, my DD asked why she wanted one. “Well, sometimes I get sad, and sometimes I get cranky. So frankly, I could do with the support.” Lord knows where she heard that, but she put it to good use to support her case.

Neil, Intesha and Anzac, my motivation to get back to goal isn’t as strong this time. But I know we can do it. Once we get on the train, it will become easier. Surely.

LJ rhubarb and apple sounds good. Do you have a recipe? i’ve never cooked it, but my cold climate OH says he loves it.

OK off to get ready for the hospital. Talk soon.

Morning. A quick post, before some breakfast. I’ve taken rosy out already, which gives me a good 4000 steps to start the day.

Thin, of course I meant DD, not DS. I do know you have a daughter, not a son! Brain fog (as the Duchess of Sussex would say, haha).

Good work Neil. That’s a nice start. Very motivating to have such a good loss. The puppy does look a little spaniel-like in that pic. I wish I could post the video of her going crackers when DS brought his new pup, a 9 month old white English bulldog. It was the first time Scarlett had seen a dog that wasn’t red. The bulldog was stoic, despite the Irish running around her, barking. They soon settled, fortunately.

OH is off for his surgery today, and some worry combined with being able to eat what and when I feel like it, will likely see me drop a bit. Only upside.

have a good day all.

Good morning dear people,

How is Mr Lindsay?
I have been sending so many good wishes your way
https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/04/60/29/51/360_F_460295100_1v5o4BP75ONuadm1VcUPQHc8WZZS9N1x.jpg

I do hope it all went very well.

It is lovely to hear the dog tales, and to see a picture of the beautiful Scarlet.
And I laughed so much at Ms 6’s story.

I have been listening to the latest podcast series from my twins Van Tulleken and found it very interesting. I am sharing the link to the one on will power because it was so good to hear the latest thinking about it, and it is so relevant to doing 5:2, to weight loss generally. It is only 30 mins https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001gj4y
I was thinking especially of you and Anzac, and Neil too, and Intesha and Cali ofcourse, ha LJoyce, all of us, trying to do 5:2 with other difficult things going on in our lives.
Affirming too, of the things we say to each other here.

Neil, peastraw is my favourite mulch, especially because of the peas that come up. When I pick the little tendrils to add to my salad I think how expensive restaurants pay huge money for them.

But they only had sugar cane mulch and the package I bought smells SO strongly of banana. I am sure I will get down to at least one decomposed one. Eek.

What a lovely time of year it is! I am hoping my strawberries will be happier now they are mulched, and I put in basil, even though it is a couple of months late.

Congratulations on some nice scales action! Best wishes for this week.

LJoyce, what beautiful rhubarb and apple directions.

Yay for my extra energy. Even the mulching didn’t cause too much PEM (post exertion malaise). I am slow this morning, but not too bad, and so delighted at being able to get more done. I was even able to write a list!
(That podcast also made me realise just how much will power goes into managing chronic illness, as you would know too).

I hope the physio was lovely.

Yay for that steady loss of weight. I really hope I can do the same.

Best wishes everyone

Good almost-afternoon,
Thinking of Mr Lindsay and hoping he is doing okay.

It is a hot day in Melbourne, but I am feeling pretty pleased with myself. My health is still up, and that is with minding the little girls yesterday and making lunch for everyone. It is so nice to end each day a bit in front.

Anzac, all power to you posting every day. I’ll be here cheering you on each day.

I’m cheering on Mr Anzac too, and hoping that as time goes on his control gets better and better. It must be so frustrating.

Yay for the lovely weight losses you have had so far.
Don’t push yourself so hard that it isn’t sustainable. Well, okay a three day push might be the go, but your precious body needs that longterm steadiness, and without you beating yourself up. Just plain 5:2 will get you there.

Haha I am not boss of your life, you make your own decisions. I’m best cheering you on for them!

So glad your knee is better, best wishes for today.

Best wishes everyone!

A cooler day in Melbourne, phew.

A family gathering: we thought the Craigieburn RSL would be good: big, well ventilated, good menu. But sadly it was so loud and we didn’t really get a place to rest and chat. The food servings were stupidly big (they must make so much from pokies they give everyone at least 4 times more than they can eat.) Poor Brian ordered risotto and got a plate with at least 6 cups of thick risotto piled up on it. Not joking.

It was too loud and chaotic for me so I didn’t eat much.

Anzac, well done with the cooking, it is SO good to get a bit ahead with food. So nice for your dad too.

Ooh Fast day on Tuesday! If I am feeling well enough, and I might be! I will join you with a fast day then.

I bet the pool was wonderful.
Hello to Maxx!

Morning all

I had a good weekend, I got a bit of gardening done and got out for a good ride. I woke up on Sunday morning with a bit of a sugar hangover. I had been cutting out most of the sugar from my diet over the last couple of weeks, but on Saturday we had a combined birthday party for my wife’s sister and step-father and I overindulged a bit on the chocolate, birthday cake, and pavlova and when I woke up on Sunday I had a splitting headache. I didn’t eat a lot yesterday because I wasn’t really feeling hungry. Today is a fast day and so far, I have managed to resist the temptation of the two big bowls of lollies someone has provided this morning. The lollies are quickly disappearing so I shouldn’t have to resist the temptation for too much longer before they are all gone.

Lindsay, I hope the antibiotics do the job. My dad had issues last time he got an infection, and it took several courses of antibiotics to get rid of it. And yes, I’m also looking forward to see how this week’s weigh in goes. Still 2 more days to go with a fast day today and a control day tomorrow to negotiate.

Cinque, I prefer restaurants that give decent portions rather than the tiny servings you get from some restaurants, that you end up going away hungry. But some definitely seem to go too far the other way. What my wife and I do recently, on the rare occasions that we do go out for dinner, is to look at the size of the meals coming out of the kitchen. If the look too big then we’ll either order an entree size each, or order one meal and share it.

Anzac, roast chicken isn’t too bad is it in terms of indulgence? Unless it was the extras like roast potatoes/gravy you were indulging in. Cold rast chicken is one of the things I used to eat on fast days because it’s high protein, low in fat than other meats, and reasonably low calorie.

Ljoyce, it sounds like you’re doing well on your fasts at the moment.

Thin must be enjoying her break because she hasn’t posted for a while. I hope we get a good report back soon.

Have a good one everyone, I’ll check back in on Wednesday after my weigh-in

Cinque, really sorry to hear about Klondike, I do remember her, and Penguin, the other regular poster that we lost. I never met either in person, but you do get a glimpse of their personality through their writing.

Goodness, you have been busy on here. Thank you to the four of you for keeping us going.

Cinque, I have a photo of you with Klond and really enjoyed her posts. Given the dates, I first wondered whether she’d succumbed to covid. But on reflection I think you mentioned at one point that she hadn’t been posting because she had some health problems. That’s too bad.

Thanks for answering my question about ramekins, they are huge. I’d been wondering about those freezer portions because the only ramekins I’ve owned have been teeny.

Anzac, I laughed about the Emirates shower and how you couldn’t share the video. May you have many more mile high showers!

Neil, good luck with the next weigh-in. I was sorry to read that your wife still suffers side effects from her brain surgery. So frustrating.

Lindsay, this is the surgery for the nasty squamous cell carcinoma on OH’s leg, correct? Hope you get him home soon.

It is nice and warm in Botswana, lovely to be in shorts and flipflops, 32C with thundery afternoon showers. We almost missed the connection in Brussels due to the first flight arriving a little late. They held it for us so we had the embarrassment of walking down the aisle with the hostile glare of passengers wondering what took us so long. In reality, we were running for our lives as ‘the gate has now closed’ message was played. LJ, I thought of you on the long haul flight from Frankfurt as the premium economy seats were behind ours and looked very spacious and comfy (Lufthansa).

It took us three days to get here thanks to Air Botswana cancelling our flights from JNB, re-routing us and re-scheduling no less than five times. The last time was just as we were leaving the boat for the train to the airport so it was quite stressful taking care of changes en route. I asked the airline for a complimentary hotel room, not for a minute expecting to get one – but we got that, transfers, dinner and breakfast. Ok so the hotel forgot to give us breakfast before the early shuttle but, hey, this is Africa.

Although our luggage was checked through to JNB (we weren’t expecting to ever see it again after that mad dash in Brussels), it is such a burden. We have both resolved to revert to hand luggage only in future. If there is a future, I’ve come to loathe all that goes with air travel.

We hope to go on safari into the Okavango later this week. In the meantime, I weighed in on my trusty travel scales at 58.4kg this morning so I am very happy. I managed to do a FD on Sunday.

Take care all and keep up the great work.

Good morning,
Cool and rainy here and so dark I need the light on.

Yes, I can’t stop thinking about Klondike, she was so warm and friendly and so enjoying life once she had lost that excess weight.
In that fb post people talked about how much they will miss her and what a wonderful send off they were able to give her.
I do remember her catching up with you, Anzac, there was a lovely photo.

Neil, you are so right about being able to know people you have never met, we can share such important things on forums like this. I do so appreciate you all.
Let’s cheer that measly 200g maybe it is gone for good?
Wow, I have a couple of 3 litre jars for my beetroot kvass, so I am very impressed at the size of a 5litre one. Happy brewing (and omg all those lollies!)

Anzac, woot for your fast day! How did it go? Did you wake up with that beautiful empty feeling this morning?

Lindsay I wonder if Mr Lindsay is still in the hospital trying to beat that tricky infection. Has this held up the oncology treatment? Oh life. Sending so many good wishes your way.

Thin, I had to look up ramekins to get a sense of how huge mine are 😀 and yes they are usually 1/2 – 1 cup capacity. (Plus it means ‘little ram’ as in battering ram! But no-one knows why).
However 2 cup ramekins are common too. Mine are such a perfect size for freezing meals.

Mine are this sort https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zKAAAOSwvtphhw31/s-l1600.jpg I found 8 in opshops 😀

Sympathy for all the airline trouble in Botswana, but yay for being there! I bet most passengers were sympathetic, they may well have gone through the same thing themselves.
Hooray for the complimentary hotel room too.
Excellent scales weight!
How exciting to have that safari ahead.

Oh boy, I have done nothing for two days (except get a ct scan – hospital weighing machine still out of order which is a pity as I’d be interested to know how much I weigh.)
First I had to recover from that loud RSL and then I was wiped out by the heat.
Now I have SO much to do!
One more cup of coffee before I go….

Best wishes everyone

Good morning all.

Cinque, I was so sorry to read about Klondi. Klondiqueen, I think she also called herself. I hadn’t met her in person, but it was hard news, more so for you and Anzac, who had. It’s a funny thing, an online forum. We quite possibly know more about each other than we are prepared to share with face to face friends, and that intimacy means we grieve people when we hear they’ve passed.

Neil, take the 200 grams. It’s a loss, and a good one.

Thin, what a lovely chatty post. I am living vicariously through your travels, while looking forward to the day we can go away again.

OH had recovered from the SCC surgery, with 4-6 weeks of bed rest and home nursing to change the dressings every second day. My DD’s friend, a dermatologist, was amazed he’d healed so well, given it had gone to the bone, and awkwardly placed on his shin. Often these things don’t heal in older people. This particularly surgery was for a hernia …which came (literally) out of nowhere. He was to have an epidural, but ended up with a full anaesthetic, because of the brain tumour. Then he got an infection, which meant his protracted stay in hospital. As I write this, you are probably imagining him laying weakly in bed. In fact, he’s stacking the dishwasher, whistling away and trying to dissuade the puppy from attacking his feet. He has bounce-back-ability, that’s for sure.

Thank you for your thoughts Cinque – he finally got home yesterday.

Free food in the office. Mmmmm. A minefield of potentially offended cake providers if it’s rejected, or diets sabotaged. I read in this morning’s Australian that taking cake to the office is as damaging as passive smoking.

OK time to get back to work. I have a PhD and another coming next week, and my interest in both is zip zero, which is not fair because it’s years of work for the candidates. So I had better get my motivation revved and into gear.

Enjoy your day all.

Hello friends from a lovely warm Sydney

How time is once again flying, already the third week of January. Yikes!

Oh wonderful news that your OH is up and about Lindsay, whistling and playing with the puppy. I love the term bounce-back-ability and will plagiarize it often from now on. Mr Anzac is the same and I put his down to bl00dy-mindedness to not let cancer beat him. I am not allowed to mother him in any way shape or form other than to rub heat into his sore legs or back at night. His most uttered phrase on the subject is ‘you have to move forward and upward’. Good for him, I don’t know if I could be so positive. I remember straight after his first operation, it was a 5.5 hour surgery, and he said he was in quite a bit of pain. Knowing how stoic he is, I mentioned to two nurses who just said that he was on the maximum amount of pain relief and walked off. I could see how much pain he was in so then I insisted they check it and sure enough the blasted machine was not working. So zero pain relief after major surgery! I would have been howling like a banshee

I hope your trip to Philip Island was wonderful Cinque but also didn’t tire you out too much. Animals know when you are going out or going away somehow instinctively. Maxx certainly does and will stand at the front door if he thinks we are going out without him. Even a quick trip to the shops results in him hurtling down the internal stairs to the front door where he can stand on the landing which is human face height for a crazy kiss on the ear and much tail wagging and bouncing on the spot. Too cute

I had another very low calorie day on Thursday and a CD yesterday and I am happy to announce that I have lost 2.2 kilos which is all of the Vanuatu weight plus a bit more. Hooray!

I too can’t stop thinking about KlondiQueen. So sad, she was such a beautiful person and I hope her hubby is ok. His health was not great so I am worried for him

I can’t wait to hear how Botswana is going Thin and I do hope you managed to do a safari. We did a couple in Tanzania and they were absolutely incredible. We went to Tanzania after Rwanda and even spent two nights in a camp (luxury tents thank you) and one night, in the middle of the night, a stampede of wildebeest hurtled through the camp site. Very scary indeed but otherwise it was such an amazing experience. We also went to Zanzibar which is still one of the most interesting places we have been.

I have a job interview on Monday – finally! I did not think it would take this long but I have to keep reminding myself that a lot of people are still on leave. Wish me luck! In fact they sent the most complex interview prep sheet I have ever seen so I better go and start preparing

Hi to everyone else. Talking about Klondi made me remember another friend who used to post here who I really warmed to – Quacka. I miss her too

Take care all

Hi all
Lovely chatty post Anzac. I too would have been howling like a banshee. Brave, aren’t they, our blokes.

Good luck with your job interview – hope it’s what you want, and the interview is successful. Hope too you are enjoying some down time. Good work on the weight loss.

Your trip to Phillip Island sounds lovely Cinque – how far is that trip? Not too tired, after it?

I have no real news, but know if I skip a day or two on posts, I sort of slide away.
So back to my PhD editing, while Rosy sleeps at my feet and Scarlett behind the sofa. It won’t last too much longer. In the meantime, here’s a pic of me and mini me.

https://imgur.com/3Sklq4e

Morning all

The weekend was a bit of a bust. We had movie night with my wife’s cousin on Friday night and I ate way too much sugar. I had lots of plans for Saturday, but I was so lethargic after all the sugar that I just sat around the house watching sport all day. Sunday I got out to do some garden work and got some work done on my bike. I also managed to keep my eating to a bit of fruit during the day and then the evening meal (bacon and egg pie and salad) I’m having my fast day today and I’m going to add in a second fast day tomorrow to try and balance out the weekend excess.

Gday, good to hear from you, but sorry to hear things aren’t going well for miss gday. It’s the same for me with the clothes. I had to buy some new shirts and trousers because I no longer fit into my older ones, which I was really depressed about. I’m really hoping that I can also get back to where I was when I was at my thinnest.

Lindsay, in your picture it looks like the pup is sneaking up to push mum into the pool.

Thin, That’s normal for around NZ for a while, not interviewing in pyjamas, but generally wearing them around town. There was a real estate programme recently where the people on the show were trying to find a house to buy in rural areas. One of the couples was originally from Poland and said one thing that struck them when they moved to NZ was going into the supermarkets and seeing lots of people shopping in their PJs. They said they liked it because it showed NZ was pretty laid back and accepting of people no matter how they dress.

Anzac, Whoop whoop for weight loss! Congrats on the 2.2 kilos gone.

Cinque, have fun on Phillip Island.

Have a great day everyone and I’ll catch up in a couple of days for my weigh-in

Part 2
The dish washer is going, and the clothes washer too. Thankyou machines!

Thin, it was lovely you were able to pop in, mid holiday. Did you see giraffes? (my favourite)
Has DD finally got to her destination?

Lindsay, Phillip Island is about two and a half hours away, so a long trip for me. I am not sure I could do it again, so I made sure I appreciated every minute. Especially sitting on the sand, looking at the horizon, with the little girls playing in the waves.

Cheers to Mr Lindsay and the two dogs. Will Scarlett grow those beautiful fringes like Rosy has everywhere? She does have the gorgeous rippled ears.

Gday, sorry to leave you to last, I just had to work methodically! I am SO glad to hear from you, but also so sorry that things are terribly difficult.
Are Miss Gday’s health problems a continuation of that bad bout of covid? Whatever they are, I am sending so many good wishes to her, and to you.
It is amazing you get anything done in a day, with all you have going on. Ouch for that nasty hip pain! You deserve lots of medals
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/lot-gold-medals-ribbons-many-presentation-competitions-157805273.jpg

Do try not to give yourself a hard time. Anything that can slide, has to slide.
(I know how hard it is, everything that slides makes other things more difficult, and you do need income…. but be as kind to yourself and as slidey as you possibly can).

I am glad you have managed to eat more healthily the last few weeks, it will help with everything. And it sounds like you are getting a handle on everything, so maybe nothing else has to slide. Woot! Fingers crossed.
Lots and lots of good wishes.

LJ thinking of you too!

Lots of good wishes to everyone
x

The quickest of posts, as I plough away at work, before taking OH to his postop appointment. back later

But …on the subject of being out and about in pyjamas. Thought you’d like this image taken in Kaifeng, China, when I worked up there. Yes, it was cold. But still…..

(I called this image ‘And they laugh at us’, because there weren’t many Europeans there, and it wasn’t unusual to have people in the street point at us and burst out laughing).

https://imgur.com/a/pnPngjA

Good morning all, another lovely day in Sydney. Perhaps La Nina has finally wandered off?

We just booked tickets to a music festival in Wollongong on Sunday. I don’t know how Mr Anzac will go but he just wants to get on with life and music festivals are our favourite thing. The line-up was too good to miss: Hoodo Gurus, Noiseworks, The Living End & two other bands. Seeing that I am still unemployed we will stay in a nearby hotel Sunday night which is only 850m from the park so no need for the big drive home. We are also having some friends over on Saturday for a swim before going out for lunch to our favourite Thai restaurant….so I need to be very lean on my eating leading up to the weekend

Neil, that child made me shake my head in sadness. Mr Anzac has a friend who lives a few streets away and they do not believe in disciplining their kids. I remember going to their cricket final when the three boys were very small and they were SO naughty but their mother just said ‘oh don’t do that’ in a very gentle voice. One would run up, grab an apple from the bag, take a bite and throw it on the ground and grin. She would gently admonish him and he would run away for a few minutes then came back and do the same thing. Four times. I was quite horrified but guess what? Their eldest is now 15 and has been caught with drugs, alcohol and other things we won’t discuss here. Very sad

I hope your post op appointment went well Lindsay, I did laugh out loud at your picture but at least they were upmarket pj’s 🙂

The scales told me kindly that I am now down 3 kilos since returning from Vanuatu so I am very happy with that. I must run to get ready for a doctors appointment to get my CT scan results. Have a great day all

Hi all from a very hot Sydney. Love the sunshine though

Cinque, I too was ecstatic to hear who the 2023 Australian of the year was. Superb choice. I hope you get some cooking done but also rest up enough to get through two little ones tomorrow

The interview went ok I think, I am much more excited about the role now. However I was very honest and told them one of the key required competencies was a non-strength so I am not too hopeful. They are looking to fill multiple Business Analyst roles so fingers crossed one of the other roles may not need that particular skill

I am so baffled by the person who is/was so seemingly desperate to employ me back at my old place in my dream job in payments. He said things that made everyone think it was a done deal and he just needs to do some paperwork then NADA. It has now been 6 weeks since I left and I have heard nothing. I texted him on Tuesday as a last resort but no reply. That, as they say, is now a dead duck

All good with my CT scan but not so good with blood tests. I am pre-diabetic so I need to really REALLY lose weight and get more active. No better motivation required.

Take care all

I didn’t even get called for a second interview. What? They are looking for several BA’s in a tight market and they don’t want my 35 years’ experience? Talk about a blow to the ego and confidence. I think I’ve been offered every job I’ve ever interviewed for and now this. Wait until you hear the reason:

We found ##### knew her area of expertise, we however felt that the fast pace and rapid need to flex might be an area where ##### may not suit the Super Servicing stream

Is my age going against me? I knew my lack of superannuation experience would go against me but this is a very niche area and they are not going to find many suitable candidates with this experience. I was also honest up front about drawing visual aides being a non-strength but the excuse above does not mention either of those

On a brighter note, we are having lunch with friends at a nice Thai restaurant today and going to the music festival tomorrow down in Wollongong. The sun is shining and there is much to be grateful for. I must not eat my emotions though so I will be mindful. Mr Anzac’s tummy is not good but fingers crossed we can get through the weekend without issues

Thanks for your kind words Cinque, they mean a lot

Take care all

I forgot to add to my previous post that going back to my normal way of eating is paying dividends, I’ve dropped 1.4 kg in the last 14 days.

Just one more bad habit to conquer, coffee. I’m still only having coffee in the mornings (none after noon) but I’m having more cups than I should each day, so my next goal is to reduce my intake back to just 2 cups each morning.

What terrible scenes on the news today of NZ with the flooding, it seems the weather is certainly going crazy all around the world. I hope all is okay with you and your family Neil and as well as our other NZ posters.

Those floods in Auckland are diabolical. I feel for everyone over there

I love how community minded you are Neil and enjoy reading about your very active life

I am definitely beginning to agree with you 100% g’day. I was so confident I would have people lining up to employ me. Pride comes before a fall right?

Must run as it is pooch walking time

Good afternoon everyone.

Sorry I haven’t been able to post lately. The demands of school holiday babysitting, combined with heat (which seems to sap my energy), it just became too much for me.

I am woefully behind in posts, but have skim read the last few at least.

Anzac, don’t let one idiot recruiter get you down. I’m sure there are banks that will be needing a business analyst any day now and most of them have probably hied you before, which should be an advantage.
While the blood tests were not good, at least you know now and can do something about it before you get to a diagnosis of diabetes.
Well done on the weight loss.

Lindsay, so glad to hear that your husband is once again back on his feet and displaying his usual positive attitude.
That’s a very cute pup, thanks for posting the photo.

Gdsa, sorry to hear of your troubles, but it does sound like you are tackling them head on. Good for you.
Glad also to hear that once back on your usual eating regime the weight is moving.

Neil, Glad you are persevering with the new eating regime. It’s always disappointing when one bad episode cancels out a weeks weight loss. It happens to me too. Only thing to do is start afresh the next day.

Cinque, it sounds like you have been struggling for energy too. Definitely not helped by heat or humidity. It does seem like you have also figured out your best eating pattern.
I’m thinking of making your Nigerian bean stew, but replacing some of the beans with lots of eggplant as I have lots of finger eggplants at the moment. Do you think those tomato and peanut flavours would work with eggplant?

Thin, I hope the wildlife trip has been worth it, despite all the kerfuffle with flights and luggage.

Despite 3 FDs each week my weight crept up over January to the mid 80s. It was thanks to far too many meals out, kids staying overnight and lots of tired eating on NFDs. I’m back to doing 2FDs per week now, but have taken a temporarily different approach to NFDs. I haven’t the energy for much meal planning or cooking at the moment so I’m just strictly limiting my food choices to mostly veg and fruit. Each day I add one protein (nuts, dairy, legumes, eggs etc) that fits easily with my plans for that day and I add fats in salad dressings and cooking. Food variety stimulates my appetite, so with very limited options it naturally curtails my eating without any real effort on my part. That’s helping me enormously on NFDs at present. When I feel more like myself again, I will happily go back to meal planning and cooking more interesting meals. It’s not something I would do long term, just while I’m exhausted. The new regime is working thankfully, after 3 days I’m down by 1.5kg.

Eating mainly veg is not difficult at present as my veggie beds are still producing lots. This was my veg picked this morning and the lunch I made in the airfryer from some of the veg (plus some haloumi). https://imgur.com/a/G69k5XP

For once it’s not Anzac reporting Maxx’s antics. My cat has developed a new aggravating habit. Whenever I’m out of the house for a few hours she opens the drawers in my dresser and scatters lingerie all over the floor, thankfully she doesn’t try to eat it, she just makes a mess. I’m sure she thinks it’s fun – me not so much. This is what I came home to yesterday: https://imgur.com/a/ANniZHj Unfortunately I can’t dissuade her with the water spray as she never does it when I’m home. The water spray method has worked well for discouraging her from using the dining chairs as scratching posts and she mostly uses her actual scratching post now. As my new (and very expensive) recliner arrives from Nordic Design on Wednesday I’m hoping that lesson sticks as I do not want to see damage to the fabric. I will probably need to cover it with a throw when I’m not in the room as it will be the only fabric covered lounge chair and she is sure to find it more inviting to curl up on than the leather lounge.

Time to go. Dinner tonight is simple, I will airfry the other half of the haloumi I had with lunch and I’ll make a tomato, cucumber, lettuce and herb salad to go with it (all home grown and extremely fresh).

Take care all.