Winter Solstice here and a very cold morning..4 deg…why would I get up? 🙄
My veg is doing brilliantly, as we’ve had rain. Lots of lettuce, kale, spinach, silverbeet, fennel, pak choy, herbs, some late tomatoes, young snap peas, cauli, broccolini and cabbages growing nicely. Unfortunately Mr P won’t be able to eat any of these for some time, after major abdominal surgury he is limited to all the food we never eat..low fibre, white carbs. 😔😩 Staggering limitations to regaining health. Here we go again…reinventing the menu. P

Hi Purple,

I hope all is well with Mr P and he makes a speedy recovery.

Happy,

I was having dinner in an Anatolian restaurant a few weeks ago and I took a mouthful of salad. It had chopped celery in it. My usual reaction has always been gag reflex but it didn’t happen and I actually liked the taste. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or my best friend!
I won’t be buying it any time soon but at least I can eat it now if it turns up on my plate without worrying about the consequences.

The only other thing I really dislike is bitter leaves but I’m coming round to them in combination with the right things.

As for the chocolates, I must confess to having more today and I know this will continue until they are gone so I’ll have to be very strict with everything else in order to stay on track.
They are delicious and very good quality. I was asked beforehand if I liked chocolate so I knew I was getting some. Thank you for your kind offer of assistance but I think I can manage, but if I find I have too much celery at any time I’ll let you know 😆

As for breaking a fast with a G&T, don’t you remember the time I broke a 4 day fast with a nice cold beer 🤣🤣🤣

Sorry, Purple, it’s a difficult time for you.

Witlof or chicory is not really bitter now, Amazon. It certainly used to be when I first came to France 28 years ago. The growers must have adapted the plant. The plant in Italian called radacchio is more bitter when used for witlof ( we use the Flemish word in NZ for this plant) I am not sure radacchio has an English translation.
Witlof must have something which my body needs as I am instinctively drawn to it in a supermarket (better attraction than chocolate in the end)

I guess we are a bit ahead garden-wise, Happy, though there is always that altitude versus latitude adjustment. Here we are at latitude 44°N and 1000m, whereas you must be 10° further north at a lower altitude.
Our growing season is barely 6 months here, and I love the acceleration.
We are in a sunny belt as it’s about 150km to the Mediterranean Sea. In winter the ground freezes to about 15cm. Our main problem for gardening is long periods without rain in summer, sometimes 3 months. We have a well, but thanks to moles, it runs only a few days after rain. Not very useful!

Just off for an up day jaunt. We will stop for lunch at a nice little restaurant.
xx Wiwi

With tennis building up over your way, I guess you’ll be developing square eyes again, Amazon?
Aussie women are currently topping 3 world sports…tennis, golf and surfing! Fantastic to see the coverage these fine sportwomen are finally attracting. Now, what about equal pay? 🙄
No fasting here, but lots of concentrating on preparing very healthy food. We are hunkered down with a cold, wet winter, but it won’t last long. 😉
Hope you Northerners are getting some decent summer days. P

Did I hear Andy plans to play mixed doubles with Ash?
Rain, alternating with sunshine all day again, today. With the sky grey and deciduous trees outside bare, it looks as if we are in the UK or Europe. Not the usual Aussie view of everygreen gumtrees and bright blue skies 🙄
Excellent soup weather though.
Enjoy your tennis, A.
P

Here excellent salad fast day. It’s hot in Europe, but here not bad inside thanks to our altitude, and 80cm thick walls.

I hope Mr P is improving everyday, Purple.

I made a Provençal soup the other day, lots of vegetables, chick peas and served it with Pistou, (mainly basil and a few pinenuts and parmesan, though not quite like pesto) Even in summer it was good.

My OH loves tennis, he might just put it on to watch as it’s definitely inside weather till the evening.

We are about to eat our unique meal. We find this hot part of the day a good time to eat even though it surprises the neighbours if they visit.
I am still under 48 hour nurse care for my ankle which neither gets better or worse.

happy tennis watching,
Wi

Wiwi,

Yes, we’re at 54N but a mere 200m, so don’t get the winters or summers that you do. We do get moles though…! Water is similarly a problem for us, being on a private water supply that depends on rainfall for recharge. We’ve got water butts, and access to a beck although it’s not really a water source I’m keen on using during drought/ low flow. Anyway, just at the moment things are growing well, plenty of sun and not too dry. And the mole is in the paddock, not the veg patch 😀

P,

So pleased Mr P is going on OK. What a dreadful couple of weeks you’ve had, you deserve a rest. And a medal!

Wel, it’s the end of a fast day here. Quite easy as I was out all day. Broken with Anna Jones roasted ratatouille with charred chickpeas. Yum. Sadly, I’m already looking forward to breakfast…. 😊

Oh, you’re a funny lady…! Think crisped, only slightly charred, not burnt….

Hi Fast Trackers And Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
Caravan travel and the social engagement with other travelers in caravan parks and so forth well here in Australia we are fondly referred to as Grey Nomads. Yfee and I have enjoyed our time away and the no routine no time table like drifters in away but not quite under the radar or off the grid just yet it is a simple minimalist way of life and travel. We are not massive adventurers or sightseer’s but now more investor’s in our relationship we need to re-invent the story as the last of the raising sons set sail for his journey and leaves our family home in January we will for the first time in near on 40 years now be empty nesters and that will be a whole new episode in our book on life. Where we are asking is less actually more the van is a great example of culinary master pieces with bugger all gadgets and appliances and taking only the essentials experiencing Tetras like packing skills the wonder of what we will find opening the door to the van after doing 500km on a longer road trip to the next destination what characters and scoundrels to chat with engage and laugh with spend a night alongside new neighbours every day or second day what mechanical fail and communication challenge with phone reception and Wi-Fi. We can put man on the moon and yet we have so many black spots here with mobile phone coverage it is bloody embarrassing anyhow. I changed up the eating routine and tipped it upside down on a study of one results and surprises with breakfast and lunch. I always skip breakfast on a feed day having a later lunch say 1pm and then dinner the 19/5 regime had a window of 5pm to 10pm all I did was have breakfast at 8am and lunch at 1pm everyday so no fast days at all but the restricted eating window kept me on track. Good food choices and no real blow outs but I did have a dabble at most things and the home scale records same weight arriving home as leaving which by the by is still 5kg over my lowest of 70kg but well within the healthy BMI. And that dear reader is why today is a fast day. Let’s get our fast on.
“It is easier to avoid eating than to stop eating once started”
Peace RT

Morning/evening all,

Welcome back RT and well done on not gaining.

It’s a Thursday FD for me too.

I had a lovely day out yesterday with a friend. We went to the end of the Piccadilly tube line to Cockfosters which is NE outer London to a place called Trent Country Park.
Acres of greenery,butterfly meadows, a water garden, woods with paths and tracks meandering all over. There is also the usual café etc plus a wildlife rescue centre and hospital which runs on donations and entrance fees so we had a look round there too.

We came back to near home late in the afternoon in search of dinner. As usual a cold beer followed by dinner and wine. Only one course and mine was a salad ( we won’t talk about the fries on the side 😉 )

It was warm enough to walk in light summer clothing but not too hot but the temperature gauge is rising. Fortunately not as hot as mainland Europe but hot enough for me.

I’ve a lot planned today so am hopeful my FD will slip by without issue as it’s been a struggle again this week☹

Poor, deluded old bloke 🤔😉😉
Have a good weekend RT

Hi everyone,

The Friday funnies return 😆
Thanks RT 😀

It’s a lovely day here warm and breezy with a high of 23C forecast, 10 degrees lower than tomorrow. We seem to have escaped the heatwave hitting mainland Europe and will only have a one day heatwave as temperatures return to low-mid 20s on Sunday.
The forecast for London looks good for the next couple of weeks which is great for tennis fans 😃

FD went OK yesterday and I’m fasting again today.

I’ve taken a leaf out of Bay’s book and far I’ve vacuumed, dusted, washed the floors, changed the bed and done the washing 😆

I should be OK until dinner as there is tennis to watch on TV.

I’m very hungry……… 😳

Have a good weekend everybody 😜

What do we think about Keto products endorsed by people who are paid a fee for saying they work but have most likely not used them?

Do I need to respond……..

Tennis, tennis, tennis, tennis 😆

Andy has just announced he’s playing mixed doubles with Serena.

Can’t wait to see how that works out 😀

Morning/evening all,

Another glorious day here in London 😎🌞

Fasting not going well this week but I’ll keep trying.

Andy and Serena will either be a triumph or a disaster, I don’t think there’s any middle ground.

One thing it will achieve is make people look at mixed doubles aka hit and giggle in a different way because neither of them are doing it just to have fun.

Have a good one everybody 🎾😜

Hi Fast Trackers and Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
A mature lady gets pulled over for speeding… Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer? Officer : Ma’am, you were speeding. Older Woman: Oh, I see. Officer : Can I see your license please? Older Woman: I’d give it to you but I don’t have one. Officer : Don’t have one? Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving. Officer : I see…Can I see your vehicle registration papers please. Older Woman: I can’t do that. Officer : Why not? Older Woman: I stole this car. Officer : Stole it? Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner. Officer : You what? Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see. The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun. Officer 2: Ma’am, could you step out of your vehicle please! The woman steps out of her vehicle. Older woman: Is there a problem sir? Officer2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner. Older Woman: Murdered the owner? Officer2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please. The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk. Officer2: Is this your car, ma’am? Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers. The officer is quite stunned. Officer2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license. The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer. The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled. Officer2 : Thank you ma’am, one of my officers told me you didn’t have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner. Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.

Have A Happy Weekend All You beautiful Losers 😆
Peace RT

Big hugs to you both, Wee xx

Sorry, Wee, to hear about Jim’s health issues. You find a lot of support on this
thread.
Hope also Mr P is recovering, Purple.

It’s too hot here at present, but the garden is in good spirits as I am watering morning and nights.
However a rogue male cat is around,
I have put clove oil and plastic bottles of water around. Our neighbour feeds the cat and then goes away for 3 or 4 weeks.
I don’t want a cat, especially a male,
RSPCA doesn’t exist in France.
What is one to do?
Wiwi

Glad to hear he is on the mend, Purple. What is the rationale behind the food choices? Is it low GI?

I have to have an echo-doppler of my arteries on Monday week ( just routine as the doctor is over zealous). I can’t eat any foods which cause ‘gas’ for 3 days before. Wine and eggs are ok but few others are, so I will do a 72 hour fast, to avoid all issues,

Barata, I am listening to Saturday night on National radio, but guess you have the rugby on.
xx Wiwi

Capisco Purple

Definitely the rugby was on in the B household for the final, Wi. No surprises in the result. I think the real final was last week, when our team was beaten.

And our women are taking on the best in the world in San Diego right not – on a field with no fan seating, a tent for a changing room, and a portaloo for a toilet! Women still treated so appallingly by World Rugby. 🙁

What a game of tennis that was yesterday, between the young American and her opponent! Great to watch.

Keep mending, all our invalids – Mr P, Mr Wee, Wi! Son’s ex-FIL has had his ankle diagnosed (finally) as resulting from a heel ulcer, so treatment is now under way.

The skies have finally cleared, and we are likely to get into double figures today. Enjoy your weekend, all. 🙂

Winter! We are planning to go north in a fortnight to look at houses, so the move is starting to take momentum. Temperatures are up to five degrees warmer there 🙂

Morning/evening all.

Jo,

If we want equality in sport one of the first things to do is change terms of reference eg women not “ladies” which is a word often used in a patronising manner to denote the “weaker” sex. It is the one thing that irks me regarding the Wimbledon tournament commitment to “tradition”

As for what men think about womens football, who cares? They don’t take any notice of what women think about their melodramatic antics and blatant cheating on the pitch by men earning more in a week than the majority earn in a year.

Re the clay pigeon shooting,

The way female and male bodies musculature develops means that men have more strength in comparison to women when undertaking tasks with their arms raised shoulder level and above so lighter guns make perfect sense (although too light and they might be difficult to hold steady), but our brains and hand eye coordination are the same as is our ability to comprehend simple instructions.
Personally I have no inclination to get involved in anything that uses a gun and find it wrong it so many ways that it is termed as a sporting pastime.

We’ve had overnight rain which started around 9.30 last night and it continued on and off all night. It is now brightening up. It has cooled everything down nicely and means I won’t need to get the hosepipe out for a few more days.

I find 10,000 steps an easy accomplishment on the days I actually get up and out for a walk. I walked to my local high street and back yesterday and that was 3,500 so it isn’t difficult if one is determined.

Happy,

My little garden is looking fabulous as most things are in bloom but the only edibles are herbs and a few strawberries from plants arising from runners put out by a single plant I bough several years ago. If I can fins the ripe ones under the flowering plants before anything else starts snacking on them, they are very good!

It’s meat day today and I’m going to replicate a meal I had in my local pub recently, steak with chimchurri sauce, sprouting broccoli and sweet potato. The pub version serve chips with it but I’m going to oven cook sweet potato chips.

The sauce is fabulous and I want to try it with something other than meat, I’m thinking a roasted celeriac steak or something similar.

Have a good one everybody 😜