Hi Happy, Iwillbe and Purple,

I’m glad you are willing to try malt vinny with bacon. My OH thinks it’s disgusting – but then he’s not an East Londoner. Notice I don’t say “Eastender”, much as I’d like to. Both my parents were born a couple of miles too far away from being within the sound of Bow Bells, which is what qualifies you as an Eastender.

Smoked or unsmoked bacon, is up to you. So too is the amount of fat you leave on – on a non-fast day of course! I use back bacon as it’s easy to trim off all the visible fat. I’m lucky enough to detest fatty meat, otherwise I might have been even larger than I once was.

HappyNow,

I see from another thread that you are a Doctor of Science – maximum respect! I don’t even have a single O-level (the GCSE equivalent back when God was a lad) in any of the sciences. The nearest I got to science was to marry a guy with a chemistry degree and to acquire a beautiful niece-in-law who is a molecular biologist.

However, fingers and everything else crossed, by the end of November I shall be a Master of Arts – at an age when many people would consign me to the day centre for a nice game of bingo and a singalong to Vera Lynn!

By trade I’m a freelance translator specialising in arts and media, which is why I returned to uni part-time in 2010 to do a conversion course (my first degree is in Spanish and Portuguese) in preparation for the MA in History of Art, which I could move on to if I passed the conversion course with a good enough mark. I’m now a dissertation away from the MA and will shortly be going into purdah while I get it written, sustained, no doubt, by the odd bacon butty. 🙂

Initially my OH was quite anti – why did I want to return to uni AT MY AGE? He warned me that I was going to make a complete fool of myself. It hasn’t happened. Better still my previously sceptical hubby, who despite his doubts has been very supportive as IT specialist, proof-reader and general helper, was recently heard to utter the words “don’t discount doing a PhD”. You could have knocked me down with a feather!

At this stage, I’m uncertain. If I do sufficiently well with the MA – like a Merit or Distinction rather than just a pass – I’ll give it serious thought. The idea of tottering across the stage on a zimmer frame (not that I have one and hopefully won’t need one) in full Doctoral gear is rather appealing.

However, there’s a project I want to tackle first. One of our MA assignments was a research project, which focussed more on testing our research skills rather than on the nature of the subject chosen. I struck lucky when my research led me to a thumping good story, in fact several thumping good stories interwoven, and what I’ve been told was very good mark – 4 short of a distinction. My lovely supportive supervisor has suggested that, once the MA is done and dusted, I rework my research report into a book for a general readership. So that’s what I’m going to do.

Hi Hermaj,

I had read elsewhere on the forum that you were doing an MA. Having done my PhD part time (although luckily the data was mostly gathered as part of several research projects I was working on at the time), I know how difficult it can be. So I was mighty impressed by your dedication. I’m not sure I would want to go back now and do it again, but I am pleased I stuck with it (6 years!).

Fantastic that your study is worthy of a book format, and wide readership. You must be really chuffed with that!

I love your name by the way. At first I thought it might be foreign, but finding out you are from London and had furry companions… well it then clicked for me!

Bacon sarnie will be tomorrow. I don’t like meat fat if it’s still wobbly, but crispy on bacon. Mmm!

Isn’t it the tenements that were historically at least in part responsible for ill health and short lifespan in Glasgow? Or have I got mixed up?

My mother was a terrible hoarder. If she’d thought, in addition to ‘it may come in handy’, that there might be a book or museum in it…!

I lost my old boy last year, after 17 and a half years. He’s the wallpaper on my computer. He used to spend his days sucking the heat out of the laptop keyboard (I use a separate one!) while I worked. Occasionally he would close files/ power down the computer/ delete system files….!

Auriga: just found your post on your Apple/Carrot Walnut Bread. I am always in search for good ground almond recipes as an alternative to wheat bread (my system seems particularly sensitive to wheat, makes my insuline go crazy). I plan to try it this weekend. Thanks!

I hope you all don’t mind if I lurk on the edges of your thread and post occassionally. I have now lost 25 lbs from my high wt but am LIGHTYEARS away from maintenance, but feel I have benefited from some of the info you all have shared. You all have clearly found a formula that works for you and can help me refine what I am doing. And I am so pleased someone finally asked for clarification on what 8:16 was (I suspected you were referring to hours and not days and was reluctant to ask such a basic question assuming it would be clarified sooner than later. Thanks Carol for being braver them me !).

I also see some other old friends here whose opinions and adivce I respect a lot. I hope to someday earn genuine membership into your successful group.

Thank you Iwillbe. Thank you too for your charming account of your rural idyll with the blackberries, heifers and the sparky pony. Shame about the scabby knees, though. Hope they aren’t too painful.

We see running foxes, too, although here in North London ours are more likely to be on a “mission” to find a spot of dustbin diving rather than displaying their bushy tails. Whereabouts in our green and pleasant land are you?

If it’s OK with everybody, I too will continue to lurk around this thread although I don’t yet really qualify, being only two-thirds of my way to target with roughly a stone to go. The fact that other posters are merely maintaining will spur me on as I go into the final, rather long, straight. I also like the company. 🙂

Hi Hermajtomomi, Read with interest your post about Glasgow tenements as I grew up in one (at least until I was 8) it was what they called a room and kitchen but we had our own loo but did the tin tub thing. My sister has been to visit the one you are talking about.
I’m lurking on the fringes checking out forums to see if I can find one that will be
of help to me when I saw your post.

I’m not on maintenance (I have a loooong waaaay to go) but I will be one day, I started 5.2 in April and I am finding it relatively easy to follow. Hope you don’t mind me butting in.

Hermanji, further to my last post, forgot to say my OH is also from the East End of London, very funny to hear him speak Greek now as there are a lot of “th’s” involved in Greek, he’s really had to force himself to pronounce them. I also went into higher education later in life (in my 30s, with two young children, after my first husband was killed suddenly and tragically young). I wasn’t aiming for a university degree but obtained an “A” level in Sociology, English and Business communications and did a year at Pitmans secretarial college – it all stood me in good stead and I went on to have a rewarding career as a medical secretary and then as the PA to the Dean of a prestigious London Medical College. Furthering ones education at any age is worthwhile and all power and much admiration to you. As I said before, I will be interested to read your book especially as sociology is my big forte:-)

PVE, you never fail to bring a smile to my face with your cheeky sense of humour:-)

Hi Luvtocook, Great to see you here. Also Hermaj, At the moment I’m mostly lurking and catching up about every 2-3 days. 🙂

As ever Purple provides great advice, lots of cheeky chuckles and encouragement. 🙂

Aw gee…thanks iwillbe. Discipline is my middle name. Oh no, it’s not!
My plan was to fast all day, eat whatever, then no food until lunch tomorrow as I’m having lunch out on what is normally my Monday fast. I think it is more flexibility than discipline.

Tonight we had cranberry Wensleydale and rice crackers with a glass of beautiful Hunter (NSW) red. Really the only way to break a fast 😉 Followed by pork fillet (marinated, quick cook and rest..mmm) and left over pot salad from lunch.

Not a normal fast day, but what maintenance people can do. Still get some benefit from 24 hour fast and then eat normally, followed by another 18 hour fast. This is the sort of thing I do when I have visitors. OH’s blood sugar levels remain stable and my blood pressure is good. It is only emotional stress that sends it up now, so I avoid it!

Have a good Sunday MCs (especially you Sylvia in your new abode 😉 )
Off to bed. P x

Hi back to you Bay!

Auriga: made you almond bread last night (carrot version) and it was a big hit with both myself and my son who lives with me and has joined on a weight loss plan. I had some pineapple slices in the frig and resisted adding some bit of those as I think it is a good idea to do a new recipe as given before you start mucking with it…..but I do think a few pineapple bits with the carrot would be nice. So next time maybe. Another alternative might be shredded zucchini (with as much water sqeezed out of it as you can).

And thanks for the nice compliment Purple. We just had a new global market open up and I am thrilled that they are the first in my area to carry fresh kefir lime leaves (as well as true Thai basil and a few other Thai neccessities). So your fish parcels with coconut milk and kefir lime are on the menu tonight. Looks like a great meal for 1 (dining alone tonight).

Lots of stuff to be answered. One of the great things about joining a new thread is catching up with people you already know and like, and meeting some friendly and interesting new faces. Will get back to you all later today or maybe tomorrow.

One of the “joys???” of being freelance is having to work over weekends when a deadline is looming. Mustn’t grumble though. I love what I do and it seems I’m actually rather good at it. Not boasting, it’s just that I tried all sorts of jobs at which I was no more than mediocre and sometimes really, really bad. Then, at age 50, I took up translating and the rest is (mostly happy) history.

Sweet dreams to friends Down Under. To those in the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy the rest of the weekend.

I’ve been doing the 5:2 for around a month now. I’ve lost 4lbs but now it won’t go any lower. I’ve not changed the way I eat and when I fast I only have water. Seems like I have hit a wall 🙁

First of all thank you to everyone who’s been kind enough to welcome me to the thread.

I’m claiming refugee status, since, as some of you may have seen, I’ve managed to blot my copybook on my previous “main” thread. I offended through inaction rather than action, it seems. I had already started posting here and enjoying the company so I’d like to stick around for as long as you’ll have me.

I’ve now done as much work as I need to and am left with only editing the piece tomorrow, so I can catch up on here.

Working backwards, HappyNow, congratulations on your first East-London-type bacon butty. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. May you savour many more. Even if I’m having a BLT on a non-fast day, I still sprinkle vinny over the bacon.

Purple, I did your chili fish again on Friday. I don’t know exactly why, but it was EVEN BETTER than last time. Possibly because the fish hadn’t previously been frozen. This time, planning ahead, I bought the swordfish from our lovely travelling fishmonger, who drives to London from the east coast every week with fish that has come off the boat not much more than 24 hours earlier. I then kept it in the fridge ready for our next fast day. Thanks again. Highly recommended, ladies. See the LOACA recipe thread, which also contains some of LUVTCOOK’s little masterpieces, so well worth a look. Can’t remember if you said, but have you also had a go with the vinny on the bacon?

Sorry for getting the berries wrong, iwillbe. Now, if I’d known you were in the Northern Highlands of Scotland I would have guessed that blaeberries were a local delicacy. There’s something about the name that sounds distinctly Scottish.

It must be lovely living in such a beautiful part of Britain, although I appreciate it must be tough in the depths of winter, but I’m sure you all have ways of keeping warm, not to mention getting from A to B when the weather is doing its worst.

Elaine, how wonderful that you were not only able to make a late start on your “A” levels – I did mine at age 34 – especially at such a sad and difficult time, and then go on to a highly successful and worthwhile career. I know where Parsons Green is – I’m never sure where that bit of London is “nawf” or “sarf” of the river, I know some of the SW postcodes are not where you would expect them to be. At age 16 when we were supposed to be studying for our “O” levels, I and several schoolfriends used to travel over there from Chingford E4 on Sundays to meet a bunch of boys of similar age and also studying for “O” levels, who had a jazz band.

I confess that Greece and its islands are one area of the Med I’ve never been but I hope to remedy that before too long. I also shamefacedly confess that, despite being a good linguist, I couldn’t get my head around the Greek alphabet. However, I live in the London Borough of Haringey, probably the most Greek, or at least Greek-Cypriot, part of London. Quite often while shopping in our freindly neighbourhood greengrocer’s, I hear Greek-Cypriot radio playing and it sounds so much like Spanish, which I speak fluently. I’m sure if I went to Greece or the islands I’d pick it up and probably find I could then cope with the alphabet.

Annie, it’s good to meet someone who has lived in a Glasgow tenement. When I was doing my research I read around a bit, as I shall do again when I get down to working on the book. My impression was that although living conditions were sometimes not ideal, there was a lot of kindness among people who lived there and a lot of fun – some of it possibly not quite legal – to be had by the kids.

So far, I’ve only met one former tenement dweller, a delightful gentleman now in his mid-80s who, as a senior official of NTS in the early 70s, along with another “Glasgow boy” colleague, fought like a lion to get the Tenement House accepted as a National Trust property. There was an awful lot of snobbery – basically “we do stately homes, we DON’T do tenements”. I’m hoping he will be around next year as I’d love to continue our conversation. Everyone I dealt with in Glasgow was incredibly helpful and willing to go the extra mile to provide me with information and answer my daft questions. I used to email the original property manager, who is now at one of the really prestige properties, with maybe one or two short questions. She would send me back at least a whole page full of really useful information.

I think that’s everyone. Have a good week.
Hermaj xx

Hi hermaj
Glad you are still enjoying my swordfish dish. I first found it and served it to a dear friend and his new wife for a special dinner. I had it all chopped up, ready to cook last minute. While we talked, I tossed it in the wok and served it. THEN the wife informed me she doesn’t eat seafood! SO EMBARRASSING! I offered to whip up something else (I am a very good short order cook) but she just ate the salad. 🙁

I have often heard of bacon butties, but not dead sure what they are…. bacon sandwiches, I assume, but with just butter, or more?
I haven’t had bacon since our vinegar discussion. I’ll try a warm salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, shallots, crispy bacon with a sprinkle of vinegar) That should be good.

I haven’t been to Greece yet either (NB Elaine) but in the 70s, when we were first married, we drove to work in our Fiat through Sydney’s iconic Leichhardt, little Italy, to my work in Marrickville,in those days little Greece. I used to buy the lovely cakes in the Greek shops at lunchtime and was always asked if I was Greek. In those days few Aussies shopped in the wonderful mixed cultural centres. These days Marrickville is full of fabulous Vietnamese shops and eateries. We have been so blessed with the variety of cultures we can dip into by just jumping on a train.
Cheers P

Evening Happy Doc
Haven’t had a direct conversation with you for a while….shows we are both cruising. 🙂 Good stuff! I’m still in the low 58s, despite my variations on 5:2. And I agree with your advice ages ago. I can survive skipping breakfasts by eating similar food at what others would normally call ‘lunch’. We are both finding, more and more that we naturally seem to only eat twice a day on any day. The 3 meal a day thing is quite unnecessary.
His lordship is now almost off Metformin as well (hasn’t used any insulin all year now) and I’m almost off all bp meds. The system is working for us.
No breakfast, then a social lunch. Pity the weather is so appalling.
Sleep well little Happy Doc xx P

A quick hi to our mighty leader. Hope you sort the wifi out soon to give us some descriptions of life in your new home, Sylvia.
We miss you mate. P xx

Hi PVE.

Great news for you and OH on meds. The weight loss is great, but knowing you’ve actually improved your health is brilliant.

Just reading Fat Chance, and that’s a really good reminder that thin doesn’t necessarily equal healthy….

I’m just at around 59 now, and happy with that.

Pigeons would learn faster than me though… Just ordered some new trousers on line. On the web it says ‘model wears size 10; 175cm tall, waist 27in, hips 36’. Hmm, she’s a bit taller than me, but measurements are similar and they look snug on her… She might wear size 10 but they must have cinched the waist with some clothes pegs round the back!! Hmmm, maybe I could do a few tucks on the waistband…. Or maybe I should send them back and buy the right size!!

Anyway, glad you’re doing OK.

I’m also hoping Auriga is back with us soon. We packed with her, but I fear she may be unpacking without us…?!

Night.

Yep Happy Doc…slow learner!
Of course you are size 8 now. Send ’em back and get them to fit properly.. they never look the same with tucks in the waistband. I KNOW I’ve got a wardrobe full of them!
Cheers P

PVE I am a porridge eater too and I reduced my portion size from 45 gms to about 30 I think (haven’t measured). I used to cook my porridge in milk so what I also did was cut that to 50/50 milk and water and then thought well I do that fast day so why not everyday? And that’s what I do now. Haven’t noticed the difference as you say.

Chez2212 don’t be disheartened but don’t weigh yourself for a week or two. Apart from the first week I started the 5:2 I only have weighed once a fortnight. The reason I did this was because the last time I needed to lose some weight (without5:2) I found that the scales didn’t show a loss each week. This discouraged me until I realised there was a pattern to my weight loss – I didn’t lose weight each week but on week 3 there was a significant weight loss. We are all different and it’s just a matter of identifying how your body is working. 4 months down the track I can tell you 5:2 works, keep on with it!

Of course you are welcome Nicky. We are all just a happy band experimenting with this exciting new way of life.
How’s your weather? Appalling in Sydney today.
All the best with the Sourdough starter. I’ll have to wait until next month when the visitors are all gone.
Cheers P 🙂

That’s ok Nicky. That’s why we pay all that tax! 🙂

Hermaj. .sorry. Just saw your post re Adam Hills. Yes. He is a fantastic bloke. Love him on The Last Leg and as, I think it was Nicky said, the original Spicks and Specks in Australia was brilliant.

Nicky…I share cooking, but still end up on my feet an awful lot as it seems rude not to. At least in a two storey house with 3 living areas I can get a bit of peace. Sending visitors off to discover the city is good too!
Thank goodness you are a state employee (I used to be too). 🙂 P

Me too Happy. I love his Three Good Things book. P x