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

[clairejen]

Hi, I've just been "rescued" from work, I took my bike this morning and just as I was about to come home it started tipping it down, so David drove down and fetched me. Work was really annoying today, I wasn't allowed to use the new computer system because they were finishing the month end and I had to work from some figures which I finally realised were only half compete.

Cold and wet here, I'm hoping it will brighten up before our respective holidays. I'm going to ring the gîte owners in a minute, they still haven't answered my email and I want to get the accommodation sorted. When the weather is dodgy it is even more important to be staying somewhere nice. Thanks for the tip on the petrol, we'll probably be filling up in England as we can claim the VAT back.

I've been having a bad time on the nibbling and snacks front, I'm hoping that getting back into the routine of dancing will help there, two evenings out keeps the lid on the biscuit tin. Otherwise things are going OK, weight not going on but not coming off either. Ought to follow your example and plan everything, maybe for the weeks at work I could, although I can't trust David not to eat things he finds around the kitchen, working from home has made him an inveterate nibbler.

 

[Maintainer]

Gosh yes I was hearing how certain parts of the country were to get one month's rainfall today... hope you're not in that part!

Here, it's chilly and dull so I'm wearing my first sweater since April and shall look forward to lighting a fire when we get to the house this evening...

Weight okish - and looking forward to picking lovely fresh vegetables (in the rain and mud, but beggar's can't be choosers eh?).

Have a good one Claire
TASH???

 

[clairejen]

No doubt you are already off to your country retreat, have a brilliant weekend. We are rather upset and worried today, Cassie has lost control of her back legs, she has been a bit wobbly for a couple of days and today can't put any weight on them without collapsing. So it will be a trip to the vets later, and I fear the diagnosis won't be good. I'm not really in the mood to chat, as you can imagine, but will post updates later.

 

[clairejen]

Very tearful here, Cassie had to be put to sleep last night. We miss her terribly and it is going to be hard living in an empty house. I am grateful that we had no choice in the end, she couldn't stand up and would have no quality of life left so it was a straightforward if distressing decision.

I can't be bothered with weighing or anything at the minute, too much else on my mind. Anyway, speak to you on Monday.

 

[Maintainer]

oh my word what awful news to log on to. I am SO sorry to hear that Claire, and my words are sincere. As a fellow childless animal person, I can well relate to what important a part our animals play in our lives and their absence is felt so horribly.

As you say, some things are just so trite next to such serious matters. Please take some time. Find some lovely photos of her... maybe make a lovely album of her life - you had some lovely holidays and walks with her. Revisiting the photos will necessarily make you cry - don't hold back - it's all part of the grieving process, but the photos will help you...

I know my situation is far from similar but we are currently preparing such an album for Michelle's departure at the end of the week. Logically I know I will never see my cat's Mum and half sister again once they move to the USA next week, which breaks my heart (having "saved" Mum from the streets of Burgundy, and the half sister being born there on my kitchen floor as a "gift"...). I must be happy that they're with the best owner cats could have, will be showered with love, and will never again have to fend for themselves.

I'm babbling - you know I'm with you on this one Claire... don't you dare hold back calorie wise. Have what you need

 

[clairejen]

Hi Joanne, thanks for your kind words and thoughts, these fur babies mean so much to us. We have lovey memories of her, and lots of photos as you say. I've had to rethink our planned holiday a bit, the place we were hoping to stay never replied to my email so I emailed again telling them not to bother. Instead we have booked an apartment in the outbuildings of a chateau in Flesselles, just north of Amiens, here's the link Gites de France
The village has various shops and a little restaurant and is near quite a lot of interesting places.

How sad to be losing touch with the cat you rescued, it does sound like she fell on her paws there though. Is your neighbour American?

 

[Maintainer]

hello Claire and I'm so pleased you popped in... you must be feeling wretched. I must say that your new holiday apartment looks fabulous! The grounds of that chateau! Amazing! I believe you go just when I return (around 20th...?) so maybe the weather will have had time to improve for you... here it's hot today but temperatures going steadily down to back to being cold and rainy like in the UK!

My friend is English but works for a U.S. firm so has taken advantage of a promotion opportunity. I must be happy that the cat I saved and the kitten born on my kitchen floor are both going to the US to have such a lovely life. My two cats, half sisters to the kitten I mention, will miss them. The cat I saved had three litters in total, two in the wild, one once we'd found her a home (my poor friend - we didn't realise she was pregnant!): I have one from her first and third litter, and my friend has the one from her second litter... we never found the other kittens of the second litter, born outside somewhere... just that she came to visit us and had Mimi on our kitchen floor!

Dieting seems so futile at these times... but I'm doing ok! Take care of you!

 

[Maintainer]

So last night we took M to a local Italian restaurant (so local that we've never been - who "goes out" 50m from one's front door?!).

Anyway, I ordered a spaghetti + seafood main dish (which came in a strongly flavoured garlic + tomato sauce - DELICIOUS!). It was served in a large bowl and came WITH a pizza crust on the top (just imagine the calories!!). As I said to the chef last night (native Italian with very strong accents!) as he wandered around chatting to the customers, "positively the best pasta dish I've ever eaten"! We will return! In addition, so cheap - Eur 13.50 for the dish... Eur 42 for the three of us (M had a €9 pasta gorgonzola dish) and R and she shared a pichet... I really needn't have finished each and every strand of that spaghetti though! I finished perhaps five full minutes after the other two, so intent was I on finishing! Totally silly of me!

So today strict strict - protein only day - as usual on a Thursday.

Just 24 hrs to go to my departure on hols... then yours... and so, unless someone joins our thread, it'll be quiet here for a while!

How's you Claire?

 

[clairejen]

Hi Joanne, we are managing OK, but lots of things prompt the tears. Work is probably easiest for me as she was never there and I am always busy. It's the times of her routines, meals and outings which are the hardest. Your life seems to have been very bound up with the mother cat, you will miss her badly. How amazing to be presented with a newborn kitten like that!

So you are off tomorrow for the week, how lovely to get a long break. We are only having three days plus the weekend so going on the 20th and back late on the 24th. It does look a pretty place and very good value, we have to pay for the whole week but at €165 it will hardly break the bank. It will do us good to have a holiday, we had to cut our summer break short because of my new job so I feel I've been lacking in that department.

That meal sounds totally delicious, we ought to be able to treat ourselves sometimes, it is just a question of being sensible the rest of the time. Which I must confess I haven't been, I have been comfort eating - but if ever there was a time comfort was needed this must be it.

Have a brilliant time next week if I don't get on here again before you leave.

 

[Maintainer]

hello there - and I'm leaving work in just two hours, so this is a quick fly past... hope your holiday gives you a breather. It's true that it's at certain times that these things really do hit you... most say to get another, not in replacement (that NEVER), but you'll be helping another little four legged friend who's looking for a home... when you're ready... (a cat, or two even - much easier!!)

Speak once you're back!
x

 

[clairejen]

Hope you are enjoying your holiday Joanne, I can't wait for Saturday. We had a bit of a shock with the tunnel fire and quickly booked a flexible ferry trip so we had a fallback. As it turns out we need it, the tunnel is only doing a minimal service. The ferry is a lot cheaper and closer to our destination, I just don't like them much.

My weight has gone down a tiny bit, I'm hoping to avoid any big holiday gains, fingers crossed you stay stable too.

We will get another dog eventually, we just aren't ready yet. As you say someone might turn up. I don't really want to have a cat again, they can be sweet (and fiendish) but I'm more of a dog person. We had to borrow a dog on Sunday to take for a walk with us.

 

[clairejen]

Just finished work and about to get ready for the trip, we have a really early start ahead of us. I hope your holiday was fun and not too much work piled up waiting for your return.

My boss showed me a photo of his new puppy today, she is totally gorgeous. I am not ready for a new dog yet, I would love to cuddle her though. She is a Golden Doodle, and looks a bit like a cocker spaniel puppy.

Looks like we will be having good weather for our holiday, I am really looking forwards to just getting away for a while. I'd better get on with packing, I did my stuff a couple of days ago but there are still the bikes to organise. I'll pop in when I get back Wednesday night.

 

[Maintainer]

Hello there Claire, and I hope you're enjoying your holiday... I trust you took some sweaters with you.

My only complaint about my holiday was the weather. The COLD weather. One morning, we even had 1°C... mid-September? Charming! Anyway we spent far too many hours hudding round the loving log fire, eating... and the result shows in my signature. 11K up in 9 days? Crazy crazy... I read somewhere that empty fat cells just wait to fill up again - I don't think I deserved a 2 stone gain!! Ah well - back onto the wagon...

x

 

[Maintainer]

and I hope you had a good, albeit chilly(?), break... I'm sitting here typing with freezing cold hands, and a jumper on! Some September this has turned out to be eh?

My incredible 11 kilo gain in 9 days' overeating is going down nicely and I've "lost" 6.4K in two days! I expect the remaining 4.5K is mainly "deserved" blubber so I should think will be tougher to dislodge!

Coming home will be tough for you, I know... thinking of you

 

[clairejen]

Hi Joanne
Even though I only had three days away from work there was still far too much to deal with when I got back. We had two lovely sunny days and three greyer and cooler ones. It was a good holiday though, despite some moments of sadness that Cassie wasn't with us, we looked at a lot of places which were open for the Journees du Patrimoine and must have walked many miles. The gite worked well for the two of us and it was close to Amiens so easy to find places to eat. I'm sure I ate far too much, and haven't braved the scales yet, this week will be hard as we are staying with relatives over the weekend so I won't have much choice over what I'm fed.

11 kilos in 9 days !! Only you could do that, then lose the majority so quickly again. I'm afraid the fat cell thing is true, on those rare occasions when I have got rid of the fat on my thighs it has always returned with great rapidity. I'm not ready for winter, it doesn't seem fair when we haven't really had a summer.

I'd better go and have my salad lunch, no time to go shopping so it will be particularly unappealing, grrrr.

 

[Maintainer]

Great to hear you're back, although sorry you had to eat a horrible lunch... do you work in a town centre where you can easily buy food? Here, there's no problem as there are trillions of places in the near vicinity but finding low calorie or low carb stuff is impossible, and the prices(!) and queues of tourists put me right off...

I hope you have some nice photos of Cassie, and of course no one can take your memories from you.

My cats' Mum and half sister moved to the USA last week, so I'm sad for my two. Obviously I can't explain why their friends aren't coming to play any more at 8pm as they used to, but the little one went to the front door last night and cried... shame!
x

 

[Maintainer]

Just a quickie as busy busy and leaving early today as usual on a Friday. I do so love leaving at 5pm, rather than 6pm as normal for me... Will be off to the house but far later than usual as R is currently in your country so I shall have to wait for his ferry/car drive into the city in Friday night rush hour no doubt! ah well! At least I get to go to the house!

Weight coming down nicely, but "treatless" weekend in perspective. I deserve it... it's certainly the first time I've given R a UK shopping list with just magazines on it, and no pigging out food!!

Have a good weekend!
x

 

[clairejen]

Hi, I got off work on time (amazingly) having got all my urgent work done so I'm doing a happy dance. Still haven't got on the scales, I must be brave before going away tomorrow, it will help me stay in control. Not that I can refuse birthday cake when it has been made by the hostess, that would be plain rude.

It's so hard not being able to explain to animals what is happening, but at least your kittens still have each other. I heard today that the girl who had my job before me has a dog which is expecting puppies imminently. David wouldn't want to have one though, they are spaniels which are not his favourite dogs.

Hope R has a safe journey, when we crossed the ferry was absolutely jampacked, took half an hour longer to load and unload than usual. I suppose it is the loss of the tunnel capacity. Have a great weekend, even without the treats (surely just one would be OK?).

 

[Maintainer]

hello there and I hope you had a good weekend,

You're right - "normal people" could have one treat, savour it, and enjoy it. I'm ever mindful that I know not how to stop at one, though, so after a nine day overeating episode, I was determined not to have any treats until back under 65K. I did manage it, but had to add in all sorts of extras (fruit, yoghurts, chicken etc) so as not to lose the plot as usual. Anyway, I'm pleased to be "just" 3.5K over target one week after return from holiday. (crazy numbers though!)

Ferry was busy indeed and even though he was put on an "earlier" than booked one, it was later leaving than planned, couldn't berth at Calais either, and so he arrived in Paris at the wrong time so took hours to get to me, then we took hours getting to the house, so we were still unpacking the car at 1am! Ah well! All done now!

Would David not crack if faced with a basketful of playfulness? I would!

 

[clairejen]

Hi, didn't manage to get on here early as I had a busy day at work then more work to do when I got home as the VAT return was due. I've just been to dance class, eaten my supper (vegetable soup and crackers) and am feeling tired but virtuous.

Big trauma on Saturday morning, I lost my keys. The whole bunch, car, house, work, everything!. They fell out of my pocket while we were in town shopping. I realised, but couldn't find them so when we got home I rang the two shopswe had visited and told the police station in case they were handed in. I got a call from M&S a bit later to say they had been found, what a relief, and I picked them up today after work. Not a good start to the weekend, which actually turned out rather fun. Way too much to eat and drink, no way of avoiding that so I just enjoyed it instead. And this morning I made myself get on the scales at what should be the highest point of the week anyway. I am a pound and a half over my maximum permitted range, which I was pretty close to the top of anyway. So good behaviour is needed for a couple of weeks then take stock again I think.

Your Friday trip must have been hellish, but so nice to get there and just relax. With both of you and the cats so accustomed to the trip it must have become second nature. Have you still got fresh veggies coming? Our Jerusalem artichokes are still not ready, nor are the acorn squashes. One of David's cousins gave us a potimarron (not sure if there is an English word for it) and we may try keeping some seed back to plant next year.

I'm not sure if David would accept a spaniel, or to be honest whether I would want one, they are troublesome dogs. I fell for a lovely black labrador who lives next door to David's aunt but likes to call round when there are people in the garden. He must have been about 2, playful but well trained, I was tempted to kidnap him.