Thank you Anzac. I am travelling in a group and have already taken out travel insurance so hopefully if things change before then I should be covered.
Egypt was my go to place from 2001 until 2018 having been there 7 times. I am so thankful I got to explore it in detail before the world changed. I’m sorry you had to take it off your itinerary.

Hello everyone,
Woot just about all the gang have been here over the last week.
Thin, are you back from Cuba yet?

I kept eating out the freezer, what a long process, and some of the things… to use them up I need to make a pot of MORE things, that need to be frozen.
I was just about on top of it so I went shopping, and just might have got a bit carried away. So now I am cooking like mad and filling up the freezer quickly.
(An African lamb casserole yesterday, ponkie today – can you guess what that is? and mixed vegetable curry this afternoon). Then I can relax and eat my ready made meals for the next couple of weeks.

Turn isn’t it amazing how we can start something, and then realise we are still just playing with it. Blood tests are a great reality check and you will love getting that high cholesterol number down.

I am another emotional eater. It is wonderful that food is so entwined with our emotions but very tricky when life is brutal (or boring) and we need to work out another way to comfort ourselves.

It is a wonderful thing to travel light! In this material world THINGS just keep invading my home and taking up space. Especially clothes, my opshopping favourite. I am still finding more clothes to discard.

Lindsay, what an island emergency fright for you all. Is Mr Lindsay okay and back home now? Fingers crossed he is.
So lovely to read about the girls. Growing up so fast! I’m thinking the 10yo saying extraordinary things is the same girl who was saying extraordinary things when she was 6?

(My daughter told Ms7 that her teacher would be going on maternity leave in term 2. “ETERNITY leave?” asked Ellie in amazement.)

Is Rosy definitely having babies?

Hi Merry, thankyou for your kind thoughts. All power to you up on the ‘stop my weight creeping up and let it creep down’ horse. Do you have another mini goal before you hit 62?

Gday, that temperature report was exhausting.

LJoyce, well done with the kids. I find the kids get a bit easier as they get older, but I keep getting slower as I grow older, so it stays a bit tricky.

Big congratulations to you for managing your food so well. That icy smoothie is a wonderful hack.

Haha, yes the wonderful opshop hunt gets more delightfully challenging when our wardrobe already has lovely clothes. How picky we can get about design, material, fit, colour etc!
And wow! What a delight to shop for evening wear. Such fun and the things you found sound gorgeous! And $20 for a quality garment is such a bargain!

Mexican cheesecake sounds like a perfect Australia Day treat, hooray for multiculturalism 😀

Intesha, welcome home and hooray for recovering from jet lag.
I am so glad you had such gorgeous family time, including the trip to Spain. You deserved it. And woot for the next travelling plans.
Congratulations on kilos lost.

Best wishes everyone

Hi everyone, a quick post as I’m finishing up work and ready for dinner but just wanted to pop in

G’day, I had to chuckle at your conniving freezer! Isn’t it so typical of appliances? Or even things like TV’s that one minute do the wrong thing or don’t work at all and then when you have given up and either spent time or money getting it fixed VOILA they fix themselves 🙂

Cinque I love reading about your op shopping. I have never done it as I am still too large to fit into ‘regular’ sizes, but once I’m at a standard size 14 I’ll be there with bells on

I had a bit of a set back on the weekend eating-wise but back on track now. Have lost 900g which is slow but I’ll take it

Will chat more soon, take care all

Good morning,

Gday, you are the freezer queen!
Good luck with the study this weekend.

Hi Anzac,
Check out the opshops when you can, there are as many gems in the big sizes as the little ones. The op shops around here mostly have sizes going up to 20 – 22, but some of them just have a ‘plus size’ section (which is a bit rude I think!).

900g is a nice amount not to have to carry around anymore.

Neil, I am so glad you had such a great trip. And this week sounds a good one too.

I’m sitting here wishing I could have another coffee but knowing I had better not. I’ll go and do three things.

Sending out best wishes to everyone.

Morning all

Well a bit of a frenetic end to the holiday. I had to drive my sister-in-law to the hospital because she thought it would be a good idea to put her hand under her lawnmower while it was still running and she split the end of her middle finger. I came back to finish off mowing her lawn for her, tripped on her driveway and twisted my ankle. We think her lawnmower is cursed.

Weight back up a kilo this week, so I’m really going to have to knuckle down and get back to a more consistent eating now that I’m back into my normal work routine. Unfortunately my bike has been out of commission for the last few days and is likely to be still out of commission for a couple of days to come. It has a worn gear cassette and the supplier is out of stock of replacement cassettes, so I have to wait for them to get more stock in, freighting it down to my bike repair shop, and then time for them to fit it on my bike. I’m itching to get out riding because the weather has been so nice recently.

Well I hope everyone else has been good, I’ll catch up with you all later.

Good morning all.

LJ thanks for the good wishes. After a week in hospital, they could find no reason for OH’s sudden incident. He goes back in in a week or so for more investigation. He is getting very tired of the constant hospital visits and medical procedures, particularly as he is feeling reasonably well. I live in fear that one day he will say enough is enough, and stop treatment.

But, in the meantime, life’s to be lived, and we are doing that. We have had four wonderful days in Sydney with two of OH’s Scottish relatives. It was just what the doctor ordered. Fun, and lots of laughs and lots of stories of times past. And now we are back on our island, and fingers crossed we get our week here with no more medical evacuations.

Your day out in the hills sounds wonderful – enjoy your day out with your friend.

Anzac the diet leading up to the colonoscopy is the worst part. Will be good to get it done and dusted, and the all clear. Best wishes today.

Yikes Neil, what a way to end a holiday. Your sil is no doubt shaking her head at her own actions, but we all do these things without thinking. Yep. Get rid of the mower. It’s cursed.

My weight is …well, let’s just say fluctuating. Four days in Sydney didn’t help, but I’m back in control now on the island, so will work at it very hard, along with lots of beach walks and swims with OH and the dogs.

Oh Anzac, I hope it’s not gout. Usually a complaint experienced by men, but women do get it. We changed OH’s diet completely and he seems to have only the very occasional bout now. We got him off prawns and shellfish (disappointing, because the best prawns in the world come from the island, and I won’t eat them if he can’t), cut back on his alcohol (not that he had much, and wasn’t a beer drinker, which is the worst) and lots of water.

Cinque, travelling light. What a wonderful philosophy. But things keep invading. My lovely lovely Scottish relative brought us a bag of things …lovely, thoughtful things. They weighed 7.1 kilos. How do I know this? We travelled down with hand luggage, but had to check in our case on the way home. Two beautiful cashmere scarves, lots of Scottish food (oatcakes, tablet, etc) and things for the children, and books. My current thinking is that is something comes in, something has to go out. But I’m fighting a battle and not winning.

On that note, breakfast. We have some leftover mangoes I brought over with us. For OH, not me. Too many carbs too early in the day for me, but he needs to put on a bit of weight still, and loves them.

Have a great day all.

Hi everyone, nice to read all the posts. LJoyce the Moroccan trip is again through Encounter Travel, for solo travellers, max 18 persons. Starts in Morocco 16/10 for 17 days. Casablanca/Essaouira/Marrakech/BoumalneDades/Merzouga/Azrou/Fes/Chefchaouen//Tangier/Casablanca. Air fares not included, own room $7085.
Well my life has been turned upside down again. Last week I was given notice that the house I am renting is being sold. My lease is up in March and I will be in India. Could not have come at a worse time. Hoping an investor buys it and I can come to some arrangement with them as I only have three weeks between my India and Turkey trip. Three sets of people came through yesterday although the open house is not until tomorrow. I am seriously looking at being homeless. The rental market is brutal at the moment. Some of my thoughts are putting everything in storage and finding something temporary until I can find a suitable place or moving out of Sydney which I had always thought once my Dad passed but having these trips booked means I need to stay in Sydney for the time being.
These are the things my Dad was thinking of when he left me the money, which I haven’t received yet, something my brother never took into account when he did what he did. Thankfully I will have a cushion but it’s money I could use for other things apart from having to move so often. That will be 3 moves in as many years.
My weight has gone from 78.3 to 75.8 so something positive although I am not really fasting but just watching what I eat and being very frugal with the shopping.
Sending best wishes to you all.

Hi all,

I missed my weigh in catch up last Thursday as OH and I had been visiting Dunedin for a couple of days with his brother and SIL who are over from the UK presently. As you can imagine two days undid all the good we had achieved in the previous couple of weeks! We did have a thoroughly fantastic time though, and we all got to see an albatross! We had more socialising over the weekend as my elderly uncle from the UK is also here in NZ with his partner and we have been sorting his travel plans whilst he is here. Car hire/ferry/accommodation bookings all sorted, they finally arrived here on Sat afternoon, just as a cool southerly hit! Took them for a pub meal which was excellent and yesterday we all enjoyed lunch at one of the local wineries here, amazing views and lovely food and wine. After a trip through the gorge to Queenstown we ended up in another pub with a cheese board to share! They were blown away with the mountains & lakes and the weather certainly played ball. They have moved on today to enjoy the last week of their trip with friends on the west coast, so we can probably get to grips with some more sensible eating. We catch up with BIL & wife again this Thursday for 3/4 days so no doubt some more eating out will occur.

I seem to do OK until I hit the social button, then everything goes out the window, including all my will power and any rational form of thinking. Needless to say I haven’t broken the 70 barrier yet although I came close at 70.2kg. I am so looking forward to seeing the 60’s again.

It sounds like everyone is back to travelling and making future travel plans, we hope to head back to Europe in ’25, but just browsing at the moment, putting some ideas into a folder that I can hopefully fit into our plans.

I concur with Lindsay Neil, ditch that mower! I do hope you’re back walking OK soon.

Ooops, looks like we have to go out now! Will catch up again later, enjoy your day everyone, Turn

Hello everyone,
I have a lot of tidying up to do before Vic the cleaner comes to help me with a deep clean of the big kitchen cabinet, so every sentence or so I will go and do three little things. Warning: This might be a very disjointed post.

I’ve had a bad week, I managed to put on an inch around my waist without irritating my esophagus too much, which means I can’t depend on pain to keep me in line any more! I felt awful as soon as my eating habits changed and to make it worse I had a really bad sleepless night which led to several crook days.

Now I am focused, I’ve reminded myself of how frugal I need my eating to be, and I am putting it into practice.

It is hot hot hot here, but a cool change is coming. I’m glad you are enjoying it already LJoyce (and Gday I hope).

Anzac, I hope all went well with your colonoscopy. I hope your big toe pain doesn’t turn out to be gout or anything else long term or hard to fix.

Neil, I do hope your SIL is recovering well. Are you the sort of family that will tease her forever now? Oh those accidents where you wish you could just go back ten seconds and not do the thing. Sigh.

And I hope your ankle sprain wasn’t too bad. Was there a third accident to round it out?

It sounds like not exercising means you are home and unable to resist nibbling and munching. I do hope your bike is fixed and your ankle is healthy enough that you can get outside and doing things.

Speaking of exercise, my favourite twin doctors have a new podcast series out about it: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/a-thorough-examination-with-drs-chris-and-xand/id1625865924

LJoyce, Woot! https://www.icegif.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/icegif-70.gif
Congratulations in getting below 80. You win extra medals for the incredible persistence and executive functioning it took.

Exciting that your next trip is coming up so soon. Another woot!

I’ll be back after three more things and making a cup of tea (if I can resist another coffee).

Guess who is going to have a fast day tomorrow?

Yes, me. First one for about a year.

I’ve got chicken and low carb vegetables, so I will aim for 600calories of that.

Wish me luck.

Morning all

Weigh-in yesterday was down half a kilo, not much but better than nothing.

I’m having real issues with my bike at the moment, the gears are slipping, I’ve replaced the chain and cassette and it’s still slipping. The guy at the bike shop said the drive train on my bike isn’t built for the amount of riding I do. He said if I’m just riding in the weekends then it would last years, but commuting every day and riding in the weekends I’m likely to have to change it every year. The problem is I don’t really have the cash up front to change to a better system.

Cinque, I’ll be fasting with you today, I recognise yours was yesterday but I didn’t read your message until today so it still counts. I’m going to try a 3 day fast since I can’t ride my bike much at the moment, so it’s just tea, coffee, water and miso soup for me for the next few days. My SIL is recovering too well, she’s organised a list of gardening jobs she wants me to do around her house while she’s out of action.

Ljoyce, congrats on hitting the 70s, I’m not sure my dad would go on the cruise but I put it in his head. Him and my mother had several holidays over in Aussie and he’s expressed interest in going back, but says he’s nervous about travelling by himself, and he’s not really the kind of guy who would join a bus tour group type thing.

Turn, hope our city gave you some decent weather while you were here. It’s been really up and down recently. Wednesday was 31 degrees and uncomfortably hot overnight, yesterday was grey, miserable, 16 degrees and we actually lit the fire in the evening because it dropped to 11 degrees, today it’s supposed to hit somewhere in between, 22 degrees which is far more palatable.

Intesha, I hop something comes up with your accommodation issue, I hope you can put that out of your mind and enjoy your trip.

Well have a good one everyone

Hello all, have been a bit absent battling health stuff

Lindsay sadly yes it is Gout. I don’t know where the fruitcake that came from but DEAR GOD it was painful. It’s been 12 days and it is 90% better but what a journey. The doctor gave me super-strong anti inflammatory medication and I have a script for some other medication to take once it is fully healed. This other one is to stop it coming back. I’ve had blood test to see the Urate levels and will have another after 4 weeks of the new drug

Glad Mr Lindsay is a bit better and so glad you had a lovely time in Sydney with your relatives. No drug can beat a whole lot of fun times and laughter

The better and wonderful news is the colonoscopy and gastroscopy were all clear. I just need to get the pathology results and then that is done and dusted for another 3 years. The doctor was concerned that I am unable to wean myself off the reflux medication so wanted to make sure it wasn’t having any impact – and it isn’t. Yay!

My weight jumped up 2 kilos after the colonoscopy and I have no idea why. I’ve had a good week and lost 0.8 in 5 days so some must have been fluid

LJ, I am so envious of your Antarctica trip. This was the very first trip on our agenda 20 years ago! We were keen to do the whole Drake Passage thing on an Ice Cutter and back then baulked at the cost of 5K each. Haha, now it is more like 20k each. We still hope to do a cruise like yours one day and I can’t wait to hear all about it. And lots of celebrations for the lovely 7 in front of your weight 🙂

Sorry to hear about your bike issues Neil, especially when it means so much to you. Yay for the half kilo GONESKY

Hope your fast day today goes well Neil and Cinque. Sorry about that dratted inch around your waist Cinque but I bet today’s FD takes care of that

Intesha, did I already mention that we LOVED LOVED LOVED Morocco back in 2019? You will have an amazing trip. The people are lovely and the countryside so varying and beautiful. I can’t wait to hear all about your trip

Turn, social events are my number one downfall too. So glad you had a lovely time with your family from the UK. Those 60’s will be here soon

Hi to everyone else – Thin where are you? Mr A was detained for a couple of hours when we first arrived in Cuba (he and the only other non-Latino man on the flight were detained for questioning) so I hope you didn’t strike something like that

Take care all

Good morning,
I had a good fast day, but not as fasty as I would really like. I will try again in a couple of days. I want a fasty fast! (I think I had too much chicken). But my waist measurement is half an inch smaller so that is good.

How are you going Neil?

LJoyce, I did finish the day with miso soup. And it was lovely.
I hope yours was a good fast day. Woohoo for staying under 80kg.

Anzac, I am so glad that gout attack is almost over. What a lot of pain to deal with. I do hope you can protect yourself from another one.
I gather 5:2 and Mediterranean diet are good for prevention and you do both of those when your terrible work isn’t undermining you. Is this right? All power to you.
Hooray for how good all the other tests were.

I am very pleased with 5:2 as such a wonderful tool to be able to bring out when I needed it. This morning I am really appreciating its circuit breaker attribute.

I am also appreciating that I have got my fridge a lot emptier (still enough food in the house and garden that I could live happily for months)
(Well not quite happily because I need coffee and milk!).
It makes eating lovely and simple .
I’ve got zucchini and tomatoes and basil from the garden which makes for some lovely simple meals.

The Melbourne weather is being so kind today. Life is easy.

Sending out good wishes to everyone.

Morning all

Well my liquid fast didn’t quite go to plan, but pretty close. I ended up doing a whole lot of maintenance work at the frisbee golf course on Saturday so by the time it got to the evening I was pretty hungry so I had one cup of the beef stroganoff that I made for dinner (minus the pasta that my family had with it) It added a couple of hundred calories, but a total of only 400 or so for the day is fine. Yesterday was similar, my sister in law wanted me to drop a whole lot of trees, It took a few hours to drop them and drag them away. It was a really hot day too, so I drank a whole litre of coconut water while I was working, and I had a couple of scoops of chocolate protein powder blitzed up with a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter for dinner. It was around 300 calories, so a total of 500-600 for the day.

The weird thing is I haven’t felt hungry much over the three days. I’m back onto fast800 today so I’ll see how that goes.

Have a good one everyone

Hello friends

I am doing a proper FD today as I overindulged on the weekend to the point of ridiculousness. I have a nice slice of leg ham to have with a salad for a late lunch then home-made san-choy-bau for dinner

Cinque that was a very thought provoking observation about gout and the benefits of 5:2 and the Mediterranean Diet. I am feeling inspired to get on the horse and get this weight loss journey back on track after years of yoyoing

Your fast sounds very successful Neil and I’m exhausted just reading about all of your chores

I just received a call from the Gastro doctor to say all pathology results are fine 🙂

Take care everyone, happy Monday

Good work Neil.
Quick fixes seem more and more elusive as life goes on. 1.6k gone is tremendous, all power to you building on that.

Anzac, hooray for those pathology results. All my fingers and toes crossed that you can manage that stressful work as well as the best ways of eating and fasting. It is so tricky.

It is hot here today and a hot night and then another hot day before the cool change. I will ride it out gently. I am building up to another fast day, but in the meantime I am having one less meal a day.

Well, I managed it yesterday and will try again today. (That’s 3 small meals instead of the four I had been having).

Best wishes everyone

LJoyce,
Bon voyage! It is your antarctica trip isn’t it! Sending so many good wishes for a wonderful time. Say hello to the penguins for my penguin obsessed granddaughter.
I’m extra envious since Melbourne is sweltering today.

Frustrating news that your scales aren’t reflecting all your work, but it must be good for your body anyway, and will show up sooner or later.

How lovely that Sylvia will be so cared for.

Morning Anzac, I was just about to post that I can hear crickets chirping on here it’s been so quiet before I saw your post.

Yes it was my Wednesday weigh-in today, but it was not good. I’ve had digestion issues this last week and feeling horribly bloated. That was reflected on the scales, undoing all the work from last week. Hopefully when it passes my weight will go back to where it was.

Congrats on your loss

We’ve started harvesting the plums off our tree this last week, and it’s ridiculously loaded. We’ve picked 6 buckets of plums off it so far, which have been jammed, preserved, eaten, given to neighbours and family, taken to Church, and taken to work, but the tree still looks like it hasn’t been touched. I might do some fruit leather, then make some jams to donate to the local food bank, then pick a couple of boxes to take to the local school and kindy. We planted the tree only 8 years or so ago, but it’s a real monster. We planted it a few meters away from our compost heap and every time I empty the compost heap I find roots from the plum tree soaking up the nutrients.

Well I hope everyone else is ok. Have a good one everyone.

Hi everyone,
I have very intermittent wifi access, so I’m doing a catch up while it’s working.
Currently sailing across the Drakes Passage, expecting to reach Antarctica later today.

I don’t know how to link imgur photos on my phone (I use my laptop for that at home). So I’ll load photo links once I get home.

I had 3 nights in Buenos Aires. I enjoyed the sightseeing and the tango show. I was quite limited in where I could go alone in my free time due to the recent increase in crime targeting tourists. We got very stern warnings from the first tour guide about the rapid increase in bag/phone snatching – often using knives to liberate your belongings. I was relieved that she said the old port district (where my hotel was) is the safest area in the city to walk alone. So I restricted myself to that area. It meant I didn’t get to see some things I wanted to, but I’d rather stay safe.
The poverty in Buenos Aires is very visible. The hotel receptionist said their inflation had now reached 2.1% per day! I’m not sure how people without property and foreign investments survive that.

After flying to Ushuaia we had an afternoon in the Tierra del Fuego national park on Monday afternoon. It was lovely, I would have liked more time there to do a proper hike.

The sailing has been good so far, 3metre seas. My seasickness meds are working. There is a bad storm following us, but we’ve been reassured that we’ll be across Drakes Passage and into the shelter of the Antarctic Peninsula before it hits.

The ship is gorgeous and only half full, because there are so many single people on this trip (clearly attracted by the “no single supplement” as I was). This means we will get more time on the ice. We are also going to be able to get onto two volcanic calderas that are part of the Antarctic Peninsula.

There are so many experts on board. We have 15 naturalists with a whole variety of specialties- they’ll be leading the landings. There are also 2 experts from the Smithsonian, a cosmologist and a geologist/glaciologist. Daily there have been 3 lectures of varying topics relevant to Antarctica- I’m learning so many new things. On that note I need to go ss the lecture on Antarctic glaciers starts in 4 minutes. Will post more later.

Hello everyone,
How lovely to read your posts LJoyce. My heart aches for the icy expanse as well as the wonderful wildlife so it is a treat to enjoy it vicariously.

Anzac, wonderful work. Is it 5:2 that is helping you lose that excess weight with the holiday dangling in front of you, or other things? Or a combination?

Thin, I miss you too.

I have had a rocky time after a year of doing so well with my four small meals a day. I started trying to change things and all I did was mess myself up. So I have returned to what works, except I am spreading my four meals out slightly as, now my esophagus has healed, I can eat my last meal of the day at 7 instead of six o’clock.

Neil, your poor bloated digestion, no doubt with inflammation needing extra water to help you recover.
I hope you are felling much better, and lighter too.

Ooh yum the plum tree. It must be so well fed and paying you back for all that compost. I get tree roots in mine too, a callistemon, so I get repaid in pale yellow flowers and happy bees.

Lindsay, when I read your post the other day I was eating one of my small meals made with (homemade) pasta, basil pesto and tomatoes from my garden. This morning I had three zucchini flowers but no males, and as there don’t seem to be other zucchini bushes in bee range, I picked them with flowers attached and am enjoying them with my meals today (another 5 zucchinis in my fruit bowl).

I am so glad Mr Lindsay is doing well and entertaining all his medical helpers.
And well done cleaning out the fridge.

I am speaking with the fervor of the converted, but I know you will just politely move on if this doesn’t suit you. I do want to put in a bid for changing your eating to small meals. It sounds like Mr. Lindsay is only able to eat small meals at the moment, so you would be in concert with him. And if your meal is only a cup and a half in volume, then some root vegetables and even pasta, can be a part without any damage to the scales, and would mean you are not too hungry after eating it. It might be worth a try.
It only works for me if I have four meals a day, so I am not sure how that translates.

I’m having one of those ‘just do three small things’ days so off I go to see if three more might make a difference 😉

Sending best wishes to everyone.

Oh wow LJ, I am loving your posts and picturing the scenery and the wildlife. I have to do this! Really can’t wait to see your pictures and thank you for taking the time to tell us all about this most awesome adventure

Neil I love plums and if only you could chuck a bucket-load of them over the ditch

Cinque I am being stringent with the ‘no snacking’ rule as it is incredible how quickly the calories add up when I mindlessly wander into the kitchen to eat something. I’m also trying to do a bit more exercise and the weight is coming off nicely. It’s really hard for me to do FD’s due to my diverticulitis as I need fibre first thing in the morning and that sets off the hunger dragon. I’m also really watching my carb intake. Nothing special or scientific but it works!

Housework calls so I’ll keep this short. Take care everyone

Hi all
LJ what a wonderful trip – magical. You are seeing sights that so few of us will ever see, so I really appreciate the commentary. Thank you.

Cinque I hadn’t thought about four small meals, but it could very well work and I am always open to new ideas. We are on the island at the moment, and I have more control of my intake, and am doing well. Oddly, I have been giving OH an early morning tea to try to up his calories …if I turned it into something healthier, I could well do that too.

My poor little Scarlett is still recovering from being mugged by some very big dogs at the park just before Christmas – vet and chiro visits, but yesterday I tried a new greyhound man who came highly recommended, and he realigned her neck which was out, and two vertebrae which meant she was throwing her front foot and back leg. All hard to see with the naked eye, but I knew she wasn’t quite right. Two injections, some manipulation and anti-inflammatories, and she should be fine again. Oh and 48 hours of rest, which for our Scarley, is well nigh impossible, as she only has two speeds….flat out, and steamroller. So our first day over here hasn’t been as relaxing as I’d hoped, keeping her entertained. She’s still a devil – can you see what she’s taken off the bench? Fortunately she didn’t drop it on the concrete floors.

https://imgur.com/a/kw7IjQq

How’s the holiday planning going Anzac?

And Neil – still harvesting?

And Intesha – any luck with your housing situation.

Thin it will be good to have you back from your travels – the forum needs your spark.

Hello everyone,

It is the day before three terrible hot days here, so I am pottering around trying to get organised. I am writing this in my little sit downs between doing things.

I am going fine. My garden is finishing its summer goods, once the heat wave is over I will pull things out.

LJoyce, another wonderful post. I am glad you could borrow those ice poles! You must be in Argentina now. Sending best wishes for your homeward journey.
Looking forward to the photos!

Anzac, doesn’t that ‘no snacking’ rule make a difference! I hope you are getting nicely used to it.

Lindsay, Scarlett is a honey… oh no, I see, she has got the honey! (I presume) Hooray for getting a photo and then getting t back from her without a spill or a break. (I presume)

All power to you working out a way of eating that fits in with Mr Lindsay.

Neil, hooray for less bloat and being lighter. Is plum fruit leather next on your list?

Back to the tidying up…
(Cleaning some water bowls to put out for the birds and insects over the hot days.)

Best wishes all

Hi all, just checking in. Absolutely stressed to the max. I’ve done nothing but pack boxes and sort stuff out for the past three weeks. The house has been sold and I have to vacate by 19/4. I leave for India on Thursday morning and return 30/3. Have not been able to find anything suitable in my price range and I don’t have time to downsize without getting rid of nearly my entire furniture. I never thought my life would end up like this. Rentals are so scarce and priced out of all proportion for what they are. What has happened to the lucky country. Older Australians are non citizens.

I am going to Goulburn shortly to view some properties, so much more affordable, it is 150kms from where I live now but I always knew I would have to move out of Sydney at some stage, so I am hoping I can find something reasonable and get approved, which is the next big hurdle. As soon as they see the word pensioner your instantly discarded. So it’s not easy either way. It’s an uphill battle.

If all else fails I will have to put everything in storage until I get back from Turkey. I leave on the 20/4. My life has certainly become one big drama and all I can see is the $ going, going gone. I still have not received the money from my Dad as the solicitor has advised me not to touch it until the 12 months is up in case my brother decides to change his mind again.

Anyway take care everyone.

Afternoon all

Ljoyce, I must say I’ve been hanging out for some photos, and you didn’t disappoint.

My weigh in yesterday was a disaster. I had been eating well all week, we’ve basically been living out of our garden for the last couple of weeks. I’ve been keeping to an average of around 1900 calories per day, most of it fruit, veg and meat, but my weight shot up by over a kilo. I’m now the heaviest I’ve been since I started losing weight and I don’t seem to be able to do anything about the constant march upwards.