Paris, Hayling, Oxford - And Another Pound Off

Hi all,

Firstly, a quick update - I have continued with my 8 glasses of water a day and I have managed to get in a minimum of 10,000 steps each day too which is excellent. I am definitely sleeping better and I am not waking in the night covered in sweat and feeling rubbish. My skin is softer and I feel good. I most definitely have not curtailed my eating, in fact, quite the opposite over this last week so you can imagine my surprise when I stood on the scales the morning to find that I have lost another pound. Yep, the scales now tell me that I weigh 13 st 3lbs.
I know that I still weigh too much but I think it's proof that keeping active...walking is the only exercise I am doing at the moment... and keeping hydrated has many positives and I have yet to find a negative. I shall be continuing with the challenge and I'll keep you posted.

On to more exciting things. Last Tuesday my youngest daughter and I met up at St Pancras station and boarded the Eurostar to Paris where we spent two days and one night in each others company and lived to tell the tale.
I had wanted to go on Eurostar for a long time. It seemed silly to me that I had never been on it so I asked my daughter if she would like to come with me as a birthday treat for her. It's actually her birthday today (June 14th) so it was an early present. I booked the tickets for the train in advance as the tickets are cheaper that way and I booked a nice looking but small hotel for the night and that was it. We just had to wait for the day to arrive.
As I mentioned, we met at the station, brought ourselves some treats for the trip and boarded the train. It was really a train trip like any other and we spent the 2 and a half hour trip chatting, eating the strawberries and sandwiches we had purchased and toasting our trip with Prosecco.

Very soon we arrived at Gard du Nord which is quite an experience. Within minutes off us getting off of the train we were approached by a woman with a sheet of paper in hand asking us to sign in 'to save children'. There was also a column to fill in your Euro donation!  Cheeky things. We learned to say no when people approached us with out feeling guilty about it very quickly after that.

The area around the station is quite daunting. There were a lot of groups of men hanging around and also quite a few people begging. However, we knew that out hotel was literally a stones throw from the station so we made our way there. Just outside the station there was a large noisy gathering of police and taxis and there appeared to be a stand off of some kind going on. Lots of intense discussions and many frustrated Parisiens whose journeys were being delayed because the taxis appeared to be blocking the roads. Apparently there had been the discovery of some illegal immigrants in the area and, for reasons unbeknown to us, the taxi drivers were involved in the situation. We never did get to the bottom of it but it didn't affect us anyway. We were just curious about what was happening.

We checked into our very nice hotel and had a room with a balcony on the 6th floor where we had a lovely view of the streets below. The room the clean, bright and airy and the shower was fabulous!
We settled in and then made our way to the restaurant that we had booked and which had very good reviews on Tripadvisor.
Enroute to our dinner reservation we found that Sacre Coeur was very close by and, as we were early, we decided to investigate. We climbed a lot of steps and found ourselves here....

The place was full of people and it was really lovely. The views of the city from there were wonderful. We then descended the steps again and stopped for a glass of wine before making our way to the Sacre Fleur restaurant which was just down the road.
Sacre Fleur did not disappoint. It was a small, intimate eatery which was fully booked. The staff were very friendly and the food was wonderful. I had the frogs legs and a 'blue' rump steak which was divine. We shared a bottle of 'champagne' too and neither of us could manage pudding or coffee!

We left feeling full to the brim but decided to pick up a bottle of wine on the way home (never a good idea!) and then drank it on our balcony while listening to music and generally having a great time. We had a fab evening.

The next day we set off for one of the open top hop on/hop off buses which gave us a tour of the city. We had about half an hour to walk from the hotel to the pick up point but we found it which was impressive for two females with no sense of direction!
The sun shone throughout the day which made the open top bus even more agreeable. We were driven past the Louvre, Notre Dam, Arch de Triomphe and along the Champs Elysee. We decided the only place we could get off and spend any time was at the Eiffel Tower and that's what we did.

Then it was lunch in the sun and back on the bus to get back to the hotel before we had to catch our train home.
We really had a wonderful couple of days and it was a pleasure to spend some quality time with my daughter. We should do that kind of thing more often.

The day after I got back from Paris I went to the hut with my son and his girlfriend. He had only been once before and she never had. It was another glorious day and a perfect day to introduce the hut.
Son cooked bacon sandwiches and I made cups of tea. Then we sat about in the sun, they collected shells, and I went and got an ice cream for us all.

We had a lovely day which ended with me working a night duty and then the following evening was spent in Oxford where we had been invited to dinner in the halls at New College and which is quite an experience...very Harry Potter!
We all sat at long tables and were we served with a three course meal with coffee. We took our own drinks and generally had a wonderful evening which ended at a very respectable time as I had to drive home as I had an early shift to do the next day.




It's been a very busy, very interesting week and it has been a lot of fun. There have been a few things to deal with as is the norm and I don't think that I've let anything stop me form enjoying myself which is good.

I'm off to drink a glass of water now. Have a great week everyone and happy birthday to my little girl.

xxxxx

10,000 steps and 8 glasses of water per day....

.....equals 2lbs weight loss!


Hi everyone,


Yes, every day for the past week I have walked a minimum of 10,000 steps and drunk at least 8 glasses of water a day in an effort to try to get fit and shed some weight. I have not been dieting. I like my food too much for that! I have had chocolate and toast and butter and some really nice meals not to mention the 'occasional' g&t and I have still lost 2lbs. Goodness only knows what I would have lost if I had been dieting too.
In all seriousness, as I know many, many people are dieting at the moment with the summer looming and us all wanting to look our best, I am purely trying to get fitter and I do like a challenge. I am taking the challenge seriously but I am not on a diet.
I am always envious of those who are able to decide to diet and stick to it. I have only ever managed that twice in my life...once with Rosemary Conley back in the day and once with Weight Watchers. Both were successful but the weight didn't stay off because I went back to my old ways and didn't exercise enough and, more importantly, went back to my old ways of eating. So, I don't think diets and I are very compatible.


What I have found in the first week of doing this is that I have got heaps more energy and I think it must be the water. I know that it is recommended that we all drink 8 glasses of water a day and I most definitely don't drink even half of that amount on a good day usually. I have also got used to my weird tasting tap water. I turn on the tap, fill up my glass and drink. Easy!
I've just thought of another benefit...the dreaded night sweats that have been plaguing me for months and months don't seem to be anywhere near as bad and, as a consequence, I am sleeping better. All because of the water? Quite possibly.
I intend to keep up the walking and the water challenge until the end of the month at least and see how I get on. By then it may have become 'the norm'. Who knows?


On another note, today we scattered the ashes of my father in law on what would have been the 61st wedding anniversary of he and his wife. The family gathered at the cricket club where Grandma's ashes are scattered and where there is a bench with a plaque on it in her memory. It was a beautiful sunny morning and there was a youth match being played. The ashes were scattered around the bench by various family members and that was it. Job done. Grandma and Grandad are now reunited and together at one of the places that they loved to go to and where they spent many happy hours. They were both vice presidents at the club and it seemed to be the perfect final resting place for them.


I have a very busy week coming up and lots of things to look forward to including a trip to Paris and a posh dinner in Oxford so I will probably be going on about all that next week.


Enjoy yourselves folks. We only get one shot at this life.


xxxxx

13 stone 6lbs?!?!

That's it. My week off is over and I'm back to work tomorrow. To be honest I am happy that next week will see some kind of normality restored.

I have found this last week extremely frustrating. I didn't manage to get much done...the double whammy of the weather being dull and not having any money meant that I spent a lot of time doing not much. I put off putting petrol in my car so that curtailed my travelling about. I didn't go to the hut. I spent far too much time trying to debug and put right this laptop which, at the moment at least, appears to be working better/faster than it has for ages. I was also given a new mobile phone as my old  iPhone had seen better days and had recently only just survived being dropped down the toilet. The new phone is good but it's not an iPhone so I am having to get used to a new layout and all that. I'm afraid technology and I don't go very well together these days!!

Since we moved to our new house last November things have not gone quite as smoothly as we had hoped mainly due to the decreasing health of my father in law and all that that entailed. In fact one of my few trips out this week was to return to his flat and go through some more of his belongings. I have made many trips to charity shops with bits and pieces of his that he always thought would be worth money but which subsequently proved to be worthless...or certainly not worth auctioning. Our house is currently cluttered with ornaments and photographs that came from his flat and it's proving quite difficult to detach ourselves from the sentiment that these things were his and Grandma's and that we should keep them.
Hubby and I have started being ruthless with his Dad's photos which is easier for me than for him obviously and so I have to sit with him and go through each photo as he decides whether we should keep them or not. It's never easy. Goodness knows I've gathered enough memorabilia to fill several full sized suitcases over the years and just this week I have thrown away cards that were sent to me by various people when I had my babies....the youngest of whom is now 23! So I know how hard it is to be ruthless with personal stuff. However, hubby is much more realistic than me and he was happy to throw out a lot more than I thought he would. We also delivered some archive photos to his Aunt and now the decision rests with her as to whether she keeps them or throws them away.

In 4 weeks time we are going on holiday and we also have a very busy June which is exciting. However, what this means is that I have to be organised and I have to be fit and my fitness is not great at the moment. Really the only exercise I get is walking the dog and I have recently noticed that my knees and my left foot are not really as comfortable as they have previously been. There is not a great problem and nothing to go to the docs about but I am aware that things are not quite as they were. Due to this.... and the fact that the holiday is looming.... I think I need to up my fitness and exercise regime.
My diet is not good so that is a fairly straightforward thing to address..at least, it should be. I need to drink much more water. I begrudge buying bottled water but I have to say that the water from our tap isn't very nice. I'm sure it's fine to drink but it has a metallic taste to it which I don't like but that should not put me off drinking it but it does. However, whatever I do I must drink more water and I must be more active....how many times have I typed that over the last year?!?!

I'm just going to go and weigh myself and then I'm going to let you know how much. Maybe that will encourage me to be proactive in my choices. I'll be right back....

....well, there you are...13st 6lbs. That is not good but I'm not surprised. I'm 5ft 9" and I think I should be 12st 12lbs so I have more than a bit of work to do but I do love a challenge and that is certainly what that is.

Right, things are on the up. I have used this laptop to type this update and it has worked properly for the first time in about 6 months. Hooray! I am going to get to grips with this new phone of mine and I am going to update via this blog each week until my holiday at least with a reference to my weight and general health and fitness.

I'm off for a drink of water!!

Have a fab week and see you next time.

xxx

Ggrrrrr

Well..... today, and for the last few days to be honest, I am feeling ggrrrrrrr! I'm irritable and irritated, fed up and frustrated, have no motivation and generally feel gloomy. I am not depressed, I'm not anxious and I'm not stressed. I'm just....ggrrrrr! I'm not sure if anyone who reads this has the same kind of feelings from time to time?

I'm not really sure where this latest bout of 'ggrrrr' has come from. I'm healthy and well, I have no major worries or concerns and everyone around me and those who I love and care about are well. I think that I am hoping that, by the time I have finished this update, I will have got all of the 'ggrrr' off of my chest and will feel unburdened. However, I know that that will not make for a very interesting read!

I have the week off as it's half term and the school that I work at is closed for the holiday. This should mean that I have lots of time to do things and go places. We also had a long Bank Holiday weekend, I wasn't working and there was the perfect time to do things.
Well, the Sunday of the weekend was the day that my son had his first BBQ. It was to celebrate his birthday and he and his girlfriend had done a fabulous job of organising it all. Hubby and I knew that one of us would be driving and I agreed to do it. I really didn't mind but I do find being with a lot of people who are having a good time and not being able to have a drink quite difficult.
The next day, Bank Holiday Monday, I was awake very, very early and got up and walked the dog. Hubby got up and settled in for a day of watching the cricket on TV with the single break of going food shopping. That was that for my holiday weekend. I think, in the end, I went to bed feeling angry and also disappointed that yet another weekend had passed by with little to show for it, especially as I usually work every Saturday and Sunday.

Today I have to stay in as there is a parcel being delivered 'sometime between 7am and 9pm'. Yes, sometime within that 14 hour time slot the parcel should arrive.I have to stay here to sign for it. Surely the company could have at least given it an AM or PM delivery slot. It means that I can't even take the dog out for a walk in case I miss the delivery. But, on the positive side, the delivery could be here in the next hour and then I have all the rest of the day free. It's not like I even have places I need to go to. It's just the fact that I am stuck at home that I find so frustrating. It's the way that I am looking at it that should change. I should be making the most of being at home and get on with decluttering which is high on my list of things to do....especially as we now have a house that is becoming cluttered with my father in law's bits and pieces, things that we don't really want but that we don't want to give/throw away. And let's not go there with the photos.....!

So, frustration is the word for today or, at least, it's the word to describe my feelings at the moment. I'm not sure how to shake the feeling off and be more upbeat. I do know that I am going to back off from trying to arrange things that really should be arranged by someone else. It's not up to me to be the moving force in every decision that is made. I sometimes feel that if I don't get the ball rolling then nobody will but, in reality, things will get sorted out in the end. It's just that I like things to be done. If something needs organising then get on and organise it. Why keep putting things off?
Now, you see, perhaps that is the crux of my frustration?! Perhaps this 'ggrrr' post has lead  me to what the actual problem is. Maybe I need to take a good few steps back and leave people to get on with their lives and I get on with mine. Lets see shall we.

xxx

Forever Friends

Hi everyone.

Today's update is about friends, simple as that.

I am truly fortunate to have very good friends - fantastic friends - who I love dearly and who I would do anything for.

When I was young it seemed that everyone had more friends than me. I used be get so upset about it. I thought there was something wrong with me. I was the classic ugly duckling. I was so uncomfortable in my own skin. I was taller than most of the people, especially girls, my age. I had bigger feet and hands than most of them too. I was freckly, gangly and generally 'not normal'. Add to this the fact that I was incredibly, cripplingly shy and self conscious and you may have some idea of how I felt for a lot of my school life.
I didn't excel at anything at school. I enjoyed English and the written word but was actually terrified of maths. The very thought of a maths lesson was enough to make me break out into a sweat.

Ah...sweat! There's another thing that I found traumatising. Girls aren't supposed to sweat. I sweated a lot and the more embarrassed I got about it the worse it got. Antiperspirants didn't work. To be honest, I have never found one that does! Then, of course, came the red blotchiness that first started happening in my late teenage years when I was embarrassed or anxious and which still gives me problems to this day. A nice, demure rosy glow was never going to be for me. No, in times of anxiety or stress I develop burning red cheeks and then a hot red rash that starts around my neck and then spreads up to my face and down to my chest and my upper arms. This also happens when I drink alcohol which is a bit annoying.

Anyway, all of these things conspired to make me feeling isolated, abnormal and alone. I made friends with people but never really felt worthy of their friendship. I often felt that people would only talk to me because they felt sorry for me and not because they liked me.
All of this self doubt made life very difficult at times. I spent a lot of time trying to work out how to fit in. I was jealous of my sister who was gorgeous and popular and who had  lots of friends. I compared myself negatively to everyone.

I've just read that back and, although it sounds sad, that is exactly how I felt for a lot of the time.

Anyway, social anxiety started to creep in and basically took over my life. I was too scared to go anywhere where I might have to talk to people. I felt people were looking at me and feeling sorry for me or, even worse, laughing at me and how I looked. Sadly, I still get that feeling from time to time. I'm very much better than I used to be but I know it's always going to be a bit of a problem from time to time.

But....I do have friends and, despite my youth and my awkwardness, my closest friends are friends that I met when I was at school. Quite amazingly, I have known  my bestie since we were 5....that's 50 years! We were in the same year at primary school. I have another wonderful friend that I have known since we were 11.

These days, and as we all learn when we get older but which is hard to accept when you are young, I know that it's not the number of friends that you have but the quality of your friendships that is so important.
 I cannot imagine my life without my friends. We have been there for each other through so many life events.... our marriages,the births of our children, the marriages of our children, the births of our grandchildren and the deaths of parents. We have laughed together and cried together. My friends have been rock solid in their support for me and of me. When I have been so immersed in a stressful situation that I can't think clearly, my friends have listened to me go on and on and then offered a shoulder for me to cry on. They have also offered advice and help in more ways than I can list. I hope that they feel that I have been able to offer similar to them.

I wish I was able to go back and speak to that shy, awkward, excruciatingly self-conscious lanky girl that I used to be and just tell her not to worry, tell her that she's not 'abnormal', tell her that she is loved and that everything is going to be ok....but I don't think she would believe me!

So, to my wonderful friends...you know who you are if you read this....thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for me. I love you more than you know and my life is all the better for you being a part of it.

Until next time....

xxxxx

Beach Hut Repairs and Poppy Picnic Plans

Hi all.

Firstly, I apologise for the last update which has been bothering me a lot since I published it. When I was typing it I really struggled to find a focus and I struggled to be upbeat. Thinking back, it would have been better for me to have left the blog for a few days when my mood was brighter. As it was I think my glumness is there for all to read.
I'm not sure why the tone was so flat. I assume it was to do with the stresses and emotional ups and downs of the previous weeks. However, that was then and this is now!

This update will be more positive I promise.

There are two main topics for this week:

1) beach hut update

2) Poppy Picnic 2015

Let's start with my wonderful hut.

1) I think I may have mentioned in a previous update that, after the storms of 2014, my hut, which was resting on sleepers, had been put back into position by the council but placed directly onto the shingle. The sleepers were nowhere to be seen.
I put off contacting the council as I thought there was little they could do about it but, as the months have passed, the hut has a definite lean going on. When I stand in it I can feel a slight tip forward which is a little disconcerting. It also means that any very high tide will not be able to flow freely under the hut but will go straight into the hut causing damage.
After much thought, and after being reminded how much I have to pay to the council per year for the privilege of having my hut where it is, I emailed the council and told them of the problem. Within days, and when I was painting my hut a few weeks back, a council rep turned up to see for himself what the situation is. He was positive about being able to rectify the position. I then heard nothing so contacted the council again and, out of the blue, I received a call from them to say that they are going to sort out the problem and put the hut back on sleepers. They stressed that it's not an urgent case but that they WILL be putting it right. Happy days!!

I also heard that the lovely chap who was my hut repair man has been poorly and he was supposed to be replacing a rotting post at the front of the hut for me. Unfortunately, his illness means that he isn't allowed to drive for a while and it has left him weak so I have been looking for someone else to take on the repairs that I struggle to do myself.
I have found someone....the nephew of the couple that own the hut next to mine. If the weather is ok this weekend he may even be able to do the job then. I also have roof felt that needs replacing and various other bits that he may be able to help with so I'm delighted with that.

Due to work and the dull weather I haven't been able to get to the hut for a couple of weeks so I hope to go down after the weekend if I can. It actually doesn't matter what the weather is like once I'm there to be honest but if the sun was to shine for a while that would be wonderful so let's keep our fingers crossed that we have some fine weather.

On to the next topic....the Poppy Picnic

2) Last year I hosted a Poppy Picnic at my hut. The Poppy Picnic is promoted by The Royal British Legion and is a fundraiser for them. I have had connections with poppies and RBL for all of my life so I was delighted to have a picnic for them. I held it at my hut and invited friends and family to come along for a drink and a piece of cake at the very least.
As my hut is at Hayling there was lots for people to do. No-one needed to stay at the hut if they didn't want to. They could walk along the beach, go to the fun fair, go to the shops, go to the pub even!
I basically put out a lot off chairs in front of the hut, hung up some bunting and prayed for fine weather and my prayers were answered.
The weather was wonderful and lots of people took the time to come and visit my hut and spend some time there. It was a wonderful day. My father in law was there, my children and grandchildren were there and so were life long friends and local neighbours. I made countless cups of tea. People brought drinks and snacks and a thoroughly good time was had by all.
It was so successful that I have decided to do it all again this year. I have applied for the fundraising pack which included invitations etc and I have chosen a date...

Saturday June 20th

....so please make a note of the date if you think that you might like to pop along. Obviously, the weather is a big part of whether the event is successful or not. The hut isn't big enough to hold more that a dozen people and that would be standing room only so lets keep those fingers crossed again for the weather on that day.
Hopefully I will raise a little bit for RBL along the way but it is also a great excuse to spend a day with friends and family and have a good time.

A few pics from last years Poppy Picnic:

Right, I'm off to watch 'Gogglebox'....I've watched so much TV today and been engrossed with the election fallout and the VE Day ceremonies....and then off to bed.

Take care and I wish you all a very happy and safe weekend.

xxx

No News Day

Hi everyone,

Happy Sunday to you if you happen to read this today....another Bank holiday for us in the UK tomorrow so if you read it tomorrow then I hope you enjoy your day off if you're lucky enough to not have to work.
I've just sat and watched The C Word, a BBC drama starring Sheridan Smith and Paul Nichols. It's a true story based on the life of a young woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 20's and her struggle to get on with her life whilst undergoing chemo and radiotherapy and a mastectomy. I found it to be a very moving and powerful programme and I thought Sheridan Smith was brilliant. You may have seen her portrayal of Cilla Black on TV last year for which she won many awards. I think there will be more awards coming her way after her performance in The C Word.
If you get the chance to catch the drama on iplayer or similar catch up facilities I would really recommend that you watch it.
The drama was based on a book and a blog and it made me think how incredibly powerful the written word can be. Then I thought about all the blog entries I've made and really how flimsy and irrelevant they may seem to anybody reading them. I just write my blog as a diary for myself and I publish it just in case the odd person might find interesting. I think that I probably ought to be a little bit more aware of what I'm writing.

(Now this is bizarre. I appear to have lost the keyboard facility on my iPad mini. I can get the numbers up on the screen on the keypad facility but the letters have all disappeared so I'm doing this by voice recognition or whatever you call it. But now, by some kind of magic, I have the letters back. Hurrah!)

Saturday saw me celebrate my 55th birthday. I find it unbelievable that I'm that age. I still feel like I did when I was 30 give or take the odd achey joint and the fact that I find it hard to get up when I've been on my knees for a while!
I was very lucky to to have been sent cards and gifts from friends and family. I was very spoilt. I also went to Kensington Olympia for a health and well being show with one of my daughters and my youngest grandson. It was an interesting experience and I'm really happy that I went. It was nice to spend some time with my daughter who has much more in common with me than either of us realised!

Lucky lady 

Right, I gave up trying to blog from my ipad mini. Way too complicated. Then I found that I couldn't get internet access on my laptop at work so I gave it up for the night.
It's now Monday morning and I'm home after a long, very quiet, sleepless night shift. I'm due back to work again this afternoon for a few hours so I have bits and pieces to do today before I go back, this update being one of the bits.

Amongst the birthday cards that I received was a cheque that friends  kindly sent me to put towards our Surrey 3 Peaks Challenge fundraiser. It's brilliant that a month after the event people are still being so thoughtful and generous. Our total is still creeping up and it will be amazing if we can reach £1000 by the end of the year. What an achievement that would be.

Well, things to do now so I'll leave you with a few more photos and I hope to be more focussed by the next update. Lack of sleep is robbing me of my motivation this morning. Enjoy your day everyone.

Super healthy smoothies

oh, and a lovely one of the dog....

xxxxx