Summer Solstice Sensation

Carmen

Good evening one and all,
I have been trying to catch up with all your posts, and apart from the odd blib you all seem to be doing fine. Well done on the weight loses.

LL, have you finished your decorating, I'm sure it is looking lovely:)
Pleased to see you have managed to get back on track with the exercise programme and some weight loss, how are you getting on at the slimming club is it inspiring?

Maman, fantastic weight loss:j you must be over the 2 stone now?
Enjoy shopping for for holiday, there are lots of lovely colourful floaty tops and dresses in the shops at the moment (I presume you are going somewhere hot) I loved to wear these type of clothes when they were last in fashion :rotfl:

I have been very busy since the time I last tried to post!
Almost finished decluttering my wardrobe, I am to admit how many pairs of trousers I found, the good news is I can almost get into them again :) Lots of clothes to go to the CS.
I have managed to lose 6lbs over the last few weeks :j so feeling much better to be back in the saddle again:) Eating lots of salads and ice cream at the moment, I'm finding it too hot to cook except for new potatoes yum!

Spent yesterday planting up the window boxes, the pots on the veranda and all the hanging baskets,it's going to look colourful when in full bloom.

LL, yes I am still finding it difficult to sleep some nights, not always sure why!

Going to bed now and hope for the best.

Goodnight
Carmen xx

lessonlearned

Hello Everyone

Hi Twinnie - Glad you made it back this time.:) Well done with the weight loss - 6lbs that's the same as me - spooky!!

Good work on the wardrobe decluttering - good feng shui or as Maman would say - posh tidying up:rotfl: Anyway, it makes room for all the nice new things you can treat yourself too when you reach your target weight.:D

Your gardening sounds good too. Nice to be planting up lots of colour - I love having lots of flowers around. Noticed a couple of sweet pea seedlings coming up today after the rain. I'm just loving my garden at the moment.

As I have said before we only have a small postage stamp for a back garden - however, we are very lucky in that we back onto open fields. For the past few years we've had ponies and those miniature horses in there. A couple of days ago llamas appeared, 8 in all, 7 and a baby one. So lovely and so funny to watch.

Yes the living and dining rooms are done now and looking good, just need to sort out some artwork for the walls. There is some touching up to be done in the hall where we had to have a patch replastered but other than that that will be enough decorating for now, probably do some more in the autumn. For now just want to enjoy the great outdoors and make the most of the summer.

Gone down a dress size

:j:j At last my efforts are showing a tangible reward. Dropped from 18 to 16. 3" off my waist. I would like to get to a size 14 by our Summer Solstice deadline - approx 7 weeks to go.

TBH I realise that, due to my slow start with the weight loss, it is unlikely that I will make my 2 stone target weight loss - however, I will not be defeated. I shall continue until I get there, even if it takes a bit longer than originally anticipated. (Winter Solstice???)

I bet some of you think me decidedly odd measuring time in relation to the seasons, the Solstices and Equinoxes, the phases of the moon etc, my dabbling with herbs and potions. I swear I'm not a secret Druid - although I do have a fondness for Glastonbury :rotfl: OH and I got engaged there, plighting our troth in the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey - very Romantic.

Went out for a family lunch today, Mum's 86th birthday tomorrow. She's a little frail and has mobility issues but she still has the most wonderful skin. Many 50 year olds would be envious. Her advice - respect the sun and lashings of moisturiser. (She once gave me a stern lecture for sunbathing in the scorching mid-day heat).

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend and are still keeping up the good work.

Todays Exercise - a bit of a rest, just stretches and a few crunches
Todays Treatment - a good slathering.

lessonlearned

Hi Everyone

This week I have a mountain to climb. A paper mountain, DSS, hospital and medical stuff, household finances etc etc Remembering the elephant I will do a little each day. I've made a good start this morning. Going to call it a day and continue tomorrow.

Other than that, just pottering about and tidying up.

Today's exercise - bike 1.5 kms,multi-gym, stretches & crunches (60)
Today's treatment - oil treatment for nails

Rewarding myself

Bearing in mind my plan for a really frugal month this month I've been very good about not treating myself to CS bargains and the like, no newspapers and definitely no magazines (get them from the library usually anyway). So - cut myself some flowers from the garden to dot around the house. Very MSE:D.

Anyway time for lunch and then back to the tidying up.

Have a good day.

maman

:wave: Hello LL, Carmen & all friends and lurkers

I'm just starting to get some energy back! Finished all the sofa covers and cushions eventually so now I've started on more feng shui!;) Yesterday I've had a good sort out of old paperwork and some drawers. Today I've been going through my (overflowing) recipe file and throwing out all the 'bad' ones. Done lots of shredding and recycling will be taking stuff to CS tomorrow.

Well done on the loss of inches and lard!! It's great being a loser!:j

At my heaviest LL, I was just starting to creep into size 18. It was being disgusted with myself over that which really pushed me to start SW. I've now lost 2st 8.5lbs and can get into any size 14 and lots of size 12s, depending on the cut/style/cost!!

Well done on your good mse attititude to magazines and papers. I rarely buy mags but DD1 does pass some on to me and all books are either CS, library or borrowed. We do have a newspaper delivered every day. This was one of the lifestyle changes we introduced on giving up work. Previously we only had the time for weekend papers and often they went unread. Now we have a decent newspaper and.....I'm ashamed to say that I read it in bed every morning while DH does the crossword:o I still feel guilty about it but DH just says - you worked hard for this, enjoy!!!

I don't have a problem with the Solstice thing at all, I think it's great that it reminds you of your anniversary. I said you were a hippy at heart!

Yes, Carmen I am going somewhere hot. It's a lovely little resort in Turkey called Kalkan. I've been there loads of times and we love it. It's about 5 weeks to go so I'm OK for the holiday shopping for a while. I could probably manage tops (just) but it's trousers I'm really desperate for. I need some (perhaps chino type) for this country and then something lighter for the heat. I know exactly what you mean about finding trousers in the wardrobe. I got rid of all my 'big' trousers the other week and I now only have one smart, black pair and two scruffy pairs of jeans.

Back later, have a nice evening everyone.

Carmen

Hi all,
Well,l after the energetic day I had yesterday today was very relaxed in comparison. It has been so hot so just pottered about in the garden. My winter pansies are still going strong but, I need the pots for my summer blooms, oh well I shall have to go and find/buy some more.
I am feeling more positive and have more energy of late, making the most of it and catching up with the ironing,cleaning cupboards and of course pampering myself. Facial, manicure and deep hair conditioning so far today. I will need to fit in a pedicure before I meet a friend tomorrow:)
I tend to just wear clear nail strengther on my finger nails but I like to wear bright cerise colours on my toe nails, especially now my lower legs ( I live in capri trousers in the summer) and feet are quite tanned.

Well done twinnie 6lbs and coming down a dress size 14/16 is the size I am aiming for, it will not happen in the next seven weeks :eek: but maybe by the autumn:) I shall see how I look then before deciding if I need to lose any more. By the way O/H and some friends have noticed my weight loss:):)
I very rarely buy magazines or new books but I do read a lot of books (usually in bed)and a few days ago I took about twenty books to an animal charity but...I bought twenty three!! The charity sells books twice a year at very low prices so good mse:) They do such a good job I like to support them.
I hope your busy week will not be too stressful for you both.

Maman, your holiday destination sounds wonderful, I have alway heard good reports about Turkey but unfortunately I have never been...maybe one day?
You must be enjoying you clothes shopping knowing the smaller sizes will fit you, I cannot weight. Although I plan to one day wear some of my lovely clothes that still look good but have not seen my body for a long time :rotfl::rotfl:
Chino's look very smart or casual so good choice and as LL suggested palazzo trousers can be nice and cool in the hot weather.Some shorts are fine if legs a good, mine are dreadful lots of veins I am seriously thinking of getting them 'sorted' this winter.
OK need to have some dinner now before a nice shower and a good slathering.

Onwards and upwards

Carmen xx

MrsWoolfe

Hello all!

have had a quick catch up and it sounds like you are all doing well, well done on the weight loss and dropping a dress size maman and LL!!!

had a lovely week off pottering and spending time with DH went down to Brighton to see one of my best friends on Saturday and saw the fire festival which was amazing, so beautiful! just such a lovely atmosphere..really made me think, she's been begging me to move down for ages and I'd really love to but don't think that is on the cards for a fair few years yet what with just having bought our first home and all....but maybe one day

re the Summer Solstice, for me it's a great date to aim for as we got married on the summer solstice, I'm almost into a size 14 now well at least all the size 16s are very loose on me, down from a tight 18 I'm hoping to be comfortable/loose 14 heading towards a 12 by the solstice...

having a bit of crisis work-wise at the mo- pressure has reached breaking point and tempers are frayed...it's all looking pretty grim at the moment and I'm really lost- we are a dept of 3 technical staff and 2 support staff, the assit manager has already said she's retiring soon and wants to go down to 4 days (which I totally understand) but we just don't have the capacity to shift the work around- so she has said she'll just go if they won't do it...the director is so stressed out it scares me she's so overworked and overloaded that things are slipping and chaos reigns there have been mumblings that she might leave from others- which i dismissed at first but with the way things are going I think could happen...thing is if she goes...we are up ^$&% creek we are in a very very niche sector and she tends to hold a lot of info in her head iyswim? the knowledge isnt shared out- she's away this week and it's bedlam already...the other two have been here 12 and 8yrs so have a lot of specialist knowledge, I've been here 1 1/2 years I'm still learning. If she goes I've got to find something else I know I can't cope trying to do what she does......:eek:

Thing is, before I started here I'd pretty much decided I didn't want to work in Finance anymore, but the recession hit, jobs were scarce and the company seemed nice- I thought it would be good to try working outside of an accountancy practice and it was, but things have got so crazy, the workload so high and we are just not coping...so I'm in a quandry, I don't want to work in finance anymore, I can do it and can be good at it, but my heart isn't in it and I don't want that lifestyle anymore, i don't think I ever have. But i have no idea what else I could do....i think there is going to be a lot of soul searching ahead

sorry for the rant, just feeling very lost and freaked out at the moment...that circus by the river is starting to look good..........

more on topic, did a nice pedicure - well sort of a soak in warm water and oils, cut and file and then slathered on coconut oil- will paint them tonight had to have no polish on for the podiatrist today- she said they were in excellent condition and no damage to nerves, circulation all really good so I'm happy:) was naughty and ate a load of monkey nuts- managed to find fresh ones on the market and got all nostalgic (sunday treat as a kid) so I boiled them like they do back in Mauritius and ate them watching a film yum...I'm telling myself it's ok because they were boiled and not salted:o

right ladies(and lurkers) I'm off to discover my new path wish me luck!

MrsWoolfe

maman

Good to see you back Mrs Woolfe and glad to hear you enjoyed your time off. I really like Brighton too. In fact I like anywhere by the sea, it takes me back to my childhood.

Sorry you're having such a dreadful time at work. It's awful what stress can do to people. But I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that now is not the time to be walking away from a job and I'm sure your colleagues know that too. It would be good if things calmed down a bit but you could always look around. Have you any idea what you might like to do if you had a choice? I suppose that what you might like and what pays the mortgage aren't necessarly compatible.:( Sending you a hug.

Haven't done a great deal today just a bit of washing, shopping and I managed to plant some seeds. I'm hoping for 'cut and come again' mixed leaves so that I don't have to spend a fortune on bags of salad. On the shopping front, it was just stocking up on a few bits locally but it really is appalling how prices are going up. I generally go to Farmfoods for orange juice. In the last few months it's gone up from 50p to 59p and now 69p a carton. That's a 38% increase:eek: It makes me so cross because I feel we're being ripped off when prices of basics are going up so much faster than inflation. It seems that the things that are cheap are the unhealthy things. Sorry, rant over.:o I expect it's tough for Mrs Cameron too.;)

We're all doing well with the weightloss, soon all size 14s will be selling out!:T Off to have lunch with some really old (IYKWIM) friends tomorrow. Take care all.

lessonlearned

Having problems with my computer - this is just to test. Did a post and lost it.:mad:

Let's see.

lessonlearned

Ok we're back in business - don't know what happened there. I'm such a technophobe at times - hopeless with machines. I would have made a good Luddite.:rotfl:

Anyway ....... Hello Ladies and Lurkers

Hello Mrs W - glad you enjoyed your break. I think Brighton is fab, used to go quite a lot when my sister lived in London.

So sorry to hear about your rough time at work. Perhaps when you've had a think about what you really want you could start taking steps to make it happen - doing any necessary courses or training. That way when the economy picks up you will be in a position to make your move.

You are so right about rising prices Maman. I was showing my sister my spending diary today and it's staggering just how much my housekeeping bill has gone up since this time last year. Hence my extra vigilance this month. I know I can't keep my spending down to last year's budget but I got such a shock last month. Realistically though you can only cut back so much - we do have to live:o. I think growing some salads and fruit and veg should help a bit. I did that cut and come again salad last year - very successful.

You know what they say about decluttering and good feng shui - getting rid of the unwanted to make way for the good things (yes I know - New Age Hippy Twaddle) - well today it was proved right for me - in spades.

An old family friend gave me four large bags of assorted clothing, with the clear instructions to take what I wanted and to pass the rest on and dispose of as I saw fit. My sister and I had a lovely rummage - lots of size 16's in there for me, great makes like Per Una, Wallis and even a new cream wool Edina Ronay coat. Will take the rest to Scope tomorrow.

She's a lovely lady and quite a character, well into her 80's, great fun and fond of a tipple - so I shall take her some of my plants and a bottle of something. She still does a bit of wheeling and dealing in bric a brac and antiques and our paths often cross at car boots and antique fairs. She lives in the prettiest cottage filled with treasures she has picked up for a song.

I know I am on a very frugal month and not spending but I did buy three rose bushes from Poundland today. It is MSE though because I will have lots of pretty roses to cut and won't have to buy cut ones rotfl: I've choosen scented ones. It's so sad that unless you spend a small fortune bought cut roses don't actually smell of anything.

Physio today so an exercise free zone here.

G'night all. x

MrsWoolfe

Hello All!

and thanks for the hugs! I'm feeling a little calmer about it all today had some sad news from Mauritius which put everything into perspective a bit for me and then spent a long time talking through everything with DH and Mum.

I know it would be crazy to leave here without something in hand and I really don't intend to do that- I think what I need to do is have a plan and work out how to get where I want to be, otherwise I'll just keep getting into the same mess, I think that if I remain in Finance it will always come back to the same issues, I've now worked for a big 4 firm a smaller top 20 accountancy firm and in industry with the IFA I work for now and the same situations crop up time and time again. It always comes down to trying to squeeze more and more profit until you are so overloaded that things start slipping and I just hate working that way....so I've got a couple of options:

1. Teaching- something I've wanted to do for a long time and could be done with some sacrifices I would like to teach English Literature. If I do this I would like to perhaps work as a teaching assistant first whilst doing an OU diploma(perhaps increasing this to a degree) mainly as my degree was business one and I think it would help - also would be a good opportunity to get experience in a school setting and make sure that it's what I want.

2. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy- This something I looked at doing before I got this role, I have an uncle who works in this area and was helping me to look at the routes into this work.

Those are my two areas that I have always wanted to work in, things would be a lot easier if I'd have a bit more backbone in my teens and hadn't let myself be talked into switching from psychology to business but I guess it's never too late eh?

Hmm I'm taking this too far off topic I think! on topic- I've also planted up some cut and come again salad leaves which are doing well the Pak Choi is coming along really well so I'm looking forward to some yummy chinese-style broths, managed to pick up a crate of tomatoes at the market for £2, so have blizted them in the processor and frozen them ready for making into sauces at the weekend.

Have been trying to think of how to keep the food spend down whilst keeping it healthy and I think I might have to try and get down to one of the asian cash n carry's and buy dried pulses, I'm trying to get pulses into most meals now an easy way of getting the GI of meals down:D also think I'll be using the market more often, it's not a fantastic one but worth have a quick look on a Sat morning and freezing things into portions, need to be a bit more organised!

got some more seeds sown as my first lot got cooked on the first really hot day we had- i think we put them in the mini-greenhouse too early! the courgettes seem to be coming up strong as do the butternut squash, I think the main things that will help are the salad leaves though as in the summer we do tend to eat a lot of salad...actually through winter too just less of it and more as a side dish.

Not a lot of exercising going on at the moment- lots of walking but not much else, will try and get back on the bike tonight even if it's only for 20mins, usually find that if I do a little bit am more motivated to keep it going, had been having back spasms for a few days- i blame the 6hr train journey- but this seems to be easing up and a bit of movement should help me sleep better I hope!

right ladies (and lurkers) hope everyone is having a good day I'm off to fill my water jug so I remember to drink!!!

MrsWoolfe