A change is as good as a holiday!

I was bored with the old template so will play with this one for a while.

A productive day!

Up and out for a walk. It was very chilly and the sun had no warmth in it as it was coming up but it was a glorious morning. The bay, after being so rough over the weekend, was almost like a mill pond.

I came home, had some porridge and dates for breakfast and then attacked the house. It wasn't that grubby but I gave it a really good going over. Stripped bed and did several loads of washing. Polished all the horizontal surfaces. Cleaned ensuite and powder room. Vacuumed. Down on hands and knees to wash floors. It doesn't sound like much especially as I didn't do downstairs but I am knackered. It took me about 4 hours without stopping. Then a late lunch (soup and a piece of toast if you're interested!) and then to the supermarket for the makings for dinner. And a couple of bunches of daffodils. The first I've seen this season so I had to have them! Home. Another walk down to the beach and back. Made the bed (had to move the cats!). Assembled cannelloni for dinner. And by then it was 5.30 and Himself was pulling into the driveway.

I didn't get around to cutting out Two's PJ pants and thought about going downstairs now but I think my bum is glued to the stool and I won't be going anywhere except to put dinner in the oven, throw together a salad and refill the wine glass! After dinner I will probably cross stitch and watch the box. Tonight should see the frustrating bit of the design complete and then I will start to enjoy myself again. I can't be hating it too much as I have checked out cross stitch kits on ebay! Nothing like having enough craft to keep you busy for the next 12 months to prompt further purchases!

Tomorrow ... Personal Training session first up. I am hoping to catch up with Dr Teacher for a proper chat. Then dinner at the club. I'm hoping that this will become a semi regular fixture again. I do enjoy the club and its proximity but the food has let it down of recent times. Depending on time constraints I am hoping to get into the sewing room. Dr Teacher will probably be staying with us for a couple of weeks in August so I want to get all the garments assembled before I have to dismantle my room. It was designed for this sort thing so will be easy but I don't want to be dressmaking in the dining room. I can bring my sewing machine upstairs and cut and sew patchwork so that will be my focus then.

Think I'll get dinner on the go and then go and veg.

Today was good.

buzzing

I went to my trainer tonight and feel really good. Especially as it would have been very easy to flop down in front of the telly and not do anything. My legs are pleasantly aching. Which is interesting as it was meant to be an upper body workout!

Saturday night was ... interesting! And LOUD. VERY LOUD. We found the nightclub and were allowed in at 9.00pm. It quickly filled up with young folk (and some of Ebs' family who aren't quite so young!) and soon got very, very loud. So loud you couldn't have a conversation. So there was little point in hanging around and trying to get to know people we had never met before and who obviously knew each other really well. Three's ex was there which provided a moment of amusement as he tried (successfully) to avoid her. We were home in front of the telly by 10.40. Not bad, eh? Ebs was pleased we made the effort to go in.

On Sunday morning I got a call from One asking if we could go and pick them up from the hotel they had stayed in as they had both had more than a reasonable amount to drink and neither were prepared to take the risk of still being over the limit. Himself dropped me off and I drove her car back to their place. And then they came around later for dinner. I went to Spotlight on Saturday and bought a whole lot of fabric to make some outfits for work and on Sunday afternoon I traced the patterns and cut out the fabric. I plan on having a bit sewfest soon.

The Mermaid had another attack yesterday. She left a voice message on my mobile when I was at work. Fortunately I picked it up and was able to contact her kids and get her son to go down and shut the shop. We got her to call an ambulance as none of us could get to her in any reasonable time frame. She was given some phenergan and discharged home. Both her kids are adamant she must get out of the shop and have plans to make it happen. Now we have to get her to agree.

Now I'm going to sit and watch some telly and try for an early night. I should do some cross stitching but it's not appealing to me at the moment. I only have a couple of hours to work to complete the area that's giving me the irrits and then I can do lovely big bits of the same colour.

Fat thinking vs Healthy thinking

This time two years ago I was a month into a pretty amazing exercise regime that saw me lose about 20 kilos. At this point I had probably lost about 4 kilos which would put me a tad heavier than I am at the moment. We had a wedding to go to and I wore an outfit that I had bought when I was big (well, I was still big but I think you get my drift) but I felt fantastic. I felt healthy and slim even though I was still a long way from there in reality.

When I had shed the 20 kilos I really felt slim and healthy. And then I regained most of the weight but that is another story.

Over the past couple of weeks I have slowly started to get back into the frame of mind to allow me to work on myself again. Self esteem picking up, depression a bit less ...

And on Tuesday I started back with a personal trainer and have done some form of exercise every day. Including a PT session yesterday and a big walk in the afternoon. I am starting to feel better but the weight will take time to shift.

Tonight we are going to Ebs' 21st. I am wearing a dress that I made and it's a leeeeeeeetle tight - or, more to the point, isn't baggy! Yes, I have curves (more than I'd like) but I'm not huge. I am aware that its my thinking that makes me feel good or bad about myself. I saw a segment on one of the current affair programmes last week that was about women of all shapes and sizes being photographed wearing not very much for a calendar to raise money for cancer research. Someone made a comment along the lines of " it's not 'if you've got it, flaunt it', it's more 'flaunt what you've got'". And that's where I am trying to get.

And the reason for this post? I am struggling with going out tonight but I'm going to go and I'm flaunting what I've got ... flawed as it may be.

And tomorrow I will go for my walk/run and so on and so on. I am loving the feeling that exercise is giving me and need to remember that THAT is what this is about, not numbers on a scale or a tag at the neck of a garment.

Sewing update

I sewed and sewed.

The fabric was a real challenge but I got the hang of it. Mr Seamripper is still my best friend although he's coming close to Ms Hangaroundtheneckmagnifier. The two shared a lot today.

My big concern is that the damn thing might not fit. The front seems OK but I'm not too sure about the back. Although trying on over fleecy tracky daks probably isn't giving me the best indication!

Tomorrow will tell.

And if it doesn't then I have even more incentive to keep going to the gym, running and eating well.

And I am enthused to make clothes for work and am quite excited. But I have several pairs of boys pjs to make first. And a bag. And another skirt for The Mermaid. And my patchwork.

I am loving this.

Some things never change!

My incredible aptitude for leaving things til the last minute is one of them.

We have a 21st on Saturday (as I may have mentioned). I bought a pattern on Monday night but decided it was too complicated so I went out with Soooz yesterday and bought a dress pattern and some lovely fabric. Cut it out last night (and it was a bugger believe me) and started today.

But before I started I thought I'd go for a walk. Which I did and, incidentally, did some running too (well sort of joggy shuffle!) and it felt fantastic. When I got home I found that Three had actually got himself out of bed and had gone out. Locking the house up. And I hadn't taken keys because he was home and I don't usually anyway if I'm just popping down to the beach as long as a car is in the driveway and the place looks occupied. I had to knock on a neighbour's door to borrow his phone to ring Three only I don't have his number memorised! So I rang Himself and left a message on his voice mail and then rang One and asked him to get Three to come back here, pronto. Fortunately he hadn't gone far and the rain and wind held off so all was not lost.

I had a bowl of porridge and cuppa and then started sewing.

Then the power went out (see rain and wind above). I was starting to think this dress was not meant to happen but after about 20 minutes the power came back so here I am sewing and listening to Leonard Cohen. I will probably stop for a break now as I don't want to get fatigued and stuff something up.

I'm back ... I think

I went back to the PT today. Well, same gym, different PT. I was tired from a busy day at work and had spent a lot of time on my feet.

I have to say that within a couple of minutes I felt pretty damn good. And I thoroughly enjoyed the workout.

Now I just have to get the vino under control.