Weekend Coffee Share

If we were drinking coffee I’d be offering you a delicious ice coffee instead, with ice and milk and sugar. Because it’s frigging HOT here. Or better yet, how about a refreshing mint julep? Darn it, we’re out of soda.

In my pathetic middle-class desire to leave a smaller carbon footprint on the earth we’ve taken to using refillable soda bottles. Called Soda Stream, it has been available in Australia for what feels like forever. You have this contraption that looks like this:

(copyright SodaStream)

a bunch of spare plastic bottles and a large soda gas canister that fits in the back.

In fact, this is the exact version we have. It’s fun and cheap to use and when the gas canister is empty you can swap-and-go replacement cylinders at your local supermarket. That’s the plan, anyway. I’ll let you know how we get on…*

*much much later…

Huzzah, we found and bought replacement bottles! Fizzy water, welcome back. Is this cheaper than buying 1.25 litres of mineral water for .70c at Aldi? Not sure. What I do know is, we drink one heck of a lot when we have it. We’re probably spending about .50c per bottle, even though it suggests one gas canister will supply up to 60 litres, therefore costing us an imaginary .30c per litre.

IN OTHER NEWS.

I WENT TO THE GYM TODAY AND SWAM A LITTLE. Yes, I really really did. I feel virtuous in all sorts of ways. I’m gearing up to get back into the swing of consistent exercise and slightly less food. When I weighed myself  – at the gym, because I don’t own a set of human scales – I was pleasingly NO heavier than I have been at any time in the last 6 months. I’m just…squidgier. And as we all know, muscle is heavier than fat, so I can actually be heavier than I am now but a lot trimmer looking. And I’m sick of my face looking fat.

The plan is to lose about 2 kilos and assess the difficulty in reaching THAT milestone, then work at losing another 5. I need to get to the gym at least 5 times a week, and curtail my lolly and carbohydrate and alcohol intake. It’s not like I don’t have the time.

In family news, my stepson turned 18 last week. All of a sudden he’s an adult, although we all laughed hysterically when he said he wanted his mummy to drive him to uni for the first day (he doesn’t have a job, a car, or money yet). We celebrated his brithday at a brilliant Pan-Asian restaurant called PawPaw, in Woolloongabba, Brisbane. Food was AMAZING. He drank alcohol in front of us, but he’s no drinker – he’s not interested in getting wasted, even as he jokes about being 18 and drinking. We bought him a wrist watch – a proper one that looks like it came from a Mad Men set. Gorgeous. We’re also buying him a Barista course and an RSA (responsible serving of alcohol) course, so that he can actually work. He’s even talking about moving out of home at the end of the year. Bahahahahahaha. Anyway. It’s good to see him stretching his wings a bit.

In other news, my oldest child is throwing an engagement party for he and his girl, sometime in April. We’re travelling south to share in the day, but every day there’s more bills to pay and more frustrations to be had. We just can’t stretch our funds far enough. Dammit, I need a job.

I think that’s it for the coffee share. Although this should REALLY come under the banner of Monday murmurings.

I hope your weekend was a joy. Ours was lovely.

 

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Diana at Part-Time Monster.

 

 

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Sheeeeit. Cain’t git in mah pants no more.

I was doing SO well.

That’s what happens when your long holiday lazy summer turns into permanent lay-a-bed-loucher-lady year.

Truth: haven’t been to the gym since September. Another truth: I’ve been laying about, watching A LOT of Netflix/ Stan. I’ve become very sedentary. More truth: I’ve been enjoying a few too many sticky buns, carbohydrates, sweet things and alcomohol. Still more truth: I actually don’t mind the way I feel physically – I’m not too tired, I’ve got enough energy (I think), and I can still walk the dog. I’m healthy. But dang it. My pants don’t fit anymore. And I’m NOT BUYING ANY MORE CLOTHES.

This is why I must get me back to the gym. Because it’s too expensive if I don’t go. Also, I discovered a double chin and my bras are getting tight. My boobs are my bellwether because they are the first thing to go when I lose weight and the very last thing to grow back when I’ve put weight on everywhere else. They are telling me it’s time. This is me below:

Beached on the side of a mountain. Bellwether Boobs. That’s me.

I just want the weather to cool down: it’s so STEAMY here right now. I’m so sick of sweating even when I’m not moving. Truth be told I hate sweating even when I AM moving. Ugh.

I’m doing it. Come Saturday morning, I’m off to the gym. Just watch me. I can do this. (might need iron supplements and magnesium…and a big kick up the whatoosie.)

*Saturday edit: I never made it to the gym. Sad face.

 

 

Weekend Coffee Share

If we were having coffee I’d be inviting you to ignore the laptop and accoutrements I’ve set up on the kitchen table because it’s cooler in here than anywhere else in the house.

 

The air-conditioner is in this room too. When the day is hot and before the cooling breezes come through at about 4pm, the house is like an oven. So the dining room table is by far the best place to work. But it does mean my stuff is out, making a mess. It’s annoying for everyone!

If we were having coffee you’d notice I’m no longer grieving, depressed or angry. Last year was HARD. This year is a little better. I’ve pulled out my gym gear and am getting ready to hit the ground running. But not today. I WAS tempted by gym this morning because they have a fabulous outdoor pool that helps me get back into the swing of exercise, but the pool is closed for a swimming carnival, and I’m not tempted to go to the gym with a thousand screaming kidlets. Perhaps at 3pm when the kidlets go home.

Those who don’t know my previous posts won’t know of the crazy self-immolating time I had in 2012-2013 when I totally rocked an Australia size 8 (size 4 in US). I was a gym-and-diet junkie. I wasn’t uber-thin, but I was very, very strong, and my cuddle-layer was missing. I was super-healthy, super-fit, felt super-hot, could wear ANYTHING. It’s amazing when you are slim how clothes just work. I had a trainer, I worked out consistently and dieted my socks off. I looked great, felt about 25 again, looked 25 again for about a minute, and really enjoyed my svelte thighs and slim arms. I’m one of those people who put weight on their arms, so I get arm-chub, which is as close as I’m going to admit I have a body image problem.

This was not sustainable because I went off carbs and had to calorie count like a demon, but it showed me that I am capable of getting strong and fit and slim, through hard work and sustained healthy eating habits. I’m not the world’s worst eater by any stretch. I make my own muesli, I eat avocado and eggs on sourdough toast, and I don’t go overboard on takeaway food (last week notwithstanding, when for dinner I had Afghan takeaway Tuesday, Japanese Wednesday, Vietnamese Thursday, and several chicken wraps for lunch. This is an aberration while DH and I get used to my evening teaching again).

But it’s easy to be lazy and grab a pie from the freezer, because 25 minutes heating it is easier than spending 5 minutes preparing a fresh tuna salad. Go figure. And I love my red wine, so cutting down on my nightly alcoholic bevvie is almost impossible.

If we were having coffee, I’d be telling you that, once again, 2016 is the year of getting fit. I have the time, so no more excuses. My lovely community gym has a raft of excellent day classes starting at 9.30am, including HIIT, boxing fitness, TABATA, and if I go for a swim after it’s likely to give me that endorphin boost I love. My body loves being active but I have to work out quite hard to get results, and my muscles just ACHE. I hate this, even as I know exercise is good for me. But you know the REAL reason I’m having to get fit? I don’t fit into half my lovely lovely clothes anymore. I hate it when my waistband is too tight! And the other day my model-thin daughter (who can’t seem to put weight on no matter how hard she tries, where did THAT come from?) told me I looked OLD because I was wearing what I fancied was resort chic. I thought I looked like this:

When what I apparently looked like was this:

(This woman actually rocks her outfit, but I’m not quite there age-wise).

If we were having coffee you’d notice my new pair of glasses. They’re bifocals. They’re giving me a headache. They’re Ralph Lauren Polo glasses, navy on the outside, striped navy/white on the inside. I like them because I can SEE but I hate when I get headaches from glasses. Always happens with multi-focals.

So, how to fill my days. That’s the challenge this year.

What’s YOUR exercise regime? And do you rock the resort look, or do you, like me, just look frumpy?

Weekend Coffee Share is brought to you by Diana at Part-Time Monster. Add your voice to the conversation!

In which I explain how I am on my way from A to B (A=misery, B=happiness)

Well, I will walk 500 miles and I will walk 500 more. Sorry. Ear worm. But it’s kind of true.

I am determined not to feel shitful this week. Because crap weekend and all. Exercise makes me feel better. So today is my over-sharing post about exercise, food and that little demon called indulgence.

Now that I have all this free time I’m getting to the gym 3 times per week. I feel fantastic afterwards and not sore anymore. I hate going but my personal trainer (not too expensive, it’s only 30 mins a week) also takes hour-long group HIIT classes, and I like the way she trains. So I’m weighing myself once a week on a Saturday morning (ugh, hideous), and I am slowly beginning to lose the weight again. I’m dropping between 500gms (1 lb) and 900gms (2 lbs) per week which is normal for me. It’s slow, it’s boring, but I’m starting to feel strong again and wanting to push myself a bit more.

As the weather heats up I will add a couple of swim sessions to my week – they seem to help me drop weight quite fast and I never feel sweaty afterwards although I do feel deliciously tired, and the pool is essentially empty between 8.30 – 9.30am. And if I can make it to even one yoga session I will gain flexibility. So I am hoping my week will start to look like this:

Monday: cardio and weights, then swim.

Tuesday: Personal training session, then cardio

Wednesday: cardio and weights, then swim

Thursday: HIIT session

Friday: swim then Yoga?

Saturday: HIIT session

Sunday: are you kidding me?

At the moment cut out Monday and Wednesday and you have a clearer picture of my ACTUAL week. I know I’m wanting to exercise more because on Monday morning my body is telling me to get moving. I have to exercise in the morning because I hate the evening heat. Better get me moving early before I overthink it.

However, despite all my good exercise intentions, my diet is a little horrible. I’ve been trying to reduce my food intake from about 2000 cal to 1500 cal – which is a perfectly reasonable amount of food for someone who is weight training and also trying to reduce a dress size or two. This is not so easy. I’m getting very hangry (angry hungry) while my body adjusts to the new portion sizes and I’m not always able to contain my eaty moments. So last night, for example, I ate a cup of home-made macaroni cheese as well as 2 lamb chops and a salad. Plus 2 glasses of white wine (I know, what was I thinking?) and some licorice bullets. Now, one of the above has to go. I’m thinking I need to reduce my wine intake again. And maybe my licorice bullets. And perhaps the lovely delicious carbs. According to my diet diary I was 222 cals over for the day.

Most days I manage to keep it at 1500-1700 cals, but I might be cheating a bit on portion sizes. ANYWAY. Last week was woeful. I’m struggling to be as disciplined as I was the first time I lost all the weight. I think it’s because my last diet was very restrictive in terms of carbs and sugars. I can do it, but actually my diet needs to be sustainable in the long term. As I’ve mentioned before, I nearly always eat freshly prepared unprocessed food. My worst diet enemy is my DH, who has a sweet tooth and who can eat crap all day long. I need to be able to have dessert from time to time, or eat pasta, or have a glass (or 2) of red wine. But it’s SO hard to LOSE weight without restrictions. Easy enough to MAINTAIN as long as the exercise stays consistent.

So here is my plan to get from A to B, in the form of diet and exercise.

• Let’s start with Sober September. Well, not quite because why? but I’m saying it here: I’m cutting down to 1 glass of wine a night! MAYBE I’ll even have a night off drinking altogether. I know! Amazing!
• I’m reducing my carb intake to 1 meal a day. So if I have my delicious sourdough soy-lin bread in the am, no high GI carbs for the rest of the day. Including (sniffle) pasta.
• I’m reducing my pasta and rice intake again (but I LOVE my pasta)!
• I’m cutting out evil ice-cream dessert. Including chocolate bullets. Even when DH just brings them out and flings the packet all over the couch along with the Rocky Road and the chocolate bars. (EVERY FREAKING NIGHT).
• What shall I add instead? Well, I’ll go back on the nuts and seeds for snack food, and there’s always oranges and apples and bananas and strawberries to enjoy if I need a sweet something.
• I’m gonna do the exercise plan above and not shirk on the Monday and Wednesday.

I’m on my way from A to B. I’m determined.

Determined to get fit!!!!

This post is for all the diet and health nuts out there. I am a very lazy person. I’m sure I’m not the world’s laziest person – that would be hyperbolic and smack of hubris. So for me to get back on the diet and fitness wagon is an effort.

I’m also not a runner – in the hot, humid Brisbane heat I can’t actually run because I get very lightheaded and puffy and look like I’m going to pass out. Heat will do that to people with low blood-pressure. And I’m an ex-smoker. I don’t think my lungs have ever really recovered. I would love to run. It looks self-sufficient, but I hate getting hot, sweaty and panicky. And I really can’t be bothered with the treadmill – I only go on one to get my muscles warm.

So I must find other ways to exercise. I like to swim. I like to lift free weights. I really like yoga. So last week I got back on the wagon, back on the horse, back on the treadmill.

Mondays and Fridays I see a personal trainer (at the moment until I can’t afford it any more), and because on these days I don’t work all day, I can stay there for more punishment. Last Monday I stayed for a Tabata class. Nearly killed me. Tabata is a regime whereby you do a body weight exercise for 20 seconds, have a 10 second rest, then repeat. 7 more times. Then you have a minute’s break and start the next exercise. Exercises can include Burpees, push ups, crunches, hi knees, lunges, squats and other things. You do this for an hour. When I’m fit it’s not too bad. When I’m out of condition, oh boy. Oh, boy oh boy.

Word of warning, if you do 3 x 120kg leg presses followed by weighted squats and lunges with your PT plus other fun stuff, then try and do a Tabata class, make sure you eat breakfast and be prepared to NOT SLEEP for THREE NIGHTS because when you turn over your body is in such pain it WAKES YOU UP.

On the plus side, I got to my next class on Friday and while I was in no condition to push myself too hard, I stayed and did some more weights, treadmill, seated rowing and stairs. It felt good to work my poor aching quads and glutes. OMG.

Food-wise I’m not faring too badly although I’m still a little generous with the carbs and potatoes. As I keep the diet up I’ll reduce my bread, pasta, rice and potato consumption and up my leafy green vegies and quinoa. Anyone who knows me knows I rarely eat junk food – can’t actually eat Micky D’s because the food doesn’t actually taste like food. Same for KFC and other fast food outlets. And I cut out milk from my coffee (except when substituting it for breakfast) and tea long ago. I hardly ever drink soft drink or juice – I actually prefer the taste of sparkling mineral water. My great weakness is sweet things, and/or hot chips. Once I get rid of the desire to eat these things I’ll do a lot better. But NEVER ask me to forgo my Pinot Noir. Even hubby knows not to ask now.

I’m back on MyFitnessPal and my calorie intake is hovering around the 1700 mark – this needs to drop by 200 calories for me to lose weight easily. Problem is, the weight goes straight back on if I ease up on the exercise. I’m not an exercise junkie so I can’t maintain my habits very well. SIGH. But I’m determined to get fit and healthy again – need it to maintain my ageing body!

And the weight loss treadmill begins! (again)

Yep, you heard it. In the week since my last weigh in I’ve lost 800 grams. I COULD call this a kilo but then I couldn’t include the breakfast I’ve not yet eaten. So my diet and health kick is working well. And for those who actually care about what I do, here it is in sordid detail.

In October 2012 I had had enough. After a trip to Greece in June that year my weight ballooned out to the mid 70s and I was looking and feeling like a little old middle-aged lady. It was not pretty. I felt old and tired and unattractive. Something snapped, and I made decisions. I went on a year-long health jag. Throughout this time I joined a small PT club. I worked with a personal trainer once a week, went to three exercise classes a week (boxing, HIIT), swam a lot, did some yoga, went on a diet (high protein, low sugar and low GI carbs), and lost all the weight and more that I had put on during my marriage. I was strong, fit, healthy and slim. I felt fantastic and easily fit into size 8 clothes. I think my lowest weight at this time was about 61kgs – I have no idea because I stopped weighing myself.

After Xmas 2013 I eased off a little. Maybe a little too much. I noticed I couldn’t fit into my litmus test pants: a pair of size 8 red jeans. Never mind, I thought, I’ll just go to some more classes. I got more and more laid back about my diet, my exercise and my health regime. I had a PhD to finish, y’all! I got busy at work. I dropped my PT now as it was too expensive to keep up now that I wasn’t going to so many classes. I joined a different gym. Ever so gently, my clothes sizes moved up a notch. From size 8 to size 9, then size 10. Now I was eyeing off size 11 clothes and then, in October last year, I bought a size 12 dress. Dang it. But I was enjoying wine and the good life too much to spend much time at the gym.

Then I bought some easy wear pants and they were a size 10. Cool. I was still ok. And then Xmas 2014. Oh dear. Whoopsy-doo. All that lost weight began to creep on around my waist. Buttons began to pop. Tops began to look frumpy again.

So I made a decision to refocus my energies into getting that spare tyre removed, getting fit and healthy again, and not eating and drinking quite so exuberantly. I have a 10kg weight loss goal. Really, I just want to fit into my old size 8 clothes again.

This is what I’ve done.

A week ago I joined my gym’s latest “8 week body transformation”. Perfect timing. It gets me 8 PT sessions, a dedicated work out class, weigh-in and measurements, a food diary thingy and an end-of-the 8 week weigh-in and measurement. I have some spare time at the moment, so I’m trying to get to the gym at least 4 times a week. Mondays: Boxing class OR something in the AM such as Zumba plus a swim. Tuesday: PT. Wednesday is a day off. Thursday is the dedicated fitness class, a bit HIIT, with body weight exercises and running. Horrible but healthy. I don’t mind doing Burpees or Mountain Climbers or high knees, but I often feel faint during the class because I have low BP. Friday I took off but there IS a boxing class in the morning followed by yoga. Should go. Haven’t yet. Saturday could be a long one if I let it: HIIT at 8.30, Yoga at 10, plus a swim. Sunday Core X and swim.

That’s enough exercise to keep me busy and engaged, and plenty of exercise options. Although no dance. Result: I’m not as UNFIT as I thought I would be and my fitness level has gone back up quite quickly. Phew.

I also have an account with MyFitnessPal. This free app and account (I know, awesome, hey?!) is a log of all my activities and will also sync with my Apple Health, plus about 30 other health measure apps such as Fitbit (which has a terrible app, don’t use it). MyFitnessPal also allows me to connect with other members, it has an enormous food database, and logs my favourite foods too. I can log my exercise, food, calorie or KJ intake, weight loss and other things. It’s a near perfect app for me. So I calorie count and limit my food intake to 1500 calories per day. This is enough to lose weight when I add up all the exercise I do but it’s not enough to starve me. I’ve stopped drinking alcohol for FebFast and I’ve never really drunk sweet drinks. I’ve cut down on crap food too. And NO dessert any more (sadness).

So, there it is. A three pronged approach. Goal-setting group fitness classes plus PT, a calorie-counting diet, and an app that records my stuff and connects me to a wider community. I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again. Although I have to admit something. It is just as hard to maintain a healthy weight as it is to lose it. I hate feeling sore all the time and I hate not being able to eat Tim Tams. So that’s why I let my health drop a bit.

I have done this before, I will do this again.

It has been a month since my last confession…

I’m not Catholic. Never was, despite my surname. So, apologies for stealing this confessional statement. But, wow! Hasn’t time flown!

No news is good news, right? Well….kinda. In my life this month, a bunch of stuff has been happening – mostly good, some not so good.

The new car is AWESOME. I love driving it. Tick!

My diet is TERRIBLE. But I’ve not gained any weight that I can tell. And I’m back on the straight and narrow today. Tick!

My exercise regime is LAUGHABLE. But I’m working on it. Little tick for motivational purposes.

My work life is FANTASTIC. I love my job. I have a minor yearning for some performance stuff but otherwise I have the perfect gig. Now to make it a permanent tenured position (never going to happen, but hey, a girl can dream). Tick!

My family life is WONDERFUL. I love my husband. We are easing into a lovely place – teasing yet caring, understanding of each others’ scruples but not averse to raising the eyebrow on occasion. Or the ire. I love my boys and miss them terribly but I saw them just recently and spent guilt money on them because I can. My extended family are all great and doing amazing things. Tick!

My social life is OK – could be better – I have little time to visit friends and have not called anyone lately, even though I’m a constant on FB. Bad Jessie. Must call friends and SEE them. No tick – a cross instead.

My PhD study is AWFUL. I have no time to work on it consistently, I have even less time to care about it at the moment, and I got the most horrible response back regarding the gaping flaws in my Methods Chapter. So I’m taking time off it again. Because I’m sick of it and I want a new supervisor who is pleasant and personable and who is a mentor and whose caring approach makes me want to do better. Right now I feel nothing but RAGE. No tick here. Cross.

The house renovations are SADLY in hiatus while our weekends are busy, but we are in the planning phase of the next job. If my youngest boy comes to live with us I will have to find another place to work because we can’t all fit into the house as is. And we will need to renovate the interior in order to get everyone to fit. This could be fun AND expensive. Half tick for planning, at least.

The dog is getting BETTER, calmer, and her training is going quite well. I’m a bit lazy about it and we rarely have time to do much, but she’s getting there. She’s a bit neurotic around the kids, who tend to psych her up a bit and make her jumpy. She growls at us when she is on her bed at night sleeping (with her eyes open), and we walk past. We are training her out of that, too. Half tick for perseverance and her ability to sit, drop, leave it, and sit on her mat.

Finally, our spending is a tad OUT OF CONTROL. This is what we bought yesterday. Because hubby was complaining about the poor result we were getting from our coffee machine (5 years old and is starting to fail a bit), and he wanted a new one. And I wanted a red one. We got a new, red, expensive, beautiful machine: a Breville 900CB. It’s awesome. Truly.Our coffee now tastes amazing and the machine was laughably easy to set up. But no tick for thrift. Big cross for being a spendthrift.

So, there you go. Ticks: 5 full, 2 half. Crosses: 3. Hail Marys required: none. I’m an atheist. Looking forward to when those crosses on my PhD become ticks, and when our spending is pulled back – this will NEVER happen because we want to renovate the house and that’s exxie. I can, at least, do something about my friends. See y’all soon. xxx

 

Writing, walking adventures and food for thought.

After yesterday’s writing jaunt, I am once again in front of the computer screen, and now the writing appears to be flowing somewhat. I lack scholarship as yet, in that I am have few references on paper. Having to look up yet more references is the bane of my existence. I recently had to do an annotated bibliography for a study in which I am the RA, and it was the best thing I have ever done. By far my best, quickest and easiest AB to date, and I realised that over the four years I have been struggling with my PhD studies, that I could have been doing a few more of these, particularly now that all the stuff in my head needs to be put on paper.

Yes, I know there are books on how to take notes, and how to reference. I didn’t read them. Bad Jessie.

Anyhoo, at least I have an inkling of how this Methods chapter is going. 10000 words to write, and I appear to have written 7000 of them. I’m only 6 weeks late for submission of this chapter to my supervisor. It’s definitely my own fault. Can’t blame anyone else here but me.

So, that’s the writing explained. The walking adventure was that yesterday, when I thought about going for a walk with hubby, we did. We walked the equivalent of about 10kms over about 3.5 hours. It was great. At least, I thought it was great. Hubby didn’t. Hubby threw a tantrum on top of a mountain. Ok, the problem is this. I love walking, getting out into the great outdoors. I quite like camping, and fishing, and washing up in streams, and camp fires and cooking tea in billycans etc. Apparently when I was 9 I wanted to join Girl Guides (cubs), so I did, and I stayed until I was 14. We went camping and learned how to put up tents and light fires and tie knots (well, that’s a lie – I never really learned how to tie knots). I now have a new, mustard coloured waterproof pair of boots with which to go walking, at the very least.

Hubby hates all of the above outdoor activities. I really don’t know why. Hubby thought that buying a cute pair of suede Converse high-top sneakers would suffice for walking about in the Yorkshire wilderness. Noooo. Not really. We’re in Yorkshire at a time when the snow is melting, it’s freezing cold, folks are tramping, and there is lots of muddy boggy stuff about. One needs waterproof shoes with good soles and probably one of those ugly windbreaker jackets instead of the very stylish woollen overcoat hubby bought in The Hague. So, as we’re trying to walk round the Semerwater lake but it’s too muddy in the direction of the lake, I’m seeing one of those teensy tiny “public footpath” signs to Bainbridge – 2 miles, and I’m thinking, hey, let’s go on an adventure. We’re dressed for it, we can go to the pub for a refreshing ale before walking home, and it will be fun.

Over hill and dale, through bog and marsh, over stile and turn, and tramping through stinky, muddy farmlets is not hubby’s idea of a fun time. Nope. Not at all. At one point I couldn’t see the next stile/ drywall fence and we were on the side of a steep hill, following sheep tracks because the “walking path” had got hidden under snow, and hubby was slipping and sliding about because his shoes just weren’t cutting the mustard and he finally exploded, yelling he “didn’t sign up for this!”. At which point I apologised a lot and walked a long way away from him, concerned that I couldn’t see the next walking marker and getting quietly panicky.

Finally saw the stile – we had walked downhill rather than up and had to retrace somewhat – and waited for him to make his way to me. At which point I then said, rather quietly, “this is exactly what I came for”. It was beautiful up there.

This is where we nearly “got lost”, or “lost it”, whichever way you look at it: not a great place to lose sight of one’s self.

Apologies were meted out all round, and of course, not too far away was the ROAD. Which we followed to Bainbridge and the pub. Somewhat of a disappointment, the rather chilly pub didn’t even serve hot chips as a side dish, so after I drank a pint of Black Sheep Bitter (VERY good beer), we marched home again, all 3 miles. A great walk, and which I felt justified the very large serving of sausages and mash I afterwards prepared with a glass or two of not-very-good Tempranillo.

Which brings me to FOOD. Urgh. It’s hard when it’s cold not to eat lashings of potato, and bread, and lovely mild Wensleydale cheese and wine. So I’m eating them anyway. I feel guilty as sin, and I can almost SEE the kilos marching right back onto my butt, but we’re walking A LOT. In very COLD WEATHER. Surely that counts?! I’m well over my calorie count for the day, even with exercise, and my only excuse is that it’s hard to work out how to eat well when one is on holiday and the only things on offer at the local eating places are very carb-dense foods or soup.

Which reminds me, time to get cracking on some body-weight exercises, as if tramping about clambering over stiles and through bog isn’t enough. While I think I can forgo the lunges and squats, I am reminded that my upper body still needs a workout. Time for some pushups, planks, crunches and maybe even some yoga poses. I have to hide to do all these because I’m not sure what hubby thinks of all this exercising nonsense, but I can certainly report I wasn’t flagging at the end of 3.5 hours walking. Felt great.

And slept like one of the dead. Which reminds me, we were told to turn on the de-humidifier they’ve thoughtfully provided for the cottage to ensure that the windows don’t mist up. I did so, but we’ve been slowly dying through dehydration and I’ve had a terrible headache. Well. I turned the blasted machine off and placed bowls of water about to try and humidify the place. It’s finally working – I feel better, although still very dry. Crazy lack of moisture in the air, enough to make a singer gasp her last breath, drily. I hate under floor heating. Can’t get it cool enough.

 

 

 

 

When the cat’s away the mice….study.

This week DH heads off to Europe for business and I follow him a couple of weeks later. I’ve been thinking about what I might potentially do while we’re apart, and it occurred to me that I don’t have to worry about spending time with my man because we can’t. This bodes well for my study timetable, I hope, even as I know I will miss him terribly.

So it will be interesting to see if I can finish my methods chapter in the next week,  or whether I’m kidding myself and his absence makes absolutely no difference to my study timetable. I’m thinking of this as a test scenario for when I’m in Yorkshire on our study retreat.

Certainly this weekend yawns enticingly ahead, mostly free of work commitments (1 glossary to complete today). I’ve no money to buy stuff with and no overriding need to do anything other than clean the floors, do my washing, go to yoga and walk the dog. No friends to see or people to meet. Nothing but drive my man to the airport in an hour. Mind you, I’ve already wasted half the morning playing Plants vs Zombies and reading the paper.

I will report on my findings next week, after I’ve been teaching for 37 hours as per usual.

*In the meantime, for all those interested in my weight loss regime, I’ve not lost much weight these last few weeks because I’ve been slack (or busy at work, whichever way you look at it), and haven’t been to the gym more than twice a week. I’ve been rather careless with my diet, too, and yesterday was VERY naughty, because it was my birthday celebration dinner. So this next 12 days or so will see me up the regime, attend more gym and eat better, in preparation for a fortnight of walking over windy hill and dale, eating heart warming stews and probably drinking rather too much ale/red wine/ whatever’s available at the ye olde British pub.