This topic contains 7,125 replies, has 64 voices, and was last updated by Barata 9 months ago.
Amazon,
What a lovely break, in a lovely part of the UK! I had just been thinking that we hadn’t heard from you for a while.
I’m very jealous that your friends can grow aubergine. Mind you, if I’d known we’d have such a good summer I might have tried this year, but most summers in the north just aren’t long or warm enough. Imam bayildi?
I’m glad you had such a nice trip, locally, Amazon. I was worried you were already in Zimbabwe with the bad aftermath of their ‘election’.
Happy, I grew eggplant/aubergine this year. What a waste of water, space and time! We had a wonderful display of HUGE leafy plants and harvested 6 tiny fruit. Nearly as expensive as my famous gold-plated potatoes!
BTW, Nama, one of my 3 blueberries dropped dead in the drought. 😑 The spinach and herbs seem to be bulletproof, though 🙄
Back in the swing of fasting and starting to head back to my normal prewinter weight. I didn’t gain while away, but was already up a bit due to winter eating! P
Morning/evening all,
Happy,
My friend hasn’t had any joy with aubergines before but decided to try again this year and she has so many on just 2 plants she doesn’t know what to do with them.
I grew them successfully on one occasion only (in a poly tunnel). I chose a small white variety and had great success which led to delicious culinary adventures 😀
It was a great year all round and my kitchen resembled harvest festival every time I returned from the plot!
Imam bayildi is a possibility as is baba ghanoush.
Purple,
I’ve been doing some reading about Zimbabwe prior to my trip and historically the majority of rural areas are Zanu PF (Mugabe’s party) supporters and most opposition supporters are based in Harare and some other cities.
The current issues are occurring in Harare which is in the east of the country.
I’m not visiting the area and am flying in and out of Victoria Falls which is the other side of the country on the western border.
I’m hoping that things will settle down soon but there are conflicting stories regarding what has actually happened.
I feel so sorry for the population as the country has been brought to it’s knees and desperately needs a period of stability and good government.
We had a good amount of rain yesterday evening which was enough to give the garden plants a good drink and has cooled everything down. There is a cool breeze this morning and I’m looking forward to getting out in the fresh(er) air.
FD today 😬
Have a good one everybody 😜
Morning/evening all,
A rare 🌧🌧🌧☔☔☔ day today and the forecast says it’s going to last all day.
Excellent news for my garden and it has cooled everything down nicely. Back to 26C by Sunday so summer isn’t over yet 😀
FD went well yesterday. I made a baked dish using griddled aubergine, courgette and pepper, layered with sliced tomatoes, basil and a little mozzarella, topped with a sprinkling of pecorino. 350 calories of deliciousness!
I’m fasting again today while my willpower is in cruise control 😉
Have a good one everybody 😜
Here too, storms since last evening and a pile of rain.
I was looking at pictures and graphs of NSW, Purple, with respect to rain. That’s a real worry as it’s not even summer. Where does Sydney’s water supply come from? Is it a reliable source? Sydney seems to be in one of the very dry parts of the state.
My first week of serious fasting has gone well. We are off to the Alps for a break on Monday, and I will prepare by a 2 day fast.
We ate similar ingredients, Amazon. But I made a ratatouille. We have no pecorino at present, but will be back in Italy in 3 weeks. My Parmesan is getting low.
Wiwi
Grass is the toughest plant in the world, it survives heat, snow, ice, rain, floods, drought and (particularly in Africa) millions of herbivores eating it and trampling the ground on an annual basis.
The issue here in the UK is that farmers are already using winter feed for their livestock as there is no grass.
Oh yes and now there is a lack of rainfall the government have decided to take water companies to task over wastage.
Talk about locking the stable door after the horse has bolted………… 😆
I’ve been reading about the drought in NSW. It’s very worrying and I hope it comes to an end soon.
Wiwi,
I’m not a fan of ratatouille although I like all the ingredients.
Spicy chick peas for dinner tonight after an amazingly easy FD 😁
Hi Fast Trackers and Hello World (You All know Who You ARE) 😉
Revised Christmas Days
Effective immediately, the following economizing measures are being implemented in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” subsidiary:
Snowman
1) The partridge will be retained, but the pear tree, which never produced the cash crop forecasted, will be replaced by a plastic hanging plant, providing considerable savings in maintenance
2) Two turtle doves represent a redundancy that is simply not cost effective. In addition, their romance during working hours could not be condoned. The positions are, therefore, eliminated
3) The three French hens will remain intact. After all, everyone loves the French
4) The four calling birds will be replaced by an automated voice mail system, with a call waiting option. An analysis is underway to determine who the birds have been calling, how often and how long they talked.
5) The five golden rings have been put on hold by the Board of Directors. Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals, as well as a mix of T-Bills and high technology stocks, appear to be in order
6) The six geese-a-laying constitutes a luxury which can no longer be afforded. It has long been felt that the production rate of one egg per goose per day was an example of the general decline in productivity. Three geese will be let go, and an upgrading in the selection procedure by personnel will assure management that, from now on, every goose it gets will be a good one
7) The seven swans-a-swimming is obviously a number chosen in better times. The function is primarily decorative. Mechanical swans are on order. The current swans will be retrained to learn some new strokes, thereby enhancing their outplacement
8) As you know, the eight maids-a-milking concept has been under heavy scrutiny by the EEOC. A male/female balance in the workforce is being sought. The more militant maids consider this a dead-end job with no upward mobility. Automation of the process may permit the maids to try a-mending, a-mentoring or a-mulching
9) Nine ladies dancing has always been an odd number. This function will be phased out as these individuals grow older and can no longer do the steps
10) Ten Lords-a-leaping is overkill. The high cost of Lords, plus the expense of international air travel, prompted the Compensation Committee to suggest replacing this group with ten out-of-work congressmen. While leaping ability may be somewhat sacrificed, the savings are significant as we expect an oversupply of unemployed congressmen this year
11) Eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming is a simple case of the band getting too big. A substitution with a string quartet, a cutback on new music, and no uniforms, will produce savings which will drop right to the bottom line
Overall we can expect a substantial reduction in assorted people, fowl, animals and related expenses. Though incomplete, studies indicate that stretching deliveries over twelve days is inefficient. If we can drop ship in one day, service levels will be improved.
Regarding the lawsuit filed by the attorney’s association seeking expansion to include the legal profession (“thirteen lawyers-a-suing”), a decision is pending.
Deeper cuts may be necessary in the future to remain competitive. Should that happen, the Board will request management to scrutinize the Snow White Division to see if seven dwarfs is the right number.
Have A Happy Weekend All You beautiful Losers 😆
Sydney is totally reliant on rain to fill our dams. We don’t have any huge rivers being fed by snowmelt. Our main dam, Warragamba, is still 67% full, but it IS winter. With a population of more than Scotland’s, Sydney uses a lot of water.
They built a very expensive desalination plant about 20 years ago, but it has never been used. It may well get a run this year.
3 deg here this morning…roll on spring. 😊 P
RT,
I’m really not impressed by your use of the ‘C’ word! Particularly as it’s only August!
P,
I’ve been reading about the NSW drought. Desperate times. I know we’re experiencing a drought too, but it is summer and at least we know it will end. Although I have to say the rain hasn’t actually reached us here in the north west yet! Send some our way please Amazon!
The staggering thing, Happy, is that much of the world seems to be in drought. Where are all those clouds?
Grass, in this country, doesn’t just magically regrow when it rains. We need to reseed. For large farms, this is enormously expensive.
We normally get our main rains in Autumn, so it is a long time until we can expect it, and, in the mean time, farmers are having to sell off their breeding stock. It makes it hard to come back.
I’m ignoring the C reference 😉
Have a good weekend folk. P
Australian grass is obviously inferior 😉
Seriously, climate change is in plain view this year and it means changing the way we live and eat.
It has rained for approximately 9 hours today including a spectacular thunderstorm earlier this evening and it is wonderfully cool. And if I was able to send rain anywhere else I would willingly do so without hesitation.
Thanks RT, however I would rather have a pear tree than a partridge, much more useful as it would feed more people, could be decorated AND have gifts placed under it 🤣🤣🤣
The clouds have all been over here, P. But not this weekend, lovely pre-spring weather, wall-to-wall sunshine and mid-teen temperature. I do feel for the farmers in NSW, such a desperate situation. Kangaroo burgers, I think, especially with the open season being declared on them. Burgers without the bread, though 🙂
I have been toying with very low carb, and it is certainly helping to deal with those two kilogrammes that have plagued me for more than a year. So pleasing to know that there is a successful tool in the toolbox. I am not ready to go completely carnivorous, but I am learning so much about how we don’t need vegetables or fruit at all! So I am watching the waxeyes (silvereyes) helping themselves to my mandarins on the tree outside the window without any concern – they can have those sweet-bombs!
Your daughter is quick off the mark, Jo. That sling shot only opened this week. Not for me, either, thanks. Sorry to hear you are fighting the blues, but good work on the continuing weight loss.
It’s not completely the opposite, P. Low carb = meat and fat. Yum! 🙂
It’s too nice a day to be inside, so I have been hefting buckets of compost from my pile to the veggie garden. Lost count after about six – not a good look for an accountant, but it is the weekend… I will keep growing the vegetables, meat won’t take over, as none of us seem to be affected by the lectins and other toxins that plants produce to stop animals (including us!) from eating them. Very interesting book on the subject – The Plant Paradox by Stephen Gundry.
I thought he went carnivore for a time, P. But you can have too much protein, especially if your kidneys are a bit dicky, like mine. Fat’s the thing, but not too much so you are not allowing your body to use its own. Such a balancing act, and I won’t be going too extreme for too long. Out for dinner this evening, and I notice the restaurant advertises burgers without the bun!
We got to 13, had my fleece off while I was working outside 🙂 . Fleecy top, that is.
Morning/evening all,
Purple,
are you inferring that drinking wine improves the eyesight………. 😉 😆
Barata,
I followed the Atkins diet for a while. I lost a fair amount of weight but it played havoc with my digestion, caused abdominal pain and discomfort and made me feel quite unwell at times.
I’m not sure I agree regarding plant lectins, as the human body will have adapted over time to cope with such substances. I’m hardly an authority on the subject but I would suggest that there are a minority who have the disposition that is affected by such things but the large majority of us are not or we would have heard a lot more about it.
A few months ago someone posted a very lengthy article on this thread (I think…..) about the increase in the number of gluten intolerant individuals and it put forward a strong argument that it wasn’t the gluten that was the problem but the fact that wheat has been modified over many years to make it a more profitable crop and I can’t remember if it suggested the lectins in modern wheat were the cause or something else.
It is a fascinating subject and I would imagine there are many conflicting opinions.
Do let us know how your as RT would put it, experiment of one works.
I have a fridge full of veggies, the only fruit I have are lemons and there is no meat or fish in sight but a freezer containing cooked pulses and tubs of homemade dhal. I’m planning on some more batch cooking next week so I have lots of FD meals that only need some green veg on the side to make a delicious meal.
A lovely sunny morning here in London with a fine day forecast.
I’ve got tickets for today for the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition which will be followed by a walk, probably in Hyde Park and a nice dinner somewhere in town.
I’ve been out to buy a newspaper and there is a distinctly autumnal nip in the early morning air 😧
Have a good weekend everybody 😜
Malbec is my favourite wine, . I will look for Maldura Malbec when we get back to NZ in the summer. In France it is not called Malbec, but is Vin de Cahors. Have you tried carmonnère, Purple? We buy the Chilean or Agrentinian versions and they have points in common with Malbec. That’s the grape that was lost in France due to disease, but transferred before to S America, so lives on there.
After 5 fasts in 10 days, I am feeling much better. The rain and lower tempratures have changed our surroundings, and I can see the snow again on the high peaks of the Alps.
Tomorrow is the Perseid meteor shower night and with almost no moon the sky will be dark!! Mars is very conspicuous at present, so we are taking the telescope to the Alps with us tomorrow to look at the stars.
Enjoy your days/nights where-ever you are.
xx Wiwi
I think you are right, Amazon, about most of us being adapted to cope with what the plants throw at us. My niece and her mother are both allergic to the nightshade group (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers) and their lives are much better when they avoid them. But for some, like my son’s lady friend in Arizona, for whom (probably) lupus has destroyed her life, and who has not been able to identify the trigger for her condition, something is seriously attacking her system 🙁
I was thinking of you, Wi, with the reports of storms and flooding in south France, but it would appear it has passed without damage for your area. Enjoy your meteors, and well done on the fasting!
Apparently I could have seen the meteors in the wee hours to the east, but I stayed in bed. 3 deg overnight. 😏
The wine was from Mildura, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA), NSW. I’m not sure I’ve tried your other recommendation, Wi, as most wines have to have different names outside France. Cheers. P
Morning/evening all,
The summer exhibition was very good with over 1300 exhibits on display.
We followed our visit up with a walk to St James Park, through Horseguards Parade (complete with a lone horseguard on a beautiful black horse) and along to Westminster Bridge. We had planned to cross the river to Southbank but there were so many people (mostly tourists which is great for the London economy) we changed our plan and went to South Kensington by tube.
We were looking for a little Italian restaurant I had been to once before but couldn’t find it and were turned away from another as they were fully booked (at 5.30pm!!!!!!!) but we turned into an interesting looking side street and found a restaurant serving Levantine cuisine and on reading the menu decide to try it.
We had an amazing meal, one of the best I’ve had for some time.
We started with hummus and a red pepper and walnut dip served with warm bread, followed by roasted sea bream cooked with garlic, incredibly tender beef topped with crispy onions, and served with labneh which I think had been mixed with a little tahini, roasted aubergines served with toasted almonds and minted yoghurt, and salt cod, potato and turmeric fritters served with toasted pine nuts and a yoghurt dressing.
The whole menu consisted of plates for sharing and they suggested 3-4 per person and the 6 we chose were delicious, well cooked and presented and very filling for what looked to be a small amount of food. We certainly wouldn’t have coped with another 2 dishes.
We finished with coffee which came with a small slice of the best baklava I’ve ever eaten.
It was difficult to choose what to eat as everything on the menu looked interesting and we’ll definitely be going back for more. Our experience was all the better for the excellent service provided by the helpful and friendly staff.
The wine list was interesting consisting of wines from Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Macedonia and neither of us are very familiar with wine from that part of the world.
We chose a red from Turkey which was excellent and went very well with our dinner.
When we arrived there were only two tables occupied and by the time we left they were turning people away.
I arrived home in excellent mood despite the fact that it was raining and I had neither jacket nor umbrella ☔🍷
Back to the business of fasting today.
Have a good one everybody 😜
We enjoyed sandwiches and wine in St James…from the cafe there. I wouldn’t recommend Hyde Park, Serpentine Cafe..terribly expensive for really basic food.
Have you seen the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, Amazon? I was thrilled to find it, as it has taken a very long time to recognise the sacrifices made to protect Britain by the RAF (and others, including my young uncle in the RAAF) Churchill refused to recognize their losses.
P
The café in St James was serving BBQ when we passed by yesterday afternoon.
I always think it’s a rip-off when park cafés serve expensive basic food. There is no excuse in London as there are so many tourists and locals wanting to eat out, especially this summer. When we last visited the Serpentine café it was so uninspiring we just had a coffee and went elsewhere for some decent food.
There are cafés attached to parks and open spaces where it is possible to get good quality, imaginative, reasonably priced food. Woodberry Wetlands in North London is a good example. The café is based in the old coal house and has a menu that caters well for meat free and vegan diets. It also has a specials board which offers very good salads and hot dishes. We had lunch there last year and were very impressed.
I’ve not been to Green Park for a while but it is on the list of places to visit soon and I’ll look out for the memorial.
I agree. It’s inexcusable, especially as the Serpentine uses dirty picnic tables. It cost us 3 times what we would pay at our local pub for salad and a wine, and our local pub is never regarded as cheap. 😐
We had some other nice meals in London though.
The best meal on the trip was a shared seafood platter in St Ives! P
Morning/evening all,
Someone I know well didn’t want to know the sex of her baby until the birth as her and her husbands thoughts were that there are so few surprises in life these days it would be nice not to know in advance. She had the devil of a job preventing health care professionals from telling her. She’s pregnant again and is no doubt having the same battle.
We seem to have imported the baby shower from the USA. Personally I can’t see the point as those who love the expectant parents will want to buy something for the new arrival without being prompted. Why does everything have to be commercialised, humans don’t need a reason to get together with friends and family other than wanting to spend time with each other.
OK, time to put the soapbox away as I’m sounding like a grumpy old woman 😉
It’s a warm day. We’ve had a heavy shower that lasted all of 5 minutes but by the time I arrived home it had stopped. I was driving so stayed dry unlike the man in vest and shorts I saw who had gone out for milk and was soaked……….
I’ve been out picking up a few items for my trip and looking for a birthday gift for my great nephew who’ll be 3 in a couple of weeks.
Where does the time go 🤔
I had another good FD yesterday so unusually for a Monday I’m not fasting.
Yesterday I made a batch of an Indian spiced pilaf style dish. I used a much larger proportion of veg than most recipes specify and less carb. I substituted the rice with pearl barley. It tastes good and is now safely stashed in the freezer in FD portions.
I feel much happier when I’ve got lots of meals prepped and frozen as even if the cupboard and fridge are bare there is always a healthy meal only minutes away.
I’ve also made AJ’s Dosa spiced potato cakes and will have one for dinner today with the avocado and quick cucumber pickle she suggests and I can use one of the cucumbers my friend gave me last week. She has so many she doesn’t know what to do with them.
I suggested cucumber Martini……….. 😆
Have a good one everybody 😜
Hello,
In he US life is extremely commercialized! It’s very annoying for me. I try not to fall into their little games or schemes to put up a pretty face for pictures or social media. Maybe I am turning into a grumpy one as well. Totally overrated.
This has been an hot summer however now we have non stop rain. My little zucchini plant is getting rotten and the tomatoes look funny too. Also for the first time I planted green beans and they are delicious. The deer are helping themselves with what ever is available. Good for them.
This person here is Fasting today! So far 2 cups of black coffee. I just cant understand why I cant handle myself sometimes. I used to have more discipline with exercising and food.
Anyway it is a must fasting today and Wednesday! Steamed zucchini and chicken is the plan for later and keep myself busy.
Wine – I absolute love the savingon blanc fro New Zealand and that malbec from argentina.
Thank for keeping the thread going forward.
🙋
Amazon I totally agree with you! If I lose 1lb per week I can fit back into my dresses for Christmas and run together with Jojo after grannies 😂😂😂😂😂
Like everything else in life it takes sometimes just a simple plan for proper execution. This idea is from Purple I believe. Today I did some serious cleanning around the house. I don’t know what I’ll come up with Wednesday.
Time for supper now 😻😇
🍵
Good to hear you are ok HCB 😊
My simple plan is to take one day at a time. I plan to do 2 fasts a week, with most other days not eating until 10:30, but this doesn’t always work. Sometimes I’m gnawingly hungry when I’m not meant to be eating. Others, I’m not hungry on eat days. One cannot ignore the inner voice, if the general plan is being followed and healthy food is always the choice.
Goal is not the end game, it is simply a marker on the road. 😏 The long path to good health really means a lifetime commitment to this wol.
Keep it up, gang. Cheers, P
You are so lucky to never get hungry, Jo! I’m always thinking about, and planning, food, but usually don’t follow through to making and eating it, luckily. I’d be HUGE if I did! 😉
As a house owner, I can eat my smashed avocado on toast and enjoy it these days 😂😂 As a young person in houses that could only be called “renovators delights”, I could barely afford the toast. 😐 The fun of working up from the bottom is part of life, isn’t it? I really appreciate my overseas trips, too. I had never been out of Australia until I was in my 40s. Just could not afford it.
I guess different generations just have different priorities and expectations. P
Morning/evening all,
The reality is that the majority of people do not own their homes as they cannot afford to do so, and I don’t know of anyone who started off with more than a one bedroomed property.
I agree that these days people want everything immediately and it is a harsh lesson when they eventually learn that life simply isn’t like that for the vast majority.
Having it all is a fantasy as are all those stories and pictures on social media where people project themselves as living a perfect life.
Jo, this might sound harsh but if you rarely get hungry and mostly have strong willpower why are you not at goal and maintaining?
I’m working hard at not kidding myself and it is making fasting (and life) easier as my expectations are more realistic.
Purple,
goal is definitely not the end but it is a significant milestone and something to aim for.
Time to get moving,
Have a good one everybody 😜
Hi Purple,
I meant to say the majority of people under 40.
The area I live in has a lot of new build properties available for sale but the market has ground to a halt. Only 24 properties overall sold in the area during the second quarter of this year and not a single new build flat amongst them. Prices have dropped almost 9% this year but they are still too expensive for the majority of those looking to buy.
And they are still building huge numbers of properties that are not designated as social housing.
It’s madness……..
Well the ‘greedy developers’ are businessmen who don’t volunteer to build affordable homes or social housing as that eats into their profit margin. The blame for the mess we’re in goes to the top, to short-sighted Government lobbied and influenced by their bleating donors, and who set policy and housing targets to maximise private profit and not for public good.
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