A happy day.

 We had such a lovely day on Saturday, in spite of the wind and rain! We set off for coffee and croissants, and as we parked the rain stopped, and gave us a break to get to Costa. Of course as Dh has a loyalty card he had a free cake for his birthday! 

We met people we know and chatted and after, while Dh went to the butchers for a rib of beef for our Sunday dinner,  I walked through town to get some tooth paste. I met some one from our gardening group and we chatted about our next meeting, which is our review of the year and celebration, our 'bring and share meal.' It reminded me we would need to buy some presents for the secret Santa.. we needed 2 lots,  as our book group meal has secret Santa pressies too. 

And I found the perfect presents, something I'd like myself. I was so pleased  . 

Dh was happy too and came walking towards me, smiling like a Cheshire cat. We drove home via Rest Bay, which had about 50 plus surfers! And quite a few people on the beach watching. November 1st and only 12C that is dedication!

We watched from inside our warm car, well we're a bit old to be surfing in November!

Chrisxx

Birthday happiness and an unexpected bonus!

 

Today is Dh's birthday and he's had a lovely time.

Yesterday we invited some of our SW friends to join us for lunch at an Italian restaurant and we all ate as though we didn't belong to a sliming group!

Dh and I had pizza because we never have that at home, we brought more than half home as it was too big to eat in one meal for us. Dh had a starter too, Calamari Fritti and I had a taste, wow it was amazing. All six of us had something different and we all  thoroughly enjoyed our meals.. I had Profiteroles for pud, Dh had Tiramisu and all our plates were cleaned. It is so nice to go out and eat normally when you're dieting!!

Such a super time, good food and loads of laughter!

And an absolutely unbelievable letter in the morning for Dh was from HMRC, tax dept, he's had a very substantial amount of money from them, as they had under paid him 21 years ago!! We were whooping it up in our lounge this afternoon. Who would have believed it?

So a lovely day all round and today we have some treats planned for our evening meal. I can see its going to be bread and smell for me the rest of the week before I step on those SW scales, but it was worth it.

Chrisxx

I feel I missed out.

 I am so annoyed because I think I've missed out in life. Mariella Frostrup has been television, promoting her new cook book for women going through the menopause. There is so much talk about that and the perimenopause today. I don't know how other women of my age group dealt with this, but I just got on with it. Nobody knew what I was going through. My best friend, when she got to the 'age' made some muffins supposedly for women going through the 'change' and they were very tasty, but were they good for me? I don't know I just wolfed them down with a nice cup of tea, which I think did me more good than the muffins!

The same it was when I was pregnant. I can't remember anyone going over board when I got to 12 weeks, it came and went. Nobody ever asked me to feel the baby moving and then jumped for joy when they felt it. I didn't have a Baby Shower, yes, I had presents when each was born, but nothing frivolous, a bundle of nappies and a knitted cardi were my gifts and I was very graceful for them. 

Today young people celebrate all different stages of  being pregnant and you can buy all sorts of baby items. I'm always delighted to hear of someone expecting and am happy to feel the baby moving.. and the delight on the expectant mum's face is lovely to see, when I say, yes I can feel the movement. 

So is this way of life today and why do I feel I've missed something?

A lot today is finance, not all couples can buy all the extras that are lovely to have but not an essential, but when you look there are some lovely things out there. This is an example; a blanket on which you you can record your baby's age. Isn't this a lovely idea? And of course there is photographic evidence of the different stages and that didn't happen in the 60s, shame but we had birthday and holiday and Christmas photos, but not every smile! I would have loved something like this for my children.

Ah well at least my children were well dressed and fed well.

Do you think you missed out?

Chrisxx

Does it matter what books you like?

 If I know I have to wait anywhere, I always take a book with me usually my kindle as its light to carry and fits in my hand bag. I was happily sitting with my kindle, when a lady near to me, remarked that she likes real books. I just smiled and said, 'That's nice' and carried on reading. Then she came and sat beside me and leaned over as if to see what I was reading, so I helped her and said 'Its a psychological thriller.' She looked my sort of age. 

'Do you read Harry Potter books?' she asked, I thought where did she get that from. 

'No they're not my sort of book,' I replied and moved away. I really wanted to say, if they were the only books on a desert island, on which I had been cast away, I'd lie on my back and read the passing clouds first!! 

What is wrong with not liking certain genres? A relative of mine used to extol the HP book's virtues and thought they epitomized good against evil. I am not his greatest fan, so let him have his say, but always left the room when he was pontificating.. Why am I writing about this now, because recently his son age 25 has self published an ebook, a kindle book. Its not very good, but he's finding his feet, so still learning, His father hasn't read it, but he is boasting, as though its a best seller. He asked me what I thought, I said J K Rowling has no need to worry! I did say to his son it needed to be developed, but a good effort. 

I'm living far away from them now and don't feel the need to be pleasant all the time, so give him and his wife a swerve. Saves me the anguish and I'm too old now to be bothered.

Chrisxx

An author to treasure.

It wasn't difficult to buy these Richard and Judy book club choices, when I saw there was a T. M. Logan and Freida McFadden books in the group. However I've found David Baldacci not an author I enjoy so I swapped it for 'Frankie' written by Graham Norton.  Graham Norton is an excellent author. He engages the reader in the first few pages, and I've read all his books and never been disappointed. 

Frankie is an old lady that needs a carer after a fall, and the person who turns up is not the person she was expecting. Damian is a young Iris man. He sparks memories in her and the book is the story of her life from post war Ireland to 1960s New York, the reader is immersed into her very different life. Her painter husband, their Bohemian life style, a world in which Frankie's friendships and relationships are too intense to last, but as Frankie's past is slowly emerges, her spirit and endurance are revealed as undeniable and unforgettable.

I loved this book, its a sensitive and beautifully told story and one you'll be sad when its over. I highly recommend this book, as I do of all his books.

Chrisxx

Perfect!

 The best days are those when you don't need anything extreme or special to happen to make it great. You just appreciate and enjoy what it is and that's perfect enough.

And that's been my Sunday. We had a delicious chicken dinner with our own sprouts and baby potatoes, plus some cauliflower and French beans from Mr Tesco, superbly cooked by Dh and then stewed rhubarb and a Banana Custard yogurt, which finished off the meal perfectly. I would have loved this but kept to the SW food plan.

And then we watched the rain running down our windows, and we might have dozed!!  We welcomed the early evening with the clock change, drew the curtains and settled in the warm of our home for the Strictly results, and our choices are through to dance another week, hurrah!! 

What did you do?

Chrisxx

The Words are in the Pictures.

Chrisxx

Stress!!

Our surgery has a good on line system to ask for regular medication. So I try to request my 2 regular tabs a week before they are due. This month I missed the date and so I requested them just days before I ran out. There was no problem requesting them and I checked the next day,  and they had been authorised, so I waited 3 days to allow the chemist to make them up.

When we went to collect them, the one lot was missing. When I asked why I wasn't told they had been unable to get them, the answer was there is a shortage.. I asked, but why hadn't they let me know? Grrrr it was like talking to a repeating machine. I asked again, why  hadn't they let me know, and she kept repeating they don't know what will arrive each day.. to which I replied, I hear and understand what you're  saying, but why didn't you let me know, never mind you couldn't get them, why didn't you let me know, I'm asking you a question??? 

We gave up Dh phoned another Chemist and they had them. I had to get another prescription from the Surgery which wasn't too difficult as there is prescription dept. And we drove to town to get them, whew. I was just a bit stressed I didn't want to run out of my tablets. So in future I will request a paper script and collect it, instead  of having the prescription electronically delivered to that chemist! I can phone around and find a chemist that has my tabs. It was so annoying and stressful!! And stress I can do without!

Chrisxx

SSCO... And stuff!

 Don't you want to scream some days.. Wednesday afternoon we decided to go to Dunelm Mill, as we needed some new non slip shower mats. As we left the house I did say to Dh, don't let me buy any 'stuff' I have enough, as Dunelm Mill is a kaleidoscope of colourful cushions, towels, duvet covers and artificial flowers, glass jars, cutey little boxes, and all sizes of containers, in fact anything you might fancy you think you need for your home and more, and all the things you don't really need at all.  I said, I would just like some new hand towels in the bathroom. 

Once we were in there, we looked at the side sleeper pillows as I have one and we thought Dh might like one, then Dh suggested I might like some new towels, as I don't seem to have the medium sizes, I like two towels when I dry after my shower. I choose a set that matched the bathroom colours and put them in the trolley and the pillow. We then choose 4 new hand towels, all the same colour, so into the trolley they went and then the two new non slip shower mats. 

We moved into the china section and saw some really lovely Denby stone ware dishes with a mute green edging, the colour of our wall tiles in our kitchen. Boxed in Dinner sets of 4 and reduced.. so yes into the trolley it went too. 

Then there were some liners for the basket of our Air Fryer, just what Dh was looking for..the trolley was more or less full, so we trundled off to the check outs..Shock horror they were all SSCO = self service check outs! I asked the one worker there, was there a check out not Self service, she pointed to one at the end of the counter , but it was cash only!

So we started going through items, I was not a happy bunny. Then we came to the boxed Denby and no bar code, the woman stepped forward, she couldn't find the bar code either. So she started the mumble, mumble into her mouth piece, but bobbing back and fro checking other customers, as they used the self check outs, still mumbling into her mouth piece....... talking to the store room, or the time it was taking could have been the Moon, of even Mars?? We waited and waited, I was getting fed up and if there had been a John Lewis or M&S near I'd have walked out saying we'll go else where. 

Eventually she got the price, I stepped forward to check that it was the reduced price, she checked again and it was.. but oh so slow.

We've decided that next time we really NEED to buy from there, we'll take a couple of hundred pounds and go to the one cash check out!!

Chrisxx

My Bête Noir!!

We have a lot of laughs in our SW meetings, and members tell of their greatest pitfalls. It seems that at the moment Aldi's cheese aisle faces the chocolates and all sorts of Christmas goodies. Last week, one member gave us a demonstration of herself, slinking along sidewards to view the cheeses, but without seeing the chocolates. It was very funny, she hammed it up and several members admitted to doing the same thing.

Chocolates don't tempt me, but there is one aisle in Tesco that does. I walk along very slowly drooling at the vast display of ....... sandwiches, there are hundreds.. Not just your common Cheese and Pickle or a BLT, but Ham, Turkey, Stuffing with seasonal dressings, or two Cheeses and Salami, and there's Pigs in Blankets Sandwiches. And what about finest Scottish Salmon and Cream Cheese;  Chicken and Sweetcorn triple sandwich or even Honey Glazed Ham, Red Leicester and Festive Chutney and also Finest Tesco New York Deli inspired  Pastrami and Emmental!! To name but a few...what choices, my mouth waters and I look opened eyed at such delights!

Sunday tea was always a sandwich, after we'd had our Sunday dinner, but the SW food plan only allows one piece of wholemeal bread or 40g of a  cereal or some nuts, as a healthy extra, so a sandwich at tea time eats into your syn allowance and made with just one piece of bread, isn't that filling, so I don't have one. boo hoo.. and just one of those packets of Tesco sandwiches would be my meals for days, not just one meal! I've watched young girls, take a packet of  sandwiches, crisps and a chocolate bar and I long to be young and eating anything I wanted again! The thing is, I didn't eat like that when I was young and shops didn't sell those sandwiches anyway! But I can but dream and drool in that aisle! Do you like a sandwich?

Chrisxx