The last stone mission......ROLL UP!!!!

[Maintainer]

aaah but the French aren't (yet) in need of such dire measures as CD and LL (to my knowledge). Mind you, one certainly sees far more overweight and even obese people here than one used to, so it'll come, no doubt. Food and mealtimes for the French, as you know Claire, are such a ritual that the idea of replacing that time with a powdered shake? I can't see it taking off. I wouldn't myself.

Well the scores on the doors? My cholesterol has risen by 25% in the past 4 years. 4 years ago it was great. Now it's over the national recommended level printed by the laboratory on the sheet, but I specify that cos on internet I find all sorts of "recommended levels", even one by sex and age (with that one I'm fine!!). So a bit of a worry but I've been doing some research and won't change anything just yet and will wait for a letter from the doctor if need be.

I hate travelling around in the UK. We usually travel overnight when we come over, but alas usually have to suffer daytime travel on the way back.

Two days until I disappear for a bit... forecast for Easter Sunday and Monday is rain and snow... I make that "sleet" - how horrible!

 

[clairejen]

Last day of work for a while, hooray!

I take your point on the French not accepting any meal replacement diet method, I wasn't keen myself but tolerated it for the short time necessary.

Bad news on the cholesterol, that's a bit of a blow. I wouldn't have thought your diet was too bad on that front, but I don't know much about it. Sometimes these test reading aren't too accurate, wait and see is the best approach.

I'm still coughing and taking the antibiotics and hoping they will do some good. I don't expect the infection to clear up straight away, I just want to start feeling a bit more dynamic. There's so much to do that I can't just give in and sleep it off, much as I would like to. Maybe this weekend will give me a bit of free time. No calorie counting for now, just doing DDs as food I eat by habit (veggie soups and salads) with UDs whatever I feel like. I'll take stock come the weekend.

We are promised nasty weather for the weekend too, I'm not that bothered as I wasn't going to do anything spectacular anyway, just potter about and try to get better. I hope you have a lovely time, sleet notwithstanding. WIll you be starting gardening - what are you planning to grow this year?

 

[tashy100]

Have a lovely weekend both - have have a fab 'holiday' Joanne - don't work too hard!!!

Hope your cough clears up Claire - its so frustrating when you feel poorly but have loads to do. Important to take some time to recouperate.

 

[Maintainer]

Morning girls, and sorry to hear you're still under the weather Claire... keep taking the pills, as they say, and hopefully by the other end of the Easter break, you'll be better.

Although this country (i) is very Catholic and (ii) loves Public Holidays... tomorrow is not one so I'll be here at work as usual! Daft eh?!

For planting veggies, we'll do pretty much like last year just changing quantities as we're still eating carrots and parsnips (cos of the diet, no doubt, which limits consumption of both!) now! Stored them in sand - worked a wonder! So lots of spring onions (cos ran out of those quickly!), shallots, carrots, green beans, lettuces, tomatoes (only the cherry variety worked for us last year, and those were in a pot!), beetroot, radishes, errr I've gone blank! Because the area is such a cold one, and frosts are known in May, locals say not to plant until May earliest. We'll be there two weeks at that time so will check with the farmers then - they know everything!!

I hope you both have a good Easter. Planning on eating any ch******e?! I have a gala meal planned for Easter Sunday (roast lamb, lots of veggies but no carbs, and chocolate will necessarily replace the wine, aperitif and dessert I'll skip in its honour!! Can't wait!

ENJOY and see you both back here on 31st March for the verdict!! (how much can she gain on holiday THIS TIME!)

 

[tashy100]

ENJOY and see you both back here on 31st March for the verdict!! (how much can she gain on holiday THIS TIME!)

Good thing though - whatever you put on (if any at all!) you know you can lose almost as quickly!!!!!!

Unlike moi who seems to gain 3lbs overnight and takes all ruddy week to lose it again!!

 

[Maintainer]

Actually, my statistics would suggest that I take double the time to lose as to gain! So a week's holiday could *cost me* two weeks' dieting!!

Lovely weather today to come to work in, just to turn the knife a little further - cold strong winds, driving horizontal rain, so broken umbrella and fluffy hair to report! lovely! Worst still, I came in early to work to get stuff finished on time yet now the weather has improved big time so I'm one of the only drowned rats on duty today!

Hope you both have a lovely Easter. A little of what you fancy is a good thing but try to limit it to one "sitting". That's my plan...

(I shall not commence until watching TV Sunday evening, I shall savour each mouthful, tidy up, put away leftovers (who am I kidding?!), go to bed, and Easter is over!)

Leastwise, that's the plan!

 

[clairejen]

Morning, and a very cold one here. I've been bad already as I made hot cross buns (tiny ones) and of course had to try one, although it is a DD. I'll be extra-restrained for the rest of the day to compensate. I eat carbs anyway so a bit extra doesn't make a lot of difference to me, but I am a terribly slow loser.

Tashy, are you weighing once a week with weight watchers? I've never tried it, too embarrassing to be weighed in front of everyone, but I imagine the social side helps.

Joanne, it must be hard to start seedlings off indoors when you aren't in one place, so presumably you sow straight into the ground and the summer gets things moving fast. I have no big plans on the chocolate front, I haven't even decided what we are eating over Easter, I really ought to get on with that. This bug has really destroyed my concentration, the lack of sleep is making me forget eveything. I know being organised is the key to successful weight control, you seem to have got that one down to a T.

Enjoy Easter (I just typed Eater, must be all this talk of chocolate!) and hopefully not too much damage from it.

 

[tashy100]

I am weighing once a week - but on my own in the comfort of my own bathroom!!!! Am doing the plan online - far too self conscious to go to meetings!!

Hehe!!! Probably is Eater in my case!!!!

Hope you have dried off Joanne and that you have a fab break

Have a good Ea(S)ter folks!

 

[Maintainer]

oooh what a shame Tash - I used to go (not to WW but one of the others - Slimmer) and actually GOING to the meetings really helped me... they didn't show you up or anything, if you gained, but made a big fuss of you if you lost and the others in the group only knew how much you'd gained or lost, never what you actually weighed, unless you chose to share it.

And the best of all was, ssshhh, but I met some great people and we used to always go out for fish and chips on the way home from the class (figuring we had a week to get the weight off!!!)

We tried growing tomato seedlings (not sure if that's the right expression) but they didn't work and have already died, so we'll go with the same method as last year and hope the weather suits. Too much rain initially and they'll not survive. Too much heat initially ditto... last year the snails and slugs ate them all, I think! yuck!

Hair now dry thank you (and wooolllly!). Traffic building up nicely. 125km of traffic jams around this city I see and we'll not be joining them for an hour so it should be even nicer by then. Ah well. I have saved my bread snack for then, then we'll have tea sometime on the way (salad for me), and apple should it get to midnight and we're still on the 2.5 hour Sunday journey (which takes between 3 and 3.5 hours on a "normal" Friday evening let alone a Bank Holiday one...).

Actually, the only thing that Miss Organised HASN'T organised is catheterisation!! I'd better stop drinking NOW!!
HAPPY EATS!
x

 

[clairejen]

Happy Easter to all, the Easter bunny has delivered a huge chocolate egg, now it would be rude to refuse wouldn't it. Just have to be good next week, I need something to cheer me up with all the snow. And I've been cooking madly, everything I make leaves me with something which needs using up in another dish, there are times I wish I'd been brought up to just throw things out!

Tashy, have you got snow too? Bet the kids would welcome it, an egg hunt in the snow would be extra exciting. Hope you all have a lovely time.

Joanne, I trust the trip wasn't too awful and you are cosy by the woodburner.

 

[clairejen]

I think I'm finally getting the better of this cold, haven't coughed once today (funny how just typing the word made my chest tighten). I'm avoiding the scales, the chocolate excesses of Easter are bound to have taken a toll. I still have half my egg left, really should hide it in the cupboard as it is sitting on the table winking at me.

DD today, and I managed to get some reasonably priced stawberries for breakfast, what a treat. Summer is so much easier for diets, and life generally, I'm getting impatient.

Hope holidays are going well and that you are enjoying playing house, Joanne, and playing with the kids, Tashy.

 

[tashy100]

Hi Claire

We got some snow in Brighton but it didnt settle - much to the kids disappointment!!

How nice to have had an Easter egg!!! I'm amazed you have half left - such self-control!

Glad you are finally feeling better and hopefully now spring is on its way the nasty colds of the last few months will go.

Have a great weekend

 

[clairejen]

Well I forgot to weigh myself Saturday so it will be next weekend instead. It makes me nervous, I don't like not feeling on top of it. And I haven't been getting any exercise, what with having been ill and classes stopping over Easter. A lot of time has been taken up with set building, I've cut out a load of arches ready for painting. There's lots more to be done but I'm just plodding onwards, no point in worrying.

Tash, how is the WW going? It seemed to take me so long to lose the final pounds, I hope it is working well for you. I really enjoyed my egg, but did spread it over several days and didn't have any on DDs. It's surprising how easy I find it to refuse fattening things for those three days, maybe I overcompensate on the other four though.

Joanne, hope you had a great holiday and that the scales don't have any nasty surprises.

 

[Maintainer]

hi girls,

Well you'll have seen from my signature that I didn't gain as much as usual (although I was a kilo heavier yesterday!!). I did have some chocolate on Easter Sunday, but reined in immediately afterwards. I did eat more than "normally", but added in homemade soup starters once a day to help fill me. Then I STUPIDLY made some wholemeal bread, we both found it SO delicious that I made it again, and again... ooops! Then on Saturday 29th, seeing on the scales that I'd only gained 1.5 kilos, I then went on a 36 hour binge :-( Silly silly girl. Here's hoping that 36 hours' overeating don't take toooo long to compensate for, cos 1.5K would be good for me, particularly as I was rather "under" my target when I went away!

Claire - D***n muffins... to DIE for! I tried making them for the first time on holiday and am a convert! (Same ingredients as for galette which you mix together with the egg YOLK only (I like to add some smoked salmon and ham to the mix - just a little per person); whisk the egg white until firm and integrate gently. Bake in oven 200°C for 20 mins middle of oven, then last 10 mins at top. I've eaten them hot (FAB!), cold (GREAT!), without yolk (add more fromage blanc) (GOOD). We also tried them without the diced pieces of salmon and ham, and put sweetener and vanilla essence in. Quite nice too!

I'm amazed at Claire's restraint at making an egg last several days! (unless it was a HUMUNGOUS one!!)

 

[clairejen]

Hi Joanne, that it great news, you were dreading a big increase I know. It seems like you really have found a happy eating pattern which you can go back to without feeling deprived. The muffins sound good, I managed to become quite a fan of the "sons". I did make chocolate muffins when I tried D***n, without the bran though. They were OK, but didn't keep well. Did you do anything interesting last week or was it more of a working holiday? And did you get snow? Oh and it was a fairly large egg, so I wasn't really restrained.

I have a couple of days to myself as David has gone to see a customer in Devon. It makes food easy, which is great as I have to be out tonight. It is hard to get food ready and eaten when I have to leave by 7.00pm. It does help to be out of the house though, evenings are my worst time for nibbling.

 

[Maintainer]

The muffins might be a big help to you then, Claire, for your evenings out. I made 12 at the weekend (with four times the daily allowance of sons), and am having three per day cold for breakfast (R "helped" me though so they've gone now!). They keep well and are fine eaten cold too, not messy, so easy to eat whenever! For keeping longer than two days, the girls suggest freezing day of cooking and just defrost a couple of hours before needing. (If only I had room in my freezer, I would!)

Last week we had snow four mornings on awakening - lovely! two of those mornings more snow fell during the morning, much to our 8 month old kitten's delight who saw snow for the first time (just looking out of the window, mind you, as we also had her spayed while there...). By lunchtime each day it had melted and, as the region is used to snow, the roads were well gritted so no travel issues.

Working quite a bit (R on the DIY, me on the cleaning, cooking, cleaning up after R...), siestas in front of the log burner, late night UK TV watching (we have a digibox there, so get to catch up on the soaps we record while not there!!).. lovely!!

Evenings in the country I too find I need to snack more, as evenings are longer... weekdays though, I have an apple mid evening, and tend to go to bed earlier...!

 

[clairejen]

Have the muffins taken over from the galette in your life? Probably easier to carry about and eat cold, maybe moister too. I'll have to give them a try, although I'll still use the galette sometimes as I enjoy the texture too. I can just picture your kitten and the snow, she wouldn't have liked it if she'd actually been out there, cue lots of foot shaking! Has she been good about her stitches? My old cat picked hers out the first night, scary.

We have blackbirds nesting in the garden and it seems their chicks have hatched. So I am putting mealworms out for them, because normally they beg for sultanas and I don't think too much dried fruit is good for nestlings. No doubt the parents know that too, I'm just a soft touch.

 

[Maintainer]

I had (to have) a galette this morning, as no muffin tins in the city, but bought some on the way in, so will be doing some tonight - enough for the next couple of days for the pair of us as we're both fascinated by them. (Imagine eating the exact same breakfast every day since mid-November - OK I love the galette, and I tend to eat that way anyway until I get sick of something(!) - but the muffins are making a nice change, even though same recipe, totally different texture!).

The little one removed her plaster on day two and a stitch came away too... as we were in the middle of pulling down polystyrene ceiling tiles, and making lots of mess at the time, I kept manically sweeping up as she kept rolling around in the dirt... (as you do, when you're 8 months old and pieces of polystyrene are flying around the room!!!!). She is great fun to have around, but I was scared of getting that wound infected (and we weren't sure whether "human" plasters would do or not). Now day 9 after operation, so not worried about dirt any more - phew cos cleaner on holiday!!!

aaaah nice to hear you're a bird lover... would you come over and remove the birds we have nesting in our guttering at the house? we thought they'd leave at the end of the first year, and R was ready to clear out nests, but they've never left... obviously not hibernating birds but boy do they make a row in the morning!! (don't ask me what they are though - little and fluffy and they fly!)

 

[clairejen]

Sorry I'm late appearing this morning, I had to go to my mother's house first thing, then we heard there was an Italian market in the next town so went down there, spent too much money and bought some very moreish nougat. Now back home and it is nearly lunchtime and nothing achieved. Oh well, that's life.

I don't know what your birds might be, are they in the eaves or just in the loft? Twittering at dawn is not how you want to start the day, but it could be worse. Ceiling tiles are nasty things, the glue is hard to remove too. I can just picture the kitty playing with all those bits. Will you have to replaster or can you get away with just painting?

I'm getting my set sorted slowly, base painted half the arches this morning, David cut the scaffold extensions. I'm convinced they're too short, he insists he measured them. Oh well, we've got plenty of steel tube, so they can either be recut or have big feet underneath! Working together on jobs isn't always good for domestic harmony, do you ever find that?

 

[Maintainer]

Gosh yes re domestic harmony - or lack thereof... I'm very organised, and like to time plan and budget for everything. R is very errr last minute and let's start this now and oh we don't have this and now the shops are closed until Monday.

We're going to hopefully get away with just painting. There'll be a lot of preparation work required, but the ceiling boards aren't level and are in poor condition so won't put up with being sanded. We've done a few tests (using cork tiles, which we painted; textured lining paper, which we painted; and simply preparing the area well and 2 x coats of white paint and the paint is the "best") and if money were no object the best would be to remove the entire ceiling and start again!

They don't only twitter but they also leave a heck of a lot of mess down all the shutters of the house, right above the front door step, and I absolutely hate them! R has threatened to get an air rifle.

Thursday protein day today: I made muffins last night for breakfast for us both (lovely!!); scallops, prawns and chicken breasts for lunch; lean beef homemade burgers with scrambled eggs for dinner. I actually like eating this way now and the results on the scales the next morning are usually worthwhile!

Tash?