How could I think I could compete with this?

 This is my amaryllis, it started to flower 4 days ago and I had not lost 5 pounds. That was my commitment to do before it flowered when I planted the bulb 10 days ago. I said I wanted to lose 5 pounds before it flowered.  I lost 2.5 pounds.. but I am not discouraged.

I've been ill all this week with a very heavy cold. I've had a sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, cough, aches and pains. My cousin reckons it is probably covid, but whether it is or not, I feel awful. I can't remember feeling this ill for years. 

My lovely husband had made me tasty meals, all on plan but I haven't been out walking, I felt too ill and tired.

But I do feel enthused to keep trying to lose this weight.

Today although the sun was shining, it was very cold, only 2.4°C.

I have 5 coats all too small, but I had bought a puffa jacket two years ago and I tried that on this morning, albeit without a thick cardigan and I could zip it up which I couldn't last year. So I know it will soon be fitting me with a cardigan, I feel really excited about that. 

I hope I'll start to feel better tomorrow.

Isn't this trying to lose weight so hard for some of us?

Chrisxx

 

Stuff!

 I'm trying very hard to think happy grateful thoughts, but its hard. I feel depressed about 'stuff.'

When we moved here June 2021, it was during lockdown, so there were no charity shops open; you had to book a time slot at the recycling centre to dispose of unwanted items, but there were few spaces. Consequently we had to bring a lot of stuff with us.

We had a lot and I mean a lot, probably 50 plus boxes of things we rarely used, all put in the end bedroom. Mainly because we moved from a large house, in which we'd had fitted wardrobes installed, a very large pantry, and a very large under stairs cupboard. There were no cupboards here, except for a hall cupboard for coats. 

It's not a small bungalow and all three bedrooms are double sized.  We bought 4 double wardrobes right away, and a small half size cupboard which now holds our towels, no airing cupboard here either.

We have our bedroom and the second bedroom sorted, but that end bedroom still has boxes to unpack. Every time I go in there, I feel over whelmed with the amount of stuff!

I feel like screaming there's so much 'stuff' A lot is craft work which I can no longer do.. 

Soooo....... these last few days we have made real effort and so far we have taken over 24 bags of wool, stuff for card making, ornaments, books and larger pictures plus some crochet throws to various charity shops. I've lost count of how many large bags.

But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; we've bought a small incinerator to burn ' important?' papers from older houses which I have kept for years. 

I would very much like to use up the fabric I have to make quilts for various charities. We have the table from the kitchen, which can go in that end room and I can sew all day if I want! I feel excited just thinking about it. BUT we still have stuff to clear. 

Do you need to de-clutter?

Chrisxx

Shwmae!

Have I said we're learning to speak Welsh? We started in September last year; we're really enjoying our twice  a week zoom lessons, although after the 2 hours we feel exhausted, with concentrating so hard. As well as the lessons we do daily exercises with Duolingo and on Fridays we take part in a group zoom reading aloud with others. So you can see we are putting in a lot of effort and time.

I can remember a little bit from school when I was 7 years old, just odd words and numbers, so no real help, but what is a help I can pronounce the words. I can remember a lot of French!!

One of our lecturers said I do have good pronunciation! Strangely Welsh is phonetical, so we've learnt the sounds, and its a help us say the words.

We watch bits of the Welsh TV and laugh together and agree it sounds like a foreign language, especially if they speak fast.

We have favourite words, mine is ... archfarchnad, which is supermarket and what about... ysgrifennu.. which is ..to write.  So some odd looking words, but we are getting used to saying them. I doubt we'll be fluent at the end of the year, but we're giving it a good try. 

So I'll end with ..

Noswaith dda.

Have any of you learnt a language in later years?

Chrisxx

A really nice person!

 I stopped to look at the flower shop in town this morning while waiting for Dh, who had been to the library for me.

    There was a man with his dog in a dog pram there too.. and incase you didn't know this, dog owners chat to each other all the time. I said 'posh pram' and he explained their dog had been seriously ill and the vet had been wonderful and I agreed.. because even though they appear to charge a lot, you can get an appointment the same day as you phone, they make a diagnoses there and then and then produce the treatment too, or are able to do what ever surgery is necessary with in hours, unlike our NHS! Vets are good we both said.. 

Then he quipped tongue in cheek,  that his wife and himself had come to the realisation that dogs are better than children and grandchildren.. because...

1. They don't eat you out of house and home

2. They don't ask for money

3. And if they have children you can sell them!

I came away from that man smiling, what a treat to chat to someone who gives you a smile!  I really enjoyed our trip to town.

Aren't some people really nice, what do you think?

Chrisxx

Bank Holiday in Winter

 Today it was a sunfilled day, but there was a really cold nip in the air, it was 9°C.

                       The front promenade was crowded.

This was one of the cafes.  

People were there looking at the RNLI's craft, brought out as a fund raising activity. Our volunteer crews were called out 49 times last year; the one time to rescue a dog, which was featured on TV!

Dh and I had been to a town café and drove home via the sea front.

We were in a nose to tail line of cars as people surged across road at the crossings.

There was a huge queue snaking outside the fish n chip shop and the smell from it was very inviting, but we drove on home... ohhh I could have eaten a bag of chips!

It's not even summer and the crowds are arriving already.

Well it is a seaside town and it was Bank Holiday and the sun was shining.

Chrisxx 

Resolutions?

         I'm taking this idea from Kirsten at Letters from Home.

And I think it will suit me, instead of Resolutions, Good ideas!

1. Lose at least 1 pound each week.

2. Walk at least 3 times a week and achieve my 1200 step count or more.

3. Use a yogurt with squirty cream instead of ice cream.

4 Fill 2 carrier bags a month for the charity shop.

They are sort of Resolutions but I don't feel pressurized, but I do have one Resolution and that is to stop sitting and dozing in my chair after I've had a sleepless night..

So get showered and dressed after my morning cuppa, even if I've been awake in the night for hours!! My one resolution which will be hard because I've got into the habit of not getting showered and dressed till 10 ish if we're not going out.....

..... is to ....Shower and dress before 9:30am! ( I thought before 9 but that would be planning for failure, so 9:30 am will be fine)

 

The Good Ideas are not too taxing so I can't achieve them, but just ideas to guide me.

I'm remembering what Rachel, our old SW consultant said to me, when the urge to eat 'foods that didn't fit the SW food plan.' 

Think.. 'Do I want to lose weight?'  And its working for me.

So I wish all my blogger friends.

 A Very Happy and Heathy New Year.

 Chrisxx

No ones time??

 Here we are in that time of year when Christmas has gone and New Year is yet to come, when its difficult to know what day it is, a sort of 'no ones time.'  The weather has been rainy and when it stopped it was drippy everywhere. I don't like walking on the best of days but wet puts me right off altho'  I have done quite a bit of walking since moving back here. 

This road leads to the front promenade from Rest Bay, a popular place for water sports. It gets very crowded in the summer months.

I haven't walked along here for many years, but I used to when my children were small,  there is a path bordering  the common, all along down along the coast. I had a push chair with the three squashed in, and then down into town about 2 miles and back again walking back up South Rd. 

(Number 4 child was born in Essex)

Today I'm happy to look out of the car window as Dh drives.

I will be walking this year to keep on losing weight.

I gained 2 pounds over Christmas, which I was very pleased with; some ladies put on loads, one 7 pounds!  

We're back on the SW plan, and I've decided I'd like to lose 10 pounds before my Amaryllis flowers. I planted up the huge bulb yesterday, so now who will win, me or the Amaryllis?

Watch this space  if you're interested; I'll photo the Amaryllis growth and honestly report my weight loss.

Chrisxx

Getting ready for the feast!

 One of my step daughters gave me an Amazon voucher for my birthday. Dh has bought me books, so had a think and bought these. A jigsaw for after Christmas and an Amaryllis and both arrived today.

I've planted the amaryllis and will delight in watching it grow.

Lots of delicious cooking smells here, even though it will be just us two, we still go the whole way with extras and sauces.

I've made Delia Smith's Morella Cherry and red wine sauce to go with our duck and in the oven being roasted is the base for Jamie Oliver's veg, herbs and chicken wings gravy recipe.. Dh is making Mary Berry's salmon mousse and we're listening to Carols from Kings on Radio 4. Our slow cooker is ready to start the pudding over night and the fridge is full!!

Will we dare to weigh after all this food? 

We are starting our day with our reading, Luke Chapter2 and then our breakfast is a selection of continental meats, (Dh has pork pie his family tradition) I like smoked salmon and we have crusty whole meal bread and butter and of course Bucks Fizz! 

What do you do on Christmas Eve?

Chrisxx

Are you ready?

It was a tremendous effort on my part,  but we have a real Christmas tree and its fully decorated, I didn't feel in the mood!

But on Saturday we ventured into our little town and what a picture it was.. Carols from two different choirs and the man  himself was there in the museum giving out presents. The local Round Table had set up a snow machine and to see the joy on the children's faces was delightful.

Dh and I walked the length of the main street and looked at all the Christmas decorated shop windows, which were lovely. Wrapped up warm and just ambling along taking in the atmosphere was just what I needed. Our little town seemed to be buzzing with Christmas cheer.

The florists shop was gorgeous as usual and I had to buy another (Hellebore)  Christmas rose for the garden. 

We stopped off at our favourite coffee shop and included a mince pie with our coffee, it melted in your mouth. I'm not too bothered about SW because since my last post I've lost 5 pounds!!

Yesterday was my birthday and I may have had a few more syns than my allowance,  but you're only 80 once, so I had to have that cheese cake and just a small portion of ice cream.

We're now looking forward to Christmas day and our duck dinner. It will be Dh and myself so we thought in the morning we'd go and cheer the Christmas Day swimmers! Brrrrrr it will be cold but they all wear bobble hats so will be ok!

Thank you to all my followers and those who have left comments this past year.

Merry Christmas All and a Very Happy and Healthy New Year. 

Chrisxx

The Constant Battle

Our present sliming world group meetings are always entertaining and fun, unlike some that I've been to which were very, very boring.

Our consultant is an absolute hoot and if you could lose weight from laughing, we'd all be skinny!!

Most weeks she tells us how much the combined weight loss of the group is. Pre-Christmas the numbers have dropped off, as it seems that is usual; post-Christmas the number of people joining is huge.

This past week the combined weight loss of the group was 42 1/2 pounds, and that 1/2 pound was mine! I am so proud that I could swell the loss by that 1/2 pound, wa-hoooo me!!

So, I am not going to lose that stone in weight by Christmas at this rate, but 12 pounds over............ months isn't so bad. And I probably won't lose even a half this week, as I've had two mince pies already! But hey ho, if I wasn't struggling to lose weight, I could be struggling to give up alcohol, or drugs like some people. And not losing any weight is not so bad, it's only this week. next week I will lose and when I put my mind to it, I will and maybe even more than a half.

So my battle goes on and on and on and on and ......................

Do you want to lose weight, did lockdown get to you too?

Chrisxx