wagwaan?

More Royal Wedding stuff

You might have seen an article in the paper recently about a lady who has knitted the Royal Wedding party. Well, it turns out she's from Chorleywood, which is not far from here - indeed, we used to go on picnics there when we were little. Anyway, I didn't realise when I saw it in the national papers that she had released a book with the relevant knitting patterns in it.   I think my sister should try knitting some of these ;)

(jml - you know, Claire still has her bunny AND her Peter Rabbit that you knitted for her. They are in my room for safekeeping...!)

Her Maj (*curtsies*):

I read on someone's blog that a group of knitters are re-creating this for auction on ebay, with the proceeds going to the Red Cross Japanese tsunami relief fund. If you're into that kind of thing, you might want to keep an eye out....

 

What type of dieter are you?

I might have discovered the reason this diet's going so well this time. Guess which type of dieter I seem to have turned into? (from The Diet Guy)

The Two Types Of Dieter

Which do you choose to be?   When I was slimming down I always could see that there were two types of dieter and now I have seen many clients personally and over the web I am even more convinced of the stark differences between them.   The first type of dieter is the one who says that reducing weight is hard, they hate dieting, hate the fact they are big, don't like the fact that they can't go out etc. Therefore they see dieting as a prison sentence and it is all about what they can't do and what they aren't allowed to do.   They tend to rarely smile when I meet them and generally are not enjoying the experience, therefore at some point they tend to break out of the prison cell that they have imagined and go on the run. And from experience and talking it over with another counsellor this week we couldn't think of any long term maintainer who had the prison sentence mindset.   The second type of dieter is the one who sees it as a choice, they choose to be slim, they choose to be healthy and they choose to take control. I was definately in this category and absolutely loved becoming slim, I laughed and smiled my way through it and always said that I could eat whenever I liked but I was choosing not to as I wanted and valued being slim and healthy more.   I am not saying that I was giggling the whole time I was reducing my weight but I always saw it as a positive experience and a choice that I had made.   Therefore if you see reducing weight as a prison sentence then why not decide today that being slim is actually good fun and a choice and therefore choose to be slim!

Another trip down memory lane

I thought I'd go back and have a look at my old blogspot blog. Here's an entry from 2005, especially for Claire:

Monday, October 03, 2005

Ever heard of McFly?

 

Claire and her friends Roisin and Krystal went to Wembley last night to see their fave band of the moment, McFly. Oh the excitement! Claire couldn't wait. The tickets had been booked since March and she had been counting down the days.Their seats were in row 20 so they got a pretty good view :) They met up at our house, got a taxi to Watford met station, and then the underground to Wembley Park. I called at about 7.15pm and Claire was already inside, with screaming girls all around. There were two supporting acts, and then a break, and the boys came on at 8.45pm. It seems they put on a great show, and many photos were taken (there were even boys in the audience, apparently....). Claire phoned me on her mobile when they played "Obviously, she's out of my league, la la la" but all I could hear was screaming. Just like the Beatles!! Krystal's mum, my friend and colleague Leslie, picked them up at the Tube station and they got home around 11.45pm. Roisin stayed over, but they were too excited to sleep much I expect. I got up around 7am and they were already up, so I went back to bed and put the alarm on for 8am, so when I got up they had gone to school. Wonder how tired they'll be?

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I have to say, I never imagined that McFly would still be going strong in 2011, did you?

Art

I thought I'd just pop on here and tell you about my day so far - before I have a little nap (yes, I still occasionally  need those).

It's Thursday, so I went to the Stroke Association group that I had to miss last week. I'm glad I went because we did arts'n crafts today. It was great because most of the elderly people started by saying "Oh I'm not artistic" but with a bit of encouragement everyone made something. We had empty jam jars and lots of different glass paints, so we decorated the jars to turn them into tealight holders, finished off with a wire handle. It was obviously less of a struggle for people like me who haven't suffered any paralysis, but there was blue-tak to hold the jars steady on the table for those who only have the use of one hand. 

I really enjoyed myself and found the painting very therapeutic. I remember when I was in hospital and we had art class, I loved it and promised that my rehab would include "creative projects". Oops, I haven't kept my word very well - I've done a few little bits but nothing regular.  Maybe I should join an art class?  I'm not a very accomplished artist but what I lack in talent I make up for in enthusiasm :D  I started with some flowers and then started doing Aboriginal-style dots, and finished with a few flourishes and Persian/Indian paisley shapes.  My influences are worldwide and, I think, reflect my multicultural background.... In a happy little twist, the organisers took a vote on people's favourite jar and I won first prize - a plush Bugs Bunny rabbit!

On the way out of the Hall I bumped into my friend C coming out of church with her little girl. She was rushing off to the ladies but told me that they were at Mass to commemorate the birthday of her little boy who passed away nearly 5 years ago.  As I had planned on going to Mass at the hospital chapel today (something I often do on a Thursday) I decided to pop into Holyrood Church instead and attend the end of the service. As C and little one passed me on their way back into church I gave them my Bugs Bunny, which the little girl clutched happily through the rest of Mass.  

After Mass I just popped over the road to get some cash for the bus home, and as there was no bus waiting I popped into a local shop to see if they had any more reading glasses. I struck lucky and got this fab pink pair with swirls on the sides...

  

Nice glasses, shame about the hair, ha ha!  I haven't had my hair cut since February and it's in dire need of a trim, which is why my hairdresser is coming Friday, thank goodness.

Anyway, it's just taken me ages to type this, so I'd better sign off now. Cheerio :)

Interesting!

How interesting it is that that book I mentioned in yesterday's post leads to so much discussion!  I had heard that people had said the film was rubbish, and several people mentioned they didn't enjoy the book, but I don't listen to critics any more - mainly that's because the films that are panned always turn out to be ones Claire and I really enjoy. Funny, that.

I must say, I'm being pleasantly surprised by this book. I like the spiritual side of it, I like the light-hearted way she writes, and I especially like the idea of going off and "finding myself" for a while. If only we all had the financial means to do that, right?!  At the moment I'm reading the part where she's in Italy. Apparently, the bit where she's in India "drags a little", but I hope it'll keep my interest.  

Right, I can't sit here all day chatting.  I've got stuff to do. Toodles!

 

Monday already?

I thought I'd blogged about this but obviously not. Maybe I posted it on my Facebook? Anyway, the Continental Market was in town this weekend and we had absolutely amazing weather for it.  Claire was going to take pictures, but ended up just lugging the camera round for nothing... 

We always love it when they come to town. It's great going round the stalls jabbering away in French to the stallholders, who always seem to come from near my mum in Normandy. On Friday we bought a baguette and some cheeses, not forgetting a pain au raisin for the OH. Claire also got some croissants to take to her colleagues, although it was her day off. She wanted them to taste REAL croissants, not faux croissants!   

The next day I got a text from Beth who was out with the family, asking if I'd join them. Sadly it was newsletter delivery day and I was volunteering all morning at the Community Centre. After lunch I got another text from Stéphie asking the same thing, so despite a headache I met her in town. Funnily enough, on the way we bumped into Beth's lot coming home, so I got my baby Alex fix after all (he was wiggling his bare toes in the sun, and looked very happy).  At the same time we bumped into the OH coming back from town, as he'd been out earlier.  Quite the little reunion we had, in the middle of Market Street.

So Claire and I met up with Stéphie and Eloïse, and we went round the market all over again. This time I got some rillettes and what I call "proper" ham (jambon de Paris). Oh, and as I needed some instant coffee I treated myself to some chocolate-flavoured coffee.

I was more tired than the day before, not surprisingly. Two outings in two days is still a bit on the ambitious side for me.  Luckily for me, S was tired too, so we sat and chatted over an iced coffee in Costa while the girls went clothes shopping.  

Yesterday the weather was also gorgeous, so after I'd done a bit of laundry I took myself out in the sun to read. I have finally got round to picking up my copy of Eat, Pray, Love and am really enjoying it so far. 

 

Well, looks like it's really April this time: it's gone all cloudy and I'm sure we're in for some showers soon. I do hope the rain stays away for the Royal Wedding, though. Wouldn't it be glorious to have a hot sunny day on 29th April?  Talking of the Royal Wedding, I'm loving all the bunting and Union Jacks that are everywhere in the shops.  Why are we Brits so afraid of being patriotic?!  I managed to sneak a pic of the John Lewis display (by pretending to be on my phone - the security guards are ferocious if you get a camera out).

Well, that's it for the moment. Byeeee.

 

More vintage loveliness

Recently, my sister and her family went through some boxes of photos in my mum's loft. They found lots of slides that belonged to my grandfather, and took them home to scan them.  I've been loving the results. Here's one of us kids in the garden in Pinner, with some of our cousins - the ones that moved to Australia in the sixties. I do not remember the occasion and I've never seen this picture before, but isn't it great?!

 

That's me, front row, second from left. Awwww!  Actually, I think this one might have been taken by my dad - I don't recognise my Grandpa's touch. Who knows?

 

Getting there...

I'm really pleased with how our Community Centre website is going, and I can't wait for it to go live so I can link to it here. Today I sat with V and went through all the pages to make sure we had all the information correct. It's looking mighty fine. As I don't have a picture to share, here's an oldie. I love love love this picture (that Claire took and I played around with), so enjoy.

Volunteering

I've probably told you before, but I volunteer at the Community Centre as well as being a Trustee. Mostly, my "work" involves taking pictures of activities and a bit of IT help here and there. We are desperately trying to get the new website up and running and I've been teaching myself how to use Joomla, which one of the other volunteers uploaded to manage the content. It's quite straightforward, once you get your head around it. 

Although I did do some work by myself, I found it easier to have someone with me to clarify the breakdown into sections, categories and articles. That kind of logical thinking still eludes me sometimes, although I'm miles better than six months ago...

Anyway, I found a suitable template to use, and I've been working on a new header. So far, this is what it's looking like:

(it's going to be public soon but I'd better wait for the grand unveiling)

I think it's going to look great when it's finished. Phew. Now I need a cuppa and a rest. I wonder if I'll get breakfast in bed tomorrow for Mother's Day???

The New Me: Part 1

I've had something of an epiphany recently and I thought I'd blog about it. This is very personal to me, and not something I usually talk about.

I've always struggled with my weight, and although I've never said to a doctor "why can't I lose weight?" I have often asked myself "why can't I stick to a diet?".   In the past I've dieted and lost weight only to regain it, and more (despite promising myself I wouldn't) later. 

This past year has been something of an extra struggle due to the lack of energy etc since my aneurysm, and I've gained back all I'd lost previously. I was planning on going back to Slimming World but I wasn't too keen on the group since my friend Beth stopped being our SW consultant. 

Anyway, I had bought a book about carb addiction, which was beginning to make perfect sense to me in that the more carbs I had, the more I craved them and my insulin levels were all over the place. I was looking forward to starting to eat low carb, but I couldn't quite get my head around the diet plan. 

Then I saw my birthday party pictures and nearly had a heart attack!  Well, I thought I looked pretty good in them.... from the neck up. I was appalled at how big my belly had got because although I know I'm overweight, I don't feel like an overweight person, strange as that may seem.  In the same way, I don't feel my age either. My brain obviously likes to play tricks on me, ha ha. I knew I had to act fast.

At the same time, a blogger I have followed for some time said she was doing a low carb diet, which piqued my interest. She chose to do the Cambridge Diet and has done really well in a very short time.  I had often thought that my last resort might be Lighter Life, because I know several people who've done very well on it, but I knew just drinking shakes every day would not be enough for me.  I was also afraid of what would happen as soon as I started to eat "real" food again. Believe it or not, I have even contemplated having a gastric band fitted but ruled that out as too drastic.

As it happens, I had read about a similar programme a couple of years ago, and filed it away in my memory for future reference. It's called All About W8. A couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and ordered my first two weeks of meals.  I didn't really want to talk about it sooner, because I've been there before - told everyone and then looked stoopid when I dropped out.

Anyway, the good (great!) news is that I've already lost....... 14 lbs. Yes 14 lbs in 14 days.  I know, I know, I've always subscribed to the wisdom that a sensible weight loss is 1 to 2lbs a week. But I've got a LOT to lose and I ran it past my GP first.  He was happy for me to try, and I'm beyond thrilled with the results. 

I've chosen to do the 50/50 plan, which means I have two Mealpaks a day (breakfast and lunch), plus 3 snacks (made up of protein + fruit together), and then in the evening I eat a sensible meal with the family - chicken/fish plus 3 veggies but no carbs. I also drink 3 litres a day but then I was doing that since my op anyway as the brain needs hydration.

The strange thing is that I don't feel particularly hungry, and, stranger still, I don't feel the least inclined to cheat. I'm only cheating myself if I do that, and, well, I can't explain it except I have no desire to cheat. I can even sit next to people eating biscuits/crisps/sweets without being bothered. This is SUCH a new feeling for me, I can't begin to tell you, as I've always had cravings before.

Now for the epiphany: since I've started the diet I've felt better and better. In fact, I realised after a few days that my joints hardly ached and weren't so stiff. This is the stuff of miracles, I tell you, because my psoriatic arthritis has been extremely bad, especially since I can't take my old anti-inflammatories any more on doctors' orders.  Just after I realised this, I came across an article that mentioned a link between certain foods and inflammation. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't had any of the foods mentioned for over a week. Coincidence? I tend to think not!  

  

So there you have it, I'm losing weight, feeling great, eating proper food yet learning portion control. I am so excited about how it's going and long may it continue.  Two dietitians have told me in the past that my general diet is great, if only I could cut out the snacks, so I'm confident I'll be able to do the maintenance.

Am I finally turning a corner? I hope so....

(Note: I would not recommend this type of diet for people who only have a little to lose. Sensible diet and exercise is the way to go).